fluid review...
fluid review
This is a review written by Ren Robles, professional theater actor and BlueRep alumnus. He was able to catch the 7pm show last September 1. It's very heartwarming. Read on...
September 3, 2007
RATING: 5 STARS.
The debate between Art and Commerce - and all that it entails - has always been a popular topic for artists to tackle in their works. What good is artistic integrity if one is hungry all the time? What good is "selling out" if it means compromising your beliefs? These are questions that have been asked by artists across place and time. This time, the place is the Philippines, the time is now, and the play is FLUID, as presented by the graduating class of the Ateneo Theater Arts Department.
Written and directed by Floy Quintos, the play opens with Amir (played by Jio Javier in the show I got to see), a young, talented, yet anonymous painter contemplating his artistic future. Just as he is about to make a very final decision, in comes Mira (Jasmine Mendiola) with a tantalizing offer: A large sum of cash as well as the promise of a solo exhibit, but only if he alters his style to please rich patrons. Next, we meet two young thespians, Alben (Nikko Atienza) and Jom (Gerauld Rivera). A generally happy and loving couple, the two have a brief spat over Jom's "controversial" plan: To audition for the Philippine production of "Rent." Jom thinks it'll be an exciting step in a new direction; Alben thinks it's needless selling-out. Finally, we encounter Simone (Diega Villanueva), an events coordinator tackling a huge wedding. Her best-laid plans go awry, though, when Renata (Trency Caga-anan), the coordinator for the Philharmonic, does a few last-minute changes to the repertoire. Much to Simone's dismay, all her "perfect" choices for music have been switched to classical music. All three stories come to a head two years later at Amir's one-man show. The events come quick, the pace is frenetic, and when the dust finally clears, everyone comes out of it more enlightened, if not a little bruised. (Obviously, I'm not spoiling it for all of you).
It would have been easy to write this play with an obvious bias towards Art, but as the title suggests (and as many artists can attest to), the debate is never an easy one, and there are rarely any absolute answers. The play accurately depicts the internal (and, at times, external) struggle without oversimplifying it. (Admittedly, the play DOES lean towards Art, but it can't be helped; it was written by an artist, after all.) None of the characters are absolute representations or metaphors for Art or Commerce. Each one presents a facet of both; the artistic have economic needs, the rich have aesthetic aspirations. The action is paced well, and there are no dull moments. There's also a good balance between gravitas and the frivolous; it's never too serious to be depressing, and never too slapstick to be disposable. The material is clever and witty, and there's a lot of unexpected humor (which, I suspect, only the well-read or those exposed to theater will understand and appreciate).
I must admit, I've never seen this play with the "older" cast mentioned in the program, so I wouldn't know how different this play is from the original. However, the younger cast definitely makes it work. It's easy to make Amir your typical Angry Young Man, but Jio adds some subtlety and sadness in his take of the character. There's one brilliant moment in the play where Jio quickly flinches, then says more with his eyes in one brief moment than he does with any lengthy monologue. Jasmine is appropriately composed and elegant as the "rich bitch" Mira, but thankfully, you also see glimpses of her humanity when she interacts with Amir, particularly at the start of the play. Gerauld's innocent look definitely works for his character, and he succeeds in pulling off his character's "growth" in the second act. Meanwhile, Nikko successfully expresses his character's insecurities amidst his cocky facade; indeed, Nikko shines in one of the play's most poignant monologues, one which any theater actor can probably relate to. Finally, Diega and Trency steal the show with their more obvious humor. Diega's ditzy Simone earns her huge laughs in pretty much every scene she's in, while Trency gets to be hilarious one moment then thoughful the next, without the shift being too jarring.
On the creative side of things, the production design made use of its limited space, and the use of white curtains was very, well, "artsy." It was an effective means of creating an additional back-"space" in the theater (if you've ever been to or worked in the Fine Arts Theater, you know what I mean), and it had another purpose of changing the settings quickly and effectively. The costumes captured each character accurately, whether it's Amir's paint-soiled outfit or Diega's flirty ensembles. The choice of music was also good, drawing attention to itself only when necessary.
In the end, FLUID makes a good argument about Art, Commerce, and the spectrum of decisions one has to make about the two. The play (and the playwright, by extension) definitely has its own stance on the debate, but by no means does it force you to accept it as the only choice. Everyone who watches will identify with a different character, or at least different facets of different characters. (For my part, I identify most with Alben, even if our backgrounds are almost complete opposites.)
I definitely recommend watching this play. It is entertaining, yes, but it also brings to life the dilemmas of every artist. Plus, if you watch, you also help a talented bunch of artists take a step closer to realizing their goals and dreams (the play also serves as a fund raiser for their thesis).
The play runs from Tuesday until Sunday at the Ateneo Fine Arts Theater, 3rd Floor Gonzaga Building. Shows are at 7pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 2pm on weekends. Tickets are 150 pesos each.
(I'm selling tickets for the September 15, Saturday, 2pm show. If you want to watch, you know how to contact me.)
posted by nicolas @ 2:44 PM
Comments: 2
