MANILA - Anton Juan wants to showcase the dregs of society: crime, greed and corruption.

This is exactly what he did with "The Three Penny Opera", a play that had a 3-day run at the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Theatre in Quezon City.

"It questions our humanity,” said Juan, a retired professor from the University of the Philippines (UP).  “Therefore we - through theatre - are made to reflect.”

Reflection is precisely the point of this production, which is an uninhibited look at the political and social atmosphere of Manila.

Although the play is a depiction of 1920s British society, Juan, who is also a tenured professor at the American University of Notre Dame, believes the characters and plotlines are all examples of history repeating itself.

“[There is] a criminal who’s going to be pardoned, does that sound familiar?” laughed Juan, when explaining how Filipinos will be able to relate to the story.

Juan has also made adaptations to the German play of the same name, incorporating cultural elements that are specific to the Philippines. 

A multi-tiered "padyak", symbolic of ever-growing poverty is the centerpiece of the set, and used to facilitate scene changes. There are also references to "balut" and other improvisations.

"The improvisation in itself as being perpetrated by the play is really good," said Kevin De La Cruz, a student from UP who attended the first performance. "It really describes our way of looking at things as Filipinos."

An opera for beggars

The play, which is “an opera for beggars”, focuses on the webs of corruption that entangle the poor. But it also shows the vices of the higher echelons of society. 

During the opening musical number, which is set to “Mack the Knife,” a priest and a police commissioner simultaneously take bribes from a gangster.

“What happens at the top of the machine happens in its innards, in the slums, in the underworld,” writes Juan in his production notes.

This sentiment was not lost on audience members during the opening performance, for which tickets were discounted for students.

"The story is from London, but I think it has some relevance in the Filipino setting," said a grade school social studies teacher who took her class to the performance.  "We also see those kinds of sins here in the Philippines, the beggars, what you call the users, those things."

This is the second time that Juan has brought the "Three Penny Opera" to Manila. The first was during the early 80’s. He says the play is just as relevant as it is now. 

The production, however, is not a condemnation of Filipino society, nor is it prescriptive.  It is more of a meditation on the social structures that ensnare everyone, regardless of class or position.

Although there may be additional performances at other venues, the show’s run for now was limited to 6 engagements at PETA this past weekend. 

Juan’s World Theatre Project rented space from PETA for the production, but the theatre’s promotional material makes it clear this will not be the only political play to grace its stage.

“This season faces the specter of the 2010 Election which loom [sic] as a crucial moment in our history and political life.  We cannot help but be challenged by this," it states.

Earlier in the season, the theatre featured "Noli and Fili Dekada 2000", an adaptation of Jose Rizal’s novels.  "Ismail and Isabel", a play about children’s rights, starts its run later this month, followed by "BOTO Another Musical", which is about voter education. Report by Beth Morrissey.