KUMU KAHUA THEATRE PRESENTS A GEN-X JOURNEY BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES: TROY APOSTOL’S WHO THE FIL-AM I?
A trip to the Philippines forces three Filipino-Americans from Hawai‘i to come to grips with their ancestry and their multi-ethnic, multi-cultural identities in Troy Apostol’s Who the Fil-Am I? The show will play at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street in downtown Honolulu, running from November 9 through December 10. This play contains strong language and adult situations.
Three Filipino-Americans from Hawai‘i, all in their mid-twenties, take a trip to the Philippines. Malcom has been there before, as an Ivy League college student teaching English to high school kids, and he’s the only one of the three who speaks Tagalog. Ronald, his cousin, is a surfer without much desire to experience the world outside of Hawai‘i – until this trip. Tomas, Ronald’s best friend, appears at first to be little more than a jive-talking, beer-guzzling party animal. Personalities clash and tempers flare as the priorities of the trip are heatedly debated. Their odyssey gives theatergoers a taste of life in the Philippines, as it takes the trio from Manila and Makati to Baguio and the sacred caves of Sagada, and from a descent into the underworld to a new level of enlightenment and understanding of themselves and one another.
The playwright, Troy Apostol, will also direct the production, with choreography by Gabbi Angeles, set design by Alexia Hsin Chen, costume design by Alvin Chan, light design by Daniel Anteau, and sound design by Stu Hirayama. The cast features Kumu veterans M.J. Gonzalvo and Jaedee-Kae Vergara. Cheyne Gallarde, Reno David, K.C. Odell, and Kiana Rivera will make their Kumu debuts with Who the Fil-Am I?
Kumu Kahua Theatre is an air-conditioned, intimate 100-seat performance space; to avoid disappointment, patrons should purchase tickets in advance. Performances are at 8pm Thursday through Saturday, and at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card by calling 536-4441, or by visiting our Box Office between 11am and 3pm Monday through Friday. Ticket prices range from $16 to $5. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 23. For more information about this and other productions, visit www.kumukahua.org.
