MANILA, Philippines—The critically acclaimed Ang Pag-uusig, the Filipino adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic The Crucible by director Dennis Marasigan using the translation of Jerry Respeto, is brought back to life by Tanghalang Pilipino.
“This is an entirely new production since we will have actors who came from the new batch of scholars of the TP Actors Company and we’ll be staging using a new set in a new venue,” said Marasigan, who also does the lighting design.
With the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Main Building undergoing major renovations for the next three years, Ang Pag-uusig will be staged at the recently opened Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, or the new CCP Black Box Theater, from February 17 to March 12.
Image courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino
Though set in the puritanical period in North America in the 17th century, Miller wrote The Crucible in the 1950s as an allegory of the US government’s massive “red-tagging” known historically as the McCarthy communist witch hunt.
TP’s Ang Pag-uusig remains loyal to Miller’s story about the witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts, which happened from February 1692 to May in 1963.
It was initially staged in 2017 at Tanghalang Huseng Batute in the CCP’s main building for TP’s 31st Season. Due to popular demand and after taking home six major awards from the 10th Gawad Buhay that includes Outstanding Play for TP, Outstanding Stage Direction for Marasigan, Outstanding Translation/Adaptation for Respeto, it had another sold-out re-run in 2018.
Image courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino
Among the original cast members are four senior TP actors. They go by the names of Marco Viaña, Jonathan Tadioan, Lhorvie Nuevo and Antonette Go. Viaña won a Gawad Buhay’s Outstanding Male Featured Performance or the equivalent of Best Supporting Actor for his role as Reverend Paris in 2017. In 2018, he played the alternate John Proctor, the role he reprises in this third staging.
Tadioan played the arrogant Judge Danforth in 2017 and was alternate Reverend Paris in 2018. He reprises Danforth in the current iteration. Nuevo played as Marry Warren in 2017, alternated as Abigail Williams in 2018. This time, she plays Elizabeth Proctor. Go reprises her 2017 and 2018 role as Abigail Williams. In 2018, Go was also an alternate for Betty Paris.
Image courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino
Ten of the new TP Actor’s company scholars who we first saw in last year’s Anak Datu and earned praises from critics and audiences alike return to tackle new roles in Ang Pag-uusig.
They are Aggy Mago as Mary Warren, Arjhay Babon as Giles Corey, Earle Figuracion as Reverend Samuel Parris, Mark Lorenz as Reverend John Hale, Edrick Alcontado as Ezekiel Cheever, Vince Macapobre as Thomas Putnam, Heart Puyong as Mrs. Ann Putnam, Judie Dimayuga as Tituba, Mitzi Comia as Mercy Lewis, Sarah Monay as Betty Parris, and guest artists Monique Nellas-Bagadiong as Rebecca Nurse, Daniel Gregorio as Judge Hathorne, and Francesca Dela Cruz as Sussana Walcot.
Image courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino
Besides Marasigan and Respeto, Ang Pag-uusig‘s artistic team is composed of set designer Ohm David, sound designer TJ Ramos and costume designer Daniel Gregorio reviving and supplementing the original work of the late James Reyes.
February also being the Love Month, there’s no greater than love for country and Ang Pag-uusig is the perfect date for admirers of homegrown sensible stage plays.
Image courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino
While THB can accommodate 200 people in the pre-pandemic set-up, TIG has a 250-plus capacity, depending on the seating arrangement, allowing a larger audience members to witness this modern classic.
To purchase tickets, make reservations, or show-buying inquiries, send an email to tanghalangpilipinomarketing@gmail.com, call 09479709618 or 09276035913, or go to www.ticket2me.net.
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