THE CORRUPT. Ang Inspektor Heneral is a commentary on both public and private institutions, a satire that brings forth the ugly truth that men will do anything to be on top, regardless of means. Pictured here is the corrupt city mayor, portrayed by Arniel Daluz.
A review by Dennis Flores || Photos by Anthony Jacob Karagdag and Caryl Trabadillo
Dulaang Atenista’s Binisaya adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s beloved satire, The Government Inspector, has left its audience drowned (and gasping) in their own laughter. Simply put, Ang Inspektor Heneral delivered its punches well, despite minor inconveniences, during its premiere on March 6.
Directed by Ray Anthony Lao, Ang Inspektor Heneral was a fun glimpse at the corrupt diorama that is the government, and a loud echo of the philosophy that men are innately evil. With a stellar ensemble, Gogol’s 180-year-old message was clearly delivered: that man is capricious, a trickster, who is willing to exploit on his fellows in order to get his wants — all the more effective in the local dialect.
Ang Inspektor Heneral began with the mayor and his officials receiving the news that an incognito government inspector from the Palace is headed to their small city. Panicking about their corruption and misdeeds, the mayor, and his posse, plotted to cover up their corruption, to discover who the inspector was, and to strike a deal with him. Not short after, their prayers were answered when two goons, also officials of the mayor, delivered to them news that a suspicious person arrived two weeks prior and was staying in a hotel. Of course, the next scenes introduced us to the “Inspektor Heneral.” He wasn’t the real inspector, but a grifter named Alejandro Lestakob.
With the trademark minimalist stage design of a Dulaang Atenista production, your eyes will be glued to the characters on stage, your face filled with glee as you eagerly anticipate what hilarious or eye-opening scene comes next. Watch out for the colors of the Philippine Flag that were subtly arranged throughout the play.
THE MAYOR AND HIS POSSE. From left to right: The director of social welfare (played by Genevieve Bermudo), the doctor (played by Franz Lacson), the mayor (played by Arniel Daluz), the judge (played by Hero Redilla), and the school principal (played by Evans Yonson).
Aside from the strong political material, Ang Inspektor Heneral’s strength relied on its cast, more so from its two main protagonists, the mayor (played by Arniel Daluz) and Alejandro Lestakob, also known as the fake inspector (played by Malo Cañon). Daluz portrayed his character with natural ease, as if he himself is corrupt and scheming, while Cañon emanated confidence and charm, with his booming voice. Both balanced out on stage (especially during their witty exchanges), with the help from their equally comic supporting cast: Lestakob’s assistant Osip (played by Angelo Dabbay), and the twins Bobtsinski and Dobtsinski (played by Jethro Javier and Al Moralde, respectively) were a few of the gems of the play. Yes, we all agreed that the cast was amazing, yet there were also some weak links: the principal (played by Evans Yonson), an LGBT representation if we assume correctly, was awkward; the judge (played by Hero Redilla), who was wearing distractingly too-tight costumes, seemed to be reciting his lines; the director of social welfare (played by Genevieve Bermudo) sounded the same throughout the play; and the doctor (played by Franz Lacson), who had no speaking lines at all, should have been scratched out from the play altogether. But despite those weaknesses, the play still held strong, and a great effort from the cast made it work naturally. This is a play that is patriarchal, dominated mostly by male characters, but ironically, the one who stole the spotlight was none other than the mayor’s wife, Ana (played by JC Salon). It was obvious that Salon was enjoying the challenge of bringing life to such juicy character on stage. And his performance is very well-received.
Translation of the material did not come as a surprise, given that the play is staged in Cagayan de Oro. It is not the first time that Dulaang Atenista staged a Binisaya play. What surprised us was the fact that it was the actors themselves who translated their own lines based on their understanding of their characters. That discovery made all the more sense because the words used by each character gave them their own idiolect. Plus points are given as well for the pop-culture references that sprout from the various characters’ mouths.
THE MAYOR AND HIS WIFE ANA. Mayor's wife, Ana (played by JC Salon), stole the spotlight as she delivered her liners with a zinger on stage.
Staging it in Binisaya gave the script more humor power. Although the material itself is already funny, having so many punch lines in a beat, made it exhausting for the audience to keep up. By the second act, people were already waiting for the end, only having to laugh occasionally at some jokes. But we cannot disagree the fact that with Binisaya being used with ease on stage, it gave the audience a better conductor; a better way to sympathize and empathize with the characters, even the whole play itself. It would be great if there will be more Binisaya and, greater still, more original plays by Kagay-anons staged.
Ang Inspektor Heneral is a commentary on both public and private institutions, a satire that brings forth the ugly truth that men will do anything to be on top, regardless of means. Not only that, it showed us an antihero that despite of his incredulous, and criminal actions, we still root for him, that he would escape the clueless mayor’s house and give the ,ayor his due.
As Lestakob would say, “DO—NOT—ME!”∎
THE TRICKSTER. Alejandro Lestakob, also known as the fake inspector (played by Malo Cañon) emanated confidence and charm, with his booming voice. Dulaang Atenista’s Ang Inspektor Heneral had a successful run from March 9 to 14 at the Xavier University Little Theater.
Dennis Flores is a graduate of AB International Studies from Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. He is a theater and film actor based in Cagayan de Oro. He's performed in various theater productions of Dulaang Atenista back in his college days. Now, he's delved into advocacy theater, namely "The Vagina Monologues" and "LIMA: The HIV Monologues," with Oro Teatro Bulawanon. He's a board member and a senior writer for drama of Nagkahiusang Magsusulat sa Cagayan de Oro, a community of writers aiming for socio-cultural development in the city. In his spare time, Dennis marathons various TV shows and films.