Just a head’s up! This is not your typical stage play. It doesn’t showcase the norms and the conventional. You won’t see flashy costumes, made-up actors, or props men in the background. You won’t find the traditional one-on-one dialogues and rarely will you see interactions between actors. But despite that, you will love this play from beginning to end, and let me tell you why.
Makikitawag Lang Ako is an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “I Only Came To Use The Phone.” The story revolves around a woman, Maria Cervantes, who had been mistakenly admitted in a mental institution for the sole reason that she needed to make a phone call to inform her husband that her car broke down in the middle of the road and she has no way of getting home. The FEU Theater Guild, together with Fringe Manila, led this incredible play with the direction of Dudz Teraña, written by Risa Jopson.
This particular stage play, however, brings out the meaning of the story in more ways than one. The symbolic aspect of the play engulfs the audience with an air of mystery and illusion. The clown-like appearance of all the actors, but Maria, gave off an eerie attraction that is both frightening and appalling. Yet, you find yourself enthralled.
By then, you’ll realize that you’re a part of the play yourself. From the actors’ monologues to envelopes falling from the ceiling, there is a sense of interaction happening between the actors and the audience.
Surprisingly, it is the exact opposite for the actors. Rarely will you find them interacting with one another. Dialogues are done in a way that would seem almost ridiculous, yet sensible and more meaningful at the same time. And when there is an interaction, you will find yourself overwhelmed with so much emotions that even hugot lines from the movie “That Thing Called Tadhana” won’t suffice.
In terms of the technical aspect, there’s really nothing much to say. The execution of Makikitawag Lang Ako was impeccable. Even the props coming in and out of the stage was so graceful, it felt like it was telling a story itself.
But the most notable part of the play, in my opinion, is its courageous effort to use more than three languages throughout the whole play. You won’t get lost, of course, but simply the incorporation of the Beki/Gay lingo as well as the use of Spanish, English, and Tagalog gave more depth to the story that it instantly made the play remarkable and unforgettable. It was eloquent, expressive, and suggestive. But most of all, it challenged the audience to think.
In the end, Makikitawag Lang Ako will leave you with all kinds of emotions and feels. You will fall in love. You will be loved. You will laugh. You will cry. You will get hurt. You will feel pain. You will be disappointed. You will lose faith. But above all, you will learn.
You will learn that sometimes, love can bring you to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but, always, it will set you free.
FEU THEATER GUILD
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