Fil-Am Ako reports that The Romance of Magno Rubio, a play based on a short story by Filipino American writer Carlos Bulosan, has been nominated for 5 LA Weekly Theatre Awards. The play by Lonnie Carter is about is about Filipino migrant farm workers, and in particular, about one lonely and illiterate Filipino farm worker who falls in love with a white woman after getting his fellow workers to correspond with her. Magno Rubio’s American Dream is a woman who ends being a gold digger that cons him out of his small salary. The original production in New York won an Obie award in 2003, and this latest revival in Los Angeles seems to be just as praiseworthy.
The Romance of Magno Rubio uses rhyme and traditional Filipino arts such as the martial art of Eskrima to tell its story, which explains why the play is nominated not only for its direction (Bernardo Bernardo), ensemble, and lead male performance (Jon Jon Briones), but also for choreography and fight choreography. This article captures some of the reaction of the cast and crew of the play to their nominations. The 33rd Annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards will be presented on April 2, 2012.
