February 3, 2009

Ibong Adarna

"Ang Ibong Adarna" (The Adarna Bird) is a Filipino epic poem with 1,722 stanzas (8 syllables per line, 4 lines per stanza) which many Filipinos have never read but is a well-known tale nevertheless. The first part of the story is about three princes' quest for this colorful, legendary bird whose songs have the power to heal and lull people to sleep and whose droppings can turn one into stone. The second part is less well-known and is about the youngest prince's search for his true love. It is this second part that Khavn de la Cruz turned into a play, "Adarna at ang Alaala ng Kristal," (Adarna and the Memory of Crystal) for the Ateneo Children's Theater (ACT), the theater group of the Ateneo de Manila Grade School. It was my first time to watch the ACT and I was delighted by the fabulous sets and costumes. There were many flaws of course—they're very young children after all—but the fact that they could memorize and recite or sing their archaic Tagalog lines was truly amazing.

Ibong Adarna in the Ateneo Children's Theater's production of 'Adarna at ang Alaala ng Kristal'

19 comments:

Olivier said...

superbe photo du spectacle, la lumiere est très belle sur le comédien.
beautiful photo of the show, the light is beautiful on the actor.

Lois said...

Your picture has captured the light perfectly Hilda! That costume is just amazing!

lunarossa said...

Wow, what a beautiful costume and colours. I seem to know the fist part of the tale as well, althogh I do not remember where from. Sometimes children productions are more interesting and amusing than the adult ones, as they are genuine and enthusiastic. Ciao. Antonella

Sharon said...

Beautiful costume and scenery! Very well done!

Halcyon said...

I love the costume. It sounds like an enchanting story!

Reena said...

i read Ibong Adarna when i was in 2nd yr high school. i never quite understood the story. :) but it's a historical literary piece that needs to be preserved. it's good to know ateneo is doing something about it.

great costume!!!

Judy said...

Fantastic shot! The light is perfect.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

What a lovely picture, great capture! I think for the kids to remember the poem is wonderful!

Debbie Courson Smith said...

I love to see kids interested in theatre. I bet they had fun.

George said...

What a grogeous photograph. The color and lighting are perfect. Thanks for sharing it and I'm glad you enjoyed the performance.

nobu said...

Colourful and interesting.

By the way,about your question,
Because the bridge is between two holy places, "Yushima Seido" and " Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral".

Unknown said...

This is a great shot, Hilda! Fabulous decor!

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a neat costume and the lights are just about right. Nice shot.

Anonymous said...

Such as theater. I'd like to watch.

marley said...

Colourful costume!

Knoxville Girl said...

this is a really well-framed shot! and the info about the poem, very fascinating.

escape said...

im impressed with the designs. beautifully made.

Anonymous said...

That's an absolutely fantastic photo. What a great experience for the young actors.

Joe Narvaez said...

Beautiful! Galing!