My earlier post reminds me of an incident in one of the first few original runs of Noli Me Tangere, the Musical in the 90s, with Nonon Padilla directing. To add touches of authenticity to our role (I was alternating with Bernardo Bernardo), as the nasty Spanish friar, Padre Damaso, Nonon would feed us phrases and sentences in Español to bark in strategic moments in the play. For the climactic scene that would provoke Crisostomo to lose control and manhandle Damaso, dragging him around with a violent stranglehold, holding a knife to his neck, Nonon instructed us to insult Crisostomo with the line, Su padre era canalla! (Your father was a scoundrel!) Well, during the first show that I had to do it for real, I was nervous. (I fared poorly in High School Spanish which was about 25 years ago from that time.) I ran the line over and over before the scene, remembering to roll my R, and let the surface of my tongue slide under the palate when pronouncing the silent double LL as a proper Spaniard would. Su padre eRRa una canaeeya. But when, dripping with Damasos contempt for Crisostomo, the moment to bark the line on stage came, I went, : Su padre eRRRRa una...(Mental blackout!) (Oh no!) (Oh dear God, no!) (Whats that damn word?) (Scramble, scramble in my head...) (Try to keep the arrogant mask, try not to show panic!)...CALYADA! Which sounded, to all and sundry, like, Su padre era una TALYADA! Nonon did not find it funny. The first time he saw me backstage he almost screamed: Bodjie, ginawa mong bakla ang tatay ni Ibarra!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 09:16:37 +0000
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