As the production’s poster reads: “You have memorized the verses. Now feel the sword.”
By: [Staff Writer]
The script restores the prologue: . Here, we witness the betrayal of Duke Briseo not as backstory, but as a live, visceral scene. The young Florante—age seven—duels a giant, not with a sword, but with a salbabida (lifebuoy) of wit. The stage direction reads: “Ang talon ay yari sa telang bughaw. Ang buwaya, dalawang tao sa loob ng karpetang may ngipin.” (The waterfall is made of blue cloth. The crocodile is two men inside a carpet with teeth.) Act II: The Women Behind the Throne One of the most startling discoveries in the Full Script is the expansion of the female leads. In the traditional poem, Laura is a beautiful damsel in distress, and Flerida is a secondary rescuer. Florante At Laura Full Script
Meanwhile, receives an action sequence worthy of a modern hero. The script’s most thrilling page describes her escape from the Turkish camp: she does not simply run. She uses a yoyo (a period-authentic hunting tool) to disarm a guard and releases a flock of maya birds to create a diversion. The stage note reads: “Gumamit ng himig ng ‘Pamulinawen’ para sa pasabog.” (Use the melody of ‘Pamulinawen’ for the explosion.) Act III: The Reconciliation We Never Saw The poem ends with Florante and Laura reuniting, Adolfo dead, and a hasty return to Albania. The Full Script adds a devastating final act: The Trial of the Ghosts . As the production’s poster reads: “You have memorized
For performance rights and a preview PDF of Act I, contact the Balagtas Revival Project. The young Florante—age seven—duels a giant, not with
The script will have its world premiere at the this October, performed by a cast of fifty—including indigenous chanting, a live rondalla , and a single, real carabao on stage.
In this script, . She has a ten-page monologue in Act II, Scene 4— “Ang Halamanan ng Pagdududa” (The Garden of Doubt)—where she debates whether to fake her own death to escape Adolfo’s advances. She is no longer a trophy. She is a tactician.