Tanghalang Pilipino reimagines Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Carlos Siguion-Reyna, director of TP production Walang
Sugat, brings his thought-provoking creative interpretation of Shakespeare’s Pangarap Sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw (Midsummer Night’s Dream) translated by National Artist Rolando Tinio for a limited three-weekend run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 16. Presented by Tanghalang Pilipino, the company behind
Mabining Mandirigma, Zsazsa Zaturnah, and Himala The Musical, the production’s strong cast is led by Audie Gemora, Liesl Batucan, Teroy Guzman, Skyzx Labastilla, Richard Cunanan, Kristofer Kliatchko, Rafa Siguion-Reyna and Jackie Lou Blanco, with the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors’ Company.
“The rich text from both Shakespeare and Tinio has allowed us to use a mishmash of English and Tagalog — using these two languages to reflect the conflict between order that has gone fascist and the idea of passion gone chaotic,” says Siguion-Reyna. There is a study of contrasts: ‘fakery vs. authenticity,’ ‘reason and sanity vs. emotional lunacy,’ and ‘ego vs. evil’ among the revolving theme of the play. Siguion-Reyna shares, “We’re going with that kind of schizophrenia and it’s coming out organically.”
THEME and MOOD
“Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw is not a whimsical story for me. It’s not about harmless fairies having fun, nor a Victorian-setting/Peter Pan type of story. There are lots of dark elements in this play. We went for thematic manifestations and the suggestion of fascism and passion instead of constricting the play to a certain period. In fact, I even thought about setting it in a mental hospital, a 19th century Spanish precolonial period, traditional Philippine mythology, or a totalitarian state — but that was reducing the play,” shares Siguion-Reyna.
The foggy woods as setting bring that certain kind of lunacy distinctly found in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and its other worldness. Siguion-Reyna continues, “This allows the audience to analyze the play — which is abstract enough and open to interpretation. They can read the circumstance that’s relevant to themselves — politically or from another point of history.”
He talks about the cast: “I went into rehearsals as if the two great playwrights, Shakespeare and Tinio, were in the room with me. I had so much fun exploring this play with the cast and I’m enjoying the fact that I can’t fully grasp the entirety of the play. We’re finding it out together. Here, we are exploring the roles of men and women, and sexual and gender politics, among others. I’m working with a great cast.”
Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw opens on Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tanghalang Huseng Batute (Studio Theater). The playdates are: Sept. 30, 8 p.m.; Oct. 1, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Oct. 2, 3 p.m.; Oct. 7, 8 p.m.; Oct. 8, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Oct. 9, 3 p.m.; Oct. 14, 8 p.m.; Oct. 15, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Oct.16, 3 p.m.
For information, call Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc. at 832-1125 loc. 1620/1621, 822 6920 or Lorelei Celestino at 0915-6072275.