Original article can be found HERE
TV and film comedy actress Eugene Domingo (“Kimmy Dora”) will portray
Bona, the role immortalized by Nora Aunor in the original Lino Brocka
film, in Philippine Education Theater Association’s (Peta) stage
adaptation, “Bona.”
Bona is a die-hard fan of Gino Sanchez, played by Edgar Allan Guzman
(“Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me”), a contestant on a television talent search
show.
“Bona” was originally written as a teleplay by Cenen Ramones featuring Laurice Guillen (Bona) and Ruel Vernal (Gardo).
The late Brocka, National Artist for Film and Peta founding member,
directed the film version in 1980, starring Aunor as an alalay (girl
Friday) to macho bit-player actor Gardo (played by Philip Salvador),
with whom she’s very much smitten.
Movies headlined by Aunor have been adapted for the stage before.
Peta staged the 1976 film “Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo” in 1991 with Aunor
herself in the leading role. Tanghalang Pilipino staged the 1982 film
“Himala” in 2003. Both productions were directed by Socrates “Soxy”
Topacio, who will also direct Peta’s “Bona.”
Adaptation
Layeta Bucoy was approached by Peta artistic director Maribel Legarda
to handle the script. Bucoy has been gaining recognition over the
years, winning Palanca awards and writing one-act plays that have
created a buzz for their subject matter, use of language and surprise
twists, such as “Isang Libong Tula para sa Dibdib ni Dulce” (obsessive
love), “Ellas Inocentes” (sexual innocence) and “Doc Resureccion:
Gagamutin ang Bayan” (politics). Last year, she adapted William
Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” with director Tuxqs Rutaquio, her
constant collaborator, into a contemporary Filipino setting.
“In this version, Bona is more empowered. She’s financially independent. She’s a call center agent,” Bucoy says.
“As a fan, she lays claim to empowerment as she believes that the
inclusion of fan votes for a talent search affords her the power to
choose tomorrow’s next big star.”
“At first, we tried to follow the plot points of the movie, but as
the adaptation developed and the process, true to the nature of theater,
became more collaborative, a lot of changes were introduced, though
still anchored on the spirit of the movie.”
Comedy-drama
The resulting work is now a comedy-drama. Bucoy points out that the
addition of comedic angles is not so much a pandering to Domingo’s
comedic skills than the result of the “evolution of the adaptation
resulting from the team’s collective vision.”
“The term ‘bona’ is used in gay lingo. ‘Nagpapaka-bona ka sa
pag-ibig’ means you’re being stupid, being too much of a martyr for
love. When we look at Bona from this angle, what might be melodramatic
or even tragic to some might be comical to others. The difficulty lies
in choosing a perspective. Isn’t it true that even when it comes to
religious fanaticism, some of us may laugh at those who go into a trance
while singing ‘In His Time?’”
The production will use videos as a transition device between scenes
but Bucoy didn’t want the obvious comparisons to television’s commercial
gaps. “We wanted to make the content of the videos part of the
narrative. Working with my soul mate Tuxqs Rutaquio has taught me to be
conscious of how text is ‘translated’ onstage. Form has a lot of
influence on both content and how content is communicated.”
“With ‘Bona,’ using videos not only affords smooth scene transitions
onstage, but it also enriches the very content of the material: Bona
falls for a guy she first sees on television, desires to see on the big
screen and follows in cyberspace. The guy is inside a ‘screen’ or a
‘monitor’ as Bona herself is slowly revealed to be seemingly trapped
inside a ‘screen’ monitored by those who dictate what kind of life
should we live.”
Catch BONA on its closing weekend!
SEPTEMBER 22, 2012 / Saturday / 3 PM
SEPTEMBER 22, 2012 / Saturday / 3 PM
at The PETA Theater Center
(No.5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, QC)Contact Us:
Robert Ceazar Marzan (0922.888.5348)
Jayme del Rosario (0927.202.2017)
or Onay Sales (0917.908.0565)
A scene in Bona with Baldy, played by Joey Paras
