Not your regular prom story

by Arianna Y. Lim on September 15, 2011

Photo by Pia B. Guballa

This review is based on the cast that features Tricia Allado as Chris, Jaime Constantino as Billy, Meg Yatco as Sue, Carlos Quiapo as Tommy, Tin Amante as Margaret, and Tenten Obillo as Carrie.

She exists in every coming of age story, whether fictional or factual. She’s that person whose desperate efforts to fit in only justify her title as the bona fide weirdo. She’s the cog that keeps the cruel system of high school popularity moving with ease.

In Blue Repertory’s newbie production Black Prom, she’s Carrie.

Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, Black Prom tells the eerie story of misguided religious fanaticism, a desire for social acceptance, and one girl’s self-discovery of her telekinetic powers.

The show’s scene stealer was Tin Amante, who played Carrie’s hyper-religious mother Margaret. Creepy and disturbing in every sense, she was the most striking facet of the show. Her character was meant to be relatively stationary in her movements but Amante managed to let Margaret’s frightening religious zeal shine through her every gesture, especially that twitch of her manic eyes. She was, in a word, chilling.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the rest of the show’s ensemble. Though enthusiastic and energetic at first glance, a closer inspection revealed blank faces and half-baked execution of choreography.

The sound engineering also left a lot to be desired, with its ineffective boom microphones and failing lapels. Lips sometimes seemed to be moving soundlessly, and too often the music was louder than the voices. It was unfortunate that the beautiful and aggressive voice of Tricia Allado, who played the antagonist Chris, was unheard for most of her performance.

Technical difficulties aside, Allado did well in her portrayal of the quintessential snarky and spiteful bitch. Her body gestures— eyes eternally rolling, hands on hips and face permanently fixed in an unnerving sneers— made Chris the perfect villain.

Meg Yatco gave a convincing performance as Sue, Chris’ polar opposite. Her sweet singing voice melded perfectly with her character’s headstrong yet sunny disposition. She pulled off the adorable role well and consistently stayed in character even when the spotlight was off her.

Tenten Obillo’s delivery of the frumpy and tortured lead was spot-on. One really believed in Carrie’s struggle as the daughter of a deranged and overzealous mother, as well as the outsider among people by whom she yearned for acceptance. Obillo possessed a thorough understanding of her character, and she was effective in switching between awkward, lonely, loveable, or crazed dispositions.

Talent notwithstanding, some parts of the play may be puzzling to those unfamiliar with the original story. While the show successfully grasped the concept of social acceptance, its depiction of Carrie’s telekinesis was touch-and-go. This may not have been the angle BlueRep wanted to emphasize, but its presentation was vague to the point of causing confusion to the audience. The same applies to the chaotic prom scene, as well as the appearances of an adult Sue, who materializes every so often to synthesize past events.

Nonetheless, Black Prom proved that, with a little more fine-tuning, a lot should be expected of many of this year’s BlueRep newbies.

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