BECCA Godinez (right) introduces Maxwel S. Corpuz (left) and Ellen D. Williams (background) to Manila audiences. HYDEE ABRAHAN
LOS ANGELES—After being away from the Philippine stage for 33 years, LA-based Becca Godinez returns with “Flipzoids.” The actress’ character in Ralph B. Peña’s play couldn’t be more apt—Aying is a Filipino woman in Southern California who longs for her homeland.
“Flipzoids,” set in 1985, is special to Becca and will surely be as special to Manila audiences. She’s bringing three Fil-Am talents: Jon Lawrence Rivera, who directs the play and is respected in the LA theater circle, where he has won many awards; and two actors, Maxwel S. Corpuz and Ellen D. Williams, who are coming to the Philippines for the first and second time, respectively. It’s also the first time that the singer-actress is producing a play.
BECCA Godinez brings beloved Aying character home. HYDEE ABRAHAN
We saw the play in LA in 2012 and here’s what we wrote: “In ‘Flipzoids,’ Maxwel plays Redford, a young Fil-Am with blond hair and identity issues … Redford stumbles on an old Filipino woman, Aying—portrayed by Becca—on a deserted Southern California beach. Aying gazes longingly at the ocean that separates her from her hometown in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. It’s a triumphant return to stage acting for Becca, who inhabits Aying with natural ease, as she shifts from teasing Redford (“Juk [Joke] only!”) to movingly expressing her homesickness …
“The aging woman is an embarrassment to her daughter, Vangie (Ellen), a nurse immigrant so determined to assimilate into mainstream America that she’s constantly listening to a ‘how-to’ cassette tape on her Dictaphone to improve her English vocabulary and pronunciation.”
We hope Manila theatergoers give a warm welcome-back embrace to Becca/Aying, who will wear the baro’t saya designed by Alan del Rosario that she wore in the LA production.
“Flipzoids,” sponsored by Amici Restaurants and produced by GODinUs Productions, will be presented on three nights only (July 17 to 19) at the Music Museum. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (891-9999), www.ticketworld.com.ph and Music Museum (721-0635 and 721-6726).
Excerpts from our email interview with Becca, who is already in Manila:
“Flipzoids” (in LA) marked your return to stage acting after many years. Now, it’s bringing you back to the Philippine stage.
I retired from the stage after a production of a straight play (“My Fat Friend”) that I performed for Repertory Philippines in 1981, with Direk Freddie Santos and Miguel Faustmann as coactors. Playing Aying in Los Angeles in 2012 ended 31 years of absence from the stage for me.
In reprising your Aying role in Manila, you are bringing her home.
I am bringing her home—aren’t I? What an honor. Aying wants nothing more than to touch the soil of her childhood—to smell, to feel those things that have become just a part of her memory. I am symbolically laying her to rest on familiar ground, among those who understand her best. She will get the chance to bare her heart, and she will be understood.
With this play, you are introducing Jon Lawrence Rivera to the Manila audience, too. It’s about time.
Indeed! Jon is a hidden gem that needs to be shown off. I, for one, have learned much from this maestro of theatrical work. In truth, I have quietly begun talks with a group of actors and theater leaders in Manila, who are very much interested in learning from, and working with, Jon. I had hoped to get a class going this time but there wasn’t time to do it. It is in the works [though] and I can’t wait for the Manila theater community to meet him.
You are bringing two other Fil-Am actors with you. It’ll be Maxwel’s first time in the Philippines and Ellen’s second—her last one was when she was 8.
I feel like an excited and hovering nanay. I am encouraging them to play tourist—to see the sights and enjoy the culture and the food.
I feel honored as well to be the one to introduce them to the audiences here. There are those who know Ellen for her role as Patrice in “How I Met Your Mother,” and have written to me about their excitement to see her in the flesh.
FROM left, front row: Becca Godinez, Enchang Kaimo, Menchu Lauchengco and Iwi Laurel in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
This is your first time to produce a play and bring it to the Philippines. How has that been so far?
As far as putting together a stellar production crew—done! Each person in my team is very qualified and passionate about what he does. I felt humbled when I learned that my lighting ace, Shakira Villa Symes, handles major concerts—yet she accepted this production.
As for equipment—oh my. The lights and instruments available here are technically advanced. The crew is thorough and enthusiastic. I am blessed. What has been a challenge, is facing the other “realities,” like ticket sales. I tend to be a control freak. I take pride in being thorough.
However, I can’t predict, nor dictate, how many people will actually buy tickets. That drives me crazy. I just need to face each day knowing that I am doing the best that I can, reminding myself that this is a worthwhile story to tell and that I am not in control. God is.
Why do you think the play will resonate with Manila audiences?
Many people look at the departure of friends or family as a journey to some type of Shangri-La—a land of opportunity and flowing grace. Although it may be so for many, it is not always the reality. Through Aying, Vangie and Redford, the audience will see that although joy overseas may be attainable, there can also be lack, isolation and loss of identity.
These “Flipzoids” characters are not mere figments of a playwright’s imagination, pulled from some inspirational vapor. I had the opportunity to chat with the playwright, Ralph B. Peña, who said these “Flipzoids” characters were borne out of his observations of some uprooted Filipinos. [He noticed] members of the younger generation experiencing a loss of identity.
He knew people like Vangie, continually trying to improve themselves, hoping to fit in. Aying was based on a very real person in Ralph’s life. For Manila audiences, the story will serve as a mirror.
You will get to work again with Freddie Santos, Chevy Salvador, Jaime Godinez …
Chevy—my crazy production manager! She is a gem, a gift. We work and then we cackle and crack up at whatever humors us at the moment. It’s good to do that when the pressure is high.
Dear Direk Freddie Santos is my consultant. I have spent countless moments on the phone with him since October last year—seeking advice and direction. Whatever people might think of that tough exterior, he is a marshmallow to me. A wise marshmallow!
ELLEN D. Williams will surely be recognized by Pinoy fans for her stint in the US sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” PHOTO from www.ew.com
Jaime Godinez—who traveled with me on out-of-town gigs ages ago, operating a two track reel-to-reel, now has warehouses full of equipment and works [on] major concerts … He’s my brother, I am proud of that, and I hope he gives me a discount on equipment rentals! I have also been receiving great friendship and support from Enchang Kaimo, whose inner strength and faith in God keep me grounded. All of them—they are my firm foundation. I am deeply blessed.
Can you share with us five of your most memorable moments in Philippine theater, on and off stage?
Landing my first role as a seamstress in “West Side Story in Rock” when martial law had just been declared. We rehearsed day in and day out under the watchful eye of armed guards on the building across the street. I saw how far artists would go for their art, how dedicated they could be.
Then, on the last day of performance, being tapped on the shoulder by the director (Nick Lizaso) and told that I would play Anita that night … going through the steps and the lines at intermission … exiting the stage after my last line and being carried on the shoulders of cast members because the show did go on!
Hitting that very high note over the orchestra in “Gooch’s Song,” in the musical “Mame.”
Coming in to SRO crowds every night during my first directorial job—fresh out of college. “The Ritz” was a hit. Audiences sat on the aisles or were turned away.
Dad and mom inviting the entire cast of “Hello, Dolly!” to party at our house after the last show … dad serving killer daiquiris and the cast performing the whole musical again in the living room. Crazy people, these artists!
The day I said goodbye to the theater.
Email the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.