(Poster from Encore Theater)

Mirrors abound in the latest offering of Encore Theater, a group of thespians who had worked closely with playwright Floy Quintos (gone too soon in 2024), and who last staged his final play, GRACE. His plays are known to reflect the social conflicts of our times, yet clarified and rephrased so that “all the ugliness of human nature (is) made bearable.” 

In recent times and with this economy, live theatre runs the risk of seeming like a luxury, but if it is a Floy Quintos play, it is firmly filed under “necessity.” 

“Miranda and Yolanda” is a twin bill named after the two plays’ leading ladies, in a duo of tales that present our toxic love/hate relationship with our political leaders. A Quintos play will always have his trademark social commentary, with varying levels of heaviness. This show presents uncomfortable truths with the keen grasp of the Filipino’s psyche that Quintos was known for, but also makes the audience laugh and enjoy themselves immensely at the same time. 

Miranda, the First Lady of the Province

“Evening at the Opera” has all the drama the Italian art form is known for, taking place in the bedroom of a husband and wife seriously in need of couple’s therapy, as they prepare to attend the opera. Ana Abad Santos, daughter of the previous governor, is now married to Joshua Cabiladas, a gun-toting goon turned current provincial leader. Frances Makil-Ignacio is the ghost of the wife’s late mother, who won’t leave her daughter’s side. 

The ensuing couple’s quarrel ties together corruption and the arts, with the Manila-bred trophy wife spending twenty million pesos of her husband’s (and taxpayer’s) money to stage Cavalleria Rusticana in the province. (Fittingly, the Mascagni opera is also a tale of adultery and marital violence.)

The rising action leads up to not one, but two nerve-wracking instances in the play, which makes audiences think on the intimate nature of complicity, how it changes us in turn into the very thing we hate, and how, without exorcizing the ghost of our past, history may very well continue repeating itself.

Yolanda, Queen of Ma-i

In “Ang Kalungkutan Ng Mga Reyna,” a hairdresser (Topper Fabregas) is summoned to the palace on the morning that a female Napoleon of our country (Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino) has declared martial law, and made herself queen. 

As surreal as that sentence reads, what follows are scenes of increasing convoluted craziness that circles around an insecure woman dictator’s dependence on her hairdresser-turned-social-etiquette adviser. From singing and dancing generals with newly bestowed titles and fiefdoms like the Duke of Dipolog, to a fashion show done purely with wigs, Quintos shows a reality that becomes all too plausible with his piercing observation: “Sa puso natin, nananatili tayong pyudal.”

Social Commentary Lite for All

Graced by some of our finest local actors, the afternoon’s stars for this viewer were Topper Fabregas and Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino in the second play. Centenera-Buencamino’s portrayal of the delusional queen still made her very much a sympathetic character (because she truly believes that what she’s doing is for the good of the country), so much so that we feel and understand how a dictator’s charisma can charm even democracy’s stoutest proponents. Meanwhile, Fabregas’ lightning quick shifts between comedy and serious tragedy make this rare skill seem as easy as breathing.

Directed by Dexter Santos, a close colleague of the late playwright, audience members can be confident in the production’s fidelity to the original intention and vision of Floy Quintos, perhaps the most revered writer of plays of his generation.

While these two plays might not necessarily be considered as Quintos’ best or most powerful, they are still very much worth seeing. Laughter is assured, as well as reflection. In these two plays, Quintos masked his political points in seductive comedy, and one can argue that this makes for more accessible satire, extending the reach of the plays’ message. Beware who you allow to take power, for (as the production’s clever physical ticket makes literal) the cards are in our hands. No matter whether we embrace it or deny it, the truth remains: we are whom we allow into Malacañang. 

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[Tickets are available at prices between P1,200.00 and P2,500.00. They run weekends until May 3, with shows at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM at the Power Mac Blackbox Theater, Circuit Makati]

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

Gabi Francisco is a classically trained soprano who now performs in the English / Music / Drama classroom. On weekends she soaks in as much art and literature as she can, so she can pass her love for the arts on to her students. She passionately believes in the transformative role of arts education in nation-building. (IG: teacher.gabi.reads )