As the sounds of the Kulintang pierce the darkness over the stage, I knew I was in for something new. Bindlestiff Studio and San Francisco State University’s Theatre Arts Department production of Lorna Velasco’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, entitled, A PINOY MIDSUMMER was that new, fresh, exciting, cerebral, visceral, inspiring and emotional theatrical experience I had been craving for since seeing my first production at Bindlestiff Studio by the sketch comedy group, Tongue in a Mood, in the same space (different theater) in 1999. Back then, just having a space where Filipino-American actors filled a stage with relatable subject matters made me realize that there was a group that could push the boundaries of the extent of our inclusion in the world of theatre. Something I didn’t think possible outside of a University produced Pilipino Culture Night (PCN). MERRY TSIMIS was the beginning of this realization and 13 years later, A PINOY MIDSUMMER has not only brought me back to that feeling but has also pushed my own expectations of where our place as artists on a darkened stage can go – “Far!”
In summary, A PINOY MIDSUMMER revolves around the wedding of the Athenian Duke Theseus (Manny Cabrera) and the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta (Gemma Calderon). Before the wedding, Egeus (Alan S. Quismorio) asks the Duke to settle a dispute: that his daughter, Hermia (Aureen Almario) be wed to Demetrius (Aaron Niles) while she is in love with Lysander (Tonilyn A. Sideco). This love triangle squares up as Hermia’s friend, Helena (Julie Kuwabara-Lacson) is not-so-secretly in love with Demetrius. The Duke tells Hermia to make her decision – either marry Demitrius or be put to death for disobedience or become a nun. Given these options, Lysander steals Hermia away into the forest with the plans of eloping.
The comic side story of this play is brought by a group of working craftsmen, known as The Rude Mechanicals: Flute (Roczane Enriquez), Snout (Ed Mabasa), Snug (Melvign Badiola), Starveling (Patrick Silvestre), and Bottom (Joe Cascasan) led by Peter Quince (Chuck Lacson). Under Peter Quince’s writing and direction, they plan to be a part of the Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding by performing a play for them. After coming up with this plan, they enter the same forest the Young Athenian lovers run to in order to rehearse.
The final component of these three interlocking storylines is between the King of the Fairies, Oberan (Michael Dorado) and the Queen of the Fairies, Titania (Melanie Espinueva) as he plots to steal the Indian Boy (Zoe Velasco) away from Titania with the help of his loyal servant Puck (Dennis Rodis).
The stories intertwine in the Land of the Fairies as plots are devised by Oberan to use the “love nectars” of a flower to make the young Athenians fight over who’s in love with whom as well as to fool his Queen to fall in love with an Animal, Bottom’s character turned into a Donkey by Puck, in order to steal the boy. As the forest night ends, and everyone awakes believing the previous night was all a dream, the couples indeed fall in love with their corresponding partners and the day opens of the wedding where the pitiful, but endearing group of workers/actors, entertain the three wedding parties with the story of “Pyramus and Thisbe” a love story reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet… and everyone lives happily ever after.
Not only did this play, amazingly brought to life under the direction of Lorna Velasco and her merry band of theatre makers, thoroughly entertain its audience, but it made me think of the many themes that this production explores as it mixes Filipino Artistry and Social Commentary, both in Filipino, Filipino-American, and American contexts. One of the themes explored beautifully was the relationship between Lysander and Hermia, both females in this production. It’s hard to put into words the emotions I felt as Lysander, with a heart-rending performance by Tonilyn A. Sideco, got down on bended knee in proposal to Hermia. Like a feathery pillow, it was nice to be hit out of the blue with the subject of Marriage Equality in this over 400 year play. Although, I have seen gender-flipped adaptations of a Shakespeare play before, this instance struck a chord not only because of this a professed love and intent to marry a person of the same sex, but that this flies in defiance of Hermia’s father, who wears a danger-red Barong Tagalog as the options of death or the convent were the given options for his daughter.
Another aspect which stood out to me as a Filipino American is in A PINOY MIDSUMMER’s use of language. Not only did this group of apt players act out their intentions using The Bard’s exquisite use of words, but also added the dimension of having the Rude Mechanical’s speak in Tagalog, which is also a pleasant surprise. I’ll admit that I’m not fluent in the language, both in speaking or fully understanding, but that’s where the parallel with the original text and the Filipino dialect is weaved beautifully – how to speak in this “foreign” tongue and yet to be able to understand them through action and inflections. Each character stands on his and her own as translated through action. But I appreciated the deeper meaning of WHO used the original text and who spoke in the “common” language – Anthenians vs. Workers; Upper vs. Lower; and Skilled vs. Amateur. Shakespeare’s intention for these contrasts are deepened in this context because of this choice of the spoken language used and can only be brought out in this production for a new and diverse audience.
Futhermore, a powerful Pinoy theme that stood out is in Lorna Velasco’s vision of Shakespeare’s Land of the Fairies and Philippine Mythology. In the playbill, designed by Julie Munsayac, is an excellent write up by the director states that “Shakespeare’s Fairies and Filipino Fairies are not that different.” So this aspect of the Natural world brings a deeper meaning to a Filipino Audience because of the oral tradition passed down through generations. It’s my hope that this production can carry on a piece of that folklore as well to broader audiences through its use of shadow puppetry in the scene between Puck and the “Over Hill/Over Dale” Fairy. The use of the flowers used by Puck and Oberan in order to manipulate the effects of love of the Young Athenians and Titania with Bottom turned into a man with a horse head (whose mask was designed by Omz Velasco) displays the power of nature over man. This stage-crafted organic power can also be felt by the “natural” moonlit lighting, set design (a tree literally pops up on stage), a rolling platform decorated with flowers, sound effects and music which were used to set the mood of the forest I was taken to during the play’s major actions.
I can’t really say enough about this cast. Each of them should be proud of their work and how each of them took me on a journey of emotions leaving me with the utmost pride. I don’t remember laughing as hard during the scenes with The Rude Mechanicals. Roczanne Enriquez and Joe Cascasan’s comedic timing and depth of character had me rolling. But they couldn’t have been that way without their entire group working together as literally a “Laugh Machine”, di ba? I’m sure the audience will never forget the “love scene” set in shadow between Titania and Bottom as Donkey! Flipping to the dramatic side, the scene of the Young Athenian’s was FIRE as they jabbed with each other, both with words and with sticks. I took note of Julie Kuwabara-Lacson’s portrayal of the scorned lover, Helena, as both funny and wickedly engaging. I felt the pain of Aureen Almario’s pain at the rejection of her Hermia by Lysander. The audible gasp as Lysander takes the ring off of Hermia’s hand and offers it to Helena in the Second Scene of the Third Act confirms the sympathy Aureen gave her character for the other “groundlings” around me to grasp upon. The “steeliness” of Michael Dorado’s eyes as he delivers his soliloquies to the audience and the nurturing softness as a “mother nature” type of character portrayed by Melanie Espinueva spoke volumes in her actions with Zoe Velasco’s Indian Boy and in her singing. Dennis Rodis’s heartfelt loyalty to Oberan as Puck rang true, especially during the scene where Oberan tells him the story of a little white flower that turned purple as Puck “embraces” him. Gemma Calderon’s Hippolyta longing eyes made me think of her defeated Army and the loss of her Amazon home – something that made me think of the Filipino’s as their land was taken by the Spanish during their rule of the islands.
After the audience is greeted by a player with the obligatory opening speech to turn off cellphones and a warning that the play will last an hour and forty minutes, we are introduced to the world we are about to journey into by the Filipino Indigenous sounds of the Kulintang played by Ava Tong. The music furthers reinforces each setting as directed by Ogie Gonzales with his additional musicians of Omz Velasco and Marcius Noceda playing various other Indeginous and modern instruments as it goes from interludes heard during a Muslim Dance Suite to Pinoy Rock to a beautiful Illokano lullabye sung by Titania and the cast. The other Filipino elements woven into this adaptation are the martial-arts choreography by Jay Jasper Pugao as displayed by Thesueus and Hippolyta to reference the battle of both of their armies leading up to their marriage. The costume design by Joyce Juan Manalo is just another piece to enhance this Pinoy Production. After this movement battle, which opens the play, Hippolyta in defeat dresses in view of the audience in the Filipino Fashion during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines in a beautiful black, silver, and white topped dress as the male characters enter wearing the traditional Barong Tagalogs. The fairies are adorned in the fashion worn by the indigenous tribes of the Philippines. To add more dimension are the Athenian Togas worn by the Rude Mechanicals during their play-within-a-play. And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing contemporary dance choreography by Gemma Calderon as performed by each of The Young Athenian couples reminiscent of a routine choreographed for the television reality dance show, So You Think You Can Dance. From behind the stage, it was entrancing to see Gemma’s work as a choreographer, but also as an actor, and as a shadow player, dawning a mask designed by Marcius Noceda (votaress mask), by portraying the Indian mother of the boy that Titania whom has promised to take care of her son. The use of shadows in theatre (designed by Melissa Diaz-Infante) added another level to the scenes with the Fairies as well as the puppets, including an adorably designed 3 dimensional dog puppet by Ramon Abad brought to life by the deft-hands of Ms. Diaz-Infante. Incredibly, all of these key elements could not have been brought to life without the solid foundation and imagery created within this theater with the set and lighting design by Aaron Niles and Paciano Triunfo, respectively. And of course, all of this couldn’t have possibly been pulled off without the veteran stage managing skills of Susanna Yu.
It’s my guess that A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been produced, in various states of adaptations, hundreds, if not thousands, of times since the original production in the late 1500s. So what makes A PINOY MIDSUMMER different, aside from what Lorna Velasco states in her address to the audience after the final bows as being a production entirely created and composed of all Filipino Americans – Pin@ys? The answer doesn’t easily lie in the fact that all the actors can recite and interpret this Classic Shakespearean tale as written, but in the way this story weaves in Filipino culture through dance, martial arts, music, song, humor, and social commentary into the a strong, bold, multi-colored and beautiful tapestry displayed for all communities to, not only admire, but to inspire new works to do the same. The bench has been marked and the (e.)ssence of the Never Give Up Bayanihan Spirit is heard and felt within the applause for this truly Pinoy Production which holds Center Stage in a little black box theater on the corner of Sixth and Howard in San Francisco, CA. Bindlestiff Studio. Home.