A production by Ruby Slippers Theater, in association with Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Presentation House Theatre, and Blackout Art Society, “Grandma. Gangsta. Guerilla.” features an all-Asian cast of talented artists. Playwright Abigail Padilla manages to blend these titular roles into a deft narrative brimming with action-packed levity.
The play delves into the lives of an elderly Filipina grandma named Basyang aka Lola Rosa aka Little Sampaguita (Abigail Padilla) and her adult grandchildren–Nika (Yarlene Bernido) and Jun-Jun (Vince Sendrijas). Lola, who struggles with dementia, is confined to a care home in Vancouver against her will. But she breaks free, seeking freedom and reunion with her family. A half-written memoir, left behind by Lola, is discovered by her caring grandchildren. With a run time of about 100 minutes, the play transitions between Lola’s present and her past, unearthing a revolutionary past life that reinforces her steadfast love for her country and family. Nika and Jun-Jun’s search for Lola sets off encounters with drug lords and cops–an eerie echo of Lola’s adventurous past in the Japanese-occupied Philippines. “Grandma. Gangsta. Guerilla.” packs a punch with layers of emotive story-telling replete with groovy rap, choreographed fight sequences and comedic dialogues to balance the heart-wrenching tale of war crimes, displacement, trauma and dysfunction. Among the other characters that weave in and out of the witty plot, Japanese Captain Manaka (Terrence Zhou) and Huk Commander Lumen (Evelyn Chau) deliver a memorable performance.
It is hard not to root for a production as well-knit as this one. The set design, costumes, lighting design and projections on the wall artfully elevate the moods and information being conveyed. Fight sequences with saucepans, shoes and blankets improvised into weapons by Lola and her accomplices are executed with charming finesse. The play’s dialogues and rap sequences switch seamlessly between English and Tagalog (and other tongues I could not accurately distinguish). The play is relatable, offering socio-political insights to audiences, especially for outsiders to Filipino culture. Yet, there is a powerful sense of reclaiming and preserving cultural nuance by not translating all dialogues, pop-culture references and archival multimedia into English.
Padilla’s sense of humor and capacity to articulate multiple, coherent storylines is undeniably impressive. Lola’s PTSD and Jun-Jun’s struggles with toxic masculinity are explored with exceptional sensitivity. However, the same cannot be said about Nika’s character. There is a tendency among immigrant communities in the diaspora to aspire for perfection and adjacency to systems that wield social power. Given British Columbia’s complicated history of anti-Asian racism–including the internment camps for Japanese Canadians run by RCMP and sinophobia related to the illicit drug trade–the characters Ken (a loyal Japanese cop) and Boss Mayhem (a Chinese drug lord) turn into shallow imprints of dubious copaganda. While the overarching tale is an empathetic depiction of anti-imperial struggle, it is somewhat betrayed by a lack of political consciousness rooted in local histories.
There is a lot to love about “Grandma. Gangsta. Guerilla.” and it appears poised to make waves with its outstanding production design and talented, all-Asian cast. Don’t miss the premiere production which runs from February 6-8th, 2025 at the Shadbolt Center for the Arts in Burnaby and from February 13-16th, 2025 at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. Buy your tickets here.
– Annapoorna Shruthi