Published in Interaksyon Lifestyle April 25 2013
One cannot help but feel a tinge of poignant irony in watching “The Graduate,” Repertory Philippines’ latest production. The heart of the play is about the loss of innocence—and yet, in restaging the dilemmas and moral ambiguities of the ‘60s generation for a 21stcentury audience, the material itself exudes an air of innocence.
A lot of things have changed in the 40 years since the opening of the then revolutionary film directed by Mike Nichols and which launched the career of Dustin Hoffman. Adultery among the respectable middle class was considered scandalous; these days, while still generally frowned upon, it is rarely greeted as a shocking surprise by modern skeptics.
The predatory Mrs. Robinson (Pinky Marquez), a desperate woman then, would be accepted as a cougar today. As for the object of her affection, the emotionally and morally adrift Benjamin Braddock (Reb Atadero), his search for a partner that would fill the void of his life would be echoed by the similar quests of Generation X – but today’s kids would probably have several flings, and not just one.
The last scene embodies the soul of the characters and the essence of the play. After the dysfunctional breakdown of two families, a useless trip to the psychiatrist, and a maddening interruption of a wedding ceremony, Benjamin and his girlfriend Elaine (Cara Barredo) end up in a hotel room. But instead of having sex, they bond over a breakfast of their favourite cereal.
Basically, these are just two kids who want to find themselves their own way, removed from the expectations and manipulations of the adult world outside. Terry Johnson’s stage adaptation ends with that sense of quiet hope, as opposed to the screenplay of Calder Willingham and Buck Henry on which it was based.
In contrast, in the movie, Braddock (Hoffman) and Elaine (Katharine Ross) look at each other cluelessly in their getaway car after making their great escape; without direction and meaning, their so-called victory is an empty one, and they are still the same lost souls as when they started.
The beauty of Johnson’s material lies in how it weaves the pathos and the pain of the characters with the humor that naturally arises from their situations. That’s how it transcends the possibly anachronistic limitation that the play could have found itself in to become universal and appeal to a generation weaned on Wikipedia and nurtured by the Internet. For example, the young people of today may find the attempts of discretion by Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson to be culturally outdated, if not downright impossible; but the emptiness that lingers even after multiple sessions of intense sex is something that they may very well can relate to.
The cast of Repertory Philippines' restaging of "The Graduate," solid cast with palpable chemistry. Photo courtesy of Repertory Philippines.
Director Jaime del Mundo manages to keep that balance to make the production succeed. The hysteria in certain scenes that emphasizes the absurdity of a situation explode at the right moment without dampening the drama that follows in another sequence. Neither do the more solemn moments get bogged down by an avalanche of depression; there’s always a line, a repartee, that breaks through the gloom to touch your funnybone.
Del Mundo’s balancing act is supported by a solid cast whose palpable chemistry speaks of a honed familiarity that enables them to play off each other. Rep’s stalwarts deliver as expected: Del Mundo himself as Braddock’s confused dad; Jeremy Domingo as Elaine’s domineering father; and Angela Padilla as the conventional Mrs. Braddock. Special kudos goes to Joel Trinidad who shows that there are truly no small parts for great actors; even in the minor roles like the nosy bar tender, the know-it-all psychiatrist and the alarmed priest, he almost steals the show in every scene he is in.
Atadero and Barredo also deliver, but sometimes, in certain scenes, they give the impression that they are just trying too hard. Maybe it is a matter of life imitating art in this case, but sometimes their performances tend to exaggerate a bit to drive home a certain point. Atadero’s hyper-hysteria is genuinely funny, making his character’s confusion unmistakable; however, in the frenzy, the emotional layering becomes almost monochromatic, washing away other possible nuances. Ditto with Barredo who focuses on being saccharinely innocent in one scene almost to the exclusion of everything else, or wallows in weeping drunkenness, period.
In 'The Graduate,' Pinky Marquez stands out as Mrs. Robinson—catty, conniving, cold-hearted, yet with a palpable sense of vulnerability. Photo courtesy of Repertory Philippines.
Finally, the last word has to go to Pinky Marquez who replaced Cherie Gil as the enigmatic Mrs. Robinson. The lady is catty, conniving, and ultimately cold-hearted, but infuses it with a vulnerability that awakens the audience’s sympathy. She does not shrink from the maturity of her physicality but uses it to her advantage. Hers is a beauty that is being ravaged by age and her husband’s indifference, and there seems to be no salvation in sight. It is an alienation that has no answer and can scare anyone, regardless of the generation they belong to.
The play, adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson is based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry.
• Repertory Philippines’ “The Graduate” runs at Greenbelt 1 until April 28. Call Repertory Philippines at 571-6926 and 584-8458.
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