October is taunted as Halloween month and our local theater has also geared up plays and productions for those of you theater goers out there who are afficionados of these dark and horror pieces.
The Theater House of Black, whose members recently staged the Filipino adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernarda Alba, ” seems to have a penchant for houses that are shrouded in mystery.
Next off from the group is “#14 Leandro Road,” a Filipino theatrical adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s most celebrated short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” first published in 1839.
Devised by Jay Crisostomo IV and C.K. Bautista, “#14 Leandro Road,” which is set on the dark chilly outskirts of Baguio City, is scheduled for six performances at Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati on October 7 and 8, 2016.
Crisostomo shares, “As a group, we wanted to stage stories that talk about families and stories that have been forgotten or are deemed underrated by the world,” said Harry David, producer-production manager. “At the same time adapt them in Filipino and apply a Philippine twist to the stories so they would be more relevant and relatable to our audience.”
“Poe’s short story is about a family whose members long to come out from their gilded cage. They struggle to find happiness in dreams and achieve them but shown in a very macabre and creepy way. With that, not a lot of theater houses venture into the horror, suspense, and thriller genre. So, again as a group, we wanted to produce more plays that are categorized in this canon,” he added.
“#14 Leandro Road” is a horror story, which blurs the line between the real world and the supernatural. It follows Ed/Edna Ramos, a real estate agent, who is invited by Rudy/Pilar Laperal, a grade school friend she hasn’t seen for almost 20 years, to come and visit the latter’s house.
As soon as Ed/Edna arrives, he/she finds out that Rudy/Pilar lives with two other people: his/her ill brother/sister and the family doctor, Dra. Lita Dumas. As the days go by, the house guest finds out that both siblings are suffering from a mental illness. At the same time, both are keeping a secret that has been buried all these years.
Directed by Jay Crisostomo IV, “#14 Leandro Road” stars Harry David/Gold Villar (Ed/Edna), Migui Moreno/Mosang (Rudy/Pilar), Gry Gimena/Skyzx Labastilla (Anton/Anna), Patricia Ismael (Dra. Lita Dumas), Peewee O’Hara (Donya Victorina), and May Bayot (Consuelo).
“The audience can expect to be entertained through spooky thrills; a few scares here and there, and leave the theatre asking questions about the points that were brought up in the play,” David said.
For tickets (P350-P600) and show buying opportunities, call +63917 656 1109, +63917 638 1109 or visit TicketWorld.com.ph.