“Pilato” is a Lenten ritual looking for truth

In theater, I was taught by my professor, the late erudite Dr. Carolina U. Garcia, the concept and trend that are embodied in the literary philosophy of Relativity of Truth.

Dr. Garcia utilized the modern European play “Right You Are If You Think So” written by Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello to illustrate the dogma.

The theater piece is about a commotion and a debate among neighbors and residents of an Italian village whether the person missing and who is being talked about as the one inside a house is the same person they are looking for and identifying.

Suddenly, when a person whose face was wrapped with a cloth appears, everyone is abuzz. Is she the person being talked about until they were advised that “it is so if you think so” without verification.

The play was written in 1917 when the concept of the relativity of truth was theorized.  

More than one hundred years later, the idea of the relativity of truth is very much alive in the avalanche these days of misinformation and disinformation.

It’s been years and the malaise has spread to the millennium.

It is like the message of the Filipino stage musical “Pilato.”

“Pilato” written and directed by Eldrin Veloso and presented by The Corner Studio is a must watch play.

The beginning where all the cast members were present and singing to create the mood of the play to introduce and ask who Pilato is—”Sino si Pilato”—was already arresting.

The melody was awe inspiring and the message direct.

As the piece-by-piece tableaus unfolded, the more we were able to identify the characters as we commonly familiarized with them as Christians.

Pilato, of course, in the King’s language is Pontius Pilate (Jerome Ferguson), Procla (Christy Lagapa) is Pilato’s wife, Josepo is Josephus (Onyl Torres), the historiographer with a Jewish blood, Caiaphas (Jeremy Manite)—wonder why his character’s name isn’t in written in Filipino like Kaipas in the playbill.

The initial chorus in Act I, is The Pariseo (Pharisees), Pilato’s subordinates with the three court jesters or interpreters, namely Publius (Marit Samson), Marcus (Ard Lim) whose name including Decimus (Chan Rabutazo) aren’t indigenously spelled Markus and Desimus and the other minor characters like Nicodemus (Darwin Lumentigar). Herod or Herodes (Thor Ganchero) is indispensable from the whole narrative not only because of his flamboyant sense but his pivotal participation in the process of finding the truth in the biblical account.

As a student of catechism or a regular Catholic faithful, Pilato is considered the major antagonist to Jesus Christ’s life so he doesn’t need to be heavily essayed.

The burden, though, of his characterization lies in the complexity of his mind.

While Pilato was assigned governor of Judea by the king Tiberius, he was acting as if independently from the empire especially as a prefect of discipline of transgressing people on his watch.

In Act II, the meatier story was performed because here the character of Jesus Christ or Filipinized as Hesus (Noel Rayos) was introduced.

The Jews were also generally presented in a chorus.

Also, in this part happened the crucial conflict between the fascist rulers such as Herodes (King Herod), Pilato’s nemesis, when the enigmatic characterization of Pilato met side-by-side with his protagonist, Jesus Christ.

It is where the ambivalence of Pilato shows particularly his reluctant decision to punish Jesus Christ for committing nothing serious crimes like rebellion, subversion or simply opposition.

The question “Who is Pilato” is slowly being answered here by his indecisive actions like not firm leadership, lack of self-assurance, insecurity and the likes however he has the assertiveness in judiciousness.

To support his dilly-dallying punishment on Jesus Christ, Pilato is caught between obedience to his boss and his abeyance to himself.

He listens to Tiberius then introspects but later would follow his instinct to be neutral and at the same time biased.

In the end, he follows his boss but washes his hands—the most famous symbolic act of shallow retribution style since time immemorial—of his actions against his decision to Jesus Christ’s innocence. Finaly, the play has found its truth—the absolute truth after presenting many truths in various truths.

Veloso’s direction is assured, especially his employ of a Brechtian personage like Josepo to distance the audience from the play.

Minimalism is an effective tool in set design as it doesn’t distract, instead, it lets the fluidity of the narrative flow logically.

The ensemble acting is synchronized.

Hopefully, “Pilato” can find another season to restage, Lent or not, because the lessons are universal and relevant to the times.