What I liked
Attending the theater production of “Hashtag Don’t” at the cozy and charming McCadden Theater was a compelling discourse about an adapted historical drama 136 years from printed novel to this year’s Fringe Fest production. Overall, the production showcased a promising strong start but there were certain aspects that stood out and others that could benefit from further refinement.
Let’s begin with the performances of the actors, the standouts and those still honing their crafts. The director did a commendable job, but the outstanding guitarist stole the show, setting the pace, mood, and seamlessly transitioning between scenes. The live guitar music was exceptional. His rhythm and cadence of the guitar punctuated and complimented the scenes while setting the mood in a remarkable way. Personally, I would have loved to hear more background music to maintain the play’s flow, feel, and atmosphere.
The playwright delivered a well intentioned piece that would greatly benefit from a longer time frame, not enough for a ninety production but let’s just say it’s a plus sized play in a petite sized outfit trying to exist comfortably. The character arcs in its current form is like a seven layer parfait in a shot glass. It is difficult to layer complex issues and give them the airtime it deserves.
The supporting characters, including Elias, Yaya Isabel (Anne Marie Iniquez), Jessica Ressa (Shekinah Austria) and Basilio (Vincent Eclavea Jr.), were truly noteworthy.
Elias, a bright young speechwriter turned gravedigger captivated the audience with his expressive non-verbal acting, delivering a performance that should not be missed. His emotive portrayal is a linchpin to the story and was effective to say the least.
Professor Tasio (Rommel Rojas) injected the play with much-needed comedic relief, capturing the welcoming warmth of an academic elder and engaging the audience with impeccable timing and portrayed such an endearing character. Notably, the show of support for his student Cris Ibarra earned heartwarming awes and some well needed laughter. Cris Ibarra (Casey Estorque) and Maria Clara (Cynthia San Luis) portrayed the importance of friendship and their struggle to achieve their dream of both tenured work and Maria Clara’s emotional process of having to in a way quietly exit the country after securing overseas employment and becoming roommates with her childhood best friend.
The Chief of Police/Captain’s portrayal of being a shameless and condescending passive-aggressive front desk face was a treat to watch. His banter with the actress playing Attorney Sisa (Arianna Basco) was well-written and executed with magnificent flair. The Captain’s pose on the stairs added such a nice touch. His enunciation and smooth delivery was endearingly memorable. And although one scene with Damaso’s head sticking out of the stairway was a good dose of “is someone getting guillotined?” The set design and prop work throughout was visually appealing and impactful, but appropriately ties it in with Rizal’s source material from the late 1800s.
Certain actors delivered their lines with excellent vocal moderation and projection. Notable performances were seen in characters such as Don Rafael (Marcel Licera), the supporting role “Bulldog,” (Boy Rose) has notable stage presence that had the same level of punchiness as also put forth by the young Basilio. and the actor portraying Don Santiago (Marco Torres), respectively, truly owned the character and the scenes. Don Santiago’s performance and stage presence was palpable and his rival Don Rafael also provided both heft and gravity to the story. The casting for “Queen” Victorina (Camille Aragon) was executed in a way that the chemistry of the two characters is on the levels of Broadway.
Attorney Sisa (Arianna Basco) does a masterful job carrying the character throughout the stage, her presence and dialogue makes light work of the material as the struggles of a disconcerted mother trying to do her best to keep her two boys in check while pushing for the needed social changes that the theme tackles. She went up to bat and hit a home run with her ability to exact just right amount of oomph from her fellow cast.
Overall, the actors did an admirable job with the material, making the play captivating and engaging. However, some scenes felt unnecessary and could benefit from a more chronological telling for better narrative flow.
From a technical standpoint, the production was commendable. The sound design was well-executed, and the stagehands smoothly handled scene changes.
What I didn't like
As an audience member, I experienced moments of emotional impact throughout the production. However the play could benefit from incorporating some elements perhaps with a prologue, a mid break, and an epilogue. Having short narrations to provide clarity, especially during if it’s a flashback scenes (?) would help so the storyline and arcs can be tied together more fluidly.
Governor Damaso (Mark Labella), while effectively portrayed the short-tempered and hot-headedness of the role, it would be intriguing to see him have that dual personality/the two-faced benevolency that Damaso represents counterpart and equal to his business colleague Don Santiago.
The lighting design was decently executed, The mood lighting and atmosphere effectively highlighted certain scenes. However, there were a few missed cues that could have been improved. The timing and placement of props needed a more discreet placement. Blocking for the characters tended to move to stage left.
Wardrobe/costume design detracted a fair amount. Certain costumes were impressive, like those of Victorina the 2nd/3rd place former beauty queen puts crazy rich asians into perspective. Others, such as Cris Ibarra’s outfits, were a little confusing as the character changed costumes a number of times that it was distracting from the performance and the varying timelines made the chronology of the story harder to reconcile with. Greater cohesiveness in the main character’s wardrobe would have strengthened the overall visual impact in order for the audience to decipher which character is which. I personally believe that the red outfit for Cris was outstanding and in a way perhaps color code or a limit in the character’s wardrobe choices would have a better impact. Continuity of character costume is essential and TV style edits don’t necessarily work on live stage. Too many costume changes for the main characters can be confusing.
The storytelling and theme of the production conveyed a powerful message, although some moments felt heavy-handed and the chronology of events was not immediately clear. Introducing a narrator to prompt certain scenes could help provide better coherence and have smoother transitions.
My overall impression
I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of Professor Tasio, Bulldog, and Don Santiago in particular. This production is a historic endeavor with a cast of talented actors. “Hashtag Don’t” is a captivating and impactful production that needs to be seen at least once. Bravo to the whole team! Hats off to Mike Talplacido for his writing and bringing this to the live stage as it is definitely a tall order and was served sharp and honest with whichever way one may attempt to dissect the themes involved. Rizal’s novels “Touch Me Not” and “The Reign of Greed” was and is still a resonating story about intergenerational trauma and the tales of what it means to be an expat and the journey of repatriation while seeking closure and revenge due to the death of a loved one.
