Theater review: Comedy, commentary and lots of chismis at 'Livin' La Vida Imelda'

Filipinos love to gossip, especially if it’s about the rich and the famous —but most especially when it's about Imelda Marcos, former first lady and martial law queen.

 

She of the bouffant hairstyle, eternal terno, and two thousand shoes has undoubtedly spawned her fair share of urban legends: stories that tell of her triumphs and her failures, cleverness and lunacy... and of course, her notorious predisposition to all things extravagant.

 

These are the stories that make up “Livin’ La Vida Imelda,” Carlos Celdran’s historical monologue ten years in the making, once performed on a jeep through the streets of Manila, and now presented theater-style in a stark black and white space at the Silverlens Slab Gallery.

 

The minimalist look made for a nice contrast to the Imeldific narratives that unfolded therein. The white walls were decorated with electric tape murals of the structures that Celdran used to symbolize Imelda’s rise and fall: the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philippine International Convention Center, the Coconut Palace, the Folk Arts Theatre, and the infamous Manila Film Center.

 

Celdran tells his irreverent narrative with the help of photos (bigger versions were projected onscreen); a crew of great actors who managed to keep character even with the absence of a fourth wall; and, of course, a groovy soundtrack of the most iconic OPM songs.

 

Set at the height of the Marcos dictatorship, the show brings to life a Philippines long gone, one where a dollar was worth only seven pesos, where the world’s glitterati were regular visitors to Malacañang, an exciting Philippines where the president has an affair with a Hollywood starlet, and the First Lady charms the most powerful world leaders.

 

In his deliciously impetuous manner, Celdran explores not just Imelda, but the Filipino culture as a whole. With a script peppered with pop culture references, sarcastic remarks, and perfectly timed silences, the show becomes an intelligent commentary on the Marcoses and the people and culture that brought them to power.

 

Magically, Celdran still manages to be somewhat balanced and not explicitly biased. The performance, for all its wisecracks about the Marcoses, carries with it the soft echo of sympathy towards the fallen family.

 

A memorable moment in the show is right after Celdran recounts the Manila Film Center disaster and that famous story of how Imelda had the dead workers’ bodies covered with cement.

 

It is then that he hits the audience with a brave punchline that not only makes you question the veracity of the entire show, but also everything that has been said and taken for truth about the Marcoses. The question he poses is met first with a yawning silence, and then a boom of applause.

 

It’s a travesty that the last show is at 8 p.m. tonight (Mar. 10), because something that manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking as this deserves to be seen by more people.

 

Celdran says that another run isn't an impossibility. All they really need is a producer who wants to take the show on. 

 

Now, it might be an insane idea of Imeldific level, but for all her efforts in reviving the arts and culture scene in the Philippines, perhaps this is a project she'd like to take on. She' done far more unbelievable things anyway. How about it, Imelda? — TJD/KG, GMA News

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"Livin' la Vida Imelda" will have its final show tonight, at 8 p.m. at the Silverlens Slab Gallery at the YMC Building II on Chino Roces Extension in Makati City. Regular tickets are at P800, while student tickets are at P400. Call 09175874011 for inquiries.