‘Bawat Bonggang Bagay’, a fab Filipino adaptation of Duncan Macmillan’s ‘Every Brilliant Thing’

Right on Samsung Performing Arts Theatre’s centre stage, audiences watched Santos recall and process his character’s past, present, and uncertain future. As audiences navigate through his early frustrations, memories, motivations in life, and more, it is difficult to determine who is speaking—the actor or the character—in this show. The sudden ad-libs and numerous improvisations that put Macmillan’s text at pause in many instances still weave perfectly with the character’s storytelling.

True to its source, Bawat Bonggang Bagay provides comic relief in things and events we would think of as ‘depressing’. In his reprise of the role, Santos gave us not only a list of every brilliant thing in life but also a reason to continue living—embracing the good, the beautiful, and the ugly.

Laid out disproportionately across the stage are boxes that vary in geometrical shapes and directions. These are Santos’s negative spaces, which transform into various locations, such as his dad’s car, their house, the school library where he met his romantic partner, his psychologist’s office, his classroom in college, and many more. Twinkling from the ceiling are bulbs of warm colours that give the play a youthful environment.

Just like how one reserves their innermost thoughts and desires, Santos’s character has a plethora of memorabilia kept inside the boxes that he only unveiled before the audience’s eyes after the show.

Bawat Bonggang Bagay was cooked with the right ingredients of varied emotions, heartwarming memories evoked through the text, and comedic punchlines to satiate the Filipino palate. Though at the mercy of unpredictability with its improvisational nature, it allows the audience to be immersed in the story and add elements they would like. Santos’s versatility was commendable in every show’s version, delivering a nuanced performance that is both cathartic and infectious.

Those who have seen Kakki Teodoro’s performance of the original English play might think they already know what will happen at the end. However, it’s not the narrative skeleton of the play that makes Bawat Bonggang Bagay worth experiencing—instead, it is the timeless message and urgent call to action.

Bawat Bonggang Bagay aims to break the notion that mental health among Filipinos is taboo. Known for our resilience and resourcefulness, Filipinos do not even have a direct word translation of ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’. Filipino words associated with these are marred by prejudice and downplaying.

In this play, we see a person dealing with the things happening around him and his loved ones, trying to understand the whys and hows of life while slowly realising that he also needs help. We see characters come to life, reflecting our preconceived notions of their identity in our society, then gradually understanding that we really do not know a person until we listen to what they say and are unable to say.

Bawat Bonggang Bagay is a powerful and timely material that could be added to the Philippines’ flourishing literature on mental health and gender sensitivity. Although it has a clear set of characters and plot, the play allows us to be inside the story—draw our memories resonant with the characters and face our own voices and faces as we silently watch the play progress. Then, in the end, as Santos dances nonchalantly to his father’s music, we know that we are also bongga in every beautiful and imperfect way.

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