“Remembering Rizal”

                   I got excited after our teacher said that we will have another stage play to watch aside from Noli me Tangere. I love watching plays because you’re not just imagining what is the real appearance of the actors and actresses but you will see them face to face. I know it’s hard for them to act in front of so many audiences because of the pressure coming from them. And also memorizing lines is a big deal to them. One wrong line creates so much destruction because others will be confused. Watching plays overwhelms me because not all people have the chance to watch live plays. But when she added that the title of the play is ‘Batang Rizal’ I was like “Oh my god, what the hell was that? “ It didn’t make any sense to me at first because how could somebody relate a child to a hero? We all know that Jose Rizal is not a child anymore so where on earth did the director get that title? This thing made me confused. But after watching the play, I realized that the quote ‘Don’t judge the book by its cover’ is totally right.

                   January 18, 2013. The day of our stage play. We left our school at noon riding a Jeepney. Our Jeep contains all my girl classmates including me. I love the ambiance inside because we’re like jamming in the beat of the loud music. We arrived at Assumption Theater maybe thirty minutes later. We waited outside for about one hour because the play will start at two pm. On the way through the Theater our adviser gave us our tickets. The ticket says “Philippine Educational Theater Association presents Christine Bellen’s Batang Rizal “.

                     The play started with a boy who is so naughty. Because of that, He was accused of breaking the monument of Rizal given by their mayor. The mayor said that if they didn’t pay or make another one, their school will be closed. So the boy named Pepito finds a solution to solve his problem. While walking in their school, he saw a big book and picked it up. The book contains all information about Jose Rizal. While reading the book, he lean on their bookshelves and it suddenly opened like a door, bringing him in the past. He met a boy named Pepe which is young Jose Rizal. In that part, I already have an idea about the meaning of the play title ‘Batang Rizal’. Pepito explained everything to him. He asked for Pepe’s help because he is a good sculptor. Pepe agreed so they went in the future through the bookshelf. On the future, Pepe enjoyed all modern things. Pepito even introduced Pepe to his friends. They did so many stuffs that I already forgotten. Pardon me if I can’t write all the details because some parts of the play confused me. Now, let’s jump on the ending of the story, Some of Pepito’s enemies told him that they have the monument. After all their chitchats, Pepito’s enemies gave up and gave him the monument. Pepe went back to the past and Pepito’s Problem was solved.

                    That play was really awesome if you watch it. I know it’s annoying how I discuss it but watching it with your own eyes will make you realize that Rizal’s childhood was extraordinary. He has conflicts that a normal child doesn’t have. Filipino people are fortunate to have a hero like Rizal.  I am proud to be a Filipino because of him. Let’s all enjoy Rizal’s contribution for our country, Philippines.