El Filibusterismo (El Fili) – Chapter 22
Chapter Title: The Performance
Setting: 8:45 pm, Teatro de Variedades
Characters:
- Don Primitivo
- Capitan General
- Macaraig
- Pepay
- Don Custodio
- Sandoval
- Pecson
- Isagani
- Paulita Gomez
- Juanito Pelaez
- Gertrude
- Tadeo
- Lily (“Serpolette”)
- Padre Irene
- Dona Victorina
- Padre Salvi (mentioned)
- Don Tiburcio (mentioned)
Plot:
The students watch the play.
Chapter Summary:
The performance is scheduled for 8:30 but curtains are still closed because Capitan General hasn’t arrived yet.
People in the gallery are getting impatient. The orchestra plays a waltz while waiting, but people start watching Don Primitivo who refuses to give up his seat, even despite ushers telling him to leave. People cheer for him.
Macaraig has a box across Pepay’s. She offered to help them with Don Custodio by writing to Don Custodio to meet her in the theater, which is why Don Custodio attended the performance. Pepay is looking at Macaraig “happily” so the students think there is good news. Sandoval asked around and revealed that the Superior Commission approved their petition. Sandoval, Macaraig and Pecson are happy.
Isagani is not happy about the news because he is distracted after seeing Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez sharing a box. Paulita just looks at him and smiles, her eyes “seeking forgiveness”. They had agreed that Isagani would watch it first to see if there was anything objectionable for a young woman, so Isagani is surprised to see her there. He is jealous and angry.
The curtain rises, and the peasants of Corneville perform the chorus. The girls are dancing and Don Custodio takes notes on their dancing and whether the actresses are showing their knees.
Getrude is the main character. She sings while looking at Capitan General. Tadeo is excited that the girls will dance the can-can. He is only there because he wants to see the obscenities that everyone was warned about.
Sandoval translates what is happening (because he read the synopsis) and says Getrude will lead the can-can dance. Isagani is embarrassed that Paulita Gomez is watching this, and wonders if he should challenge Juanito Pelaez to a duel.
A character named Serpolette (played by a woman named Lily) smiles at a man who is clapping for her.
Tadeo realizes that Serpolette is smiling at Padre Irene, who is in disguise. Sandoval says he saw Padre Irene talking with the actresses.
Padre Irene had been sent by Padre Salvi as a spy. He wanted to examine the actresses close range so he met with them backstage. Serpolette saw him there and was happy to greet him.
The play continues: the women almost fight and people of the law come to stop it. The peasants also want to see the can-can. The music stops, the men leave and the women talk about someone being missing. Sandoval explains to the students that they’re talking about where they should dance the can-can.
A senora and her husband occupy one of the boxes and she is proud to be late. But she sees the last empty box and is angry. She scolds her husband and Juanito Pelaez shushes them. Juanito Pelaez has been pretending to understand the play. Paulita Gomez looks at Isagani jealously, thinking he admires the actresses. Juanito Pelaez continues getting along with Dona Victorina, who compliments him.
The play turns into a comedy as Gaspard tries to hit the coward Grenicheux and instead hits the bailiff by accident. His wig flies off, and the curtain closes.
The curtain rises, showing a servant market, with notices of servantes, cochers and domestiques. Paulita Gomez asks the difference between servantes and domestiques. Juanito Pelaez says domestiques are domesticated, and the servantes are savages. Dona Victorina agrees but the servants for hire stand under servantes and the rough-looking characters stand under domestiques.
The girls and Serpolette are dressed well, holding flowers. They go to stand beside the servantes. Paulita Gomez questions this and Juanito says they made a mistake. Paulita Gomez asks if they’re meant to be the cochers. Juanito Pelaez coughs and Don Custodio shushes him, but pretends to write to avoid being noticed. Dona Victorina decides she wishes to marry Juanito Pelaez the moment Don Tiburcio passes away.
The first act ends with the Marquis taking Serpollete and Germaine as his servants. The cocher takes Grenicheux. The intermission starts.
People in the audience discuss the girls. One says Germaine is an “ideal blonde” but doesn’t have a voice. Ben Zayb says none of them matter, pretending to hate everything because he believes that is what a critic’s job is.
People speculate about who did not occupy the empty box. They realize it was probably Simoun because no one saw him. Someone says he saw Simoun in the afternoon with Mr. Jouy. Simoun apparently gave an actress a necklace. Another person comments that Simoun is playing the role of Count of Monte Cristo.
Macaraig leaves to talk to Pepay. Tadeo goes to talk to Don Custodio. Sandoval says that French isn’t as beautiful as Spanish. Paulita Gomez and Isagani stare at each other in the crowd. Paulita Gomez looks like she wants to say many things to Isagani. Sandoval asks Pecson if he can name a good French poet and Pecson mentions Victor Hugo. Sandoval says it’s only because Victor Hugo spent his childhood in Madrid.
Macaraig arrives with a “bitter smile” and gives a paper to Sandoval. It is a letter from Don Custodio to Pepay:
My dove: Your letter has reached me late; I had already handed in my decision and it has been approved. However, as if I had divined your thoughts, I have resolved the matter according to the wishes of your proteges. I will be at the theater and will wait for your departure.
Your tender little dove, Custodining
Macaraig says he met with Padre Irene who congratulated him. But he reveals that one of the religious corporations will take charge of the Academy, in case the Dominicans won’t incorporate the Academy into the University.
The students are disappointed. Macaraig explains that they have to collect money to turn them over to the treasurer whom the religious corporation will choose. Tadeo says they will be like cabezas de barangay. Pecson says Sandoval should pick up the gauntlet (referring to Sandoval’s quote when they argued in a previous chapter). Sandoval says instead of having a gauntlet thrown at them, it is more like a sock.
Padre Irene advised Macaraig to celebrate with a banquet to thank the people who intervened. Tadeo says it will be like a banquet of convicts, and Sandoval says it will be a banquet of funeral speeches. Pecson says they should celebrate in a panciteria, served by a Chinaman who is not in camisa. They plan to have a celebration that is as sarcastic as possible.
As the second act of the play begins, the students leave the theater.
Trivia:
- There are no women seated in the orchestra section.
- Someone compares Simoun to the Count of Monte Cristo, which is accurate as the novel is also about revenge, which is Simoun’s goal in El Filibusterismo.
- Victor Hugo, the author, is mentioned. He is well-known as the author of the novel “Les Miserables”, which is also about students who are against the government, similar to the students’ role in El Filibusterismo.
Quotes:
In order to appear as a great critic there is nothing like being contemptuous of everything.
