ZARZUELA ILOKANA: "Tres Patrimoño"
“What’s zarzuela?” A socialite Filipina of a foreign accent asks randomly. I couldn’t utter a word to define such a term instead I described it as one of the best theater shows I have seen in years. And I was referring to the Tres Patrimoño staged at the Vigan Culture and Trade Center the night before.
So, what’s zarzuela to begin with? By
research, it is defined as a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates
between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular
song and dance rendition.
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| venue for the zarzuela |
When I was in high school, we were
trained and forced to some extent to perform once in a while on stage
with full costumes amidst an ornate production set. We look like professional theater actors then
(so I thought). If my memory serves me
right, I played a Spanish conquistador for an achievement day, Mercutio for a
Romeo and Juliet play and more villain roles. (why? Hahaha!) Thus, I know how hard
the preparation is, to come up with a flawless execution of a drama onstage. The success of the presentation is not only
attributed to the actors but everyone else involved in the production set.
Tres
Patrimoño, depicts the life story of three Bigueño’s who played a major role in the
history of the Filipino people. They
are: Spouses Diego and Gabriela Silang,
Leona Florentino and Padre Burgos. Their
stories were relayed in that order.
DIEGO AND GABRIELA SILANG
DIEGO AND GABRIELA SILANG
LEONA FLORENTINO
PADRE BURGOS
All are equally effective actors on
stage and to dance and sing live simultaneously on stage is no easy feat. But I was particularly intrigued and amazed
at how the story of Padre Burgos was played. The sounds and the lights were so dramatic and choreography was a bit
familiar for night show goers but they rendered it in a wholesome
manner. The songs and lines were
delivered in the Ilocano language and
definitely there is no subtitle like how we decipher Korean and Japanese series
on television and movie theaters. But
the rendition itself makes us understand the whole story. No “dialect-barrier”, the simple delivery of
lines and body movements already tells a story.
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| the Diego and Gabriela Silang ensemble |
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| the Leona Florentino ensemble |
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| Padre Burgos ensemble |
What surprised me the most is the
fact that the actors were not professional in theater acting, yet they were so
effective and convincing. That was a showcase
of talent indeed, as they are employees of the Vigan City Hall.
Unfortunately, the show is
presented only during special occasions and by invitation. Thus, not all are fortunate to have witnessed
such a grand and historical presentation.
During the socials after the
presentation as we dine in one round table together with fellow bloggers, the
City Mayor, Hon. Eva Medina, and Vice-Mayor, Hon. Lulu Baquiran shared to us
that the group receives several invitations as well to perform in varied
venues, but they have to prioritize and take into consideration the fact that
the actors are not full-time actors but civil servants to begin with.
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| members of the press with Hon. Mayor Eva Medina and Mr. Jose "Bonito" Singson, Jr. |
Other dramas were also portrayed by
the same set of actors and they have been truly recognized in their respective
talents even in Metro Manila at the Meralco Theater, which includes the
rendition of the love story between a Japanese national and a beautiful lady
from Vigan City. I just hope I would be
given the chance to witness such love story on stage.
Vigan City, being a Hispanic
settlement in the Philippines, lives on with the centuries-old tradition of the
Filipino people and zarzuela or sarswela is
one of these.
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