Heart-Wrenching Sandosenang Sapatos Musical Moves SHS Audience

“Tinatawid ng pagmamahal ang panaginip.” [Love traverses dreams.]

Thus was the reminder to the senior high school  (SHS) students and teachers of MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) when they watched Tanghalang Pilipino’s ‘Sandosenang Sapatos’ musical live at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)  last December 1.

Based on the children’s book by Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, ‘Sandosenang Sapatos’ is a tear-jerking sung-through musical about Susie (played by Wincess Jem Yana), a young girl born without feet who ironically aspires to be a ballerina to fulfill her sickly shoemaker father’s dream. Susie grapples with feeling unloved and incapable of making others happy. However, following her father’s passing, she realizes that despite her inability to become a ballerina as he had hoped, she was loved all along. This musical illustrates a father’s unconditional love beyond disability and dreams.  

The students and teachers alternated between tears and laughter as they watched Susie deal with her disability and feeling of inadequacy, with the help of the colorful shoes that she sees and interacts with in her dreams. 

“I was filled with so many different emotions. It [the musical] talks about the unconditional love of our parents [for] us, that even if we can't achieve their dreams for us, it doesn't matter because they love us more than the dreams they have for us. It reminded me of my own family and how much I appreciate them for being in my life,” reflected Larissa Elise Roque of Grade 12 ABM. 

“I cried. It was so touching. All the actors were so amazing that I was able to feel the emotions of the characters,” Vaughn Uriel Cawaon of Olive HUMSS commented. 

Recounting her first time watching Sandosenang Sapatos around ten years ago, SHS faculty member Neshie Joyce Guntiñas shared, “It's nice that this time, it was [told] from a different perspective–the perspective of the child. One thing I can say is that for people [in] situations like that, it's really important [that they’re surrounded] with people who love them so much. In that case, even if the father died[,] he made sure to show his great love for his daughter.” 

“Ito, mensahe talaga ito ng hope, ng pag-asa, ng pagmamahal,” remarked Gatmaitan in a later interview. Emphasizing the importance of being emotionally whole, the writer and MGCNLCA SHS teacher expressed his hope that the audience of ‘Sandosenang Sapatos’, despite their own disability, would leave the theater feeling complete. 

The stage production featured a script by Layeta Bucoy and musical compositions by Noel Cabangon and Jed Balsamo.