Through their upcoming play titled Baka Naman Hindi, lead stars Ricky Davao and Rina Reyes aim to bring back the rollicking sexual comedy popular during the 1970s.
Ricky and Rina are at the center of a comedy they vouched to be hilarious right off the page.
Baka Naman Hindi, directed by Dennis Marasigan, is the Filipino adaptation of Georges Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear.
This turn-of-the-century farcical play is set during the “belle époque.”
A woman, suspecting her lawyer husband of having an affair, plots to catch him in the act.
Nelsito Gomez, Lou Veloso, Tex Ordoñez-De Leon, Nazer Salcedo, Gilleth Sandico, Rafa Siguion-Reyna, and Mosang are also part of the cast of this play.
This Cultural Center of the Philippines production goes on stage October 18-21, 8 pm and October 20-21, 3 pm.
Baka Naman Hindi gets a major tweak to tickle the funny bone of Pinoy spectators in ways they can get really connected.
“The lines are funny enough I don’t even have to act,” quips Reyes who is the daughter of Baby O’ Brien and the granddaughter of the almost-mystical Paraluman.
Rina plays Alicia Delgado, the wife torn between her husband Victor and a doppelgänger named Dodong who works as a porter in a hotel.
Ricky plays both characters — a dual role he asked for from director Dennis Marasigan. Ricky recalls, “Hiningi ko itong role na ito dahil ito ang unang play na napanood ko nung bata pa ako at nagmarka as akin iyon.”
After almost four decades in showbiz, Ricky Davao agrees to play a dual role for the first time.
The actor’s father, Charlie Davao, was part of a production of the same play back in the '70s, along with the great Vic Silayan and the late Bernardo Bernardo.
ALL ABOUT TIMING
Baka Naman Hindi revolves around the premise of a set of characters “who couldn’t tell which one” of the two men is the copycat and the real one.
Rina points out, “I don’t think you should try to be funny in a comedy. I will just do my job well. It’s all about timing.”
Her previous works include roles in Bienvenido Noriega’s Bituing Marikit and Bayan-Bayanan where she appeared with her famous mom.
“It felt good the moment I stepped back here in CCP for this. Theater feeds my soul,” she declares.
One thing she has apart from being a self-proclaimed stage mom to her daughters is her fighting spirit, even if put in the context of a punchline. Asked how she handles moments when the audience does not laugh over a supposedly funny sequence or line. She says in jest, “If they don’t laugh, I have faith they would laugh.”
MEETING BERNARDO BERNARDO
Ricky, who has appeared on stage in such plays like Bongbong At Kris, Silang Nalugmok Sa Gabi, Salitang Dila, among others, butted in to address the same question.
He points out, “The show must go on. Do your thing and ituloy mo lang ang kwento. May mga audience talaga na di nagrereact kahit gets nila ang joke.”
Not many know Ricky was in the very first production of Tanghalang Pilipino, Dalagang Pilipino, where he was almost unrecognizable as an American character with a wig and make-up.
He recalled his first encounter of the flamboyantly gay Bernardo Bernardo.
“Tinawag ako ng tatay ko sa backstage at pinakilala siya na nakadamit matanda pa. In character niya ako binati. The funny thing was, nung lumabas saglit yung tatay ko at naiwan ako with him, he quickly revealed his macho-looking self off the disguise. And then he revealed his real self!”
SHORT RUN BUT SWEET
This CCP presentation also features costume designer James Reyes, sound designer TJ Ramos, and set designer Ohm David.
The play is Feydeau’s most popular work outside of France. It is bound to be a play to capture the Pinoy crowd through funny relatable sequences.
Notice that none of the actors are pure comedians in the strictest sense, even Lou Veloso who reminded that in the '70s he just happened to portray a role that turned out likeably funny and it became his signature role.
No problemo, these thespians are sure to portray their roles seriously with lots of laughter.