By CORHEINNE JOYCE B. COLENDRES
IN THE grand scale of certain journeys, one will always feel a specific kind of ease in finally figuring out the finality of things. No matter how tasking, however, people easily forget the importance of the process and the journey itself; instead, they like to focus on the results, on the ending. Some find it more comforting to be able to reach the destination without actually taking the entire route. Despite this, one must realize that some endings are never truly uplifting.
Directed by Robert Villanueva and Fenichi Lozada and staged by Likhang Laya in partnership with Artistang Artlets, Sa Muling Pagkikita features an anthology of plays that proves how reaching the end of a journey does not always provide the necessary conclusion—how we do not always get our expected results.
“IT”-ERY, written by Jhudiel Clare Sosa
“It”-ery is a hilarious and straightforward story about a college student named Ken, who mistakenly assumes that he has applied for a position that is beyond the role of an executive assistant. As he slowly nears a state of panic, he then realizes that he just simply misunderstood the job description.
Throughout the entire run, Ken is usually isolated as he bares his real feelings to the audience, while the entire scene is frozen. Bathed in his own spotlight, Ken amuses the audience with his silly reactions and the rising panic that he harbors, only to be cut by the abrupt realization that he merely misunderstood the order of things.
NANAY ISSUES, written by Jullienne Espos
Sure to tug on one’s heartstrings, Nanay Issues presents the intimate relationship between Mira, a mother who demands too much of her child yet only wishes the best for her, and Sophia, who is desperately trying to seek her mother’s approval.
Worried because of her daughter’s current disposition, Mira airs out her grievances with how Sofia is living her life. On the other hand, Sofia incessantly tries to prove to her mother that she has grown up and that she knows how to stand on her own feet.
The subtle strained relationship between the two characters is realistic and relatable; it presents a typical story between parents who set the bar too high for their children and children who constantly pursue what their parents have always wanted. Moreover, the play highlights how a relationship between a parent and a child is never truly easy; without proper communication, an intimate relationship can never be achieved.
ANG KASALANAN SA KASALAN, written by Dani Factora
A few hours before her wedding, Lessie is visited by an old flame: Phil, who wishes her the best for the upcoming celebration. Phil starts off with teasing Lessie and he eventually helps her deliver her vows, yet the conversation turns dark as the two characters slowly unravel the feelings that they have kept for so long.
Ang Kasalanan sa Kasalan tackles the idea of how nothing really ends well when feelings are left unchecked and buried. As Lessie and Phil finally delve into an attempt to untangle the issues of their past relationship, they eventually find themselves more lost in the feelings they have been harboring inside their hearts.
Through changing set designs and the use of various warm and cool tones to highlight the mood in each play, Sa Muling Pagkikita was able to effectively deliver the pain and suffering that come together within the path toward reaching the end of a story. The anthology of plays presents how, sometimes, the feeling of finality cannot materialize in an ending, because in some nook or crevice, an untouched issue is waiting to be rediscovered and unraveled. F
