{"id":108965,"date":"2025-04-27T10:37:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T17:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=108965"},"modified":"2025-04-27T10:37:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T17:37:20","slug":"writing-fragments-home-at-hillbarn-theater-shows-warm-caring-relationships-between-filipino-family-who-emigrated-from-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/writing-fragments-home-at-hillbarn-theater-shows-warm-caring-relationships-between-filipino-family-who-emigrated-from-the-philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"WRITING FRAGMENTS HOME at Hillbarn Theater shows warm, caring relationships between Filipino family who emigrated from the Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"

It likely takes someone like Jeffrey Lo,<\/strong> a Filipino himself and someone who writes, directs and also works with several Peninsula theaters in various capacities, to create such a warm, thoughtful play as \u201cWriting Fragments Home\u201d that tugs at our heartstrings.\u00a0 The near-capacity opening night audience at Hillbarn Theater last Friday night not only gave it a standing ovation but found so much to love about this special story.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s exceptional about this production is not only the story itself, but also the care with which Hillbarn Theater has produced it.\u00a0 Five fine actors (most especially Jen<\/strong> Cuevas<\/strong> as the mother, Mary Gwen, as well as Jomar Tagatac<\/strong> as her son, Jay) top the list for their strong, meaningful performances.<\/p>\n

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Director Reed Flores<\/strong> does an exceptional job of pushing his actors to find the right emotion throughout the play, while scenic designer Christopher Fitzer<\/strong> creates a warm and inviting set (the entryway and living and dining room of Mary Gwen\u2019s home).<\/p>\n

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Nolan Miranda <\/strong>has come up with the right clothes for all of the actors to wear, most especially Mary Gwen\u2019s many different nurse outfits that she wears to work each day. Both Pamila Gray\u2019s <\/strong>lighting and Alan Chang\u2019s<\/strong> sound add a lot to \u201cHome\u201d as well.<\/p>\n

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The crux of the storyline is that both Mary Gwen and her late husband, Ronaldo (nicely underplayed by Jepoy Ramos<\/strong>) sarificed a lot to leave the Philippines and their families to move to the United States.\u00a0 As Mary frequently reminds her son, \u201cWe did it for you.\u00a0 We wanted you to have a better life. This is when our story began: When we came to America.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s why Mary is so concerned that their only child, Jay, has spent his life trying to write plays that have not been chosen to be produced.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re 40 now \u2013 the same age I was when we moved here,\u201d she tells him.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a bachelor\u2019s degree in playwriting \u2013 and now you\u2019ve come back home.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jay admits that he\u2019s come back to his family home because he\u2019s lost his job and has nowhere else to go.\u00a0 While allowing him to stay (for two months only, she says), he has to sleep on the living room couch so he doesn\u2019t get too comfy!\u00a0 She also admonishes him that he should have considered a different kind of profession \u2013 like hers: Nursing.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what never goes away? Sickness!!\u201d she declares.<\/p>\n

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If possible, take the time to go see this wonderful production before it ends on Sunday, May 4.<\/p>\n

l<\/p>\n

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Runtime for Writing Fragments Home is approximately two hours with one intermission.<\/p>\n

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Hillbarn Theater, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404 Shows: Tuesdays: 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays: 8 p.m. Saturdays: 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sundays: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Closes: Sunday, May 4. For tickets, call 650.349.6411 or visit www.hillbarntheatre.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It likely takes someone like Jeffrey Lo, a Filipino himself and someone who writes, directs and also works with several Peninsula theaters in various capacities, to create such a warm,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[841],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-108965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-joanne-engelhardt"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"