tralala, parachibum!

So how do you go about writing a review of ENTABLADO's Sandaang Panaginip when you barely understood a thing? More importantly, why does it seem we're required to watch this bloody awful play and write a review about it just for the sake of watching a play and writing a review about it, like we used to do in high school? Where is its connection to our current discussions in Fil 12? It doesn't help that this random guy just waltzed into our classroom in the middle of a lecture and proclaimed, "obligado kayong manood blah blah blabbity blah," and goodbye, 200 pesos. Gago.

I wouldn't even be whining about this so much if the play didn't suck as much as it did. I hated it. Here is a list of things I hated about it:

1. Everything.

I couldn't even have gotten through the plot without the help of the synopsis (a photograph, actually, of the souvenir program showing the synopsis) I ripped off from someone's Multiply. That, or I just wasn't paying attention. I blame the awful weather, what with the play being staged outdoors and everything, supposedly the first in the grand history of Ateneo plays. Who cares? But I digress.

Many complaints regarding technical details aside (I might as well save it for the review I'm writing for school), more appreciative people tell me of the play's supposed commentary on Philippine politics. Well, that just makes a whole lot of sense now, doesn't it? The insipid song-and-dance numbers that contributed nothing to an enlightening experience almost fooled me there. Oooh, political satire! Nothing like a vague parallel to the Marcoses for that magical touch of "social relevance," huh?

As is my usual routine when my "reviews" seem to go nowhere, here are a few things that could have improved Sandaang Panaginip, in my humble opinion:

1. Change the kingdom's name to anything but "Tralala". Because haven't we all gotten past naming things "Tralala" when we got out of preschool? Apparently I overestimate humanity.

2. Ninjas. I'm serious. Instead of a bunch of clueless dancing villagers with Arnis sticks in that battle scene towards the end, they could have been ninjas. ENTABLADO just wasted a grand opportunity.