[Only IN Hollywood] Play highlights Fil-Am family life in US, served with adobo and lumpia
LOS ANGELES, USA – “The beautiful complexity of being Filipino and Filipino American in America.” Playwright Nicholas Pilapil wanted to highlight that, and that’s how God Will Do the Rest was born. Nicholas’ play will world premiere in Los Angeles on August 31, complete with lechon kawali, pancit, lumpia, and adobo on a table onstage.
Described as a funny play about a multigenerational FilAm household, God Will Do the Rest is a collaboration of Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company. It will run at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown LA until September 29.
Nicholas, interviewed via email, recounted the genesis of his latest play: “I read an NBC News article that stated, ‘Filipino Americans account for 4% of the nurses in the US but about 25% of COVID-19 deaths among nurses.’ And it made me curious about Filipinos’ sense of duty and selflessness.”
“From this, I wrote a 10-minute play called if all that you take from this is courage, then i’ve no regrets about a grandmother and her grandson that explored their relationship through generational disconnect and his desire to learn more about his Filipino roots.”
“The twist of the play was that he was a nurse who was killed during the pandemic and that the grandma was talking to his ghost the whole time. Her message was that he may not have felt Filipino enough but his sense of duty and selflessness made him more Filipino than he ever thought.”
“From there, God Will Do the Rest was born. After exploring that relationship and themes in the short play, I wanted to see it larger and include an entire family.”
Nicholas clarified that the title of his new work was not inspired by the Filipino saying, “Bahala na ang Diyos” (literally translated, leave it to God).
“The play was initially called Datu Puti, a Filipino soy sauce and vinegar brand. But also Datu, an indigenous Filipino ruler, and Puti, as in white, to symbolize the coming together and conflict between Philippine and American cultures.”
“It changed to God Will Do the Rest because I wanted something that felt more universal and could relate to all families because a part of my mission with this play is to signal that my Filipino family story can be relatable and universal.”
“The title God Will Do the Rest was inspired by wall decor with quotes, the kind you’d find at Ross or TJ Maxx (stores). I imagined that if Maggie (played by Rinabeth Apostol) in the play could hang up a quote, what would it be?”
In 2021-2022, Nicholas developed and workshopped the play at the historic Geffen Playhouse, one of LA’s cornerstone theaters. This time, God Will Do…, a finalist for a 2023 New Harmony Project residency, is actually happening with Fran de Leon directing.
“Every day, I just feel grateful,” said the FilAm who has several plays to his credit. “Every step working on this play since then has brought me closer to feeling ownership of my Filipino roots.”
“In the play, a character named Tanner (Ryan Nebreja) struggles with feeling left out or estranged from his family because he is too American and not Filipino enough, and that’s definitely inspired by how I feel.”
“My journey with this play and the actors, artists, and audiences it has brought into my orbit has made me feel the most authentically Filipino I’ve ever felt.”
“I feel proud that I’ve created something that resonates with Filipinos and has the potential to bring Filipinos to the theater to experience authentic representation onstage — representation that doesn’t make fun of our eccentricities, accents or stereotypes but portrays us truthfully and lovingly as we are.”
“The big laughs and sobbing tears audiences have had during the readings of the play have been so fun and gratifying to experience. So, I’m excited to see how much more of an impact our full production will have on people.”
Fran de Leon, a multihyphenate artist with acting and directing credits, talked about her talented cast (all interviews for this piece were via email):
“Ellen D. Williams has been with the play from the first development workshop at the Geffen. At that point, I was on the other side of the table, playing Maggie, her mother. Ellen is such an open and giving actor and playing opposite her is one of my favorite experiences.”
“Now as the director, it is just wonderful to witness Ellen’s evolution of the character of Connie, giving her incredible depth and heart. She brings her full self to every scene and is always willing to explore. Ellen’s comedic chops and her ability to dig deep are two of the many reasons that she delivers a layered performance.”
“When I first pitched the idea of having Jason Rogel play Babette, the female tita (aunt) of the family, it was definitely asking the playwright and producers to take a risk. It was never intended to be a campy act by any means.”
“When I looked at the essence of Babette, Jason was the actor who I felt could best portray her, with his impeccable comic timing paired with his respectful understanding of the older female perspective (he was raised in an all-woman household). Jason is bringing even more colors to the role than I first imagined.”
“When we offered Reggie Lee the role of the patriarch (Ferdie), I was not expecting him to accept, given his busy TV and film career. But he and I have been looking for a project to work on together for years.”
“Reggie is an amazing actor to work with — curious, daring, fully committed. He’s constantly digging deeper and wanting to find the human within the words. I learn a lot watching him work.”
“Josette Canilao (Fritzie) is a true gem cloaked in the most humble garments! I met her in boxing class and didn’t know she was an actor till years later, when we found ourselves in the same Zoom reading for a pilot. Once I saw her work, I knew I wanted to cast her in anything I could!”
“This is our third project together and in every one, she has played vastly different characters with such realism and authenticity. There’s really no role she can’t play. She’s so much fun to direct, is quick on her feet, and is one of the most genuinely kind humans I know.”
“Rinabeth Apostol is an incredibly sought-after stage actor and we’re lucky to have her. She’s not afraid to take on a role that is decades her senior. And she’s brave enough to utilize her personal experience to help her tap into our matriarch, Maggie.”
“It’s a tough role and easy to fall into traps so our rehearsals have been a process of dissecting how Filipinos approach conflict, the side-stepping that often happens in the culture. It’s easy to play it as a trope but Rinabeth is taking it on to create a fully realized matriarch.”
“Tanner, the Gen Z/millennial grandson with a thirst to know more about his roots, is played by Ryan Nebreja. Ryan is a team player through and through!”
“I love watching him onstage when the focus isn’t on him because you can see this inner monologue he’s got going. Not everything is spoken but there is so much going on underneath that when he does speak, you want to hear what he’s got to say.”
“And our resident ‘puti’ is played by Josh Odsess-Rubin. To be honest, we initially had a different type in our heads for the actor to portray the character of Nate, fiancé to the family’s youngest daughter.”
“But Josh came into the auditions with such a fresh take that we immediately knew he would change the course of the character for the better. He has such an endearing and earnest quality and had a lot of chemistry at callbacks with Josette. I think the audience is going to be rooting for this couple.”
Fran, whose one-person show, Faces of America, has been performed over 500 times in the US, shared what she is excited about for the audience to experience in God Will Do…:
“I grew up watching shows like Little House on the Prairie, Brady Bunch reruns, The Waltons, Growing Pains, Who’s the Boss — family comedies and dramas that resonated with me, made me laugh and cry, gave me the opportunity to look at my own familial relationships.”
“At that point, I never questioned that their skin color was different than mine or that their family traditions were foreign to me. I just plain and simply related to their stories. I want the same for audiences of God Will Do the Rest.”
“It’s just that rather than an all-white family, they’re all brown. Of course, there’s specificity in bringing our Filipino-ness out, from how we greet each other upon arrival, to novena prayer parties, to what a typical dinner looks like.”
“For the FilAms, I think they’ll feel like they’re walking into a familiar space, with a lot of Easter Eggs throughout. In this home, we showcase the parts of us that assimilation may have kept behind closed doors. We’re opening those doors and welcoming everyone in, brown or not.”
A FilAm milestone birthday family gathering is not complete without food. I asked Fran if the de Dios family would feast on a boodle fight onstage:
“Having spent two months on different islands and provinces of the motherland last year, I got used to eating with my hands, with everything laid out on freshly cut banana leaves. I wanted to get as close to that experience as possible.”
“We’re finding that it’s a bit harder to lay out a full-blown boodle fight on stage so it’s leaning more towards ‘making kamay’ at the dinner table. But there’s definitely some masarap na pagkain that the cast gets to enjoy — lechon kawali, pancit, lumpia, and of course, adobong baboy. I’m hungry every time we work on that scene!”
Speaking of FilAm clan gatherings, Reggie Lee, who plays the tough yet gentle patriarch, shared his unforgettable family reunion experience:
“One of my most memorable family reunion experiences is when my family and friends all got together to watch an episode of Grimm, the television show I had the pleasure of being on for six seasons.”
“One of the mythological episodes they based the show on was the aswang, which is huge in Filipino culture. They had the entire episode centered on my Filipino culture. It ended up being one of the most watched episodes of the entire series.”
“I remember having a huge Filipino buffet at home. Everyone brought a Filipino dish and I ended up tweeting the picture of our dinner table.”
“Suddenly, I was getting tweets from all over with full Filipino families posting pictures of their tables full of Filipino food, saying that they had all gathered to watch the episode as well.”
“It was a memorable time of finally being seen, included, heard on a global scale. And I got to share that with my entire family and extended family. To share that moment of pride with my family is definitely one for the books!”
Before Reggie became a busy actor in film and TV, with roles that include Sergeant Wu (Grimm), Secret Service Agent Bill Kim (Prison Break), Undersheriff Bobby Zhao (CSI Vegas), Deputy District Attorney Thomas Choi (All Rise), and Angelo Soto (Lincoln Lawyer), he racked up Broadway, national tour, and regional stage credits.
Reggie talked about his excitement on being back on the boards: “I haven’t done a full production of a play in decades. One of the things I definitely love is the sense of community and family it brings.”
“And for this one to be written by a Filipino, with a Filipino cast and Filipina director — you can only imagine ‘ssssts’ and pointing with the lips is going around.”
“Not to mention the sharing with each other of our own Filipino upbringing. It just feels like I’m coming home every day when I go to rehearsals.”
“I feel like I’m truly with my brothers and sisters. What a joy! I’ve missed this feeling of family in an acting experience and to top it all off, it’s with Filipinos so there’s that extra level of family.”
“I have also missed the rehearsal process. In TV and film, we rarely get to rehearse and talk about motivation and really dig into the characters.”
“Psychology is such a big part of acting and why I love it. So to be able to really dissect that with the entire team on a daily basis provides so much more depth to the experience for me.”
“It’s also incredibly fulfilling doing a play for me because, unlike film and TV, it’s 2 hours of a full experience without stopping and starting. You really get to dive in and live that life fully for that time. I’m absolutely exhausted after but man, it’s worth it. This is why I do what I do!”
“I love playing a dad,” said Reggie. “I feel like I have a very paternal nature so I’m enjoying living that role for a few hours a night, especially with Josette and Ellen.”
“And it goes without saying that playing in a world that is all about Filipino culture is satisfying in terms of being seen, heard, and included. Finally!”
Jason Rogel will definitely be a hoot as the “fabulously over-the-top sister, Babette.” “I’m having such a great time with this character, so brilliantly written by our playwright Nicholas Pilapil!” exclaimed Jason.
The actor, who will be seen as Chris Wu on Prime Video’s new detective series, Cross, added, “We all have a Tita like Babette (maybe even a few) in our lives — the aunty with the fancy purses, the designer outfits, and the tell-it-like-it-is backhanded compliments, which is all so fun to play with.”
“But we also get a glimpse into Babette’s inner workings, her past, her hurt, and why she is the way that she is and says what she says, which is such a wonderfully refreshing side of these Titas that we rarely get to see. It’s been such a delightful experience being able to pull some Babette-isms from my mom and all my titas.”
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately, mostly at casinos (lol) but hearing their experiences, taking in their stories, their mannerisms, their banter — all the things that I’ve been surrounded with my whole life, have just made it so (frighteningly) easy to access my inner Babette. I can’t wait for you all to meet her.”
Ellen D. Williams, best known for her recurring work as Patrice on the hit comedy How I Met Your Mother and as Nicole Baskets (opposite Zach Galifianakis) on Baskets, also talked about her most memorable family reunion:
“I think this was the only one I’ve ever been to. We visited my family in Eastern Washington when I was 11 or so and spent time with family on a lake and in a cabin my Uncle built.”
“The most fun was getting to play with a cousin who was around my age. I didn’t grow up around a lot of family or kids my age so it was a nice fun time.”
Josette Canilao, whose credits include Naomi on The Crossing, Kellie Reyes on FBI’s Most Wanted, and Dara Oum in The Cleaning Lady, pointed out:
“It’s been such a cathartic experience to be part of Nicholas’ play. As a daughter of Filipino immigrants, I know firsthand what it means to keep things from your parents because you’re scared of how they’ll react and also, realizing you don’t really know who your parents are. Getting to play Fritzie in the De Dios family has been such a gift.”
Josette probably best summed up what is in store for the God Will Do… audience: “We all explore the joys and hilarious moments of what it’s like when family all gets together but we don’t shy away from the complications of those familial relationships. It’s been a multi-dimensional experience that feels scarily real sometimes because it’s that true.” – Rappler.com
(God Will Do the Rest opens on August 31 at 8 pm, with performances thereafter taking place on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm through September 29. For more information, including about tickets: www.latinotheaterco.org)