Behind the sheets with ‘A Bedfull of Foreigners’
April 15, 2002 | 12:00am
They say in theater that making people laugh is much harder than making people cry. I found this to be true while watching the rehearsal of the current comedy hit of Rep, A Bedfull of Foreigners.
I remember director Bibot Amador telling the actors on the first day of rehearsals: "A farcical play is excellent training for the actor. In a comedy with the pace of Bedfull, the actor has to have 100 percent focus and good concentration – all primary requirements for a good actor. As you go through rehearsal you will find the comedy in this play."
Easier said than done, especially when on top of what Tita Bibot said, a whole lot of dressing and undressing goes on.
Three months ago when Tita Bibot, asked me to sign up Ana Bitong to play the French girlfriend and Liesl Batucan to play the German wife, I conveniently forgot to tell each of them that they have to strip down to their bras and panties. I feigned innocence when they confronted me about it after they read the script. "Look, you are two of the most talented actresses I know and you are both oozing with sex appeal," was my ready explanation. They didn’t believe me. They thought it was one of those tricks I pull when someone needs convincing. In Tagalog, "Bolera raw ako."
Michael Williams, who alternates with Noel Rayos as Stanley, wholeheartedly agreed that Liesl should be in her bra and panty because he has a funny line which refers to that. Little did he know that he would be expected to show even more skin than the girls.
Michael and Noel rehearsed their striptease number in a pair of hideous boxer shorts and a white shirt. One day, while watching Michael at rehearsal, I told Tita Bibot, "Wouldn’t it be funnier if Michael removed everything except for his boxer shorts?" Bibot was puzzled. "Michael is hardly Mr. Macho," she said. "Exactly!" was my knowing reply.
Then Tita Bibot decided to go even further. She wanted Stanley to be completely naked in a certain scene where dogs pursue him after the townspeople set fire to his clothes. The day after, it completely slipped off everyone’s mind that Stanley wouldn’t be wearing the boxer shorts any more. Liesl has a scene where she peers under the bed sheet to look for Stanley’s rash. Well, she saw a whole lot more, she tells me!
Half the fun in doing this play are the surprises (planned or otherwise) the actors pull on each other. So when Michael performs for the 8 p.m. Friday performance of Bedfull at the RCBC Plaza on his birthday, April 26, his co-actors will have lots of surprises in store for him. It’s their way of getting back at him for not telling them beforehand that they were expected to take off their clothes when he directed the pictorial.
Rep wanted the Bedfull poster to be sexy but in a comic sort of way. Once the actors got to the pictorial venue, they were requested (forced?) to strip except for one article of clothing. The girls were game. It was the men who were rather shy.
It took quite a lot of convincing to make Miguel Faustmann strip. "Es que, es que. (Miguel’s favorite expression when he’s tense) I don’t have any nude scenes anyway. Why should I take off my clothes?" was Miguel’s plea falling on deaf ears. In the end, he was made to wear an apron.
Jeremy Domingo almost got away with keeping his undershirt until Ana noticed it. "Why is Jeremy wearing a shirt when all of us are like this?" she wailed. Jeremy’s excuse was each of them had to be different, and since no one was wearing an undershirt, he decided to wear his. It did not work. He was made to wear only a tie for trying to pull a fast one on everyone.
Even Michael was not spared. He thought that his one piece of clothing, the boxer shorts, would do. "Well, what good would that do if they are going to be hidden by the bedsheet. They should look like they slid down," I told him. "But, but, I don’t have anything underneath. Surely, you don’t expect me to...," reasoned Michael. "Well, you’re going to be behind a bedsheet anyway," I said and in a flash yanked his shorts down. Say cheese! Now everyone knows why Michael looks that way on the poster. A genuinely candid moment.
The poster came out well. It says a lot but doesn’t really give away the story and the surprises of this play. The actors are happy that their efforts paid off.
Watch the play and see how Ana uses her ingenuity, how Liesl portrays an angry German housewife, and how Anna Liza weaves a dramatic tale out of wallpaper. See how Miguel shows his concern for certain animals, how Jeremy conducts himself as a member of the diplomatic corps, how Arnel makes a fashion statement as the high constable of France, and how Michael and Noel handle each situation put upon them in rapid fire fashion.
Of course, the striptease scene of Stanley should not be missed. A lot of research went to it, even the choice of music.
When Michael found out that the music chosen for the striptease number was Macho Man by the Village People, he muttered, "Oh my gosh, there must be some other way to make a living." I told him that he can contribute more to the arts if he remains an actor. He certainly can’t be an exotic dancer... I should know.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
