For everyone who missed the first staging of Flipzoids in 1996 or for everyone who wants to see it staged one more time, don’t fret because for a limited time only, the play returns onstage this month.
In a nutshell, Flipzoids is a funny and highly-moving story about three Filipinos navigating through the shifting landscapes of home, desire and loneliness. Set on a deserted beach in Southern California, the play examines what it means to be an outsider, to be Filipino and/or American, to be a hybrid.
“I am very excited to get a chance to do the character of Aying again after fifteen years. The role stays essentially the same, so preparing for it basically stays the same, although now that I am older, it resonates deeper for me and hopefully affects audiences even more profoundly,” actress Ching Valdes-Aran told the Asian Journal recently.
As a mother, Aying constantly reminds her daughter Vangie of the virtues of the old country, and she finds it hard to assimilate in the land of milk and honey. Aying desperately longs to go to her hometown, the memories of which she has kept in her heart for her daughter who had brought her to California.
Ralph Pena, the current Artistic Director of Ma-Yi Theater Company, is thankful for the opportunity to do the show again.
“Few playwrights get to revisit their work after 15 years, and for that, I’m grateful and apprehensive. It’s nice to get your play produced, no question, but it comes with new demands,” he explained.
Among these demands is the timeliness of the material.
“What might have worked in 1996 might not work today, so part of the revisit means rechecking the text for resonance. That doesn’t sound too difficult, in the abstract, but I’m a different writer today (or so I hope), and finding a way to reenter the play is tricky. I have to honor the voice of the playwright who wrote the play many years ago, and find a way to give it new life without destroying the play’s heart,” Pena added.
“Ralph revised the script a bit. He has edited some and rewrote some but not much. The heart of the play is full. Loy Arcenas, who is back directing it. I am quite lucky to be collaborating with exceptional artists,” Valdes-Aran said.
Not many people saw the play 15 years ago and because of this Ma-Yi had many requests to bring it back. They hesitated at first, mostly because there are so many new works out there.
Eventually, they decided to give it a go for the Filipino community.
“It’s important for me, and for Ma-Yi Theater to reconnect our roots,” Pena said.
Pena also hopes that viewers experience some facet of what it means to be a Filipino in America, today.
“I had hoped we wouldn’t need to talk about the immigrant experience today, but it continues to remind us we have to deal with it. I don’t mean to make the play sound like litany of “issues.” It’s a funny play,” he added.
This funny play now has an opportunity to showcase its storyline and Filipino-Americans have a chance to watch it and be mesmerized by the same group behind the play in 1996.
Valdes-Aran still remembers winning the Obie back then, as if it were just yesterday.
“When we did Flipzoids in 1996, Off-Off Broadway in the East Village, Ma-Yi Theatre was only five years old and not yet known. No critics even bothered to come review it except for one who loved it,” she recalled. “Somehow, the Obie committee came and garnered me with the award in 1997. Of course, it is quite a great honor! There is nothing more gratifying than being validated by your peers. It truly was a real high.”
The Obie Award is the highest honor given to theatre artists Off-Broadway, equivalent to the Tony Award.
And what exactly would people—especially those who saw it in 1996—expect from the 2011 production?
“The new version is leaner, faster, sleeker. Ching Valdes anchors the play with a deeply nuanced, beautiful performance. She has only gotten better as an actor. Carlo Alban and Tina Chilip are marvelous in their respective roles. It’s still a laugh riot, and Loy has found even more layers in the text,” Pena promised.
Valdes-Aran couldn’t agree more.
“Both those who have seen Flipzoids in 1996 and those who will see it for the first time will be moved by the story. They will laugh, cry and hopefully understand better the plight of those who live in their adopted country,” she said.
For Pena and Obie-award winning director Loy Arcenas (who won for The Romance of Magno Rubio), it all boils down to this: “It’s our love letter to the Filipino community.”
(Ma-Yi Theater Company is a professional, not-for-profit, Obie Award and Drama Desk Award winning theater company based in New York City that was founded in 1989. Ma-Yi Theater is headed by Executive Director Jorge Ortoll and Artistic Director Ralph Peña. Flipzoids will perform at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 W. 42 St.) January 11 to February 6. Performances Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with matinees at 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $30 and $40 and can be reserved by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200.)
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