In the entertainment industry, true talent is best shown in
a theatrical setting where a story is told without the elaborate
special effects or movie editing. Life for stage actors is not easy
because each performance must be perfect. There are no “take two” or
short cuts for a scene. Therefore, actors who perform live on stage are
artists with exceptional talent and stamina to deliver consistent
quality in acting.
This month in Manila, the ongoing local stage production of
“Closer” is definitely a venue where one can find actors with
exceptional acting abilities. “Closer” is an award-winning play by
English dramatist Patrick Marber. The play made its debut in 1997 at the
Royal National Theatre’s Cottesloe Theatre in London, England and it
won Evening Standard “Best Comedy Award” and the prestigious “Laurence
Olivier Award” in 1998 for “Best New Play”. This play had a movie
version in 2004 of the same title by director Mike Nichols and stars
Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen.
“Everything is a version of something else.”
The Manila production of “Closer” is brought to us by a new
theatre company called “Red Turnip Theater” and directed by Ana Abad
Santos.
The venue is at Whitespace Theater along Chino Roces Avenue
Extension (formerly Pasong Tamo Extension). The stage is not the
conventional elevated platform. The stage is at the centre of the room
while the audience is seated around the stage. The actors are very close
to the audience (just a few feet away) thus, there is an effective
interaction between the audience and the actors. One can really imagine
being part of some emotionally intense scenes that are loud and alive,
and just a few feet away from you.
An Expat’s Guide to Philippine Theatre Arts
Top left, clockwise: The Philippine production of “Closer” with Angel Aquino, Bart Guingona, Marc Abaya and Cris Villonco
These actors are more than pretty faces or famous names on TV or
stage. They are Filipinos who dedicated several years of their lives in
perfecting their craft and even travelled the world to train further in
the performing arts.
-
Cris Villonco as Alice – At age nine, Cris
started her singing career and eventually performed on stage. She is an
actor and recording artist. In 2011, she won “Gawad Buhay Best Actress
in a Musical” as Maria Clara in “Noli Me Tangere”. She has a degree in
Liberal Arts with concentrations in Music and Economic Development from
Sarah Lawrence College, New York. In 2000, Cris was featured in TIME
Magazine (International Edition) as “Hero for the Planet”.
-
Bart Guingona as Larry – In 2003, he won
Aliw Awards for Best Stage Actor. He is also a directory for Repertory
Philippines. He had two theatre grants in London, one for theatre
direction. He is currently the artistic director and president of
Actor’s Actors Inc. Just recently, he won as “Best Stage Director” and
“Best Actor” for Aliw Awards for the The Necessary Theatre (TNT)
production of “Red”.
Synopsis
Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice:
This is the memorial tablet of Alice Ayres found at Postman’s Park,
London which is one of the topic of conversation in “Closer”. One of the
characters in the play calls herself “Alice Ayres” and patterns her
actions and personality based on the details from this tablet. This
historical tablet was designed by William De Morgan.
The story of “Closer” revolves around the lives of four people. On
the first act we find Alice walking in the streets of London and she got
ran over by a cab. She met a stranger named Dan who brought her to the
emergency room. From there, the two became star-crossed lovers. At the
ER, they also met a doctor named Larry whom they encountered in
interesting future events. Dan makes a living by writing obituaries. He
eventually wrote a book about the life story of his lover, Alice. During
a photo shoot of his book’s cover, he met and fell in love with the
photographer, Anna. Alice was aware of the secret deception while Anna
tried to avoid getting involved with Dan. Eventually, with Larry in the
picture as Anna’s husband, Dan’s selfishness eventually lead towards a
destructive web of lies.
The story of “Closer” touches the issue on how betrayal and
infidelity can ruin a person’s life. Some people survive from a
breakup, while others don’t and they suffer in silence. It was quite
fascinating though that one of the characters had self-destructive
tendencies but ended up putting sense and order in the messed-up lives
of the other characters. A simple lesson about relationships – “Do the
right thing.”
From the play, we also see the difference between a man and
a woman based on how they react towards an unfaithful lover. Men are
more verbal about their shattered ego and they want to know even the
dirty details on how they got cheated on. As Dan says in one part,
“Because I want to know everything. Because…I’m insane. Tell me.”
Women tend to be in raging anger at first, the suddenly
silent about it. Women would rather just walk away as they feel unsafe
being around a liar.
Some of the lines of the script are witty, funny or
sometimes sarcastic but in a nutshell, it tells the difference between
love and selfishness. It is surprising that one of the characters in the
story lived with a lover for years without even knowing that person’s
real name or that person’s psychiatric condition. Therefore, the play
shows us that in the real world, there are many selfish people who start
a relationship only to please themselves rather than to give
unconditionally to another person. The script conveys that many people
use love as an excuse for their selfish motives, and most people do not
know the difference.
Life Lessons
When you watch any play on stage, it is wise to pay
attention to the script of the actors. It is the heart and soul of the
play because it is the writer’s medium in sharing important life lessons
to the audience. From “Closer”, there are a lot of memorable lines that
most people can relate with. “Closer” brings justice and clarity to
anyone who has ever loved, got betrayed and survived betrayal or still
struggling to recover from it.
Here are some of the memorable lines from the play:
About falling in love:
Alice: That’s the most stupid expression
in the world. ‘I fell in love’—as if you had no choice. There’s a
moment, there’s always a moment; I can do this, I can give in to this or
I can resist it. I don’t know when your moment was but I bet there was
one.
About moving on:
Larry: Of course I’ll forgive her. I have forgiven her. Without forgiveness, we’re savages.
Interesting Merchandise at Whitespace
When you come and watch the show, you’ll find a lot of
interesting things at the lobby of Whitespace Theater. Before the show,
why not purchase their informative souvenir programme? This is
available in glossy print and it contains photos of the actors and the
cast and crew. This is a cool way to get to know their impressive
credentials in the entertainment industry. The souvenir programme
includes a CD with video of the online trailer of “Closer”. This
beautiful video trailer is directed by Marie Jamora.
Souvenir
programme for “Closer” for a better look at our talented actors, cast
and crew. This includes a CD with video of their online trailer. You may
purchase this at the front desk of the theatre’s lobby.
Another cute souvenir item on sale is a tote bag with the
“Red Turnip Theater” logo. It comes in two sizes: medium and large. This
is a perfect souvenir to bring home after the show.
Red Turnip Theater tote bag. Available on sale at the front desk of the theatre’s lobby
The best part of the hanging out at the theatre’s lobby after the show is the chance to meet and greet the cast.
“She was…disarming.” (a quote from “Closer”) Meeting the lovely cast of “Closer” after the show, (left) Angel Aquino and (right) Cris Villonco.
Catch Red Turnip Theater's CLOSER
OCT 26 2013 | SAT | 3PM| Whitespace, Makati
Patron Ticket Prices: 1000
Contact: Onay Sales 0917.908.0565 or Jayme 0927.202.2017
