June 30, 2024
Virgin Labfest "Pintog" is coming to an end tonight. I was able to watch all 5 sets of VLF this year. This is thanks to the fact that Set A premiered on June 12, so i was able to watch it this year. Set A is the one I usually miss in past VLFs due to scheduling problems.
The fact that these plays have made it to this stage already means that their scripts have already been adjudged to be the best of all the submissions. My rankings here are purely subjective and personal, how I liked the performance of the play that I saw that specific day. Here is how I would rank the 12 new plays of VLF 19:
Written by Dustin Celestino
Directed by Toni Go-Yadao
The highlight of a Dustin Celestino play is the way he wrote dialogue, heard in the thought-provoking conversations in plays like "Doggy" (VLF 16) and "Fermata" (VLF 17), and his film "Ang Duyan ng Magiting" (Cinemalaya 2023). Here, we are engrossed as we listen in to the thoughts of both men and GROs as they psychoanalyzed each other. Joshymae impressively played against type as a toxic male with a savior complex, with Dyas Adarlo, Bon Lentejas, Jorrybelle and Heart Puyong all also delivering strongly in support.
Written by Chesie Galvez Carino
Directed by Paul Morales
JC Santos and Liesl Batucan were already limbering up onstage even when the play had not yet begun. Director Paul Morales took advantage his dance background to make the dancing scenes spectacular to watch. Santos was lithe and limber as dance instructor Diego, as he projected sex appeal with over-the-top dance moves. The heart of this show was definitely Batucan, so effortlessly lovable and delightful as the lonely matron Anna, it was impossible not to take her side.
Written by Herlyn Alegre
Directed by Ian Segarra
Herlyn Alegre is a known quality brand in VLF, with memorable works like "Imbisibol" (2013) and "Fangirl" (2019). Here, she mined comedy out of greedy family dysfunction and self-serving solicitousness of local politicians in the light of the cash gift for centenarians, and pulled it off, despite some lapses in logic. The physical comedy aspects were the funniest for me, with the convincingly aged-up Ekis Gimenez (as the 100 year-old Dencio) literally getting carried like a limp sack all around the stage.
Written by Lino Balmes
Directed by BJ Borja
The premise of this play was so innovative, I had never heard anything like it before. True, it asked me to suspend a lot of disbelief, but I was entranced by the eloquence of Balmes' script. With the way Ge Malacaman delivered the woman's arguments why she wanted to be born, I would have been convinced. Ross Pesigan has always been a charming and reliable actor, and that is why we totally understand Austin's decision, whether we agree with it or not. BJ Borja bravely took on this abstract concept and delivered a moving piece of drama.
Written by Elise Santos
Directed by Caisa Borromeo
This play felt like a synthesis of various memories of graduates of an all-girl high school. In the grand scheme of things, I don't seem to see how the Immaculate Conception story was connected to the teen lesbian romance story, so i felt it was more for shock value than anything else. In any case, the three young ladies (Jam Binay, Cheska dela Cruz, Yani Lopez) were committed and consistent with their characters, so they were quite entertaining to watch, even if some jokes tended to be too irreverent for me.
Written by Joshua Lim So
Directed by José Estrella
This is the most serious play of the 10 shows I had watched. The topic of the play had no room for any humor at all, and So wisely steered clear of that, going against the popular trend of being hip and funny at VLF. Urgent, gritty and realistic, the actors made the audience relive the stress and tears of the pandemic, not only for health professionals (for whom life-and-death decisions are haunting ghosts), but also those who helplessly witnessed their loved ones expire, as represented by the Watcher (Gold Villar-Lim).
Written by Jhudiel Claire Sosa
Directed by Meann Espinosa
Like the first two plays in this set, there were serious issues being tackled here behind the laughs -- about the wide difference between how female sexuality was regarded by the Gen X and Gen Z women. Kitsi Pagaspas was also a master in comic delivery as the shell-shocked Mommy Luz getting to know the new Regina. While a central mother-daughter bonding scene set to psychedelic imagery and heady music was trippy good, I was not really sure what they were actually doing.
Written by Neil Azcuna
Directed by Phil Noble
For practically the entire play, Luna and Marlon were only talking in the makeshift "taxi," as the video projections behind them simulated the motion of the ride. It really depended on the skills of the two actors to make the lines pop into vivid life. Ceasico flawlessly went through the gamut of emotions, while Calilong solidly played her straight man. Luna was from Bohol, so the tone of the script was prominently Bisaya. The accents sounded realistic even if the actors were not Bisaya.
Written by Dip Mariposque
Directed by Roobak Valle
Via Antonio was clearly the star of this show as her undeniable talent for comic delivery was in full display here. However, I was not comfortable with the religious irreverence of her jokes, as her every line broke the third commandment. The pandemic setting of this play immediately made it and its jokes feel dated for me. I suspect it would have worked better if the story had been taken out of the Covid situation, which it could have.
Written by Rick Patriarca
Directed by John Mark Yap
Compared to the profane "Hapagkainan" (2016), the insightful "Birdcage" (2017) and the outrageous "Wanted Male Boarders" (2019) -- the topic of HIV/AIDS tackled by Patriarca in this play was rather too familiar already. However, the patient count of HIV/AIDS continues to grow, so public education about it is still important. The complicating issue of how HIV will impact one's popularity and clout as an influencer will resonate with the Gen Z LGBT crowd.
Written by Ara Jenika Vinzon
Directed by Charles Yee
"Remember Erlinda" was apparently a battle cry for Filipinos fighting in the Battle of Bataan during World War 2. Honestly, this was the first time I have heard of this historical fact. Good thing, the play reminded us of Erlinda's tragic story before the story proper. It was admittedly confusing when you hear Odeng called her friend Erlinda, but you eventually understand that this play was trying to give Erlinda a more heroic story than what really happened.
Written by Hans Pieter Arao
Directed by Hazel Gutierrez-Marges
The topic may have sounded interesting on paper, but the execution was very dry. The set is only a bare stage with a line projected on the floor and back wall, like the central line of a street. The two men were engaged in a rather rambling conversation, with several words unintelligible for me. One thing which was evident from the first scene to the end was the lawyer's sweating in the heat. I sure it meant something, but I can't guess it.
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