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Faleceu Santos Manuel
Aos 79 anos, o ator de teatro e televisão Santos Manuel não resiste a uma pneumonia. O ator, e fundador do Teatro Experimental de Cascais – TEC, encontrava-se internado no Hospital de Cascais desde há uma semana...
La vida te da grandes oportunidades aprovéchalas.
In quei giorni c’era un freddo tremendo, viviamo nell’isola del sole, non siamo abituati alla neve addosso, i nostri inverni sono le primavere degli altri, ma al sole e fra le braccia l’uno dell’altro era un altro mondo. Era tutto chiuso, una città deserta, il mondo era nostro.
8 Gennaio 2017
Teatro Santa Isabel, Recife - novembro de 2024
THE MASTERFUL ARTIFACT THAT IS, ‘BALETE’
One Saturday, I was in a forest and ended up being transported into Chris Millado’s visionary direction for ‘BALETE’, and I have never seen anything like it. Once I entered this blackbox theatre in CCP, it was as if I was a stranger in sheer terror, with no idea where I would end up. Then there was light. The well-lit stage then transitioned, bringing forth these thespians exploring time and space. One time, one color usage of stage lighting by Roman Cruz was significant enough to illustrate one quote from National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose that, indeed, they wrote the land with their blood — a revelation that illuminated in an innovative round set design by Wika Nadera.
And I was seated. In other words, not once did I yawn in this mystical place. You’ll see something beautifully disturbing, it confronts you right there and then. Especially Nonie Buencamino’s characters from a twelve-year old haciendero and his father, Don Espiridion - then comes his adult version, shifting vis-à-vis like the air blowing you’ll hear from the farthest seat in a huge theatre known for its great reverberation — in other words, his acting chops with superb nuances underscored a one-for-the-ages performance, as he narrates the parts of his early years. The same goes for these ensembles, unfolding the mysteries of their characters and shedding light on their encounters wherever they may be. The ensembles, likewise, were the props, the stage crews, and even the set, all executed seamlessly.
To be fair, this is the first Tanghalang Pilipino that I watched this year. And, in summation, it’s one of the classics brought to life, which I call, from now on, the rarest of phenomena. This production of ‘BALETE’ greatly reflects at a time of futile and shameless greed. Happy closing, Balete! Mabuhay ang Teatrong Pilipino!
