I know two Filipino legends in total. One about how the Philippines was named and the other about why Filipinos aren’t exactly the tallest people in the world. The latter being something to do with there not being enough clay around and baking in an oven. Most of the stories that Filipinos know about their culture have something to do with the “White Lady” and dwarves that live under trees. If you believe these stories, and every Filipino does, you’d be very wise to watch where you tread and be very aware of whom you may find in the back of your car.  These are the stories of our childhood, and the ones we carry into our adulthood, so it’s fitting subject matter for the first production of Pinoy Theatre.

In their first production, ‘Pearls of the East’, three well known Filipino myths are collected. Juan Tamad, a traditional story about the dangers of idleness and selfish actions. Alamat ng Butiki (The Tale of the House Lizard), an old story brought forward to the present teaching us about the dangers of our actions and how they transform us. Finally, the Aswang, a classic scary story from the Philippines used to explain those events in our lives that we are unable to comprehend. Each story reflecting a part of the culture the stories were born from whilst placing a modern slant on their telling.  

My favourite of the three main tales was the second story, Alamat ng Butiki. This tale is often told differently depending on where it is being told but the basic arc of the characters generally remains the same. In this case it was the story of Dante, a Filipino born in the Philippines now living in London, with a “typical” Filipino mother to boot. Of course, when a girl enters the story things become more complicated and though I don’t want to ruin the ending for anyone who doesn’t know the story, it is full of the melodrama that Filipinos tend to love.

Interlaced in the telling of this story though are mirrors of our lives, and that’s what I enjoyed the most about it. There were of course, the FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) jokes and the over-emphasised accents, as well as the joke that we never think we have a food when most people think we’re feeding a small army. Those are always guaranteed to get a laugh. What I found funnier though was the portrayal of the Filipino mother, perhaps because I have aunts who are exactly like Dante’s mother; right down to the sudden adopting of a posh English accent and the use of, ‘Darling’ when speaking to people born in the UK. I’m sure you don’t have to think too hard to find someone who does exactly that.

I’ve also had my own experience of the…over eager affection of would-be suitors from the Philippines who want to declare their love for you after a time-period in which you’d be hard-pressed to get a British-born Filipino to admit you’re actually together! Even though we know these aspects of our culture it’s refreshing to have them presented to us in a format that we’ve never seen before. Every now again we have a character in a film or television, although usually not Filipino, that we can relate to. Here though, every character’s Filipino, and in every single one of them we can see someone we know.

What I loved most though about the production were the interludes in-between the main stories. The first was of a Filipina who worked in computers, here in London, but whenever she would go to offices to work on the IT issues they’d think she was a cleaner and tell her where the bins were. This is the face of Filipinos that so many people know. The domestic helper, and more recently the nanny, who takes their place in the background and who is incapable of doing anything else. For too long this is how Filipinos have been seen. I believe this interlude gave a voice to so many first generation Filipinos who, having been educated to be teachers and nurses, came here and worked in hotels and as cleaners because no one could see beyond their accents.

The second interlude was the story of a Filipino nurse who came to London so that she could be able to provide for her family back home. The song, beautifully sung by Ima Castro, was her song to the son she’d left behind to be raised by his grandmother. It spoke of her regret at not being able to see him grow up, her fear that he would not understand her choice, and the pain in her heart at being away from him for so long but knowing that his life would be better because of it. So many people don’t realise that all the overseas workers aren’t there to see the world, they’re there to give their families a chance at what they feel is a better life, all the time knowing that their children are growing up without them. It’s a heartbreaking reality, beautifully told in this segment.

The performances from the young, and largely unknown cast, were outstanding. Each of them embracing their roles, and many adopting the Filipino accent – often imitated, very seldom perfected, and delivering characters who are believable and that we can relate to. A special mention has to go to Angelo Paragoso, who not only acted as Juan Tamad, but also as our narrator between each of the stories. He engaged the audience that ranged from Filipino mothers, young children that had been taken along to learn about their culture, to theatre goers not of Filipino origin who just wanted to see something different. I very much look forward to seeing this talented group again in their next offering.

I think what’s so important about this kind of production is that Filipino actors, who we’ve seen play everything from Mexican to Thai, get to play Filipino. They get to tell the stories of their heritage in a production created by a Filipino theatre group. There are so few opportunities for Filipinos in the UK to showcase their talent and perhaps this will encourage more Filipinos to go to the theatre more. Hopefully there will be many more productions brought to you by this talented ensemble. It’s time that British Filipinos, and other British nationals alike, learnt more about our culture and saw beyond the stereotypes that have abounded for so long.

When writing ‘Pearls of the East’ the writer, Shaun Ricafranca, asked a friend what they would like to see in the show. They replied, ‘It should be something like Manny Pacquiao.’ When asked to clarify their statement they said, ‘Something we Filipinos can be proud of.’ In the week after the Pacman’s historic victory against the Hitman, ‘Pearls of the East’ is most definitely something – along with the Pacman, we can be proud of.

For more information on Pinoy Theatre please visit their website: www.pinoytheatre.co.uk