From Little Miss to Mrs Philippines, the Filipino culture is awash with Beauty Pageants. The play “Ruby, Tragically Rotund” opens at the LA Theater Company on September 11th. It is written by Boni B. Alvarez, a US-born actor and playwright who currently teaches at the University of Southern California and LA Trade Tech College.
“Ruby, Tragically Rotund” unfolds the story of a ‘curvaceous’ Filipina named Ruby Salazar. With only one semester left till completing her college career, her ‘mama’ Edwina (a former teenage beauty queen wannabe) uses Ruby’s tuition money to fund her other daughter Jemmalyn’s participation in the Miss Sunnyvale Beauty Contest. Edwina prefers her ‘skinny’ but boyish looking daughter Jemmalyn to enter the contest than her plus-size daughter Ruby. When Ruby discovers this, she decides to enter the same competition to win back her tuition and the title of Miss Sunnyvale.
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The following interview with Boni Alvarez is by Ruben V. Nepales from the Inquirer.net:
How did the idea for this play come about?
“Ruby, Tragically Rotund” was my final project at USC. I was inspired by a Maria Irene Fornes play that my class was studying. I wanted to write about a fat girl trapped in a pigpen. I pictured that this pigpen was inside a house, not outdoors. I always wanted to write a “fat” play—one that deals with size and the feelings that are lodged in a big shell—then, Ruby emerged.
Share your thoughts and experiences dealing with these Pinoy obsessions: beauty pageants, getting a college degree, family relations and public image?
In typical Filipino fashion, I love beauty pageants. As a kid, I absolutely loved the Miss Universe pageants. I secretly wished that I could compete. There are standards of beauty within the Pinoy culture that continue to hold true. Being taller, lighter in skin tone, having a narrower nose and being slender are all perceived to be better—but the only thing I am is “tall for a Filipino,” so I would turn my attention toward school.
Were you actively involved in the auditions, especially in casting Ruby Salazar?
Yes, Jon was generous in letting me be a part of the casting process. Ellen Williams plays Ruby, and she’s amazing. She totally gets Ruby and her world. She’s got a wonderful attack on the character. Ellen is bold, fierce and unapologetic, but she’s also sweet, so the audience will completely empathize with her.
If a Greek chorus were composed of Filipinos, what would they comment on? What would that chorus be like?
The chorus in “Ruby” is comprised of her friends—her homegirls. This chorus serves as an emotional support to Ruby. They celebrate their bigness and acknowledge one another’s fears when dealing with the “nonbig” outside world. I don’t know what a Filipino chorus would sound like or how they would function in this play. They’d probably have the same comments and observations as Edwina, the mother.
Can you tell us about your Filipino background?
I was born at the Stanford University Hospital and grew up in East Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay area. My mom moved to the States in the ’60s and lived in Stockton, California. My mom and dad were pen pals. Then my father moved here in the ’70s. They’re Visayan from Antique.
I have flashback scenes in “Ruby” which are written in Kinaray-a, a Visayan dialect. It’s my parents’ language. I feel that, compared to Tagalog, Kinaray-a is a more musical language. In these flashbacks, I wanted a very hopeful and romantic mood, so I decided to write them in Kinaray-a.
“Ruby” is a very Filipino play because it is infused with Pinoy culture—my experience of it, specifically. Ruby has a Filipino family, but she also has a blossoming relationship with her African-American boyfriend that could lead to a family of her own. At the same time, she has a very diverse group of friends whom she also considers family.
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Based on my own personal experience, I am glad that Alvarez tackles “society’s concept of beauty and the pressure young people face to maintain that “ideal” image.”* It also portrays how we try fit into our society, “not only as an individual group, but also in how we live with other groups.**
Unfortunately for us who are not LA based, this play is only showing at the LA Theater Company from September 11th 2009. For dates and tickets, check out: http://thelatc.org/2009/events/ruby-tragically-rotund/
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* http://pinoywired.com/2009/08/28/ruby-tragically-rotund-by-boni-alvarez/
Posted on 5 September 2009 by Lani in Culture, Theatre
Tagged beauty, boni. a alvarez, pageant, ruby tragically rotund
OMG I’m in LA when this is on! I so wanna go
I would have LOVED to see this. Rotund simply translates as “more to love”!!!! =)
Also, I have numerously been in situations where “size” comes into judgement and decides weather or not I am capable of doing certain things. Id like to say that its very typical to judge beauty by size, what about features or personality! Feel good in your own skin!!!! Dont let anyone take that away from you! =)