Literary Review of the Play “Fiesta”

I. Introduction

            Among the plays that were presented in the Drama Fest last February 26, 2011, the story entitled “Fiesta” caught my attention. The story happened in only one setting, in the house of Señora Inez and it actually happened during the Barrio Fiesta. There are five characters that took part in the story. The main character, Señora Inez, is an old, terror and disabled woman. Looking at her physically, the remnants of the past can be perceived at her because of the presence of the skin burns. Corito (who was revealed as the true daughter of Señora Inez in the last part of the play), is a young woman who was raised by Señora Inez and was also having a secret affair with Manuel. Manuel is the son of Nanay Soling, who happened to be the servant of Señora Inez for twenty years. There is actually a twist in the story which made me more interested to it. In the twist, there was a flashback where Señora Inez told Corito the reason why she didn’t want her to go to the church and befriend the people in the convent. In her story, Señora Inez told that after trusting the priest in the name of Father Paulo, she was almost raped by him. That was also the reason why she got the burns and the scars in her skin. But in the last part of the play, a very modern woman named Lucia, who happened to be the friend of Señora Inez before, told another story that revealed the truth of why Señora Inez was afraid to let Corito go to the church and befriend the people in the convent. In the end, the truth was revealed: Señora Inez fell in love with Father Paulo. She got pregnant and Corito was the daughter. But Father Paulo didn’t want to take the responsibility so Señora Inez burned the convent. She thought Father Paulo died at that time but she learned that Lucia took him.

II. Body

            I consider the play as a unique one because among the stories presented in the Drama Fest; this is the story where I witnessed a twist. This twist adds beauty to the production itself and personally, it made me eager to watch the play. Since the play is about deceitfulness which is very obvious in the character of Señora Inez, the story became an interesting stuff on the part of the audiences. The truth was divulged and with that, everything was changed. Based from the play, Corito eloped with Manuel and Nanay Soling also left Señora Inez upon knowing that Salvador, her husband who saved Father Paulo from the fire, died because of Señora Inez.

            Looking into the production of the play, I can say that the actors and actresses have done their roles effectively, especially those who took the roles of Señora Inez, Manuel and Lucia. Based from their performance, I can say that they were able to internalize their characters. Manuel was able to show his desire to take Corito. He was also able to show his personal dilemma of wanting to get out of their lives as servants of Señora Inez. On the other hand, Señora Inez was able to show her rudeness based from her actions and the way she treat Nanay Soling and Manuel, and even Corito. Lucia, who took all the courage in telling the whole truth to all the people involved, was also good and showed her willpower to open the mind and heart of Señora Inez. The only thing I noticed is that Corito’s voice is somehow tricky to be heard that is why her role wasn’t that striking. Talking of the props and set of the production, I can also say that the materials used were able to help the audience to understand the setting of the story. The props were well-made and functional because it created a clear and vivid picture of the celebration during that time, which is the Fiesta. It is also the same with the costumes used by the actors and actresses. The costumes helped the audiences to identify who among the characters experienced a wealthy and comfortable life, and who among them experienced a poor life. So, it is very obvious that Señora Inez and Corito were experiencing a wealthy life and Manuel and Nanay Soling were experiencing a poor life. The lighting also took part on the play and its production. Since the play is somehow catastrophic, I noticed that the lighting is somehow dim and weak which reflects the heaviness of the situation. It is a good factor for the audiences to be able to feel the pressure in the story; however, I noticed that because of the dimness of the lighting, it is hard to see the characters’ actions during the play. The sounds also helped the characters to internalize their roles especially when Señora Inez was telling her sentimental story to Corito. However, the lapels used were having some technical problems that can distract the audiences. I can also say that there is unity in the flow of the production because all of the important elements in the play were maximized. It just happened that there are some dead airs but the characters were able to deal with that. They were still able to portray their roles in the play. Again, the only notable point of improvement that I can suggest is the technical. The persons behind the play must make sure that before the play starts, at least, the lapels are in good condition and will not affect the performance of the characters.         

III. Conclusion

            All in all, I can say that the play is striking and interesting. At first, you will wonder why it is entitled “Fiesta”. I thought of this contrasting effect in the story because ideally, when we say Fiesta, the scenario is always happy and light. The people must be celebrating and enjoying the feast. However, in the play presented by the class, there is a heavy scenario where the characters portrayed how serious the situation is because of Señora Inez and her mysterious secret. As what the famous Filipino saying states, “Walang lihim na hindi nabubunyag”, obviously this play represents the effect of a person’s self-centeredness and dishonesty. It also talks of the issue of morality because the main character had an affair with a priest, wherein in our perspective, it is considered as an immoral act. Lastly, it made me realize that in every decision we have, we must be careful because we do not know exactly what will be the effect of our decisions in life.