A new take on a comedy classic

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YASSI PRESSMAN as Daphne and Kuring.

YASSI PRESSMAN as Daphne and Kuring.

TV5 is introducing a 1950s comedy classic to a new generation, by turning the film into a television series.

Kurdapya will air every Saturday at 6 p.m. beginning March 18 on TV5.

Pablo S. Gomez’s Kurdapya was first published in Tagalog Klasiks in 1954. It was adapted into a film the following year, starring the glamorous Gloria Romero who plays both the titular role of an ugly girl who is in love with a muscular handsome man, and her long-lost twin sister who is her complete opposite — a very beautiful woman. The original film also starred Ramon Revilla, Eddie Garcia, Dolphy, and Etang Discher.

In the new series, Yassi Pressman plays the two sisters, Kuring and Daphne.

The series follows the twins who reunite in a strange accident after living vastly different lives. Kuring grew up in the province with her cruel extended family, while Daphne was raised in the city under the guidance of her strict father who is the CEO of a publishing conglomerate. Both are unhappy with their current realities so their unexpected reunion leads to their switching identities. Misadventures follow as the twins navigate through life’s challenges, and come face-to-face with their past.

Ms. Pressman described Kuring as a happy-go-lucky character and Daphne as more snobby. “She just wants to be happy,” Ms. Pressman said of Kuring during a press conference at the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong City on March 9.

Meanwhile, Daphne as a character is someone most people try to avoid, said the actress. Despite playing characters as polar opposites, Ms. Pressman said that she admires Daphne’s “love for her family.”

The show also stars Marco Gumabao as Carlos, Kuring’s childhood friend and the apple of her eye; Nikko Natividad as the nouveau riche Tadeo, handpicked by Daphne’s father to woo her; Ryza Cenon as the gold-digging girlfriend of Daphne’s father; Katya Santos as Kuring’s strict and ambitious aunt; Candy Pangilinan as the ex-con mother of the twins; and Lander Vera-Perez as the twins’ father.

KEEPING THINGS RELATABLE
“One of the major considerations in doing a comedy is gusto ko masa pa rin siya, relatable, madaling maintindihan, tatawa ka nalang, ‘di mo kailangan mag-isip (I still want it to cater to the masses, be relatable, easy to understand, and you will just laugh without having to think too much),” series director Easy Ferrer said of the show’s treatment.

To give it a different flavor, Mr. Ferrer used visual comedy including teleportation effects, and deadpan humor.

Adapting a classic, he said, gives a chance for these films to be reintroduced to a new generation. “Why not revise a classic para mas ma-appreciate ng mga audience kung ano meron tayo noon (Why not revise a classic so that audiences can better appreciate what we previously had)?”

Applying what he learned at a scriptwriting workshop run by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, Mr. Ferrer noted that “lahat naman ng kuwento inuulit-ulit natin. Nasa sa iyo kung paano siya ibibigay at ilalahad sa bagong audience (All stories are repeated anyway. It is up to you to find a way to tell the story to a new audience).”

Kurdapya will premiere on March 18 on TV5, and will air every Saturday at 6 p.m. There will be replays on the Sari Sari Channel (available on Cignal Ch. 3) every Sunday at 8 p.m. starting March 19. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman