LOS ANGELES, USA – “The beautiful complexity of being Filipino and Filipino American in America.” Playwright Nicholas Pilapil wanted to highlight that, and that’s how God Will Do the Rest was born. Nicholas’ play will world premiere in Los Angeles on August 31, complete with lechon kawali, pancit, lumpia, and adobo on a table onstage.
Described as a funny play about a multigenerational FilAm household, God Will Do the Rest is a collaboration of Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company. It will run at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown LA until September 29. Nicholas, interviewed via email, recounted the genesis of his latest play: “I read an NBC News article that stated, ‘Filipino Americans account for 4% of the nurses in the US but about 25% of COVID-19 deaths among nurses.
’ And it made me curious about Filipinos’ sense of duty and selflessness.” ‘God Will Do The Rest’ playwright Nicholas Pilapil. Contributed photo “From this, I wrote a 10-minute play called if all that you take from this is courage, then i’ve no regrets about a grandmother and her grandson that explored their relationship through generational disconnect and his desire to learn more about his Filipino roots.
” “The twist of the play was that he was a nurse who was killed during the pandemic and that the grandma was talking to his ghost the whole time. Her message was that he may not have felt Filipino enough but his sense of duty and selflessness made him more Filipin.