Paglipas ng Dilim
Encyclopedia
Paglipas ng Dilim is a 1920 zarzuela
a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre written in the Tagalog-language by Filipino
playwright and novelist Precioso Palma
. A three-act play, the music for the original version of Paglipas ng Dilim was composed by Filipino musician Leon Ignacio.
, thus viewers had to stand during the entire presentation of the play.
Torcuato, Donya Carmen (also spelled as "Doña Carmen", meaning "[Honorable] Lady Carmen" in Spanish), Caridad, and Estrella. Ricardo Makairog is a bachelor who had just finished studying medicine
. Don Torcuato and Donya Carmen is a boastful and socialite husband and wife who wanted to lure Makairog to become the husband of Caridad, their daughter. Estrella is the maiden being courted
by Makairog.
Don Torcuato's family continued with their plans and trickery during a picnic - another gathering - hosted by Makairog. During the picnic, Caridad was able to make Makairog drink a lot of champagne. While Makairog was drunk, Caridad announced to the guests that she and Makairog are planning to get married. Estrella, the woman who Makairog truly loves, became depressed after hearing Caridad's announcement.
During another gathering - a birthday party for a character named Maring - Makairog was finally able to explain to Estrella and the other guests what really happened during the picnic, and that Caridad was lying about the supposed nuptial. Don Torcuato and his family were also present at the birthday party. Their plan of making Makairog a "scapegoat" for Caridad's pregnancy was exposed. After this revelation, Don Torcuato's family left the party in shame.
After the episode of "darkness" in their relationship, Makairog and Estrella were married at the end of the play.
and Westernization. Based on Philippine history, the so-called Western lifestyle and standards of living were brought by foreigners, particularly the people from Spain
and the United States
. The Philippines had been a colony of Spain, and then a territory of the United States, before gaining independence
. The play was an opposition to colonialism, and the influences it brought to the Philippines during the early part of the 1900s. The play exposed the negative outcome of the mixing of Filipino culture, Spanish culture, and American culture, including the mixing of the languages of the three countries. During the 1900s, foreign influences were considered by patriotic Filipinos as a form of non-adherence to Filipino nationalism. Apart from nationalism, Paglipas ng Dilim tackled the lifestyle of the Filipinos, the way of thinking of the Filipinos, and the socio-economic issues of the Philippines during the early part of the 1900s.
Drama Company (UEDC) at the UP
Theater in Diliman, Quezon City
, Philippines
from 4 to 6 February 2009. The 2009 remake of the play was directed by Frederick R. Castro. Formed in the 1970s, the University of the East Drama Company was the official student theater organization of the University of the East. UEDC presented the 2009 version of Paglipas ng Dilim during the nationwide celebration of the zarzuela festival in the Philippines known as "Sarsuwela Festival 2009". Sarsuwela Festival 2009 was the first "festival of zarzuelas" in the Philippines, and was initiated by Philippine National Artist Virgilio Almario and the UP College of Arts and Letters. The zarzuela festival was supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the UP Committee for Culture and the Arts.
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre written in the Tagalog-language by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
playwright and novelist Precioso Palma
Precioso Palma
Precioso Palma was a distinguised novelist and playwright in the Philippines. He wrote the novel Ipaghiganti Mo Ako…! . He authored the 1919 zarzuela entitled Paglipas ng Dilim ....
. A three-act play, the music for the original version of Paglipas ng Dilim was composed by Filipino musician Leon Ignacio.
Description
The play was described by Raul Asis in the "Guide/Theater" section of the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) as an “amusing tale of twisted truths and of triumphant revelations”. According to Frederick R. Castro, a director of theatrical performances in the Philippines, Paglipas ng Dilim is a classic zarzuela, a stage presentation composed of scenes with dialogues, songs, and dances, that was performed multiple times in old theater houses in Manila. It was one of those plays that people watch even if the theater reached and exceeded full seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
, thus viewers had to stand during the entire presentation of the play.
Style
The authors of Paglipas ng Dilim followed the standard outline or format of the traditional zarzuela. Palma and Ignacio followed the style of narration, form, plot presentation, setting, characters, and conflict that is appropriate for the conventional zarzuela.Characters
The main characters in Paglipas ng Dilim are Ricardo Makairog, DonDon
- People :* Don , a short form of the masculine given name Donald in English, also a masculine given name in Irish* Don , a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian title, given as a mark of respect* Don, a crime boss...
Torcuato, Donya Carmen (also spelled as "Doña Carmen", meaning "[Honorable] Lady Carmen" in Spanish), Caridad, and Estrella. Ricardo Makairog is a bachelor who had just finished studying medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. Don Torcuato and Donya Carmen is a boastful and socialite husband and wife who wanted to lure Makairog to become the husband of Caridad, their daughter. Estrella is the maiden being courted
Courtship in the Philippines
Traditional courtship in the Philippines is described as a "far more subdued and indirect" approach compared to Western or Westernized cultures. It involves "phases" or "stages" inherent to Philippine society and culture. Evident in courtship in the Philippines is the practice of singing romantic...
by Makairog.
Plot
In the beginning of the story, a party is held by Ricardo Makairog after graduating from medical school. Among Makairog's guests were the family of Don Torcuato, the politician Don Juanito, and Estrella, the woman being courted by Makairog. Don Torcuato and his family are in financial trouble. In addition to this financial problem, Caridad - the daughter of Don Torcuato and Donya Carmen - was pregnant with Don Juanito's child. Thus, during Makairog's party, Don Torcuato, Donya Carmen, and Caridad started their scheme to persuade Makairog to become Caridad's fiancé. In one of the scenes Don Torcuato's family was able to make the guests think that Caridad and Makairog were having a secret and romantic relationship.Don Torcuato's family continued with their plans and trickery during a picnic - another gathering - hosted by Makairog. During the picnic, Caridad was able to make Makairog drink a lot of champagne. While Makairog was drunk, Caridad announced to the guests that she and Makairog are planning to get married. Estrella, the woman who Makairog truly loves, became depressed after hearing Caridad's announcement.
During another gathering - a birthday party for a character named Maring - Makairog was finally able to explain to Estrella and the other guests what really happened during the picnic, and that Caridad was lying about the supposed nuptial. Don Torcuato and his family were also present at the birthday party. Their plan of making Makairog a "scapegoat" for Caridad's pregnancy was exposed. After this revelation, Don Torcuato's family left the party in shame.
After the episode of "darkness" in their relationship, Makairog and Estrella were married at the end of the play.
Analysis
According to Frederick R. Castro, Paglipas ng Dilim is a play that tackles the conflict between the concepts of Filipino nationalismFilipino nationalism
Filipino nationalism is an upsurge of patriotic sentiments and nationalistic ideals in the 1800s Philippines that came consequently as a result of more than two centuries of Spanish rule and as an immediate outcome of the Filipino Propaganda Movement from 1872 to 1892...
and Westernization. Based on Philippine history, the so-called Western lifestyle and standards of living were brought by foreigners, particularly the people from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Philippines had been a colony of Spain, and then a territory of the United States, before gaining independence
Independence Day (Philippines)
In the Philippines, Independence Day is an annual national holiday observed on June 12, commemorating the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. It is the National Day of the Philippines....
. The play was an opposition to colonialism, and the influences it brought to the Philippines during the early part of the 1900s. The play exposed the negative outcome of the mixing of Filipino culture, Spanish culture, and American culture, including the mixing of the languages of the three countries. During the 1900s, foreign influences were considered by patriotic Filipinos as a form of non-adherence to Filipino nationalism. Apart from nationalism, Paglipas ng Dilim tackled the lifestyle of the Filipinos, the way of thinking of the Filipinos, and the socio-economic issues of the Philippines during the early part of the 1900s.
Modern-day rendition
A 2009 version of Paglipas ng Dilim was performed by the University of the EastUniversity of the East
The University of the East is a private nonsectarian university located in University Belt Area, district of Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The university was founded in 1946 as a coeducational institution...
Drama Company (UEDC) at the UP
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
Theater in Diliman, Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from 4 to 6 February 2009. The 2009 remake of the play was directed by Frederick R. Castro. Formed in the 1970s, the University of the East Drama Company was the official student theater organization of the University of the East. UEDC presented the 2009 version of Paglipas ng Dilim during the nationwide celebration of the zarzuela festival in the Philippines known as "Sarsuwela Festival 2009". Sarsuwela Festival 2009 was the first "festival of zarzuelas" in the Philippines, and was initiated by Philippine National Artist Virgilio Almario and the UP College of Arts and Letters. The zarzuela festival was supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the UP Committee for Culture and the Arts.
