Review: YEMAYA Blurs the Real and Surreal
Closing this weekend, ‘Yemaya’ is a must-see for theatergoers who crave pure, imaginative theater.
Manila, Philippines—There is a distinct, visceral magic that happens when a story leaps across oceans and lands perfectly in our own vernacular. In 9 Works Theatrical’s production of “Yemaya”—adapted from Quiara Alegría Hudes’s “Yemaya’s Belly” and translated into Filipino by Eljay Castro Deldoc—the foreign becomes familiar, blurring the lines between a harsh reality and a dream-like, mythic landscape.
“Yemaya” follows Jesus/Mulo, brought to life with brilliant nuance by Tommy Alejandrino (Benedix Ramos alternates). Alejandrino anchors the play, capturing the turbulent, stubborn contradictions of an adolescent grappling with profound grief while longing for a "Promised Land" far from his remote Cuban coastal home.
What makes this production truly exceptional is Deldoc’s Filipino translation; rather than alienating Manila theatergoers with the Cuban setting, the rhythmic, poetic Tagalog grounds the narrative. When Jesus/Mulo is catalyzed by the luxury of a posh city hotel or the first taste of an ice-cold Coca-Cola on a humid summer day, it strikes a chord that resonates deeply with Filipino audiences. The American beverage transforms into a potent, intoxicating symbol of escape—a coping mechanism for a young man desperate to reinvent himself or mature, albeit a bit faster.
Director Ed Lacson Jr., alongside assistant set designer and art director Wika Nadera, has pulled off a visual triumph. Rejecting the too-convenient temptation of tech-heavy LED screens and digital projections, the production relies on pure theatrical imagination. They transform the stage into a literal, sandbox-like landscape. This smart choice allows the intimate space at The Black Box, Proscenium Theater, to be fluid, shifting the story’s settings effortlessly from the coastal beach to unfinished terrain to the raging seas, where the deity of the ocean, Yemaya, is played by the ethereal Bituin Escalante.
Pulling double duty as Jesus’s mother (Inay) and Yemaya, Escalante is nothing short of unmissable. Unlike earlier international stagings, where these lines were merely spoken, soundscape artist Teresa Barrozo has composed exclusive Santería-inspired lullabies and hymns. When Escalante sings, it is utterly transporting.
Jethro Nabaten’s lighting and Barrozo’s sound design work in flawless tandem to manipulate the atmosphere, making the environment feel alive and volatile. As the ground shifts beneath the actors’ feet, Ericson Navarro, whose portfolio leans on mainstream films, designs the set pieces and props. Overhead, set pieces and props hang like vibrant, fiesta-themed piñatas, including a life-like Coke vending machine. It is a striking visual metaphor that perfectly captures the play’s dualities: the whimsy of childhood memories suspended over the fragile, shifting sands of coming-of-age.
When Jesus/Mulo and his sharp-witted friend Maya (Ness Roque; Sheena Belarmino alternates) face a climactic storm at sea, the play dives headfirst into bold magic realism. Alejandrino and Roque engage in a jarring physical struggle against the elements. Be warned, however: the journey concludes on a deliberately open-ended, tragicomic note. If you are a theatergoer who demands a neatly spoon-fed ending, this finale might be frustrating—but for those who appreciate artistic audacity, it is absolute and satisfying.
“Yemaya” is a triumph of storytelling. It proves you don't need technological excess to create a mesmerizing, storybook-quality experience. It requires only incredible performances by the leads and the rest of the cast: Herbie Go (Tico), Anthony Falcon (Jelin), and Sheenly Gener (Lila), a poetic script, and raw imagination.
Photos: Myra Ho
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Soundtrack trio night of music Northpoint Dumaguete (7/16-12/31) |