After reading good reviews from all over, I caught the re-run of Floy Quintos' Atang, directed by Alexander Cortez for Dulaang UP. A play with music, it's "the Atang hit parade plus one" according to playwright Floy Quintos, the added song being a poem written by Amado Hernandez for his wife, kundiman queen Atang dela Rama, set to music by composer and arranger Von de Guzman.
I only have three things to say:
1. Shamaine Centenera (Atang dela Rama) is awesome from the moment she comes onstage.
2. I found it hard to take my eyes off Ayen Laurel (Gia Almonte).
3. The simplicity of the staging is refreshing.
After the show, there was a Q&A with some cast members, Quintos and Cortez. Why Atang now? asks someone from the audience. Quintos says that there is much we can learn from the past, especially the nationalism that ran through all the aspects of Filipino life in the time of the sarswela. "Our lives are so fragmented now," he laments.
And he is right. We should not forget that history repeats itself.
Amen to your three points! I thought Shamaine and Ayen were superior to the other duo, even if Ayen doesn't look the part as well as Kalila Aguilos does. And point number three I agree with the most.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it!
salamat, exie! when ayen first entered the stage, i had this resistance to accept her for several minutes. but later on, i appreciated her na. yeah, i can imagine kalila looking all starlet-like. hahaha! :)
ReplyDeletei wish i had the time to catch rep's portrait.