Ateneo’s ‘Sintang Dalisay’: A Pinoy twist on Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’

A tribute to Dr. Ricardo G. Abad

Have you ever imagined Romeo and Juliet in a Filipino setting? Wonder no more because it’s happening in theaters this July 2024.

Over a decade since Sintang Dalisay’s first formal run in 2011, Tanghalang Ateneo will once again delight Filipino theater-goers with their classic Romeo and Juliet adaptation. In partnership with Areté, Sintang Dalisay 2024 will offer audiences a fresh take on the award-winning production, originally adapted and directed by the late Dr. Ricardo G. Abad. The play will be staged at Areté’s 840-seater Hyundai Hall beginning July 6, 2024.

“Ricardo Abad passed away late last year, midway through preparations for the restaging of Sintang Dalisay,” Guelan Varela-Luarca, co-director and playwright said in a press statement. “Today, we carry his legacy and his passion for the performing arts. This staging is our tribute to Ricky and a manifestation of all the triumphs and trials, and the Pure Love that has endured throughout all of its restagings.”

Since its first run in July 2011 for Tanghalang Ateneo’s 33rd season, the production has toured internationally in Belarus (2012), Taiwan (2014), Vietnam (2016), and Malaysia (2017) among other local and international reruns. This year’s staging will be the first full-length Filipino non-musical production to be staged at Hyundai Hall, and will mark the beginning of Tanghalang Ateneo’s 46th Season aptly themed “The Ricardo Abad Season.” Sintang Dalisay follows the story of Rashiddin and Jamila, two lovers from the feuding  families of the Mustaphas and Kalimuddins. Set in an imaginary Muslim community, Rashiddin and  Jamila must navigate their love amidst a long-standing conflict between their families.

Sintang Dalisay will run from July 6 to 20, 2024, featuring afternoon shows (2 p.m.) on July 6-7, 12-14, and 18-20, 2024, and evening shows (7:30 p.m.) on July 6-7, 13-14, and 19-20, 2024. Tickets start at P850 and are available for purchase through Ticket2Me or Tanghalang Ateneo’s direct ticketing form.

— Jessica Pag-iwayan