Lui CarungayA madness or a blessing? (Kabaliwan o biyaya?) That question headlined Layeta Bucoy’s masterpiece, ‘Balag at Angud’. Based on the life of protest installation artist, Luis Yee Jr. or better known as ‘Junyee’, Layeta Bucoy, was inspired by Junyee’s most famous and compelling installation arts, Balag and Angud.
Photo credit: Aggy Mago/TanghalangPilipino
Balag was a bamboo formation Junyee installed in front of the oblation during his university days in UP Diliman, which was used as a protest against Martial Law during the 1970s. It is where students hanged their sentiments against the government and also the time Junyee was summoned by the university police for his actions. Angud were tree stumps where holes are drilled to make easier the hauling of logs down a mountain. It was the installation art he set in 2007, where in he installed more than ten thousand Anguds in front of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, after vandals ruined his first installation, ‘Baligtad na Kabundukan’, made from the trees felled by Typhoon Milenyo.
The musical was an enthralling and powerful watch, which perfectly staged the success and struggles Junyee had to go through. The play highlighted three of Junyee’s life stages, the child Junyee, played by Dune Michael Garcia, the teen-aged Junyee portrayed by Paw Castillo, and playwright, Rody Vera as the old Junyee. His struggles and challenges also vary as he went through different stages in life. The child Junyee, whose only problem was how he’d get the attention of Teresa, a girl he fancies. The teen-aged Junyee who struggled between his passion for art and fulfilling the role as a filial son to his father who wanted him to take up commerce and let go of his mad obsession for art. And the old Junyee who struggled to rekindle his wild creativity and romance for art, which he found was slipping away.
Photo credit: Aggy Mago/TanghalangPilipino
The relevance of ‘Balag and Angud’ to present artists and to others with the same burning passion but at the same time have millions of doubts for their work
“The artistic impulse in young people, they eventually die, kaya yun yung malungkot, diba? So kailangan lang talagang tumulong din yung society, yung lipunan, yung lahat ng institutions, educational institutions, religious, lahat ng institutions na dinadaanan ng isang batang may nararamdaman,” says, playwright and actor, Mr. Rody Vera who took on the role of Junyee.
Photo credit: Tanghalang Pilipino
Mr. Rody Vera, who has been in this field for more than half of his life, said that everyone is encountered with doubts, even those outside the arts, “yung pagdududa, ah laging dumarating yun, no? So, uhm, anong masasabi ko, ‘di talagang kailangan lang nilang i-confront yon, at gawin lang nila kung ano yung sa tingin nila or inuudyok ng kanilang damdamin, inuudyok ng kanilang intuition.” Just like how Musa helped Junyee during his times of demotivation and dejectedness, artists who used to have immense faith in their work should continue to believe in their talent and at times, let their subconscious aid them in taking the leap of faith.
He also pointed out the need in supporting artists, especially within the family, “dapat din yung tulong ng kaniyang mga magulang, lalo na kung bata siya, ah, sana maging supportive.” In a society where an artist’s dreams can either thrive or wither, it is important for them to get the support they need especially from their family. As seen in the musical, Junyee struggled to keep his passion burning – he was getting old and without money, and the fact that his father had died without the two of them making up only added to his list of growing doubts. But during one of his life and death situations, he had a vision of his father, one different from his other visions. In that situation, his father had forgiven him and was immensely proud of his artworks and the causes he fights for; after being forgiven, Junyee finally thrived. This scene shows just how much a single person’s support can free a person from hefty baggage.
The characters in the play, are easy to relate to as they are the same people we have in our lives. We all have a family member who, like Junyee’s father, Luis, always seem to go against us, but only because they want the best for us. A person like Junyee’s wife, Tess, who’d support us all the way even if we sometimes become too self-absorbed and selfish and toss them on the sidelines and fail to fully appreciate their worth. Perhaps, even a Musa, who like Junyee’s subconscious, never fails to motivate, inspire us, and help us see and figure out what we really want.
Photo credit: Aggy Mago/TanghalangPilipino
Many artists of today can easily fit in the same shoes as Junyee’s; indeed, in a country where majority of the people do not see the importance of art in expressing the society’s or one’s sentiments, an artist, really, is sadly bound to face his fair share of challenges and ask the question whether his passion is a ‘madness or a blessing?’
Looking at Junyee’s life, it turned out to be both; one part madness and one part blessing. Madness because his burning passion led him to leave home and be on bad terms with his father until his father’s demise; madness because it led him to live in poverty and was even forced to take up the job as a make-up artist in a morgue to fend for himself, but a blessing because through art he experienced the things he would never have experienced had he heeded his father’s command and taken up commerce. Blessing because, he followed his dreams and is living without any regrets.
This musical is perfect for the dreamers who are feeling burnt out and is close to giving up. The play shows us that hard work really does pay off.
