‘Our love for country and attachment to it is in direct proportion to our understanding and appreciation of the timeless works of Jose Rizal.’
LAST Saturday, I was at the GSIS theater to watch Ibarra, the Musical, with colleagues from Nickel Asia Corporation, our relatives and friends.
The 8 p.m. show was exclusive to us as we sponsored the night. We distributed tickets to employees and gave to friends and stakeholders, our way of celebrating two things: our 125th year of independence (which is today actually) and NAC’s 15th year of incorporation (July, actually).
I am happy to report that the theater was 80% full, with the balcony the most completely filled up with an audience most prone to cheering and sighing aloud whenever Piolo Pascual (as Ibarra) bared his well-sculpted torso or was engaged in some romantic pose with his Maria Clara.
No one left the theater unimpressed. Everyone — even my good friend Mark who was watching a play/musical for the first time in his life — agreed it was a great idea to come to the GSIS Theater to see the show. He was profuse in thanking me for the opportunity, for pulling him away from his basketball leagues for once and bringing him along.
I had the unenviable task of giving a short intro to the night’s event before the curtains rose and one point I made was that I was happy to see a musical version of Rizal’s Noli.
You see, I said, today’s GenZ no longer was into reading 400-500 pages of a book and would rather watch and/or listen using their gadgets. So, a musical was a great idea. One has to adapt to the times and the fact that someone like Mark enjoyed himself shows that staging a show like “Ibarra the Musical” would really connect Rizal to the new generation of Filipinos.
A day like today makes me realize we need to do a yeoman’s job in making that connection happen. Otherwise, like most other holidays except Christmas, Independence Day will end up just another day to stay at home or go malling or build an extended weekend vacation around if it so happens to fall on a Friday or a Monday (as it does today).
Our love for country and attachment to it is in direct proportion to our understanding and appreciation of the timeless works of Jose Rizal. Which explains the state of patriotism in the country today.
Thank God for the talented artists behind Ibarra the Musical for their effort to bring alive the genius that is Rizal. May they never tire of this, their calling.
Ibarra in the house!
Catch the last shows of Ibarra at the GSIS theater while you still can!
