Opens Aug. 14 to 16 at Meralco Theater
MANILA, Philippines?The play was made in Balic-Balic, not Broadway.
But it is no less significant, as the late President Corazon Aquino would have loved to see a musical about her husband, martyred opposition leader Sen. Benigno ?Ninoy? Aquino Jr., produced by a theater group from Balic-Balic in Manila.
?Ako si Ninoy,? presented by the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF) from the densely populated Balic-Balic area in Manila?s Sampaloc district, tells the stories of everyday Filipino heroes?the overseas worker longing for home, a doctor serving the masses, a union leader staying faithful to the cause, a popular actor leaving show biz for school.
Cory Aquino had exhorted students to get inspiration from heroes in their community at the launching of the ?I Am Ninoy? movement in November 2008, one of her last public appearances after she was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier that year.
?You are important now more than ever,? Aquino then said, addressing some 600 students gathered at Marilen Gaerlan Conservatory of De La Salle University in Manila. ?When a critical mass of young people take on a cause, you can be sure that change on a dramatic scale is under way.?
Aquino passed away in the early morning of Aug. 1, just hours after a special performance of ?Ako si Ninoy? at the Ayala Museum in Makati City. It was received with a standing ovation, with the loudest applause given to Vince Tańada who played Ninoy, and Cindy Liper, who played Cory.
Aquino?s nephew, Rapa Lopa, said his aunt was not able to see the play featuring energetic music and snappy choreography performed by a cast of 40.
?If she had seen this, she?d be very, very happy,? Lopa told the Inquirer after the show.
It started in Balic-Balic
How Tańada came up with the play is another story of heroism.
A lawyer and scion of the illustrious Tańada clan of Gumaca, Quezon, Vince Tańada founded the PSF eight years ago at Holy Trinity parish in Balic-Balic.
?Hindi kami taga Broadway, taga Balic-Balic po kami,? Tańada, a Palanca and Aliw awardee, said of his theatrical roots.
The launching of the ?I am Ninoy? movement spurred him to write a ?dream? musical based on the life of the opposition leader.
Dream come true
It was a ?big dream,? said Tańada, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the late senator. ?Since it was a big dream, I might as well make it complete. I decided to play Ninoy.?
While rehearsing for the musical, he contacted the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation (BSAF) to ?look at the play? and perhaps sponsor some of its performances.
Aquino?s nephew Lopa, who is executive director of the BSAF, showed a keen interest.
?But when they said it was Balic-Balic, that sort of got us worried,? he said.
Tańada said their worries ?proved to be true, because some side mirrors [of their cars] disappeared,? he said with a laugh.
Ninoy spirit
But Lopa was very much taken with the play.
?They captured the whole ?I am Ninoy? spirit that we launched last year,? he said.
Everything about the musical breathed of the movement, he added, from the music, lyrics, choreography and the cast. They are made up of students and young professionals, who have made theater their ?passion.?
Tańada said the musical was his group?s way of giving tribute to Ninoy and Cory. ?We believe that art, music and dance are a form of prayer. It is a fitting tribute,? he said.
Stage dates
As part of the group?s university tour, ?Ako si Ninoy? will be presented Aug. 12 and 13 at Adamson University.
The regular theater run will be on Aug. 14-16 at Meralco Theater with the University of Santo Tomas Symphony Orchestra.
Produced in cooperation with the BSAF, ?Ako si Ninoy? will also be staged in various SM Cinemas, at the UP Main Theater, Cultural Center of the Philippines and in theaters in the provinces until March 2010.
For tickets, please call Noriel at tel. nos. 894-1343 and 892-2950.
