‘Walang Sugat’ . . .
“Walang Sugat” kicks off TP’s 26th season, to be followed by Layeta Bucoy’s “Walang Kukurap” (Sept. 14-20); the late Mario O’Hara’s “Stageshow” (Oct. 10-21), official entry to the National Theater Festival in November this year; and Rody Vera’s “Ibalong” (Feb. 8-March 3, 2013).
Not always a happy ending
Elucidating on how he attacked the material, Siguion-Reyna noted that the musical play was set during or near a period of transition for the country, with “the exchange of power” between Spain and America.
So he delved into “the idea of freedom which our forefathers fought for. I tried to explore this, for the fight for freedom does not always have a happy-happy ending.”
The director noted that the characters were not just revolutionaries but included collaborators and occupying powers.
He went “a little into the darker side of the material. There are deceptions of power kahit saan [anywhere]. This is very contemporary. There are recognized fabrications people do to one another.”
So Siguion-Reyna explored the “darker side” of the work, but hastened to add: “Of course, I’m still sticking to the zarzuela tradition.”
Another piece of good news Josef announced during the press con was that acclaimed soprano Noemi Manikan-Gomez, after a long period of self-induced retirement, would return to the musical stage to play Julia’s mother. Manikan-Gomez is also the cover girl of the coffee-table book (which Josef held up for all to see) about Tanghalang Pilipino’s 25th anniversary, which will be launched along with “Walang Sugat” in August.