This article first appeared on the Xavier University website.
Hours after they had tied the knot, a newlywed couple struggled to smoothen the strings of their juvenile marriage after an unanticipated turn of events had entangled their expectations with undesirable revelations.
Bertolt Brecht’s “A Respectable Wedding” is The Xavier Stage’s (TXS) most recent adaptation for the theater organization’s Aspects of Love series. But shredding the tenacious criticism off this adaptation of the German playwright’s original short play against the prevalent bourgeois lifestyle in his era, the 45-minute-run production had incorporated locally pressing issues in its dialogues and scenes – a relatable event that cordially invited the audience to constant laughter and occasional squeals.
During its gala performance on Friday (September 22, 2017), a night after its premiere, TXS’s front of house staff in Filipiñana fashion ushered the audience into the Little Theater. When the lights shone onstage, Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” resonated as the lights began to shine over the setting.
Appearing first was Greg, a waiter (played by Senior High School STEM student Hian Lao) and Sonia, a waitress (Education major Queenie Roluma) as they set up a table in preparation for the wedding’s reception.
But before the guests arrived, Bea, the bride (International Studies student Kissie Fudolin) had repeatedly screamed after knowing that the venue of their reception was changed by the unexpected directive of a former governor who happened to be a close acquaintance of her mother (portrayed by Xavier Ateneo formator Faith Silmonet). Despite the efforts of Justin, the groom (Paolo Zulueta), to soothe her, she remained apprehensive, fearing the ruin of their wedding by the unpleasant services and amenities of the hotel.
Within an old dilapidated suite, the play took place, revolving around the characters who argued about the value of marriage and its unavoidable misfortunes.
The pairs’ affairs
Although the groom’s father (Xavier Ateneo alumnus Tat Soriano) was proud of the newlywed’s commitment to seal their relationship with their vows, the framed floral paintings hanging over the makeshift walls and potted plants that comprised the central backdrop and filled the corners of the stage had hinted the transience of feelings. Flowers may bloom and plants may grow, but without perpetual nurture, they’d decay.
As a confession in a dialogue with Bea’s mother, the marriage of Justin’s father did not end well after a legal separation from his wife. Resembling her singlehood, Bea’s mother had been a widow years before the matriarch met Justin’s father.
But feelings could be the foundation of a stable marriage just as Tetchie, the maid-of-honor (Psychology major Camille Magnanao) and Tony, the groom’s man (Xavier Ateneo alumnus Andrew Begafria) excitedly announced their engagement in the suite, with the hope to console with the bride’s frustration and anxiety and to remind Bea and Justin about what made them decide to tie the knot before the appearance of the venue had tangled their heartstrings.
The gradual crumbling of the suite’s furniture, Bea’s distaste of the menu, and the nuisance of her mother’s analytic recollection about her paternal parentage (doubting whether the governor had planted the seed instead), all amounted to the impossibility of a fairy tale ceremony just as Bea – more than Justin – had wholeheartedly wished for. But the symbolical representation of the characters grouped in pairs, denoted a realistic and contemporary reflection of a married couple.
To put into context, Bea’s mother and Justin’s father depicted a spouse’s attraction towards another individual who takes no part in the bounds of marriage, thereby engaging in an adulterous affair. Despite his pot belly and silver hair, the vigorous speech and the masculine gaiety of Justin’s father had claimed the admiration and affections of Bea’s mother. But adultery can only be initiated when feelings of intimacy are enacted for another apart from the spouse, setting aside the commitment that sealed the relationship.
In the case of the newly-engaged couple, Tetchie, and Tony, a pair’s feelings ought to anticipate marriage. Feelings are the foundation of a couple that desires a promising relationship.
But for the newlyweds, the commitment had triumphed over trials. Justin didn’t hesitate to constantly comfort Bea regardless of her swelling temper that began to set them apart and identified their differences. Justin was carefree, while Bea was obsessed with order and perfection. Despite a couple’s skirmishes, whether by deeds or by circumstances beyond control, a marriage persists by living the vows – for better or for worse.
The waiter and waitress, Greg and Sofia, who continually served the newlyweds with compliments and apologetically explained the deficiencies of the hotel, had observed how the couples handled the problem, and eventually developed a strong liking for each other. But as members of the working class, they set practicality before romanticizing a perfect wedding with the required expenses to fuel it.
An aisle for criticism
Although the adaptation took liberties from its source material, it accorded with the same kind of criticism that Brecht had for the socialites. A depiction of a middle-class wedding presented a reflection of social inequality and political corruption.
TXS’s adaptation didn’t veer away from this purposive element.
The governor’s trickery by changing the venue signified the false promises that politicians give towards their fanatics, cronies, and the general public. An unpleasant venue provided by an incompetent civil servant could only equate to an inefficient service unworthy for the people.
As a localized adaptation intended for the audience’s appeal, some of the play’s dialogues mentioned athlete-turned-politician Sen. Manny Pacquiao and the current state of the Senate. Bea’s mother commented that the issues concerning the country’s politics were lethal.
A firm critic against same-sex relations, Pacquiao came under fire in February last year for comparing homosexuals to animals, further stating the homosexuality did not exist among the latter. His pronouncement had triggered LGBT communities that were lobbying for the legalization of a respectable same-sex marriage in the country.
The Senate, however, still had not legalized divorce, making the Philippines (other than the purely Roman Catholic-run Vatican City) as the only independent country that protected the traditional sanctity of marriage without considering its drawbacks.
But despite the cultural differences between Brecht’s view of a European marriage and TXS incorporating the Filipino tradition into the play, “A Respectable Wedding” deserved the audience’s applause by the highlighted performance of its talented and skillful cast.
A union of experts
Under the direction of Hobart Savior, also the Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XCCA) director, the play worked with well-utilized props, perfectly-timed effects, and stunning imagery of a silhouette during a scene that strummed the audience’s heartstrings.
Expertly executing the role of the bride’s mother was Silmonet who, at one point, almost tripped over the front hem of her gown, upon trudging towards the bride. This elicited mild sniggers from the crowd before they burst in boisterous laughter with her comedic gestures. Her adlib kept her character.
But this was due to her collective experience in theater. “I was onstage since 2013,” she recalled during an interview after the show. “It has always been a challenge to memorize the lines, and internalize the role.” She claimed to have overcome these.
Flaunting the charm of a leading man, Paolo Zulueta could have been a patient groom who tended to an obsessive bride in his previous life. Upon his entrance in a silver suit and trousers onstage, his poised demeanor complemented his occasional gesticulated hilarity that ignited sighs – and suppressed squeals – from most of the females in the audience.
As a result of their performance, smiles were displayed on the faces of the audience as they exited the theater after the fourth wall was lifted. Many praised the show for its constant comic relief – a different take from the trademark suspense that TXS adaptations are notable for. Some related its message in a real-life situation.
“I believe in marriage,” declared Xavier Ateneo VP for Mission and Ministry Irene Guitarte. “The play reflected society, and it is true that it is usually the bride’s desire to experience a perfect wedding, but while watching [the play], I was telling myself that it is the agreement made between husband and wife that matters most.”
It has always been the aim for TXS to promote theater as a venue for learning. In his closing remarks, Savior noted, “We hope that we will really continue to develop the culture of arts here. We hope to reach a point where you will no longer be required to watch the shows; instead, you will watch them by your choice.”
In relation to reality, Savior challenged the audience with the question, “Which is really more important to you: the wedding or the marriage?”
“These choices in life will give you a better view of making yourself better individuals,” he added.
In Brecht’s short play, the right choices to make in unanticipated circumstances will earn the individual more respect than one sulking over the hindrances towards the fulfillment of a shallow desire. A wedding may occur only once in a couple’s lifetime, but the commitment to marriage is a lifetime decision.
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