Jose Rizal musical debuts in Chicago

A musical production based on the life of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal debuted in Chicago in the United States last week, the Philippine Consulate General there reported. The consulate said "Rizal's Sweet Stranger: Untold Stories of Josephine Bracken" was shown at the St. Scholastica Academy Theater on September 23 and 24. "The world premiere musical shows a glimpse of Dr. Rizal's life with his Irish wife, Josephine Bracken. Toni Gomez (Josephine Bracken) and Ariel Dayanghirang (Jose Rizal) led the cast that also featured Lani Misalucha as Inang Bayan," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Presented by the Sama-Sama Project and the Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts (CIRCA)-Pintig, the musical was part of the activities marking the 150th birth anniversary of Rizal this year. The musical stemmed from the collaboration of Anril Tiatco's "Miss Dulce Extranjera" and Isagani Cruz's "Josephine," and extrapolations of other historical texts and visual documents set to music by composers William Elvin Manzano (Manila) and Dr. Ceofe Guangko Casambre (Chicago). Baron Lloyd Cabalona provided the musical direction while Dr. Anton Juan Jr. provided the concept and direction. Jose Rizal Rizal (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896), was a Filipino polymath, patriot and advocate of reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. His execution by the Spanish on December 30, 1896, a date commemorated annually as "Rizal Day," is believed to have sparked the Filipinos fight for freedom from the Spaniards. Rizal was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh of eleven children. He went to the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, earning a Bachelor of Arts, and later enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. He later studied at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, earning a Licentiate in Medicine. He also attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg. - VVP, GMA News