As a sophomore at Cal State Long Beach who is on academic probation, Jeremy Ramirez attempts to maintain his grades for the sake of his parents. “I adapted to playing the role of an angry, bitter, and confused college sophomore,” said senior Justin Naidas. “Everyone who portrayed a character in the skit fit quite well into his or her role.” The fictional character holds true to his Pilipino culture, as played by Naidas at the Pilipino American Coalition’s 25th annual Pilipino Culture Night at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
The “Kwentong Bayan” show, which means story of our country in Tagalog, filled the stage with pure entertainment and culture through comedy, drama, song, and dance. The night opened with the American and Pilipino national anthems. The storyline had reenactments and dance numbers between each scene, such as the Spanish dance with umbrellas to the Muslim dance with colorful detachable clothing. PAC Modern, the dance division of PAC, also contributed to the talent pool with a hip hop, lyrical and contemporary performances. JP San Luis and Stephanie Papa, both 25, hosted the show.
The skit revolves around a multigenerational Pilipino family where all the characters face life’s struggle. The stubborn yet wise Lolo (Monte Rey Dalit) is not taking his medicine, but gives words of wisdom to the household members. Roland (Chris Liwag) is a mail carrier and man of the house, but isn’t the breadwinner. Roland’s wife, Maria (Serena Reyes Riray), is the registered nurse who has suspiciously been working too much overtime. The Spanish friar (Jan Terania) from the grandpa’s tale, came to life and brought comic relief to the repressed history of the Philippines’ colonization. He executed slapstick comedy and modern cultural references such as mentioning National Basketball Association player Pau Gasol and singer Enrique Iglesias.
The spot on acting brought life to the stereotypical Pilipino and overpowered the technical difficulties. Naidas said, “The only problem we had was with the microphones. The audio wasn't working during most of my scenes, so I had to project really loud. As for all the other dancers, singers, and actors, they all killed it on stage. Spanish, Mountain, Muslim, Modern, Rural, and the skit were all outstanding. You can see all the hard work put into this 25th year anniversary PCN.”
The backgrounds, lights, fog, and other props transformed the stage into a personal event. The three months of hard work by the 200 performers, stage crew, and musicians was evident. "'Kwentong Bayan'" is our PCN, and it is driven through passion, culture, and the love of it,” said Naidas.
PAC, a cultural, social, academics, philanthropy-based organization, has been at Cal State Long Beach for 40 years. PCN is the organization’s most popular event. “They have worked extremely hard for three months,” said PAC President Donna Penalba.
*Photo courtesy of Justin Element (justinelement.com).
