May 25, 2024
In September 1948, just two months after she entered the convent of Discalced Carmelites of Lipa Carmel under prioress Mother Cecilia de Jesus, novice Teresita Castillo reported that the Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared before her in the garden. These apparitions were accompanied by showers of rose petals of unique beauty and fragrance, consistently falling neatly in straight lines, even with a breeze. All her fellow nuns, and later, even the Archbishop of Lipa Monsignor Alfredo himself, also saw the petals and believed in her visions.
From there, the nuns were thrown into a whirlwind of controversy when the devotees got wind of the miracles and gathered outside the convent. They began donating money for the chapel which the Virgin instructed Teresita to build. All of this flurry of activity in Lipa soon caught the attention of the Catholic hierarchy, from auxiliary bishop of Manila, Monsignor Rufino Santos, to the papal representative, Monsignor Edigio Vagnozzi, who wasted no time assigning a scientist / Dominican priest Fr. Angel de Blas to investigate.
It was in these confrontations between the simple provincial nuns and the imperious Church officials that playwright Floy Quintos weaved his signature brand of bold, fearless, hard-hitting, and thought-provoking literary magic. As it cast doubts on the authenticity of Teresita's visions, the Catholic Church was caught in the crosshairs of strong accusations of unscrupulous manipulation and revisionism. With three years of intense research about this topic behind him, Quintos did not flinch a bit here, all the way up to the final statement.
As this play was a work of fiction based on true events, it was difficult to distinguish where fact ended and fiction began. I felt that Act 1 told the story straightforwardly, as historical records showed. I suspect a major part of Act 2 covering the private conversations of Fr. de Blas with each of the personalities involved were likely fictional, with Quintos speculating on how the final verdict of the bishops was arrived at.
You probably need to be a Catholic to best appreciate the play, as it dealt with clergy and nuns, and Catholic theology. Ironically, being Catholic also makes it difficult to watch the play, when you witness how the Church officials employed underhanded methods of blackmail to extract confessions they wanted to hear and signatures they needed signed. We are not naive, but seeing these scenes played out like that on stage was truly unsettling.
Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino was a kind, compassionate Mother Cecilia, so her fate in Act 2 was painful to witness. Frances Makil-Ignacio was a breath of fresh air as amusing Batanguena Sr. Agatha. Missy Maramara was such an insecure, selfish drama queen as Sr. Lucia. Stella Canete-Mendoza certainly nailed the nuances of the difficult role of Teresita. However, one wonders why a middle-age actress was playing a 21 year-old novice. This curious casting choice was puzzling, even as Ms. Mendoza was riveting.
Leo Rialp towered, literally and figuratively, over the entire cast in his portrayal of the racist, misogynistic, grammar nazi Vagnozzi. Dennis Marasigan was also a formidable presence as Santos, a familiar name whom I am now seeing in a new light. Jojo Cayabyab's best scene was when his cynicism turned into wonder upon witnessing a miracle. Nelsito Gomez excelled as the conflicted De Blas, whose cold pragmatism was soon overcome by rustic sincerity. New actor Raphne Catorce had a featured monologue as reformed bumpkin Guillermo.
This 2-act play ran for three hours, but the intelligent dialogue and ruthless arguments written by Floy Quintos made the time fly right by. I had been a fan of Quintos's rich and provocative writing since I've seen "The Collection" (2013), all the way to "The Reconciliation Party" (2022), and everything in between. It is very sad that "Grace" is already Quintos' final work, as he had passed away unexpectedly last April 17, 2024. With all his favorite director Dexter Santos at the helm and his dearest go-to actors in the cast, what a fitting valedictory this was!
*****
"GRACE" runs from May 25 - June 16, 2024 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater at Circuit Makati. Showtimes are 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with 3 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be bought online care of Ticket2Me, at the following prices: Platinum at P2000, Gold at P1800 and Silver at P1500.
Director: Dexter Santos. Assistant Director: Mikko Angeles. Production designer: Mitoy Sta. Ana. Lighting designer: John Batalla. Music and sound designer: Arvy Dimaculangan. Video and graphics designer: Steven Tansiongco. Dramaturgs: Marvin Olaes, Davidson Oliveros.
No comments:
Post a Comment