Monstress, currently playing at ACT’s The Strand near Civic Center, features companion one-acts, both adapted from the short story collection of the same name by Philippine-born writer Lysley Tenorio. Remember the I-Hotel was adapted by the venerable Philip Kan Gotanda, and the stage adaptation of Presenting … the Monstress! was by Sean San Jose, co-founder of Campo Santo, the resident theater company of Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. San Jose additionally plays the role of Checkers Rosario in Presenting … the Monstress!
Presenting … the Monstress!, the most endearing of the two plays, tells the story of a Manila-based B-movie director and his patient girlfriend, Reva Gogo (Melody Butiu), who is always cast as the starring monster in the director’s sci-fi horror fiascos. The story Lysley Tenorio tells was inspired by a film once described by critics as “the worst film ever made” – a mélange of California and Manila sci-fi B-moviedom.
The one-act opens with a short attack scene from The Squid Mother of Cebu, with lots of waving glittery red tentacles. It’s an attention-grabber, and sets the wacky and charmingly madcap tone of the following scenes.
While contemplating his next foray into celluloid fantasy, Checkers is approached by a Hawaiian shirt–clad filmmaker from California who, on a trip to visit a girlfriend in Manila, has stumbled across the archive of Checker’s films at Cocoloco Productions. Gaz Gazman (Nick Gabriel) has a bright idea: he will splice Checker’s stunningly exotic monster scenes into his own sci-fi nightmares.
Dazzled by the possibilities of Gazman’s cash and Hollywood fame, Checkers and his sweet monstress head for distant shores. Gazman lives with his taciturn and chain-smoking Russian mother (Kelsey Venter) in San Jose, and films his masterpieces in the basement, with lots of heavily gelled lights and oodles of Styrofoam.
It looks like Paradise to all involved.
Throughout the play a chorus of Filipino wannabe stars – Dala (Ogie Zulueta), Mata (Jomar Tagatac), and Tala (Rinabeth Apostol) – comment on and add to the action, filling in roles and mocking the absurdity of the characters’ desires and illusions.
And in the unlikely setting of the last moments of Gazman’s space odyssey, the true message of both plays is revealed. With only five minutes of existence left in their universe, the film’s two space-suited leads, one of whom is Reva transformed to stardom-struck lead, fall in love: “I’m afraid of … of loving you. Meteor analysis, moon colonization, those things are easy. But not love. Love takes work.”
The moment deftly turns back to comic: “Love takes time and we’re running out of it. We’re in a dead-end situation, and I can’t love you without getting hurt.”
All clichés are, finally, laughable.
The opening one-act, Remember I-Hotel, is also about love, especially forbidden love: love between races and sexual love between men. And beyond that it’s about what behavior may be forbidden in love. Can you make a claim for love if you are willing to betray the object of your love? To put it in such danger that he or she can be killed, or damaged beyond recognition?
All these questions are of pressing interest. It’s hard to say why the play doesn’t quite live up to their importance. Staging? The structure of the play, which brackets a long flashback asking the characters to age 40 years? Maybe. But finally, I think I wanted more from the characters, for them to be given the time of a full-length play to develop the intricacies wound into their love and desire. Even so, having the questions posed is of everlasting necessity.
Both plays were directed by ACT’s excellent Carey Perloff and brilliantly acted by a young and vigorous cast. Scenic design by Nina Ball, costume design by Lydia Tanji and that all-important sound design with Theremin by Jake Rodriguez.
The plays were staged in the new Strand facility, which is dazzlingly red and has two stages with 120- and 238-seat houses. The theaters have lots of pizzazz and hi-tech glam and are arranged to maximize interaction between theatergoers. Monstress continues through November 22. Tickets and information can be found by visiting www.act-sf.org.
– Jaime Robles
Photo: The Captain (Ogie Zulueta) and Reva Gogo (Melody Butiu) shoot a scene in Presenting … the Monstress! Monstress is performing at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater through November 22, 2015. Photo by Kevin Berne.