Thursday, October 27, 2011

Staging “Tatlo”: Three Women in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere


The coming of the All Saints’ Day (or what others commonly call as ‘Todos los Santos’) brings to my mind Jose Rizal’s novel Noli Me Tangere. This novel of international fame begins with a sumptuous dinner a few days before All Saints’ Day. And with the novel in mind, I’ll share here about a play I’ve watched about three woman characters in the novel. It is actually a play reimagining these women’s roles in the story, with some comic lines and political references thrown in.


This play entitled “Tatlo” revolves around the story of Sisa, Maria Clara, and Salome. The part about Sisa, to a certain extent, stays true to her life story as read from the novel. But it deals deeper into the psychological effects of her husband’s treatment of her and their children. Maria Clara’s part however was totally different as she transformed into a humorous lady. Her lines and actions were simply hilarious, something that we could not have possible imagined Maria Clara of doing in the novel. Salome’s part was appropriately put in the end as it pacified the excitement of the first two parts. Semi-serious but still comical, the story on Salome put into a present setting her dilemma regarding Elias’s plight and her future.


The original script for ‘Tatlo’ was written by Nick Pichay and Chris Millado. This particular play was directed by Edward Perez, currently affiliated with Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba and ARTIST, Inc.

(Acknowledgement goes to Ms. Susa of the Culture and Arts Department, Colegio de San juan de Letran Calamba, for providing the photos above.)

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