For many Filipinos, there is a special feeling that comes when they see their ninongs and ninangs after so many years. These people have become like “second parents,” and sharing a lovely dinner with them feels like an apt time to reconnect. Everything is going well, until an offhand remark from the ninong shifts the mood: He reminds everyone that his family supported Bongbong Marcos. While there’s a lovely tiramisu cake waiting to be served for dessert, it doesn’t seem to be capable of washing down the bitterness that comes with hearing such stark support for a dictator’s son.
That is the premise behind “The Reconciliation Dinner,” Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP)’s first offering for its 45th theater season. The one-act play, written by Floy D. Quintos and directed by Dexter M. Santos, takes place after the turbulent 2022 Philippine elections.
The play revolves around two sets of middle class families who attempt to share dinner after the 2022 elections. One household is a Marcos supporter, and the other is highly involved in Leni Robredo’s campaign. Through flashbacks, the play takes us through each family’s points of view about their politics.
While Quintos does not exactly provide a fresh take on how politics polarized the country, the portrayal is equally entertaining and charming. The Marcos supporters see Robredo and her supporters as elitist, privileged, and too soft. The other camp is rabid against Marcos and his apologists, to the point where they equate all of them to fake news peddlers.
At first, the characters try to go on about their lives without their politics getting in the way. Dedma seemed to work for them initially, and they were able to share pleasantries and continue interacting with each other. But it soon becomes painfully obvious why politics cannot be separated from our core relationships. Both sets of characters feel a sense of dread settle in as their interactions get more heated, although indirect.
The play does not provide an answer to the question of whether or not we should let our political differences interfere with relationships. Though it reminds us that whether we like it or not, politics can threaten the foundation of our relationships. Regardless of the candidate they supported, each side expressed a feeling of betrayal and disappointment toward the other. Are these the same people they have been friends with for decades? By the final act, they know the answer: everyone has changed, for better or for worse.
The play also asks its audience an important question: what now? Now that the elections have long since passed, what can Filipinos do, moving forward? For the family of Marcos supporters, moving on means to go with the flow and support whoever is in power. For the parents who supported the Robredo camp, freedom comes in the form of a flight to Canada. But there are also characters who believe that they should stay here, where tensions still run aplenty. It is an uphill battle, but it carries the spirit of hope and solidarity amid continuous disputes.
None of these choices are praised or demonized in the play. They are merely presented, shown as possible options for the middle class characters. They discuss this over their now-ruined dinner, a lavish set of food options including that fancy tiramisu cake. It is a reminder that having these food and life choices on the table is a privilege that only a few can afford.
The play closes on a poignant note, with a dramatic scene illustrating how the fighting never ends. Perhaps you do not really mean what you said about that Marcos or Robredo supporter, and they did not mean to retaliate so pointedly. But the damage has been done, and there are cracks in your relationships that you can either mend or just let go.
Those looking for an entertaining theater experience will enjoy “The Reconciliation Dinner.” It knows its audience and it plays directly to them, with references to current news events present in almost every other scene. As a commentary about the aftermath of the elections, the play succeeds, even if rough around the edges.
Even with the sweetness of tiramisu, some people may never be able to fully reconcile with others due to their political differences. Perhaps in the future, this could change. People will always get more perspective as they live out certain events. But in these current times, this play is as close to what a home-cooked dinner with your parents’ friends could look like. ●
“The Reconciliation Dinner” will be streamed online this 2023 through the platform Ticket2Me. For more details, head to the Facebook page of DUP. The Philippine Collegian is an official media partner of DUP’s 45th theater season.
