August 9, 2025
As the clock was striking 9, Mr. and Mrs. Santos (Joel Macaventa, Miren Alvarez-Fabregas) were sitting together in their living room. Mrs. Santos was taking account of the food that their maid Marie (Gold Soon) prepared. All the while, Mr. Santos was reading his newspaper, only grunting wordlessly in response to his wife's petty observations and comments.
Later, their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Martin (Joseph Dela Cruz, Pickles Leonidas) dropped in the Santos house for an unexpected visit. Together, they engaged in more silly exchanges of ideas, arguing on topics like, "Is there someone at the door when the doorbell rings?" The chief fireman (Yan Yuzon) also came by to ask if there was a fire in their house.
For its maiden offering, nascent theater company Teatro Meron chose to stage "Sopranong Kalbo," the Filipino adaptation of Eugène Ionesco's 1950 play "The Bald Soprano," as translated by the late National Artist for Theater and Literature Rolando S. Tinio. The artists of Teatro Meron, led by director Ron Capinding, chose to stage this personal favorite of their late mentor Dr. Ricky Abad, whose birthday will be celebrated on August 10.
"The Bald Soprano" (or "La Cantatrice chauve" in original French) is notable because since 1957, it has been continuously showing at the Théâtre de la Huchette, holding the world record for the longest time a play had been continually playing in one theater. It was considered a classic in the Theater of the Absurd, plays marked by illogical or irrational lines that play around with the philosophy of existentialism, very tough to pull off on stage.
I have to admit that this was not an easy play to get into. The pointless conversations did not lead to any important plot points at all. There was a part when the characters challenged each other in some sort of a storytelling showdown, none of which made any sense. They got some audience members on stage for some interactive gags, then later go around the audience area telling rapid-fire "jokes", which could either be funny or cringe-y.
Having serious thespians (whom I've seen do classic Greek tragedies before) portraying these absurd characters subliminally suggests that there was more about this play than the inanities we see. This challenges the audience to look for the deeper substance that underpins the craziness on stage. For me, everything made perfect sense only by the final scene, which brought the whole play full circle even when the lines were in gibberish.
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The rest of the creative crew of this production includes: Tata Tuviera (production designer), Ara Fernando (makeup designer), Zak Joaquin Capinding (sound designer), D Cortezano (lighting designer), EJ Ramos (assistant lighting designer), Jo Aguilar (graphic designer), and Reamur A. David (photographer).
The show runs on August 8 at 8 PM, August 9 at 2 PM, 5 PM, and 8 PM, and August 10 at 2 PM and 5 PM, at the Rizal Mini Theater, Ateneo de Manila University. Tickets are priced at P800 (general audience), P720 (TA alumni, senior citizens, PWDs), and P700 (students of any level from any school), and may be purchased via the group’s Google Form.
