A little more to this than boy meets girl

MANILA, Philippines - Breakups & Breakdowns, a new production by the theater company Upstart, is a “double-meta” — a partially autobiographical play penned by theater veteran Joel Trinidad and loosely based on his life, in which a character crafts his next play that is patterned after his own breakup.

It opens with Mark, a playwright struggling to finish his as-yet-imperfect play about finding the One Perfect Girl. Mark has yet to come to terms with the collapse of his last relationship with a graphic designer named Nina, and is constantly badgered by his roommate, Derek, to look for love away from his typewriter. Derek himself has been captivated by a mysterious but privately insecure Sandy, the girl who just might push him to abandon post as The Game’s MVP. What follows are often hilarious and sticky situations, filled with self-aware awkward pauses, and a trail of never-ending questions that are just permutations of: Does she like me or does she ‘like’ like me?

Jenny Jamora as Sandy and Reuben Uy as Derek are both memorable, providing most of the front comic relief. Given the plentiful gags and playful musical numbers, both wooed the audience with their own funny turns. Balancing them out in the quiet-funny roles, Mark and ex-girlfriend Nina were played expertly by Joel Trinidad and Carla Guevara-Laforteza, both of whom seem to have mastered dryly delivered wit. Vocally, Guevara-Laforteza shines the brightest.

Breakups & Breakdowns reflects many of the problems that plague relationships today. In the opening numbers, Boy Meets Girl 1, and Boy Meets Girl 2, Trinidad narrates in song the (d)evolution of modern romance into something less simple than what it used to be. The play is very contemporary, delving into the complexities of modern relationships, bringing meaning to the phrase, “It’s complicated.”

For one thing, Trinidad’s characters are very calculating when it comes to their feelings — Derek and Sandy obsessively compete with each other at “The Game,” and Nina and Mark, who are intent on denying their real feelings, forget the importance of being earnest. It provides a glimpse into the fears of settling down, the troubles that come with the pursuit of perfection, and the messy world of breakups.

The dialogue is smartly written, often referencing jokes from earlier scenes. But even with eloquent dialogue and the sustained banter between characters, Breakups & Breakdowns hits a less-than-stellar point with its songwriting. Perhaps this is understandable, as this is Trinidad’s first attempt at a musical, co-writing it in 2005 with Rony Fortich, now the music director of Hong Kong Disneyland. Musically, the play has a generally pleasant sound to it, but nothing is overtly catchy. The music is sparse, a potentially ideal companion to excellent lyrics.

The problem is that some songs seem to try too hard to fit into the flow of the music, and have a tendency to fall a little flat. While some numbers stand out, some are quite forgettable. A few were also bordering on irritating and cheesy.

One of the most interesting aspects of the play is its slow revelation of just how intertwined the characters’ lives are. It was a joy to see the story unfold, but shortly after the start of the second act, it seemed like Breakups & Breakdowns was headed toward an unsatisfying conclusion. It felt like a cop-out, ignoring much of the complex set-up of the first act, settling for an ending too neat to be satisfactory.

Thematically, it may be universal, but the story feels more Western than Filipino. A lot of the references, as well as the set design (Jim Morrison’s naked torso eyeing you from a pale blue wall), seemed to be culled from Western influences and popular culture.

Overall, Breakups & Breakdowns feels a bit uneven. The dialogue is very strong and very funny, but the songs lack the memorability that cements musicals in the heads of the audience. However, for a first attempt at a musical — an always-risky venture, especially for someone who claims to have penned the first song out of boredom — it reaches great heights. Trinidad seems to know what keeps the audience in stitches, and ultimately, Breakups & Breakdowns succeeds at that.