The sad, funny Post Office

Someday perhaps, I will get the chance to watch The Post Office as it was originally written by Rabindranath Tagore. I thought of this while watching the Filipino adaptation directed by Gardy Labad and adapted by Rody Vera, which is now playing at the PETA Theater Center.

I also thought, what an extraordinary choice. Out of the millions of plays that could be transposed into a Filipino setting from all over the world, they chose The Post Office from India. Of course, this should not really be a surprise because Gardy has done Tagore before, a version of the Ramayana, also for PETA. In fact Ang Post Office is his homecoming of sorts to PETA after an absence of nearly 17 years. But then The Post Office is about children and death, things that nobody likes to think about.

It is a daring choice. The Nobel Prize-winning Tagore can be very commercial. Think again, Ramayana. But then there were times when he chose to be deeply philosophical and intellectual. The Post Office, despite its seeming simplicity is all of those. It tells the story of a sick boy Abel who is confined to his room and later to his bed. It is from there, that he watches the world and meets all sorts of people. Like a sort of Everyman, but one who does his roaming through others, Abel learns from them and then forms views, that he in turn imparts to those around him.

The Post Office is also very sad. The idea alone of children dying already tears at everybody’s guts and here you have Abel looking death in the face and finding something in it to be happy about. His dearest wish is to be special, to matter in this world not only to those around him but also to the powerful, whom he has never met, like the king. He is not asking for much. A letter from the king will do. And that is why he keeps the post office in sight. The king is going to mail his letter to Abel at the post office.

Would somebody like Abel be important to a king? As we have long known with those people in power, the answer is not likely. But he is loved and those who do want to make him happy. If a letter from the king will make Abel happy, then he will get that letter. And it is in the way that Abel finally gets his letter that The Post Office ends on a happy note. And with it, the message, woe to all the unbelievers, who only see life as a box with a set of rules. So wouldn’t it be nice if you can junk those and make someone happy? Who will in turn make somebody happy and so it goes on and on. And what a happy world this will be.

Ang Post Office opened last Aug. 6 and will continue playing on the weekends of Sept. 3 to 5 and Sept. 10 to 12 at the PETA Theater Center at #5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City. Shows are at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and tickets are priced at P300 each.

Only three hundred bucks! That is a real bargain. Only a tiny fraction of what you paid for 10 minutes of Lea Salonga in Cats or to watch that visiting one hit wonder hip-hopper. At Ang Post Office, you get to watch brilliant drama, beautifully written and staged. You get a wonderful cast of performers. Bembol Rocco as Mang Pedring still cuts an impressive figure and Paolo Rodriguez as Taong Banal, Jojo Atienza as Tanod and Ian Segarra as Magtataho make things alternately fun and poignant. And what a fine actor we have in Martin Delos Santos as Abel. Only 10 years old but he already commands a stage.

And not to forget because their efforts contributed so much to such an enjoyable presentation. Ellen Ramos for the animated skyscape and the pure voices of the Kilyawan Choir as the Greek chorus singing about what is happening in the play. They are the reasons I thought about watching the original. How did they do the skyscape? Do they have one? And what was the music? The singing must be very interesting. Now the skyscape stays the same but those who will watch this weekend will find the world famous Loboc Children’s Choir doing the singing.

Watch and be proud you are a Filipino. We can use all the boost we can get these days. Better yet, be proud you are Asian. Thinking that way can foster unity, peace, love and lots of those things that really matter.