Why 'Love, Loss, and What I Wore' is a highly personal tale of womanhood

Out of the many stories in “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” it was the final piece from its narrator, Gingy, that left the biggest mark, underscoring why the play exists in the first place.

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

Gingy is based on author Ilene Beckerman, whose 1995 book of the same name was adapted for the stage by “You’ve Got Mail” screenwriting sisters Nora and Delia Ephron. For 95 minutes, Gingy sits in a corner, listening as a revolving door of women share deeply personal stories linked to clothing that holds meaning in their lives.

“Someone showed the book to a publisher. I thought, ‘Who would buy this? It’s too personal.’ But they published it. It turns out, it was personal to other people too,” Gingy says, portrayed by University of the Philippines Cebu educator Archill Capistrano in the Cebu stage production by 2TinCans Philippines Inc., staged on August 16 and 17 at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.

“These are not just Ilene Beckerman’s stories, but also those of her friends, her mother, her aunts, and people she met throughout her life. She compiled them into a book,” Charlene Virlouvet told The FREEMAN after the play.

Active in the Cebuano theater scene, 2TinCans’ staging of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” was Virlouvet’s first time directing a full-length play, and she is eager to do more.

“I am very proud of what we did. We created something vulnerable and honest, and I hope it resonates with the audience. I had a good time putting this up and gathering all of the actors and stage managers with 2TinCans’ artistic director, Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson,” she said. “I feel right at home in this role as a director.”