ANGELES CITY—The masterpiece of Juan Crisostimo Cabal Soto, the father of Pampanga literature, called “Alang Dios!” (There Is No God) will be shown on January 2017 here to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary and revive the province’s cultural heritage.
A tragic love story, “Alang Dios” premiered at the Teatro Sabina in Bacolor on Nov. 16, 1902, and was last staged at Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1975. The zarzuela drama was written in 1901.
Aside from “Alang Dios,” Soto also wrote 48 plays including 20 zarzuelas, a novel, a hundred poems, dozens of short stories, essays and newspaper articles.
Because of his literary accomplishments, Soto was the best known and most revered Kapampangan writer. Together with other writers, Soto turned Bacolor into the “Athens of Pampanga.”
Also known as Crissot, Soto was a voracious reader but never finished his studies owing to a lack of interest on the subjects offered at university. The province will celebrate his 150th birth anniversary on Jan. 27, 2017, while his 100th death anniversary will be on July 12, 2018.
Joy Soto-Walton, director and chairman of “Alang Dios!,” said the showing of the zarzuela aims to reawaken the intellectual and artistic refinement of the Kapampangans.
Eight artists, 20 singers, and three supporting actors under the directorship of RJ L. Soto will perform the zarzuela.
Tickets are available at P500 for adults and P260 for students. The venues are the Don Honorio School of Arts and Trade in Bacolor and Holy Angel University here.
Despite its age, the drama still conveys the same universal meaning that courage and determination will bring victory, as shown by the recovery of the province from the devastating eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, Walton said.
One of the heirs spearheading the Sapni Nang Crissot Literary and Cultural Foundation Inc., Walton is working closely with Vice Governor Dennis Pineda and the Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies of Holy Angel University under the directorship of Robby Tantingco.
