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Theater review: Destiny and the heart of humanity in ‘Ang Nawalang Kapatid’
It’s not Bollywood India. Dulaang UP’s season-ender musical, “Ang Nawalang Kapatid,” depicted for its audience a more ancient, proto-historical India, peopled by barely-clad sadhus, royalty and god-men in a scuffle for power and the pursuit of the favor of gods.
“Ang Nawalang Kapatid” is an adaptation of one of the most celebrated of Indian texts, the Mahabharata—the longest epic poem, and cited by many scholars to be of equal importance to the civilized world as the Bible and the Q’uran.
Photos courtesy of the Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Facebook page
It is set in Dwaparyuga, or Copper Age in Hindu time—a volatile time when the unsettling duality of good and evil, truth and illusion, have started to slither into people’s consciousness, planting seeds of discontent that would eventually effect major rifts destined to rend the heart of human life. So much so that Dwaparyuga has been dubbed as “the beginning of the end,” as piquantly echoed in one of the most unforgettable lines in the musical’s reprise:
Dakilang Kasaysayan ng sangkatauhan
Ito ang simula ng katapusan!
It is, indeed, a dark foreboding tale of the end of the world, which begins and ends with the infighting in the hearts of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins, causing a cataclysmic world war. However, it also teaches us that this end, like most resolutions, is only an auspicious preparation for the next beginning of an unending cosmic cyclic time. The cryptic apocalypse prophesied in many of the world’s religious traditions, as the Hindu worldview would have it, is only meant to prepare humanity back to a benevolent return to its paradisical state, where it is believed to have originated.
“Ang Nawalang Kapatid” was originally written by Floy Quintos for the Ateneo Children’s Theater in 2010, and revised this time for a more mature audience that DUP caters to.
But beyond depicting the great world war that started between conflicting interests among the Pandava and Kaurava clans, the Mahabharata is also largely known for offering universally-recognized truths and teachings on the existential mythologies of the human persona, the nature of personhood and one’s being-in-the-world.
So it was not surprising, for example, how Quintos’ libretto highlighted the notion of dharma, a Sanskrit word with multiple meanings in Indian religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, and eludes a single English word translation. Dharma signifies a person’s right way of living, and also a set of virtuous actions that accord with the way of the universe.
For instance: Karna, the first and abandoned son of Princess Kunti, would reiterate in the play that his dharma is to protect and help his adopted brother Duryodhana from his enemies, the Pandava brothers. Each character in the great theater of the universe is ultimately meant to play a part according to his or her own dharma in order to contribute to the righteous story of life. Finding and living by one’s dharma is tantamount to living by one’s destiny—and this is to be one of the most enduring lessons on the existence of human life as ensconced in the Mahabharata.
The production
What contemporary viewers would find perhaps even more astonishing about “Ang Nawalang Kapatid” was how Quintos was able to re-create the lengthy epic narrative—with its multilayered lessons and variegated backstories—into one pithy structure, depicted in eight songs, through a tight libretto and well-composed lyrics. Director Dexter Santos also rose to the occasion by shaping together the elements of narrative, music, movement and acting into a less than two-hour musical drama.
Ceejay Javier’s original score, also initially written for the ACT production, was modified for this DUP performance. A live five-piece band played behind the scene, reminiscent of Original Pilipino Music, with slight touches of the Indian sitar and tablah. Live singing was performed by the DUP actors, who did exceedingly well in most aspects, notwithstanding the fact that it is an all-student ensemble, limited by budget and perhaps less experience than their professional counterparts. Nothing new, we could say, as it has been very much characteristic of DUP to exceed audiences' expectations. As Quintos himself narrates in his Playwright’s notes: “No one works harder than these kids, believe me.”
However, there was much to be desired costume-wise, as I had expected the actors to don rich luxuriant Indian saris and kurtas of the Maharanis and Maharajahs. But we would learn from the program notes that Gino Gonzales’ costume design was dictated by Quintos and Santos’ choice to highlight the “tribal” rather than “classical” India. I believe this also allowed the production to cut expenses, as the cost of authentic Indian fabric is known to be exorbitant, probably way beyond a low-budget student-led performance. There was a remarkably inventive employment of cloth, however, in the use of long flowing cloths that cascaded from the ceiling, and pulled by Kunti and other expectant women, to depict the birthing of the princes. Tie-dyed cloths that one would cheaply get from Davao were also used as an alternative to dress the actors.
The cast
Ross Pesigan as Karna, the titular role of the lost son, stood out for the depth and sincerity of his acting. Gabo Tolentino as Shakuni, the lead gambler who led the Pandavas into the fateful game of dice, was also the most dramatic and convincingly expressive of the story’s villains. Nico Arguelles as Ganesha and Al Garcia as Drona added great emotion to their characters. Rona Rostata, as Queen Kunti had promising vocal prowess that lent credibility to her acting.
Watching the whole student group has always caused me both pride and astonishment, what with the sheer effort that the entire cast would always put in to interpret the demands of any given dramatic oeuvre, with multiple showings and measly budget at that. This time, I would forward that the entire student cast once more fully realized this theatrical piece to their audience’s content.
Finally, the lesson of the futility of war, and the necessary rebirth of the world into a harmonious state, is taught us in the Mahabharata. After the great annihilation of the warring clans, came the final death of a desperate world. “Ang Nawalang Kapatid” ends with a final note of return—with chants of “Om Shanti” (I am Peace), a homecoming of humanity to a place of harmony, blamelessness and innocence.
In a world persistently consumed by its own vices and self-destructive habits, “Ang Nawalang Kapatid” teaches us to learn the lasting truth that goodness and benevolence will inevitably return, like a lost son, back to the heart of human life, according to the drums of destiny. — BM, GMA News
"Ang Nawalang Kapatid" has extended runs on March 14 (7 p.m.) and 15 (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2nd floor Palma Hall, UP Diliman.
For tickets, call the DUP Office at 926-1349,433-7840, 0917-8239531, or 0927-7406124.
Dakilang Kasaysayan ng sangkatauhan
Ito ang simula ng katapusan!
It is, indeed, a dark foreboding tale of the end of the world, which begins and ends with the infighting in the hearts of the Pandava and Kaurava cousins, causing a cataclysmic world war. However, it also teaches us that this end, like most resolutions, is only an auspicious preparation for the next beginning of an unending cosmic cyclic time. The cryptic apocalypse prophesied in many of the world’s religious traditions, as the Hindu worldview would have it, is only meant to prepare humanity back to a benevolent return to its paradisical state, where it is believed to have originated.
“Ang Nawalang Kapatid” was originally written by Floy Quintos for the Ateneo Children’s Theater in 2010, and revised this time for a more mature audience that DUP caters to.
But beyond depicting the great world war that started between conflicting interests among the Pandava and Kaurava clans, the Mahabharata is also largely known for offering universally-recognized truths and teachings on the existential mythologies of the human persona, the nature of personhood and one’s being-in-the-world.
So it was not surprising, for example, how Quintos’ libretto highlighted the notion of dharma, a Sanskrit word with multiple meanings in Indian religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, and eludes a single English word translation. Dharma signifies a person’s right way of living, and also a set of virtuous actions that accord with the way of the universe.
For instance: Karna, the first and abandoned son of Princess Kunti, would reiterate in the play that his dharma is to protect and help his adopted brother Duryodhana from his enemies, the Pandava brothers. Each character in the great theater of the universe is ultimately meant to play a part according to his or her own dharma in order to contribute to the righteous story of life. Finding and living by one’s dharma is tantamount to living by one’s destiny—and this is to be one of the most enduring lessons on the existence of human life as ensconced in the Mahabharata.
The production
What contemporary viewers would find perhaps even more astonishing about “Ang Nawalang Kapatid” was how Quintos was able to re-create the lengthy epic narrative—with its multilayered lessons and variegated backstories—into one pithy structure, depicted in eight songs, through a tight libretto and well-composed lyrics. Director Dexter Santos also rose to the occasion by shaping together the elements of narrative, music, movement and acting into a less than two-hour musical drama.
Ceejay Javier’s original score, also initially written for the ACT production, was modified for this DUP performance. A live five-piece band played behind the scene, reminiscent of Original Pilipino Music, with slight touches of the Indian sitar and tablah. Live singing was performed by the DUP actors, who did exceedingly well in most aspects, notwithstanding the fact that it is an all-student ensemble, limited by budget and perhaps less experience than their professional counterparts. Nothing new, we could say, as it has been very much characteristic of DUP to exceed audiences' expectations. As Quintos himself narrates in his Playwright’s notes: “No one works harder than these kids, believe me.”
However, there was much to be desired costume-wise, as I had expected the actors to don rich luxuriant Indian saris and kurtas of the Maharanis and Maharajahs. But we would learn from the program notes that Gino Gonzales’ costume design was dictated by Quintos and Santos’ choice to highlight the “tribal” rather than “classical” India. I believe this also allowed the production to cut expenses, as the cost of authentic Indian fabric is known to be exorbitant, probably way beyond a low-budget student-led performance. There was a remarkably inventive employment of cloth, however, in the use of long flowing cloths that cascaded from the ceiling, and pulled by Kunti and other expectant women, to depict the birthing of the princes. Tie-dyed cloths that one would cheaply get from Davao were also used as an alternative to dress the actors.
The cast
Ross Pesigan as Karna, the titular role of the lost son, stood out for the depth and sincerity of his acting. Gabo Tolentino as Shakuni, the lead gambler who led the Pandavas into the fateful game of dice, was also the most dramatic and convincingly expressive of the story’s villains. Nico Arguelles as Ganesha and Al Garcia as Drona added great emotion to their characters. Rona Rostata, as Queen Kunti had promising vocal prowess that lent credibility to her acting.
Watching the whole student group has always caused me both pride and astonishment, what with the sheer effort that the entire cast would always put in to interpret the demands of any given dramatic oeuvre, with multiple showings and measly budget at that. This time, I would forward that the entire student cast once more fully realized this theatrical piece to their audience’s content.
Finally, the lesson of the futility of war, and the necessary rebirth of the world into a harmonious state, is taught us in the Mahabharata. After the great annihilation of the warring clans, came the final death of a desperate world. “Ang Nawalang Kapatid” ends with a final note of return—with chants of “Om Shanti” (I am Peace), a homecoming of humanity to a place of harmony, blamelessness and innocence.
In a world persistently consumed by its own vices and self-destructive habits, “Ang Nawalang Kapatid” teaches us to learn the lasting truth that goodness and benevolence will inevitably return, like a lost son, back to the heart of human life, according to the drums of destiny. — BM, GMA News
"Ang Nawalang Kapatid" has extended runs on March 14 (7 p.m.) and 15 (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2nd floor Palma Hall, UP Diliman.
For tickets, call the DUP Office at 926-1349,433-7840, 0917-8239531, or 0927-7406124.
