If you missed or would like to relive the Filipino retelling of one of the world’s oldest and longest epic poems, The Mahabharata, this is your chance to watch the production praised by critics for its direction, text, music, and choreography. Critics laud the production as “an astonishing theatrical experience”, “an elegant and regal Filipino adaptation”, and Dexter Santos’s direction as “breathless and daring”.
Coming off a hugely successful and critically acclaimed extended run, Dulaang UP’s ‘Ang Nawalang Kapatid’ will be staging two special benefit shows on July 4-6 and 11-13 (Friday to Sunday only) in celebration of UP Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts’ 55th Anniversary.
The story revolves around the battling royal families of the Pandavas and Kauravas, and the moral dilemma Karna, the lost brother, finds himself in. To whom does he owe his loyalty? To his family or to the state which made him a prince?
Play the video below to see what people are saying about Dulaang UP’s “Ang Nawalang Kapatid”.
Ang Nawalang Kapatid teaches us to learn the lasting truth that goodness and benevolence will inevitably return, like a lost son, back to the heart of human life, according to the drums of destiny
The production emphasizes how the epic has shaped strong values regarding loyalty to family which is so much a part of South East Asian culture. Prof. Rina Angela Corpus emphasized how “Ang Nawalang Kapatid teaches us to learn the lasting truth that goodness and benevolence will inevitably return, like a lost son, back to the heart of human life, according to the drums of destiny” (GMA News Online, March 3, 2014).
Through the production, DUP seeks to bring the story of The Mahabharata to a wider audience. By filtering the epic through the sensibilities of Filipino artists, the production will show us our Indian roots and its impact on our culture. The production emphasizes how the epic has shaped strong values regarding loyalty to family which is so much a part of South East Asian culture.
Critics laud the production as “an astonishing theatrical experience”, “an elegant and regal Filipino adaptation”, and Dexter Santos’s direction as “breathless and daring”.
Originally staged as a children’s play, this fiercer, bigger, and more complex staging of acclaimed playwright Floy Quintos’ adaptation is under the direction and choreography of Santos, with original music by Ceejay Javier.
Proceeds of the sale will be donated for the improvement of two of UP Diliman’s famed theaters-Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater and Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, the bastion of DUP plays.
Ang Nawalang Kapatid is staged at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2nd floor Palma Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman. Seats are limited.
Trailer videos
Ang Nawalang Kapatid – Full trailer video 1:
Ang Nawalang Kapatid – Full trailer video 2:
Synopsis
Ang Nawalang Kapatid begins with the birth of the universe, narrated by the gods Vyasa and Ganesha. King Pandu the head of the Pandavas, is the ruling king alongside his wife, Kunti, until he mistakenly kills the mate of a mystical golden deer. King Pandu is cursed never to have children, and thus relinquishes the throne to his younger brother, the blind king Dritarastra. Dritarastra then rules with his wife Ghandari, the queen who chose to live in darkness with her husband by blindfolding herself for eternity.
Kunti, having been given a gift by the gods, gives birth to the three Pandava princes: Yudistira, Bhima and Arjuna. The Kauravas give birth to its prince as well – Duryodhana. While all seem well, Kunti is reminded of the curse placed upon her by the goddess of death, Kali, in her youth – a curse in the form of Karna, her son. Fearing the curse she orders her handmaidens to dispose of the child, but the handmaidens, unable to do so out of pity, exiles him instead. Karna is then found and raised by the monkey king, Hanuman.
Later on, Karna ventures out, searching for his dharma, his destiny. He bumps into the three Pandava princes in a bridal procession for the hand of the princess Draupadi. Karna immediately strikes a friendship with Duryodhana. The Kaurava prince asks Karna to fight for him, and the competition ends with Draupadi choosing Yudistira as the person she wants to marry.
The tables turn when Shakuni, a cunning gambler defeats Yudistira in a game of dice for Duryodhana. Duryodhana then finds himself in a position of power, and instead of taking all the possessions of the Pandavas, he exiles them instead at Karna’s insistence. Act 1 ends with Yudistira leaving with the promise of war.
In Act 2, both the Pandavas, under the guidance of Krishna, and the Kauravas who trained Drona, prepare for battle. War ensues, and casualties mount, which leads to the revealing of two great weapons from both the Pasupata, invoked by Krishna from the gods, and Sinta, given by Hanuman to his student, Karna. Kunti, fearing for the life of her sons, reveals to Karna the truth of his parentage and begs him to stop the war. Karna promises to do what he can, and as the Paupata and the Sinta are about to clash, the sun of Kali explodes, engulfing the war and ending it in deafening silence. The story ends in reverse of how it began: with a seemingly never-ending chaos followed by an almost deafening quiet.
Schedule
First Week:
July 4, 2014 (Friday): 7:00 PM
July 5, 2014 (Saturday): 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
July 6, 2014 (Sunday): 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Second Week:
July 11, 2014 (Friday): 7:00 PM
July 12, 2014 (Saturday): 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
July 13, 2014 (Sunday): 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
[stextbox id=”astig”]Tickets are priced at 500 PHP each. For inquiries, call Samanta Hannah Clarin or Camille Guevara 9261349, 4337840, 9818500 loc 2449 or email dulaangupmarketing [at] gmail dot com.[/stextbox]