STAGE TUBE: Sneak Peek of [Inside] the Ford's ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO

The Winter Play Season at [Inside] the Ford kicks off with Lonnie Carter's OBIE award-winning The Romance of Magno Rubio in English - plus the world premiere of Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio, a new translation into Tagalog. PAE Live! presents five performances each week, three in English and two in Tagalog, with both versions directed by translator Bernardo Bernardo. The Romance of Magno Rubio opens on November 4, and Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio follows on November 5.

Check out a sneak peek of the show below!

A high-energy stage adaptation of Carlos Bulosan's seminal short story about a love struck Filipino migrant worker in 1930s California, The Romance of Magno Rubio uses clever word play, rhymes, rhythms and Philippine love songs ("kundimans") to reveal the lives of migrant workers, their struggles and dreams, and their longings for home and a better life.

Jon Jon Briones (Magno Rubio), Antoine Diel (Prudencio), Elizabeth Rainey (Clarabelle), and Muni Zano (narrator) each appear in both the English (E) and Tagalog (T) casts, while Giovanni Ortega (E) and FrederiCK Edwards (T) share the role of Nick; Erick Esteban (E) and Gelo Francisco (T) are Claro; and Eymard Cabling (E) and Jet Montelibano (T) double as Atoy.

Musical direction for The Romance of Magno Rubio/Ang Romansa ni Magno is by Gelo Francisco; choreography is by Peter De Guzman; fight choreography is by Felix Roiles; scenic design is by Akeime Mitterlehner; lighting design is by Gerry Linsangan; sound design is by Rani de Leon; projection design is by John Geronillo; costume design is by Dori Quan; production stage manager is Jaclyn Kalkhurst; associate producer is Lorely Trinidad; producer is Ed Ramolete; and executive producers are Ted Benito and Paul Policarpio.

The Romance of Magno Rubio premiered off Broadway in 2002 at New York's Ma-Yi Theatre Company where it received rave reviews and eight OBIE citations. That production subsequently traveled to the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, then received its West Coast premiere at the Laguna Playhouse. Other notable productions include the Midwest debut at Victory Gardens in Chicago and the Los Angeles premiere at LATC.

 

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