The Romance of Magno Rubio/Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio at [Inside] the Ford

The Romance of Magno Rubio/Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio

[Inside] the Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E. Hollywood

The Romance of Magno Rubio/Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio – Lonnie Carter's OBIE award-winning play is a high-energy stage adaptation of Filipino author Carlos Bulosan's seminal short story about a love struck migrant worker in 1930s California. Using clever word play, rhymes, rhythms, and Philippine love songs ("kundimans"), The Romance of Magno Rubio reveals the lives of migrant workers, their struggles and dreams, and their longings for home and a better life. PAE Live! presents five performances each week, three in English and two in Tagalog - the world premiere of a new translation by renowned Filipino actor Bernardo Bernardo, who also directs.

Thru - Dec 11, 2011

Price: $12-$34

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 323-461-3673

www.fordtheatres.com

[Inside] the Ford Seating Chart

The Romance of Magno Rubio/Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio Reviews

Average Rating based on 8 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Recommended

"...Director Bernardo pulls Filipino culture and reader's theater, encompassing tinikling (a dance), kundimans (love songs), tableaux and rhyming couplets, into fluid expression. His creative team emphasizes atmosphere, particularly choreographer Peter de Guzman, costumer Dori Quan and guitarist Vincent Reyes, and the seamless cast is wonderful."

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- David C. Nichols

LA Weekly - Recommended

"...The entire ensemble is fantastic, their movements crisp and energetic, their expressions full of vivacity and their vocals beautifully harmonic. The show, at its core, has the bawdy, wonderful, put-it-all-out-there-ness of a well-done Shakespeare play."

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- Mayank Keshaviah

Backstage - Recommended

"...Director Bernardo Bernardo gives the play a high-voltage production, enlivening Carter's rhymed text with music, robust physical action, dance, and martial arts. The cast performs with infectious enthusiasm."

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- Neal Weaver

Edge - Recommended

"...At face value, it seems hardly the stuff of which great plays are made, but like some of the best plays out there, it is the sum of its parts that elevates it into a compelling story."

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- Obed Medina

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...Accompanied solely by acoustic guitar, these songs are some of the play's most poignant and memorable moments. Instead of frequent song, as in a musical, the script waxes poetic, mixing in rhythm and rhyme like a Dr. Seuss book. Although this can have the effect of decreasing the play's intelligibility, it does make the performance more vibrant and engaging. Nothing compares to the synergy and group dynamic exhibited by this talented cast."

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- Barnaby Hughes

StageHappenings.com - Recommended

"...What Carter, Pena and now Bernardo have added to the original story makes all the difference. An occasional narrator and a chorus of migrant workers recite, chant, sing and dance passionate life into this tired story, and while it could do with three fewer of the largely indistinguishable musical numbers and at least twenty minutes removed from its running time of ninety, the play works."

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- Jason Rohrer

Opening the Curtain - Recommended

"...But the reason to go see The Romance of Magno Rubio isn't a passion for diversity. In fact, that's rarely enough to make good art. It's the remarkably touching and human performance given by Jon Jon Briones as Magno Rubio. It's a tough role. Magno's a beautifully trusting sucker and it's tough to root for underdog when they can't catch a clue. Briones brings a wide-eyed silent wonder to the role, like watching the world through the amazed eyes of a baby."

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- Anthony Byrnes

Culture Spot LA - Recommended

"...What also supports Magno and his forlorn migrant crew is spirited song and dance. As did many black slaves, the Manongs fill their days and nights with rhythms – traditional Filipino love songs called Kundiman – and movement – eskrima, or martial arts using rattan sticks. Again, words are central; most of the dialogue is delivered in rhyme, a clever choice that sometimes adds silly phrases to this serious show, with good result."

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- Jessica Koslow

The Romance of Magno Rubio/Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio at [Inside] the Ford