Paper Bug

The play centers on an unethical, antiheroic criminal Macheath (Mack the Knife) who marries Polly Peachum, the only daughter of the big boss of the beggars who runs the streets of London. Disappointed of her daughter’s sudden decision, he plans to condemn Macheath of his doings and have him executed publicly by hanging; however, his attempts to entrap and pull down Macheath are hindered by the fact that Tiger Brown, the Chief of Police, is Macheath’s old pal. Still, Peachum asserts his influence and eventually leads Macheath to his arrest and death sentence. Macheath avoids his fate through a deux ex machina (a theatrical device), wherein an unexpected character is inserted to intervene with or resolve the protagonist’s situation. His remarkable end is stopped by the surprising declaration coming from the messenger of the Queen relaying Her Majesty’s message to grant Macheath Royal pardon. Despite all his doings, he escapes the finale usually described by the part wherein the bad guy ...

Delotavo’s interesting visual artwork reflects on the negative effects the Coca-Cola Company has brought about to a Third World country, the Philippines. Antipas Delotavo is a social realist who only considers things as they are and whose works reveal much about exploited workers. The painting shows the response of Mang Juan, a typical Filipino worker, to the upsurge of foreign colonialism and the aggressive injection of Western influence. Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan is a feedback on the negative impacts of globalization or commercialization in the Philippines. As perceived, a dagger-like tail of the letter C in the company’s title is pointed at the heart of Mang Juan. This exposes the struggle of an average Filipino worker, the embodiment of the Filipino public or the masa, against the agonizing monopoly and economic control of international corporations, most of which are offering products and services that entice consumers to live life according to “wants”, and not “needs”. ...