There’s no fault in this restaging of Sala Sa Pito

Boxstage Manila, FEU’s alumni FTG (FEU Theatre Guild), opened their doors for their restaging of the Palanca Award winning play Sala Sa Pito by George A. De Jesus II, directed by FTG’s Artistic Director and PETA Senior Artist Dudz Teraña. Sala Sa Pito presents six scenes that are interconnected. Each with the theme of love and it’s transformation into something totally different. We witness the interconnected relationships between a married couple about to break up, the wife and her closeted gay ex-bf turned best friend, the closeted gay and a hooker, the hooker and her masseur boyfriend, a career woman and said masseur, and the ex-lover with the career woman.

Although plays typically begin with the undrawing of the curtains, Sala Sa Pito opens with all curtains down— the performance contained entirely within the intimacy of the black box theater. It opens only in fragments, where actors drift in and out like whispers threading through the seams of the space, adding to the atmosphere of the play for the audience.

You, too, draw back the curtains and enter the black box theater, a spotlight center stage, surrounded by chairs, like a quiet corner of the city where someone is about to sing their hearts out under a single spotlight. You take your seat, the air thick in anticipation. And then you see the 6 main characters.

Told in love songs

What is love when it’s felt or understood through the mellow sounds and lyrical composition of a love song? Sala Sa Pito adds a storytelling device wherein songs are “dedicated” to the characters in each scene, as if the music itself aches on their behalf— singing what their silences cannot, unraveling heartache, longing, and hope in melodies that seem to know them better than they know themselves. A sort of harana for their emotions. A fleeting duet between singer and character, echoing through the shift of the scenes, becomes a bridge, framing not just the moment, but the swelling tide of emotions that carries us towards what comes next. The musical interludes as an act to supplement the character’s unspoken emotions.

You’ll be greeted by familiar OPM love songs— the kind you’ve likely heard echoing down the street at 10PM on a Friday night , or maybe even found yourself singing, joining your neighbors in front of the sari-sari store, lost in the moment.

Boxed in emotions

When faced with themes of domestic violence and the complexities of love, how do the artists prepare for a role that is fragile? How does the audience bear witness to a story so haunting and devastatingly real? With an intimate setting, audiences merge into the story as you also witness their own reactions. The wrinkling of their eyebrows in confusion or anger, the frown plastered on each faces in duration of a difficult scene. The spotlight wasn’t just on the artists, it shares a glimpse into the audiences’ emotions as well. In the play we see a love that is transient, a love that is unconditional, a love that is broken, a love that is uncertain, a love that itches to break free. Each character brings their versions of love amidst the quiet chaos of their lives.

The production features alternating performances by Kat Galang and Yesh Burce as Misis, Rowi Du and Kobie Hachero as Mister, Divine Aucina and Jamille Vivas as Matrona, Aj Sison and Jasper Estaras as Yuppie, Kloren Flores and Karyl Oliva as GRO, Jel Tarun and Jemuel Satumba as Masseur, JD Reyes as Waiter, and Jesus Singh III as Singer.

The play’s interconnectedness creates a continuous perspective in the complexities of relationships— how each pain is hidden behind a smile, as a character reappears in the next scene. It leads the audience to see discernment with awe, discernment with confusion, discernment that brings clarity.