Fourth Day of the National Asian American Theatre Festival

Only time for one event, Pan Asian's production (in association with East West Players) of Imelda.

Interesting production, given the intrinsic difficulty of trying to make a sympathetic protagonist out of a figure known for stolen opulence and corruption. It's not an entirely successful effort, though still laudable, as the story turns come off (to me at least) as not quite tragic enough and we don't see the step by step descent into corruption that would have been a satisfying Shakespearan style tragedy. Imelda starts out as a somewhat petty figure as a young girl dreaming of beauty contests in Manila and she remains somewhat petty at the tragic end.

The beats are a big sluggish through most of the first act, but comes to life with a stirring first act finale as Marcos firmly grasps the reins of power. This continues through the generally better second act, which opens with an energetic "origins" story for the Phillipines. The hint of the show that could have been peeks out in the dream sequence after the assasination attempt on Imelda; the debate between Marcos and Aquino on the paths Imelda could have taken is arresting. Also, too is the solo by Corazon Aquino (Liz Casasola) who shows the transfomation of an ordinary person from grieving widow to political leader. On the whole, while Imelda is not quite a classic on the level of a Pacific Overture or M. Butterfly, it still have considerable entertainment value for the theatre.

The cast is generally very good to excellent. Of particularly note to me is Brian Jose as Ninoy Aquino, who commands the stage well in counterpoint to Mel Maghuyop's Ferdinand Marcos. And, of course, Jaygee Macapugay's Imelda Marcos is fine at shoulder the bulk of the evening's vocal work (amusingly, she ages quite believably from teen to middle age; she entirely sold the second act dance number "Imeldific" as a 40-ish woman doing a credible job with a chorus line half her age).