Tanghalang Ateneo’s 36th season is off to a strong start with their opening play, Middle Finger, directed by Ed Lacson Jr.
The play is an adaptation of the controversial classic, Spring Awakening, in which the pubescent protagonists actively repress their sexual urges to conform to Victorian propriety.
Middle Finger takes place in America: Jakob Rodriguez (Guelan Luarca) and Benjamin Lunga (Joe-Nel Garcia) are teenage immigrants trying to cope with the pressures of Catholic School and family life. We follow Jakob as he slowly becomes fixated on “being good,” in the face of his raging id and personal problems. As an adaptation, the production was unclear about what timeframe the story transpired in exactly—although vintage video games and VHS tapes set the production somewhere in the 90’s. Ron Capinding’s translation is in a mix of English and Tagalog, rooting it in the linguistic nuances and colloquialisms of the present-day Filipino.
Lacson’s direction was nothing short of impeccable. Audiences are invited to take seats around the entirety of the stage, opening up the performance to actors walking in and out from every side, transitioning between scenes with a fluidity impossible in a traditional setup.
The play was blatant in portraying its characters’ varying sexual misadventures—from self-pleasuring to prostitution. But aside from its carnal themes, the production’s technical side was just as riveting—ominous music played as the lights were dimmed and ghostly figures drifted onstage, signaling events taking a turn for the worse.
The effective use of props made the narrative more palpable: Some of which (most notably that of a deck of cards) were the main focus of certain scenes, while others (like Mrs. Rodriguez’s laundry basket) served to enhance and highlight the roles of individual characters.
The actors were compelling in their line delivery as they effectively assumed their roles as rebellious schoolboys, merciless professors and negligent parents. The internal conflicts of each respective character were intensified as half-meant litanies of prayer and punishment drowned out their internal monologues.
Especially of note was Luarca’s portrayal of the headstrong Jakob, which elicited both the laughter and sympathy of the audience. Through his masterful performance, he gives us a glimpse into the fast-changing inner world of a boy battling with his demons. His identity crisis builds up throughout the play, right until its explosive climax.
All these elements sum up to a play that is especially haunting, yet still relatable in the contemporary age. In line with the theme of Tanghalang Ateneo’s lineup, “Navigating Identities,” Middle Finger retains the 19th century classic’s intention of criticizing society’s repressive nature—a problem that, two centuries later, still remains unresolved.
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The production will be showing on the following dates: August 5-9, 12-16, and 19-22. Shows start at 7pm at the FA Annex (Old Communication Dept.) at 7pm. Matinee shows start at 2pm on weekends. Please be advised that punctuality is a must for this show.
Updated on Aug 3, 11:12PM
Updated on Aug 4, 10:55AM