Red Turnip Theater opens season 2
MANILA, Philippines - Since its 2013 launch, Red Turnip Theater has already made its mark on the Philippine theater scene. The band of five actors making up Red Turnip (Ana Abad Santos, Topper Fabregas, Jenny Jamora, Cris Villonco and Rem Zamora) wanted to come up with an opening season that would reintroduce Philippine audiences to the straight play while putting their own stamp on the theatrical experience. Their first production, Closer, was a bruising and honest take on modern-day relationships and their follow-up, Cock, was a biting comedy about sexual identity. Both productions were met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
The five are back with their second season and are excited to kick-start it with the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner, Rabbit Hole. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole was a Broadway hit that garnered several Tony nominations and a win for its lead actress, Cynthia Nixon. It was then adapted into a critically acclaimed film with Nicole Kidman in 2010 and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
The story revolves around Becca and Howie, a couple who lose their four-year-old son in a car accident, and the grief that slowly threatens to tear them apart. Shifting between humor and heartbreak, Rabbit Hole explores the way people deal with loss and how this affects those closest to them: their families. Variety calls it “an intensely emotional examination of grief, laced with wit, insightfulness, compassion, and searing honesty.”
The Manila premier has film and television star Agot Isidro in the role of Becca, with theater veteran Michael Williams as her husband Howie. This production marks Agot’s return to theater after notable turns in Tanghalang Pilipino’s Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah, Atlantis Productions’ Baby and Trumpets’ Honk!. Williams’ long list of credits includes starring roles in Jekyll and Hyde, Les Miserables and Man of La Mancha for Repertory Philippines.
Joining Isidro and Williams are Che Ramos-Cosio (Tatlong Maria, Dogeaters) as Becca’s sister Izzy and Sheila Francisco (South Pacific, August Osage County) as their mother Nat.
Dulaang UP’s Ross Pesigan (Ang Nawalang Kapatid, Titus Andronicus) rounds out the eclectic cast as Jason, the young boy responsible for the tragic loss of their son.
Directed by Topper Fabregas, Rabbit Hole opens on Aug. 1 and runs all weekends of August at Whitespace, Makati.
Visit www.facebook.com/RedTurnipTheater for complete show schedules.
Tickets are available through TicketWorld (891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph) or Red Turnip Theater (redturniptheater@gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/RedTurnipTheater).
