The original material and its adaptations have long been lauded for putting to light the LGBTQ+ issues stereotyped by the mainstream media. We see Ada, a gay beautician, being attracted to Dodong, a muscular straight guy, but fighting these feelings because of the fear of public condemnation. But later, we understand that such Love exists. In Zsazsa Zaturnnah, we found that it is possible for Love, in all its shapes, forms, and colours, to win over prejudice, injustice, and abuse.

In this day and age, where people have become more understanding of one's sexual orientation and gender identity, the room to discuss the LGBTQ+ community was opened. Hence blueREP scheduled panel discussions coinciding with the run of Zsazsa Zaturnnah. The four-day workshop series was titled 'Siya, Siya, Tayo, Tayo', a wordplay in the musical's title, that meant "them/they, we/us". The series included "The Political Aspect of Gender and Identity" with Atty Mariana Lopa on Bawal Bastos Law and Atty Virginia Viray on SOGIE Bill; "Tea with the Queens" with Phi Palmos and queens from Drag Den Philippines, Miss Trans Global, and Binibining Pilipinas to talk about beauty, femininity, and what it means to truly be a 'Queen'; "The Art of Drag" led by Clea T and Tiara Misu, which made the participants meaningfully and sensitively discover and explore different modes of expression; and a "Talent Showcase: Superhero Extravaganza". Vergara also had a special lecture at the Rizal Library titled "Creative Divisoria: Becoming a Multi-Faceted Creative". 

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"In directing this musical, listening to the young ones, and knowing that much has developed already in our research literature and discourse about queer theory, we understand now that the issue is not about gays versus women but the queer community versus heteronormativity," Maramara says. "Heteronormativity happens when the patriarchal society imposes itself and finds its way into the bloodstream of both queer and feminist movements. And then when we have feminists being 'ultra', and they say to the trans community that 'you cannot be considered women', I think that's an echoing product of patriarchy. Hence we injected in this adaptation that the Amazonistas are TERF or trans-exclusionary radical feminists, a relatively new term that arose in the latter 2000s."

Maramara shares her joy in jumping into the possibility of putting that angle of the source material into the light. The source material broke records in its first iteration, shocking the literary and art scenes with its call to accept and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and veer away from the stereotypical portrayal of queer. It came at a time when such discourse and performances existed only in tucked-away places around Metro Manila, and the majority of the society still attunes to gender insensitivity.

"For the kids in this production, I needed them to understand that what we are staging started a movement, a part of our history, that we need to see at a macro-level and not take it for granted," says Maramara. Hence the latest iteration did not move the story to the present time and echoed a sense of nostalgia for its viewers while also showing how far we have come.

"As 'past' as it is, the mentality still exists," says Maramara. The decision to retain the original time and setting of Zsazsa Zaturnnah opened the opportunity for the artistic team behind the production and its stellar cast to explore further the monsters the superheroine fought against.

More than a handful of actors portrayed the giant leaping frog who wreaked havoc in the barangay, and each of them showcased a body part of the frog. The somewhat puppeteers became the voice of the 'sticky-tongued' people who continuously mock and taunt the LGBTQ+ community. Meanwhile, the zombies amplified the characterisation of Ada's late father—narrow-minded, homophobic, and condescending people who destroyed the self-esteem of many in the LGBTQ+ community.

Read also: How a playbook on workplace inclusion can aid the LGBTQ+ community

Aside from reimagined stage movements, De Jesus also updated the sound of the songs. Kim Molina, who portrayed Zsazsa Zaturnnah for all three Ada actors, sang with truth and vulnerability. Molina precisely combined the quirky and hurt sides of Zsazsa Zaturnnah through her fierce and quick-witted humour, making the character of Ada ever-present in her. Phi Palmos gave the audience an Ada who cuts across generations, having been in pain for so long, and eventually rediscovered the beauty that lies within him. Shaun Ocrisma, meanwhile, was on point in his emotional cues that his version of Ada connected with the Ada of the not-yet-staged Zsazsa Zaturnnah sequel. Lastly, Adrian Lindayag brought his artistic success from the BL genre to the stage with his undeniably lovable Ada.

"It's a campy show, yes. But we made sure that such campy-ness is not a loss of grounding," says Maramara.

Read also: 10 safe queer spaces in the Philippines

During the preview for the press of Zsazsa Zaturnnah, what was perhaps the only bothersome approach was how Dodong became objectified. Although the musical has put itself in the position of tackling sensitivity towards the queer community, it would have been better to do the same to its cis-gendered characters. But then again, perhaps Juan Carlos Galano as Dodong only tried to leverage his gorgeous physique, which led to such a performance. On the contrary, Jude Matthew Sevilla's Dodong charged into his vocal quality and range. Elian Dominguez, however, unknowingly tapped into Dodong's gender fluidity that added a new layer to the show.

Meanwhile, the two Queen Femina actors, Kakki Teodoro and Anyah De Guzman, embodied the new perspectives introduced by Maramara. They were both imaginative in their portrayals. The three actors who played Didi, namely Joshua Cabiladas, Almond Bolante, and Robert Bradly Hao not simply embodied the stereotypical best friend character but showed the different forms of love that could blossom from a reliable friendship. Altogether, the Queen Feminas and Didis brought life and vibrancy to the show as expected but also laid to the table the sensibilities of the source material.

Read also: SOGIE Equality Bill: everything you need to know about its supporters, origins, and more

Ultimately, the fourth iteration of Zsazsa Zaturnnah was a delightful watch. It opened intensive gender sensitivity conversations in this fast-growing society that is being dragged by a backward mentality. It may have been a fabulous and delicious experience but it uncovered all things that needed change in this society. With this production, blueREP opened the university's doors to a larger community for the people to engage in this precarious topic in the most fun way possible.

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