ROMANSA NI MAGNO RUBIO

"Ganyan ba talaga ka-sexual ang mga Pilipino?" whispered by bitterpaulie while watching Rubio.

 As i explained, "Ganyan talaga ang mga pinoy. Sexually repressed kasi. Mage-gets mo na din kung bakit mahilg sumitsit ang mga construction worker sa kahit sinong naka-palda"

Taboo pinoy words and phrases like titi mong panot, kantot ng kantot, pipino mong malambot, "gagu! sing haba naman ng bulbol mo ang titi mo", " alam mo na paglalaki ka... kelangan kasi pumasok ng iba't ibang kweba" was the reason why Paulie interrogated me as if i was a the master craftsman of every Filipino mind. Well, try growing up with boys and you'll hear from them.Those words worked wonders for mood setting of TP's Romansa ni Magno Rubio.

Magno Rubio. Filipino boy. Ilong na sarat. Sing-itim ng bao. He's Magno Rubio. He's like a typical construction worker you wouldn't dare  to have eye contact with lest you get a promiscious grin sabay "Hi miss..." But he's not a construction worker, he's an OFW working as a farmer set in the American fifties. He's the ugliest and the most illiterate among  the 4 other manongs in the story. What sets him apart from them? He's in love.

Now here comes the problem, this romansa of Magno Rubio is the main subject of ridicule from his peers since he met his Clarabelle through a penpal section of a magazine. Magno Rubio wants her--- he wants her height of 6 feet, her weight of 195 lbs, her creamy white skin, her blonde hair. He has conditioned himself to fall in love with someone he hasn't even seen and he succeeded. He pays his pals to write him love letters. He works extra hard to send her money for some of her seemingly fabricated needs. He sings, dances, dreams only to end up fooled by the girl on their supposed wedding day.

Actors were superb. I cried at Magno Rubio's most ridiculed scene. I just knew that it was pure pain from someone who just wanted to express love in the most illiterate way only to be laughed at. He was in love and no amount of stench and grease can erase that. Some of the actors convinced me enough to hate them for doing that for our boy Magno. I also realized that the play is an allegory to every pinoy's romance to the land of milk and honey---America. We are all a bunch of Magno Rubios hoping to feel like, be like and live like an American. That's why we end up ridiculing ourselves for this so called romansa. Well, let's not dig into serious stuff.

Nothing beats watching a play. Everything living and non-living on stage is beautiful. Every nook and cranny is pure passion. Oh God! I miss the stage. When can I be really beautiful again?

********* Watch out for PETA's newest production this September. ASL... Please written by Liza Magtoto and directed by Phil Noble. 2 of my PETA batch mates will act--- Kitchie Pagaspas and Miles Pardalis.