REVIVING THE ZARZUELA By: Alejandro R. Roces, National Artist for Literature

PHILSTAR.COM

There have been many attempts to revive the zarzuela in the past 20 years but no doubt the only successful attempts are the current presentation of the Zarzuela Foundation- Walang Sugat. About two decades ago, Anita Kane presented Dalagang Bukid. There were more people on stage than in the audience. Then there was Ang Alamat sa Nayon. Despite the fact that this was the zarzuela inspired by the famous editorial Aves de Rapina and the fact that Leonor Orosa Goquingco was commissioned to choreograph a dream, dance sequence, the show itself was a failure in so far as audience attendance was concerned.

The University of the East produced Sundalong Mantika. The Ateneo presented Pagdating ng Dilim. They got very little public response. But Walang Sugat has captivated the public. People are coming from the province with their bayongs to see the show. It is unfortunate that many of them have had to be turned down for the simple reason that they could not afford the price of admission. It confirms what we have said all along- that the Cultural Center was not designed for the general public. It costs about Php 20,000 to show Walang Sugat. The only way they can break even is by selling all the box seats at Php 50.

They can only lower the cost of the box seats by increasing the price in the orchestra and upstairs and when this is done, the masses can no longer afford the price of admission.

We saw Walang Sugat last Sunday and there is no doubt that it is an excellent presentation. The zarzuela of course was never intended for a huge stage so in some scenes, the sets literally dwarfed the performers. The best song in the show was a song that was added – “Bayan Ko” by Constancio de Guzman. Show stealer was Aurelio Estanislao. We always knew that Estanislao was a gifted baritone and actor but we did not realize. That he also had a gift for comedy. He was so good that at times we felt as if we were watching Cantinflas, Carlito Antolin as Miguel was also excellent and Miguel Anzures clearly showed that there is no substitute for an old trooper.

The zarzuela revival could be more effective if it were done on a smaller stage. For one thing it would bring the cost down. The zarzuela should have a certain intimacy that is simply lost in a big auditorium. We believe, for instance, that Walang Sugat could be performed just as effectively with half the cast in a smaller stage. In fact, it may even be more effective that way.

Many people – including this writer – have dreamt of reviving the zarzuela. Nick Joaquin in his article “Popcorn and Gaslight” long ago said that the best way to revive our great stage tradition was through the zarzuela. Years ago, we met an old friend, Dr. H. Velarde, Jr. and he, too, had great plans of reviving the zarzuela. The difference between Velarde and the other dreamers was that Velarde was also a man of action. He did not just dream about it, or just talk about it, he actually did something about it. To begin with, he was the grandson of Fulgencio Tolentino who wrote the music for Walang Sugat and he had never forgotten the stories the old man told him about the golden age of zarzuela. The old man died and the music score was destroyed during the liberation. Dr. Velarde went around looking for other people who could possibly have copies of the destroyed manuscript. A son of the playwright, Severino Reyes discovered a copy of the libretto but with no musical score. Velarde went around reconstructing the music from people who remembered. In the current presentation, Dr. Velarde even contributed music of his own composition. The battle song “Kalayaan, Ipaglaban” is an original composition by Velarde. It is not every successful ophthalmologist who can contribute a song for a successful zarzuela. Dr. Velarde is the project director of the Pacifica Cultural Production, a group that used to send fashion shows abroad. Now, he has more than fashion to show abroad, he has a genuine part of a legitimate Filipino tradition. Dr. Velarde’s range of interest has always amazed us. We used to meet informally for merienda and discuss birds, bonsai and practically everything under the sun. Without Velarde, there would have been no Walang Sugat.

This writer has always maintained that the zarzuela cannot be revived by the mere showing of past successful zarzuelas. The zarzuela was a very contemporary type of theater. The themes of the shows were usually what we now call current affairs. Velarde knows this and even now he is not resting on his laurels but working very hard to produce a current zarzuela about the problems of our times. If he succeeds in this next project, he may go down in our theater history as The Man Who Revived The Zarzuela.

Because of insistent public demand, there will be two more showings of Walang Sugat – July 9 and 11. We urge those who have not yet seen the zarzuela to do so.