“It needs no belaboring who ‘Hamlet Redux’s’ director is. Tony Mabesa is a multi-awarded director, actor, playwright and teacher who, in over five decades of prolific artistic work, has become a lion of local theater. Under his firm, steady stewardship, Dulaang UP, the official performing group for theater of the University of the Philippines, has staked out a robust position as the country’s most consistent interpreter of Filipino and world drama, as well as the birthing ground for generations of artists and performers who have enriched Philippine theater, movies and TV.”

That’s how I introduced Tony Mabesa when I wrote a feature on his then-upcoming production of “Hamlet Redux” in December last year. His last directorial work for Dulaang UP before “Hamlet Redux” was “Gabriela, an Oratorio,” which I chided in my review for being “neither particularly about Gabriela Silang nor an oratorio.” Meeting him for an interview months later meant, as you could imagine, being nervous as hell, given Mr. Mabesa’s fiery reputation. Would he upbraid me for my upstart opinions? Would he bark at me and cut me down to size?

Read interview here.