My university’s official theater group, the Harlequin Theater Guild, puts up two to three play productions every school year. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to get a glimpse of at least one of them until last Friday night when I watched Tonying at Ang Mahiwagang Aklat ng Kasaysayan in the Yuchengco Auditorium. Since my freshman year in college is about to end in three weeks, I did not waste any opportunity to watch a HTG play and get incentives from my professors as well as witnessing the brilliant ambience of theatre arts. In addition, the play was written by Dr. Torres, my KASPIL2 professor last term! 

I was initially amused when I learned that Tonying was sponsored by media partners such as 92.3 News FM and ABS-CBN. Also, there were bloggers (particularly from Tumblr) who covered the whole presentation, so there was a little more excitement.  Just before the play started and in between ten-minute breaks, there were video clips of the HTG during rehearsals and self-made commercials of Zentea with Sadakos running over a terrified guy. Now let’s move on to the play - what can I say about what I’ve watched? I absolutely enjoyed Tonying from the beginning until the end! The actors were excellent in terms of internalizing the characters they played; all of them were able to entertain the audience as well as bring out the suspense in each scene. The story was not your typical fairytale but an adventure with a touch of history because it was all about a man whose quest was to be a keeper of the magical book of the past. It was not cliched, and that was one thing I liked about the play. The action scenes were wonderfully directed and acted especially there were elements of comedy added to the mix, making them more anticipating to laugh and cheer on at the same time. Tummies jumped like jellybeans and laughs overshadowed the wolves’ cries in the action scene where Magellan and Lapu-lapu re-enacted the epic Battle of Mactan. How hilarious can it be when Lapu-lapu defeated the former through an arm wrestling match? 

Overall, Tonying is a feel-good, stress-reducing piece of art that would delight all viewers, young or old. The Harlequin Theater Guild and Tonying’s playwright Dr. Torres did a magnificent job to entertain Lasallians through the art of acting and the impact our country’s history can bring. The play made me realize how history can make a difference in our lives and gives us a curious mind on what would have been had some events never happened. 

Dayum, dayum…I am now looking forward to other HTG productions in the future!