The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
by Alvin I. Dacanay
Mabining Mandirigma, Tanghalang Pilipino’s (TP) musical on the final years and legacy of revolutionary patriot and statesman Apolinario Mabini that was noted for its use of steampunk elements and the casting of a female actor in the title role, towered over its competitors at the 8th Philstage (Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group) Gawad Buhay awards last Thursday.
The acclaimed musical triumphed in a three-hour-plus ceremony—held at Greenbelt 1’s Onstage theater in Makati City—that also honored more performers in English-language productions, a former Second Lady, and three sisters renowned for their contributions to Philippine dance.
Mabining Mandirigma won all but one of the 13 awards it was nominated for: outstanding musical (original or translation/adaptation); direction of a musical for Chris Millado; ensemble performance in a musical; female lead and male featured performance in a musical for Delphine Buencamino and Antonio Ferrer (who played Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo), respectively; original libretto for Dr. Nicanor Tiongson; musical direction and musical composition for Joed Balsamo; choreography in a play or musical for Denisa Reyes; set design for Toym Imao; costume design for James Reyes; and sound design for TJ Ramos.
Trailing behind Mabining Mandirigma is Peter Pan of Ballet Philippines (BP), which, like TP, is a resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It clinched five awards: outstanding classical dance production, production for children, ensemble performance for classical dance, male lead performance in classical dance for Victor Maguad; and choreography for a dance production for Edna Vida-Froilan, a sister of Denisa Reyes.
In a mild upset—one of several during the ceremony—the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (Peta) Arbol del Fuego, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard set in martial law-era Negros Occidental province, earned prizes for outstanding play (original or translation/adaptation)—which nominated director Loy Arcenas and lead actress Cherie Gil accepted—and for translation or adaptation for celebrated playwright Rody Vera.
Two English-language plays—Actor’s Actors Inc./The Necessary Theatre’s (AAI/TNT) production of Larry Kramer’s AIDS drama The Normal Heart and Red Turnip Theater’s (RTT) production of Moises Kaufman’s 33 Variations—also collected trophies. The former won for outstanding production of existing material for a play, direction of a play for Bart Guingona, ensemble performance in a play, and female featured performance in a play for Roselyn Perez; the latter, for outstanding male featured performance in a play for Teroy Guzman (who played Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer of the titular work) and lighting design for John Batalla.
Another RTT production, This is Our Youth, garnered for Jef Flores the trophy for outstanding male lead performance in a play.
Also, two theater icons were honored: Audie Gemora, as outstanding male lead performance in a musical for his portrayal of drag queen Albin in 9 Works Theatrical’s (9WT) La Cage aux Folles, and Irma Adlawan, as outstanding female lead performance in a play for her role as Soledad, the matriarch of a troubled family that finds healing in its rediscovery and acceptance of its indigenous Palawan roots, in TP’s Mga Buhay na Apoy.
In his speech, Gemora noted that the two previous winners in his category—Melvin Lee for Care Divas and Red Concepcion for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert—played crossdressers, and said it appeared that one had to wear a dress to win.
La Cage aux Folles and Mga Buhay na Apoy writer-director Kanakan Balintagos also won for outstanding production of existing material for a musical and original script, respectively.
Full House Theater Co.’s hit adaptation of Sharon Cuneta’s 1985 melodrama Bituing Walang Ningning copped only one award: outstanding female featured performance in a musical for Cris Villonco, who portrayed the kontrabida singer Lavinia Arguelles.
During the ceremony, Philstage, an alliance of 14 professional performing-arts organizations in the Philippines, bestowed its Natatanging Gawad Buhay limetime achievement awards on Celia Diaz-Laurel, widow of former Vice President Salvador H. Laurel and a highly respected actress and artist who performed in many of Repertory Philippines’s productions, and Alice Reyes, the BP founder whom Malacañang formally proclaimed as National Artist for Dance last month, and who is the eldest sister of Denisa Reyes and Edna Vida-Froilan.
Before accepting her award, Diaz-Laurel sang “The Colors of My Life” while accompanied by her actor-son Cocoy and daughters Iwi and Linnie. During her acceptance speech, Diaz-Laurel described her love for theater as something that gave her “light, love, and sadness altogether.”
For her part, Reyes reminded her fellow performing artists in her speech that, despite today’s frenetic, technology-driven pace of life, they must “make sure that we never allow our artistic standards to be sacrificed…. We must make time for artistic excellence.”
Below is the complete list of winners:
Musical
• Musical—Original or Translation/Adaptation: Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Production of Existing Material for a Musical: La Cage aux Folles (9WT)
• Direction of a Musical: Chris Millado, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Ensemble Performance in a Musical: Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Male Lead Performance in a Musical: Audie Gemora, La Cage aux Folles (9WT)
• Female Lead Performance in a Musical: Delphine Buencamino, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Male Featured Performance in a Musical: Antonio Ferrer, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Female Featured Performance in a Musical: Cris Villonco, Bituing Walang Ningning (Full House)
• Original Libretto: Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Original Musical Composition: Joed Balsamo, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
Play
• Play—Original or Translation/Adaptation: Arbol del Fuego (Peta)
• Production of Existing Material for a Play: The Normal Heart (AAI/TNT)
• Direction of a Play: Bart Guingona, The Normal Heart (AAI/TNT)
• Ensemble Performance in a Play: The Normal Heart (AAI/TNT)
• Male Lead Performance in a Play: Jef Flores, This is Our Youth (RTT)
• Female Lead Performance in a Play: Irma Adlawan, Mga Buhay na Apoy (TP)
• Male Featured Performance in a Play: Teroy Guzman, 33 Variations (RTT)
• Female featured performance in a Play: Roselyn Perez, The Normal Heart (AAI/TNT)
• Original Script: Kanakan Balintagos, Mga Buhay na Apoy (TP)
• Translation or Adaptation: Rody Vera, Arbol del Fuego (Peta)
Dance
• Classical Dance Production: Peter Pan (BP)
• Modern Dance Production: “Bloom,” from BM 2.0 (Ballet Manila)
• Ensemble Performance for Classical Dance: Peter Pan (BP)
• Ensemble Performance for Modern Dance: “Bloom,” from BM 2.0 (BM)
• Male Lead Performance in Classical Dance: Victor Maguad, Peter Pan (BP)
• Male Lead Performance in Modern Dance: Gerardo Francisco, “Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin,” from Tatlong Kwento ni Lola Basyang (BM)
• Female Lead Performance in Classical Dance: Lobreza Pimentel, Don Quixote (Philippine Ballet Theater)
• Female Lead Performance in Modern Dance: Rita Winder, Sarong Banggi (BP)
• Male Featured Performance in Classical Dance: Gerardo Francisco, Romeo and Juliet (BM)
• Male Featured Performance in Modern Dance: Earl John Arisola, Sarong Banggi (BP)
• Female Featured Performance in Classical Dance: Pia Dames, Romeo and Juliet (BM)
• Female Featured Performance in Moden Dance: Monica Gana, Sarong Banggi (BM)
• Choreography for a Dance Production: Edna Vida-Froilan, Peter Pan (BP)
Other awards
• Production for Children: Peter Pan (BP)
• Set Design: Toym Imao, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Costume Design: James Reyes, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Lighting Design: John Batalla, 33 Variations (RTT)
• Sound Design: TJ Ramos, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Musical Direction: Joed Balsamo, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
• Choreography for a Musical or Play: Denisa Reyes, Mabining Mandirigma (TP)
Natatanging Gawad Buhay
Celia Diaz-Laurel
Alice Reyes