Waya: Truly her mother’s daughter

In my book, Celeste Legaspi is one of the most accomplished artists in this country. It is a venial sin to describe her work as simply impressive – as it is magnificent. Coming to mind quickly are Ang Abaniko, Showboat, Tales of the Manuvu, Saranggola ni Pepe, Limang Dipang Tao, Celeste (the TV show), Mamang Sorbetero, Paglipas ng Dilim. Hers is not only a brilliant musical voice, it is also a valiant one – fiercely believing, tirelessly nurturing Original Pilipino Music and original Filipino musicals. Together with Girlie Rodis and Ryan Cayabyab, she formed Musical Theater Philippines (MTP) which eventually became Musicat, a theater production outfit which is staging Alikabok on Sept. 4, 5 and 6 at the Teatro Aguinaldo, Camp Aguinaldo.

Alikabok is inspired by the famous painting of Juan Luna, The La Bulaqueña, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, in quiet tones of blue and white, her hands folded on her lap, her eyes large and eternally sad. Alikabok is a story of this young girl who does not only awaken to the promises of womanhood, but more importantly, to a profound love for her country.

This year’s performances of Alikabok are sponsored by the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) Class ’72 and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation. TOWNS is launching its search for awardees for 2004 in one of the shows, being able to identify with the story of a young woman who has the courage to defy traditional gender roles.

La Bulaqueña, the young lass in Luna’s painting became Bising Vallejo in Musicat’s Alikabok. In the past, Bising has been played by Rachel Alejandro and my favorite, Cris Villonco. This year, Bising will be played by Waya Gallardo, a talented young lady who happens to be Celeste’s daughter. Joining her are theater actors Bodjie Pascua, Roy Rolloda and Noel Rayos.

China Cojuangco, who was cast in multiple roles in 2002’s Alikabok plays Anna, the Filipino-American balikbayan raring to sell her husband’s ancestral home. And just like in all of Musicat’s past productions, Alikabok enjoys the support of excellent, highly-talented Filipino musical theater artists in the chorus under the stage direction of Tony Espejo.   

One day, I was on the phone with Celeste talking about, what else, but Alikabok. I requested her to ask Waya to write her thoughts on Alikabok, on Bising Vallejo, and on being Celeste’s daughter.

Here is Waya’s letter. Read it and tell me if she doesn’t remind you of the feisty Celeste:

The first time I ever saw the girl in the painting, she didn’t strike me as classically beautiful, but her eyes held me. They were sad eyes, grieving eyes that told a silent story that my imagination could only begin to guess at. This was the face of a woman who was quietly damaged, and yet still strong and still whole. This hint of deep hurt made her all the more compelling. It made me want to know what happened to her.

I guess playing the character of Bising is my chance at last to create my own interpretation of what happened to that mysterious young woman. It will be a huge challenge, especially following in the footsteps of Cris (Villonco), who made a fabulous Bising. But I’m looking forward to it, knocking knees and all.

Bising is an amazing character. She’s still very much a creature of her time, and it would be easy to play her as a stereotypical dalagang Filipina, all sweetness and light and batting eyelashes, who gets swept by the events of the revolution. Or maybe go the other direction and make her a two dimensional update of the empowered Pinay in baro’t saya, spouting one liners and decapitating guardia civil left and right. But that wouldn’t be real. That wouldn’t be right. Bising is a sweet girl, and a trifle naïve but she’s also intelligent, and just a tiny bit stubborn. I don’t want to make Bising into some cardboard cutout heroine. I want to make her human.

I mean, these women did exist, they did sacrifice their lives for the cause of freedom and what’s more, because they were women, very few of them were given the recognition they deserved. So I need to get this right, I need to get Bising right. I guess I feel I owe it to those women and to that nameless, sad eyed Bulaqueña.

This is the first time I’ve ever been called on to do the lead for a musical, and I’m a little apprehensive, but I know I’m in the presence of friends, people who wish me well and want me to succeed. The majority of the cast has been doing Alikabok since last year, and we all love this musical, maybe a little obsessively. We’ve formed very strong bonds and we’ve cultivated an atmosphere of genuine mutual encouragement that’s often rare in theater.

This supportive atmosphere is especially welcome since I have more than the pressure of a lead role to deal with – which brings us to your second question, a question that I’ve been asked a lot but am still not sure how to answer. What’s it like to be Celeste’s daughter? It’s a lot of things mixed all together to create a situation of semi-schizophrenic proportions. I’m extremely proud of my mother and what she’s achieved. At the same time these very achievements cast a huge shadow on anything I do. The comparisons can be a real headache, especially when they come from people I don’t even know. But I’ve gotten used to it, and lately, it doesn’t happen anymore. But when all’s said and done, I’m left with only the important facts. Both my parents, achievers though they are, have never and will never pressure me to be like them and have always supported me in whatever I choose to do. If I wanted to be a librarian, they would both be equally delighted (no offense meant to librarians; cataloging is hard work). I hope I’ve managed to answer your questions to the best of my abilities."

Sincerely,

– Waya Gallardo 

Thank you, Waya. You are the biggest testament that Celeste and Nonoy have done their share to make this world a better, more exciting planet!