The Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry (ACPACI) once again was fired up to make a difference by sponsoring the opening night of Pinocchio by the Repertory Philippines at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1 in Makati City last August 16, 2014.
Children and adults alike had a grand time watching the play set in Italy with a cast composed of a life-sized wooden puppet named Pinocchio and his father Gepetto, the puppet-maker who created Pinocchio, the Blue Fairy plus a sundry of other colorful characters.
The opening song was the lively “Boun Giorno” sang by Antonio, the narrator. “Boun Giorno” is an Italian greeting for “Good Day.” The play was interactive and informative because after the “Boun Giorno” intro, Antonio asked a kid from the audience to literally put Italy in the map of Europe. Even after the show, the kids and grownups were still singing “Boun Giorno” from inside the playhouse all the way to Greenbelt mall as if somebody pumped up a theatre-load of karaoke spores.
Pinocchio is a story brimming with valuable lessons. It’s more than just not telling a lie or your nose will get longer. There are lessons about unconditional love of a father to his son, that children must obey their parents (they only want the best for them), they should not skip school (or they will turn into donkey), be nice and their wish will be granted (by the Blue Fairy) and lastly, this insight : that children are impressionable and vulnerable, they need to be protected from unkind people like the Coachman or the Cat and the Fox in the play.
The event was a fund-raising activity of the Association for the benefit of its Accounting scholars from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.