 I have nothing but praise for the musical St. Louis love them Filipinos. It might not be as powerful as the musical Aspects of Love (which is of course an entirely different musical) but its charm lies in the message that it wants to send across. I was given free tickets to take some pictures from the play but I was too engrossed that I couldn't help but sit and reflect. The show is about the journey of tribal Filipinos to the west in order to achieve something great (which of course oftentimes involve money). They sing and dance to the delight of the whites. They took in all the mockery as long as they are given coins whenever they do something interesting.
There are a lot of funny moments in this play but I was overcome by the reality that we Filipinos are still the laughing stock of the western world. After a century, we are still the same old Filipinos who thought that the only way to succeed in life, to do something great is to be a slave of a white stranger. We sing, dance, and do anything that will please this stranger. We tend to forget that we Filipinos were once a princely race. We lost our pride, our courage, our greatness and now, in exchange for a meager sum, we just take it on the chin and walk away.
At the last part of the play, Franco Laurel gave back a headband which looks like a worn rag to the old Bulan (the protagonist). The headband may seem worthless but within it resides the memory of a glorious past of a prince. Franco Laurel's father, a Filipino who believes that he is an American, thought that this headband is worth nothing and should be thrown away. Like most of us Filipinos, we do not care about the past, about the memories of who we really are. We only want to be like them and earn a lot of money. We easily toss out our own identities.
Although the play provides a gloomy reflection, the last part of the play shows that we can still go back to our own true ways. If only we learn how to get back to our roots, to dig deep in our hearts, and to search for who we really are, perhaps we can be great once again. It is sad to see that the current state of our country is in ruins but I still hope that we can wake up from our deep slumber and see that the future lies not in the hands of some white stranger but rather in the our own brown hands. The whites will not save us from the tragedy we are experiencing today. The only hope for us is to know who we really are and show them that the blood that runs through our veins is not that of a slave but of a proud prince.
This review may not be really what you call a review but nonetheless, I want to share its message. The acting was good but nothing extraordinary, the musical score was great, the audio was also good (except for some instances where it screeches), but what separates it from other plays is the reality and the message it imparts. I recommend this musical to every Filipino who wishes to learn more about themselves. I hope that this musical may awaken our fellow Filipinos and realize that the tragedy we are experiencing resulted from deliberately losing our identity and memory. I wish that we Filipinos would learn not to become doormats and let just anyone walk all over us. Do not forget that we are Filipinos, a mighty and noble race.
| |
|
