St. Louis and Dem Filipinos

From Inq7:

NINETY years after the infamous St. Louis World Exposition, where tribal Filipinos were sent as human exhibits to convince the American public of the humane righteousness of colonization, a play, "St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos," was born. Fifteen years later, a musical.

The fictionalized account of Datu Bulan, Bagobo warrior and Pinoy Everyman who dreams of doing something great in the land of America, and who ends up drifting aimlessly through the Great Depression, isn't very pretty stuff. And there are no happy endings here, just a resolute and hopeful one.

When "St. Louis" was first premiered as a straight play in 1991, director Tony Mabesa scrapped the original ending where Bulan is imagined by Fred Tinawid (the play's narrator, a Fil-Am yuppie searching for his own roots) to come home to his tribe.

Mabesa said, and rightly so, that it was a cop-out, a feel-good ending for a story that there was nothing to feel good about. It worked then as a heavy-handed political piece, with Joel Lamangan and Ronnie Lazaro alternating as Bulan. But would it work in a musical?

"St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos", the Musical, had its first run in August at UP. It's now in its second run, but only until November 26.

We caught the matinee last Saturday, and though there were still technical difficulties (some actors didn't have mikes and couldn't be heard, the show started 1 hour late), it was nevertheless, a great show. Not to mention, my friend got really great seats. :)

The UST Symphony Orchestra provided accompaniment. The play is in Taglish, alternating English lyrics with poetic Tagalog dialogue. It was almost heartbreaking to watch the lead character Bulan transform from the princely, dignified, matipuno warrior, to the sorry state he becomes 20 years later. Franco Laurel was handsome as the preppy Fil-Am narrator Fred Tinawid, for some reason reminding me vaguely of Mig Ayesa on Rockstar INXS. The fat lady of the circus (Maude) unfortunately reminded me of Little Miss Piggy, complete with blond curls and soprano singing voice. The Ifugao chief Antonio provides comic relief. Pinoy na pinoy! To make a joke out of everything. Floy Quintos as Gramps eventually steals the show.

The play starts its story in 1904. And it's a sad state of affairs that a hundred years later, the same problems still happen, the same situation still exists.

"Make them believe your a man, do something great." The play could easily be about our personal dreams, just as it is about the odyssey of us as a people. And the review quoted above is right, there are no happy endings here, just a resolute and hopeful one.

"Pusong naglalakbay, ibalik mo sa akin." Without our roots, are we really doomed to lose ourselves? Thought provoking. Catch it, while it's on. For more info, surf to Dulaang UP's site.