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Threepenny Opera

Last August 14, 2009, St. Luke’s College of Medicine, together with the St. Luke’s Medical Center sponsored the gala showing of the Threepenny Opera at the PETA Theatre in Quezon City.  This activity was sponsored by the institution to further improve the facilities of its auditorium and medical library as part of its mission to provide top-caliber medical education and training

Just a short walk away from the college building, students, faculty and staff from St. Luke’s College of Medicine decidedly took some time off from their books, their desks and their patients for a few hours of exceptional entertainment. Special guests and patrons from the Board of Trustees and consultant staff of St. Luke’s Medical Center also joined in to indulge in an activity apart from their routine.

Directed by Prof. Anton Juan, a world renowned playwright and dramatist, the Threepenny Opera proved to be as relevant today as it was in the 1920s. Prof. Juan is now on an educational sabbatical from his post as Full Professor and Director at the University of Notre Dame in the USA. According to Prof. Juan, the choice of this play by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill was deliberate in order to focus on a particular segment of society and bring it to life in the socio-political context of the Philippines today. 

And did he bring them to life! At the end of the show, it was obvious that the experience of sponsoring this show and all the organizing behind it was well worth it. Thanks to all the patrons and donors who made it possible and the school officials, staff and students who worked behind and beyond the scenes.

To quote Ms. Lea Salonga in her article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on August 19, 2009: “The performances were all first-rate: Teroy Guzman as Macheath was so charmingly slimy (or should that be slimily charming?); Kalila Aguilos was a beautiful Polly Peachum; Onyl Torres and Cholo Gino as Mr. and Mrs. Peachum, the beggar syndicate leader and his wife, were hilarious and pointed; Ricci Chan as various characters was a force to be reckoned with, playing each role with verve; and Bito, oh Bito, nasa sahig pa rin ang panga ko, pakiwalis nga. As Pirate Jenny and the prostitute Jenny, Bituin held the crowd’s attention by just walking on stage. When she finally opened her mouth to sing, you couldn’t help but listen to her, a musical and emotional choke-hold that doesn’t let go until she’s done with you. Congratulations to director Anton Juan for his courage in making the musical familiar, and in that familiarity, just a mite uncomfortable (I mean that in a good way). Thank you so much for making my introduction to Brecht and Weill memorable.”

To know more about the Threepenny Opera, please click the link below:

www.threepennyopera.org

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