Tanghalang Pilipino brings back online Layeta Bucoy’s most provocative play 'Doc Resureccion'

Politicians promising us a better life during elections is a tale as old as time.

When acclaimed playwright Layeta Bucoy wrote “Doc Resureccion: Gagamutin Ang Bayan” some 13 years ago, the country was under an administration accused of massive corruption, election fraud, rampant red-tagging, and impunity. Think: the botched NBN-ZTE deal, “Hello Garci” that brought an electoral crisis, the infamous Ampatuan massacre, and so on.

“Doc Resureccion: Gagamutin Ang Bayan” was initially staged in 2009 as part of the Virgin Labfest at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Virgin Labfest is the annual festival of untried, untested and yet-to-be staged one-act plays. The same year, it won first prize in the one-act-play, Filipino Division, at the annual Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.

Directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Doc Resureccion” was staged again the following year as part of the Revisited Set for the 2010 Virgin Labfest.

The play is about a young, idealistic medical doctor who wants to change the old-school feudalistic, patronage politics in his hometown. Without any experience in running a bureaucracy, he runs for mayor in the sea-side town where he grew up, ruled by traditional politicians.

It appears he is the stronger opponent of the incumbent but there’s one major hindrance. Doc finds out his cousin, “Boy Pogi” Resureccion, is running as a nuisance candidate under the payroll of the incumbent mayor to take care of some “dirty jobs.”

Besides the blood relations, he and Boy Pogi are childhood playmates. They grew up together like brothers and at some point were fascinated with the same woman.

But while Doc manages to elevate his status in life through hard work, Boy Pogi remains the small-time fisherman who can’t afford to a build a decent comfort room in his shanty by the shore. He still lives with his alcoholic, nearly blind father named Papang, his mother named Mamang who sells fish in the town public market and his partner Elsa, a former sex worker now pregnant with their first-born.

The play takes place in Boy Pogi’s shanty. After deliberately avoiding any connection with his estranged cousin for years, Doc makes an unannounced visit. As their conversation shifts from cordial and happy to something nasty, Boy Pogi reveals the true nature of Doc.

Doc tries to bribe Boy Pogi out of the race but things turn ugly.

Jonathan Tadioan as Boy Pogi and Marco Viaña as Doc Resureccion Photo courtesy of TP Actors Company

Is Doc for real or is he just another first-time politician who, after having had a small taste of success as a private citizen now wants to feed his ego in a bigger arena and like everybody else, gets eaten by the system?

When it first ran, “Doc Resureccion” was such a big hit, it became a cult favorite, so much so that in 2012, TP created a set of four plays and called the collective as “Eyeball” for its 25th season. It has become a modern classic and a must-see for young voters. Many university-based theater groups re-staged it over the years.

Fast forward to 2022 — 10 years since “Eyeball” — and TP is bringing back “Doc Resureccion” for the new generation of voters mired in fake news, misinformation and rampant historical revisionism. 

Bucoy told us she didn’t do any revisions or major updates from the original version.

“Just two lines to refer to automated elections. Mano-mano pa noon ang elections nu'ng nasulat," Bucoy told GMA News Online via FB messenger.

(At the time it was written, we only had manual elections.)

Thirteen years ago, many thought the play was inspired by true events though it can’t be distinguished which particular candidate in the local elections she was referring to.

“Not real people in terms of factuality but perspectives and world views of real people,” Bucoy said, clarifying our decade-long hunch. 

“No interviews, no research. I was in one with the opposing forces. And it was very difficult to recognize that as a Filipino, inside me resides the great divide,” she added.

TP would have loved to share this masterpiece to a live audience but given the pandemic is still not over, it would be best for the 2022 version to be shot for streaming. This would also reach those in the provinces, OFWs, and migrant Filipinos who may have heard of the play but never had the chance to go to the CCP.

For this project, TP brings acclaimed multi-hyphenate theater-film veteran Dennis Marasigan as director. Besides being a much awarded lighting designer, theater director and actor, Marasigan has directed several award-winning films adapted from plays like Tony Perez’s “Sa North Diversion Road” and Malou Jacob’s “Anatomiya ng Korapsyon.”

'The main challenge in directing ‘Doc Resureccion Gagamutin ang Bayan’ is how to capture and communicate the essence of the play for a streaming audience,' says acclaimed theater-film veteran Dennis Marasigan. Photo courtesy of Dennis Marasigan

“The main challenge in directing ‘Doc Resureccion: Gagamutin ang Bayan’ is how to capture and communicate the essence of the play for a streaming audience,” Marasigan told us via email.

“As the play was originally intended for a live audience, ensuring it translates through a ‘mediated’ medium is the main objective of this production.  There is also the added challenge of getting actors to adjust once again to face-to-face interaction after two years of mostly doing online performances, if at all,” he added.

There was a time when there were talks at the CCP buffeteria and cafes at the nearby North Harbour Square that the play was about to be adapted into film and he’s going to direct it. The “Maritess” in us prompted this writer to ask for update.

“Tanghalang Pilipino, in its aim to continue with its work of providing thought-provoking productions to the audience, decided to pivot during this pandemic-stricken period rather than just sit back and wait for live performances to come back,” Marasigan said.

“This play was chosen to be the material for that pivot, which meant exploring beyond streaming and really going full-on film production. However, the restrictions and shooting protocols prevailing last year (2021) meant that the cost of producing this a full-fledged film production was beyond what Tanghalang Pilipino could afford by itself.  Partners needed to be found, which was very difficult, particularly for a non-commercial material perceived to be political, needless to say,” he added.

From a veteran in all things related to theater and film like Marasigan, he has high praises for Bucoy: “She is one of the best and probably the most provocative playwrights we have today.”

TP Actors Company senior member Jonathan Tadioan reprises his role as the abominable Boy Pogi. Marco Viaña plays the charming, good looking Doc Resureccion, Lhorvie Nuevo as Boy Pogi’s wife Elsa, Sherry Lara comes in as Boy Pogi’s mother and 2021 Gawad Urian best actor awardee Fernando “Tata Nanding” Josef as the alcoholic, blind father.

Tadioan told us in Filipino that among the challenges with “Doc Resureccion” is if he can still act in the live stage.

Jonathan Tadioan Courtesy of TP Actors Company

“Kasi halos dalawang taon na kaming halos hindi nakakaarte. I mean, may chances na umaaarte ako pero sa ibang medium. Sanay kasi ako o kami sa entablado na walang cut or retake,” he said. 

(It's been two years since we were last on stage. There were chances for me to act in another medium, but I'm used to the stage without cuts or retakes.)

For the past two years, Tadioan and the rest of the TP Actors Company have been doing “Tara Peeps,” a series of weekend educational radio plays for children and young adults shot like short films and streamed on TP’s Facebook page and You Tube channel.

“Pag salang mo sa stage yun na yun hanggang sa matapos. Pero ito kasi iba kukunan ka, ‘yung follow-thru ng emotions mo nandun ka na biglang cut. Retake natin. So kailangan be in the moment. Hindi Siya dapat put on. Parang on-off switch ng emotions,” Tadioan emphasized.

“Pero dahil si Sir Dennis (Marasigan) ang mag-di-direct, kilala naman niya kami at kilala namin siya. So alam naming nasa mabuti kaming mga kamay,” he added.

Viaña would be doing the titular role of “Doc Resureccion” for the first time. In the 2009, 2010 ad 2012 versions, it was veteran actor Riki Benedicto who did an excellent portrayal of Doc Jess.

In 2009, Viaña was still in his senior year in college at the Mapua Institute of Technology when he saw “Doc Resureccion,” among other excellent plays that year at the Virgin Labfest.

“Graduating pa lang po ako noon. I was a member of a theater group in college, yung Mapua Tekno Teatro and a friend invited me to watch the Virgin Labfest.”

Upon seeing “Doc,” he said he was “hooked” and knew from that moment on he would pursue professional theater. He became a member of TP in October, 2010. Now, he is the associate artistic director of TP and has also tried his hands in directing and stage design over the years.  We asked him if he feels some pressure in doing the role.

“Ang totoo mas excitement ang nararamdaman ko dahil sa pagkakataon muling makatapak sa entablado ng CCP matapos ang dalawang taon,” Viaña told us via FB messenger.

“Hindi man namin pisikal na kasama ang mga manonood, bagong pamamaraan ng pagkukwento ito para sa TP at isa ulit pagkakataon itong ‘Doc Resureccion para makapaghatid ang TP ng isang dula na mahalagang maipalabas ngayong 2022,” he added.

“Dagdag pa na makakasama ko ulit sa entablado ang mga kapwa myembro ng TP Actors Company.  Kaming limang actor sa dulang ito ay lumaki at tumanda na sa TP Actors Company,” Viaña said.

Over the years, Marasigan has directed many plays in TP with Tadioan and Viana as lead actors. Among the most recent titles that readily come to mind is “Ang Pag-uusig,” in 2017 and 2018. It’s Jerry Respeto’s adaptation of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”

“Doc Resureccion” is also not the first time Marasigan directed a play by Bucoy that was shot for streaming. For the 2020 Virgin Labfest, Marasigan directed “Ang Dalawang Junior,” which had Viana and Tadioan as lead characters.

“It is always a joy to direct Tad and Marco, especially now that they have matured both personally and professionally.  With their experience, they are even more willing to experiment with and explore the limits of the roles they are playing, which can only lead to a more engaging experience for the viewers,” said Marasigan.

For a Gawad Urian best actor awardee, it can be said the role of a blind alcoholic is a walk in the park for the veteran Josef. More than that, being TP’s artistic director for more than a decade, Josef knows how relevant the play has always been, then and now.

“We chose ‘Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan’ for streaming this year because of its timeliness,” he told us via FB messenger.

“Layeta Bucoy's play probes into the dark recesses of the errant psycho-social behavior of Filipinos during elections. Watching the play that vividly depicts the all-too- familiar, but still shocking machinations of trapos (traditional politicians) might challenge or inspire the viewers to think more critically in choosing the leaders that they will vote for in the coming elections,” Josef added. — LA, GMA News

“Doc Resureccion” streams from April 17 to April 30. Tickets are available on Ticket2Me.net.