Vigel Ramirez / 2011-07500 Comm 3 / Sir Dave Centeno

The Forsaken House: A Reaction Paper Last March 1, 2012, 7:00 pm, I watched The Forsaken House at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Hall for the fulfillment of my requirements in Communication 3. The play was dedicated for the celebration of the 100th birthday of Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, a National Artist for Theatre and also the one who wrote the play. It was directed by Tony Mabesa and was played by some of the prominent actors and actresses in the country Joel Lamangan (Don Ramon), Menggie Cobarrubias (Tio Carlos), Irma Adlawan (Doa Encarna), and Ces Quesada (Tia Pelagia) and by the cast of Dulaang UP. The story happened during post-war era and the setting revolved on the house the forsaken house where couples Don Ramon and Doa Encarna lived together with their seven children (Tony, Flavio, Gonzalo, Jorge, Clemencia, Teresita, and Adeling). Each child has their own issues in the family, especially to their father who is very harsh and strict to them. A series of drama, begging, and shouting happened until the ultimate tragedy occurred Don Ramon and Doa Encarna lose every child they had. In the end, with the help of his cousin Tio Carlos, Don Ramon finally realized his mistake and learned to be a good father to the remaining child in the house, the youngest child Gonzalo. After the story, all children return to the stage, shifting the sad ending into a happy one. In a two-hour play, the story encompasses an issue that was experienced by almost everybody the feeling of being suppressed by someone higher than them, if not by their parents. Everyone doesnt want their freedom to be taken away from them, and if that happens,

most will react in a rebellious manner, just like what happened in most of the children in the story. But what amazed me is the character of Adeling, a daughter who didnt experience freedom in action and whose vocation was against her parents will, but still showed patience, deep understanding, and love on her parents. Her character was appropriate on what she wants to become a nun. Her issue with her parents regarding this one struck me, which, I think, I dont have to explain. The story is also very emotional. With the aid of natural but very well acting of the actors, one can really feel the emotions penetrating the heart of every viewer. I observed that a lot from the audience (that includes me) had shed a tear, which showed how intense the drama really is. Well, as I said a while ago, seeing ourselves on the characters also played a part, making us easily swayed by the story. Though the main theme is dramatic, I love the way how the actors added a twist of comedy on the scene, whether if thats really part of the script or not. The only negative thing that I can say on the play is that it has a lot of dialogue, a lot of words. There are also some awkward moments where Tio Carlo and Tia Pelagia would suddenly enter the scene for no reason (or, logical reason), just to add a dialogue on the flow of the story. All in all, I found the play worth watching, and packed with real-life story and lesson. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero showed his talent for writing such story that has a past time setting but still applicable to the present. He really deserves to be awarded as a National Artist for Theatre, for he easily captures the heart of every viewer and have them relate the story to their own life.