Tanghalang Pilipino’s ‘Pingkian’ raises the flag again, more impactful and resonant than before

Indeed, the cast had more grit in this rerun to present clarity in the text. By emphasising certain words and phrases in their lines, the actors aim to awaken the people of the realities of our current society. More importantly, some scenes exhibited improved throwing of lines and elevated choreography to highlight more the individuality of the ensemble and the harmonies that either meld or clash they create.

“A rerun is always a challenge of renewing relevance. Fortunately, returning to a story about one of our nation’s often-forgotten founding fathers has a built-in importance,” says Jamora. “But I myself need a constant push that there is a task larger than myself, and that staging Pingkian: Isang Musikal now must not just be an exercise in vanity.”

One more obvious departure from its original version is Kakki Teodoro’s embodiment of Rizal. Having already made waves in the initial staging for its gender-bending casting, Yatco infused new music into the scene, highlighting Teodoro’s skill in rapping. Other songs also underwent revisions, like Isyo’s opening of Hindi Pa Tapos, among others, to clarify the emotions the actors convey. Jacinto’s daughter, in a dream sequence, was depicted as more grown-up than before, completely elevating the protagonist’s shift in perspective in his waking life. Meanwhile, Tex Ordoñez De Leon’s turn as Jacinto’s mother offers a refreshing take on the character’s personality. These and more made watching the refurbished production like seeing it for the first time.

Kat Batara, who was invited as dramaturg in last year’s run, shares, “There is a jadedness and tiredness that permeates the country, even among us Gen Z who have years ahead of us. Oftentimes, I, too, want to give in to the flow of time and allow myself to be pushed in any direction by the currents. Yet Jacinto’s life constantly reminds us otherwise.”

Read more: Kakki Teodoro spent decades on stage. Now she speaks up about what’s changing—and what isn’t

As much as Pingkian: Isang Musikal stirs the audience with the horrors of our own making, it also charges us to be better. In seeping fiction into factual events of his life, Juan Ekis does not seek to confuse but to push us beyond the confines of reality, towards a deeper grasp of truth and its possibilities.

Pingkian: Isang Musical runs until October 12 at the CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.

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