Palm Sunday show keeps this QC family’s hands busy

A family affair, Teatro Mulat ng Pilipinas, headed by 87-year-old Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, has been mounting a Passion play in puppetry for the last 33 years.—PHOTOS BY JHESSET O. ENANO

In a Quezon City village, a little theater sets the stage today for two passions: that of Jesus Christ, and that of a family who keeps a playful art form alive.

Every Palm Sunday, the tall gates of No. 64 Mapagkawanggawa Street in Teachers Village open to welcome audiences of all ages for the yearly “Papet Pasyon,” a Lenten play in puppetry.

An hourlong production by Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas, it is considered the first and only Passion play of its kind in the country.

This afternoon’s show marks the 33rd year of “Papet Pasyon,” which has become a Holy Week vow or panata of its creator, Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, an award-winning playwright.

CCP debut

Esteemed as the Grand Dame of Southeast Asian Children’s Theater, Bonifacio got the idea, ironically, after missing a chance to see a live Passion play in Germany. She mounted the first “Papet Pasyon” in 1985 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

“Puppets are the closest to dolls, and for children, they are nonthreatening,” Bonifacio, 87, said in an interview with the Inquirer.

Designed by Bernadette Solina and Maurice Carvajal and carved in Paete, Laguna province, the original wooden puppets from the 1985 production are still used to this day. Even the recorded music and voices are considered treasures from the past; renowned actors like Tony Mabesa and Tonton Santos deliver the lines of God and Jesus Christ.

More than a show for children, the production has become an act of devotion shared by Bonifacio’s family, with her daughter Amihan Ramolete now serving as company manager and play director, and also the puppeteer behind the Jesus character.

Filipino look

It has also transcended generations, with Amihan’s husband Raymund playing the disciple John, and their children, Aina and Roel, animating the child-narrator, Mother Mary and Dathan.

Instead of having Caucasian features, the puppets hew more toward the Filipino look. “There was a debate in the company earlier whether we should keep the traditional Western faces,” Bonifacio said. “But I think it appealed to the audience that the puppets looked Filipino, just like them.”

This “casting” decision, Amihan said, was also to promote the country’s own puppetry tradition, which enjoys little exposure compared to other performance arts.

Sincere audiences

“Usually, people see puppetry as something just for kids, but we try to show that it can be both entertaining and educational,” she added. “We promote stories from the Philippines and Asia that are closer to our hearts, compared to Western ones.”

Children as young as 2 years old can be mesmerized by the show. “The most sincere audiences are children. If they stay, it means they like the production,” said Bonifacio, whose script toned down the violence of the biblical story without losing the message of Christ’s suffering and resurrection.

“When I wrote ‘Papet Pasyon,’ I never thought it would be staged for this long,” she said. “I hope it will be forever.”

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