By SHARON EBERSON
It is evident there was a divine plan from birth for Sara Porkalob. Deliver her into a family of strong women with irresistibly juicy stories to tell, and have her grow up to be a captivating storyteller.
In her exuberant, unflinching opening-night performance Saturday of Dragon Lady, a solo show presented by Pittsburgh Public Theater, Porkalob reveals often shocking secrets, woven among generations of Porkalob women, starting with grandmother Maria.
In tantalizing detail, voicing more than two dozen characters and interspersed with original music, Porkalob delivers insights into the will and fortitude of her family members to rise above the societal and cultural injustices visited on women.
A bundle of energy dressed in black, against a colorfully decked out O’Reilly Theater stage, Porkalob crafts a story of her larger-than-life grandmother with humor, gusto and unbridled enthusiasm. She’s backed by a three-piece band, sometimes seen in shadowy nightclub scenarios, but often as not, lending musical support from behind a curtain.
(Image: Michael Henninger for Pittsburgh Public Theater)
The music is a jazzy, bluesy pop sound that reveals only some of the range of Porkalob’s voice, which burst onto the Broadway scene in the all-female and nonbinary cast of 1776, circa 2022. She was a standout then as a slave owner taunting Northerner’s hypocrisy. Here, she delivers a cabaret vibe, paying homage to her grandmother’s years as an entertainer in a dangerous Philippine night spot/brothel, frequented by the most feared gangsters in Manila.
Dragon Lady is a warts-and-all look back at a woman who clearly influenced her granddaughter’s life tremendously, both with her ability to entertain with a song or a story, and her inner strength.
Grandma Maria, whose love of the stage never waned, was originally part of Porkalob’s production, making a cameo toward the end of the two-hour (including intermission) show. Maria died last year from lung cancer, forcing a rewrite of the show’s ending; thee performance now at the Public is the second time this version of Dragon Lady has been staged.
Sara Porkalob’s devotion to the tales of the two Marias – both mother and grandmother – and the separate truths they have passed down to her is at times as addictive as a whodunit. You can’t wait to see how they manage to overcome overwhelming hardships, with Sara’s presence providing proof that they did.
The ingredients that the artist has to work with offer up a buffet of riches for a storyteller: sex and murder; culture clashes; children in dire circumstances; family members simmering in their own truths; and the steadfast appreciation and love of a granddaughter, inspired by her family’s legacy.
Dragon Lady is an “as told to” piece, framed by the occasion of grandmother Maria’s 60th birthday, when her version of history and that of Sara’s mother collide.
Their stories take us from the Philippines to America, where Maria eventually worked three jobs while attempting to care for Sara’s mother, aunts and uncles.
Second-act scenes in which Porkalob portrays her mother and her mother’s siblings shine a spotlight on her adept characterizations and how well she navigates humor, poignancy and a long list of emotions.
(Image: Michael Henninger
for Pittsburgh Public Theater)
Guitarist, vocalist and band leader Pete Irving, with Jimmy Austin on trombone and bassist Mickey Stylin, are among the members of the band Hot Damn Scandal when not grooving with Porkalob. All are based in Washington state, where Pittsburgh Public artistic director Marya Sea Kaminski taught Porkalob at Cornish College of the Arts. Creating Dragon Lady and its sequels began for Porkalob in her senior year.
Set designer Sasha Jim Schwartz has given the artist tiers in shades of green and gold on which to create specific space for characters and situations, under the direction of Andrew Russell, with Pittsburgh’s Alex Manalo serving as assistant director.
All are in service of writer-performer Porkalob’s vision of generations of women who helped shaped her destiny, as a consummate storyteller.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh Public Theater presents Dragon Lady at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, through February 25, 2024. Tickets: visit https://ppt.org/production/87715/dragon-lady or call 412-316-1600
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