Rak of Aegis will Rock for Ages
Due to the prodding of my friend and law school classmate Andre Calizo, I went out of my crib tonight to watch the musical play "Rak of Aegis" at Peta Theater. I am no crazy fan of Aegis, the band, but the play I watched just tonight gave me chills and the scenes and songs are still vividly lingering in my head, I can still hear the raiindrops falling to the tune of "basang basa sa ulan." I'd say, one of the best Pinoy originals in the theater world (as if I have watched all...but i love theater especially musicales). No wonder we are hailed around the world for our music and the artistry that goes with it. So here's my quick rave about the play.
SYNOPSIS. The play begins with Aileen, a young girl gifted with a wonderful voice who dreams of taking her family out of poverty by playing her cards on luck to be discovered by Ellen de Generes via the easiest "modern-day-talent-search" route - the youtube. Set in Villa Venezia, an urban poor community inundated with 3-months good of floodwaters , the story evolves around the resiliency of a community trying to survive despite the flood that struck the neighborhood. Intertwined with development unrest, corruption and environmental havoc, Aileen's phenomenal rise to fame after the viral youtube post gave the village a reason to hope for a better life as tourists and international media flocked to catch a glimpse of the girl singing in the flood. When the barangay captain was about to hold a fundraising concert that stars the latest youtube sensation, the floodwater was pumped out draining the streets with all the drama (the flood) that caught the heart of many and made the world cry. A debate ensues among the characters on whether or not the flood has done them good more than harm, now that they are losing the chance to raise the much needed funds and potential income. The community faces a transcendental dilemma. But like any good vs evil stories, the play ended with the community relying on their God-given talents to survive. With a passionate shoemaker, creative designers and a celebrity endorser, Villa Venezia has transformed itself to a shoe-making community, relying no more on the hyped-up flood, but solely on their individual and collective strengths.
ON THE MESSAGE. The rom-com texture of the play was a perfect formula to deliver a message so dense (like poverty or corruption or disaster) in a light but powerful medium - the songs of Aegis - interspersed with witty remarks and punchlines that leave the audience somewhere in between laughter and introspection. Rak of Aegis conveys impressively the stark social realities of climate change, natural and human made disasters, corruption, exploits of the monied and the mighty, unemployment, human rights, sexuality, marriages, family and relationships. It showcases the so-often-ignored fact that challenges the human spirit either to stand tall or to bend down. I am reminded by the play that every neighborhood is in a crisis and there is no one else who can lift us up except the people around us. In an age filled with uncertainties, in a space where we dance with the devils, and in a time when trust is too high a price to pay, there is only us and our inner strengths and hopes in our hearts which we can turn to that survival can become possible. Villa Venezia is a microcosmic representation of the Filipino soul, of our collective "chi" - that regardless of the calamity (literal or figurative) that may come our way, we will always emerge in triumph only if we find the good in ourselves and have faith in our strengths. Rak of Aegis is the story of our people - from the heart-wrenching melodramas to the "kilig" ala "teeny-bopper" romance, from the wrath-provoking confrontations to the mouth-ripping comedy - we are all in a roller coaster ride of life. But no matter where this will take us, it is in the journey that we must all draw strength from.
ON THE ARTISTRY. I am not trained in theater. So I guess I am in no right position to speak about how a play should be staged or not - from the lighting, to the set design, to the direction, to the musicality, to the blocking, dances, acting, etc. - I am not licensed to comment. But unsheathing it from my gut, let me share some thoughts. First, I appreciate the intimate feel of a small theater. The intimacy makes me feel I am part of the whole play, that I am one of the characters and that the story was my own story. I was attached not only to one but to many of the characters in the play. At times I felt I was Aileen, full of dreams. There was a part I felt I was Tatay Kill, someone who always stands by what is right even to a fault or Kapitana Mary Jane, who is almost always torn in between right and wrong. I felt all these perhaps because I was literally and metaphorically close to the stage. Second, my hats off to all the performers and the directorial staff for a splendid run of the show. From what I know, to sing an Aegis song is like a suicidal act. But the cast has given the songs a new spin, true to theatrical standards, that made the songs more real, felt, and close to home as opposed to those who sing them in competitions. To be able to hit those high notes, one must have the discipline of a professional theater artist to deliver every line with empathy and pizazz that leaves every theater goer in awe. The wise use of Aegis songs, the wit, the stage, the effects (especially the rain and the growing flowers), the voices, all made my Rak of Aegis experience a very remarkable one - something that will forever be etched in the almanac of my existence. Lastly, I need to specially applaud (as one of the highlights) the "doble kara" act of Joel/Jewel. Apart from the amount of skill required, what is so extraordinary about it is its two-sided preface to the story's penultimate dilemma - that of "buti wala nang baha" and "pano 'yan, wala nang baha." An apt reminder that there are always two sides of the same coin. We may be confused at times, but let us not forget that it is still the same coin.
So let me take my hat off, bend and bow to all the people behind #RakOfAegis for giving me a wonderful theater experience, for giving me a reason to hope, for giving me faith to our individual and collective strengths as a people, for making me feel good about Filipino talent! A round of applause!!!đâ¤ď¸đđđ(Photo from taratriestowrite)
