I am rather embarrassed and sorry for myself that I have only seen one zarzuela — mind the old Spanish spelling, that's how long ago it was. I watched Walang Sugat while I was posted for a decade in the United States in a previous life. To make matters worse, I frequented West End plays and other concerts of choice in the United Kingdom when I was a London resident for almost 15 years. This is not counting the trips to New York, where Broadway shows were integral parts of our itineraries.

But sad to say, there were no other variants of the traditional Philippine melodic genre. So when dear friend from way back when and present Cultural Center of the Philippines president Margie Moran Floirendo invited me to an evening of sarsuwelas — note the Filipino spelling — I had to redeem myself and immediately grabbed the opportunity.

Sarsuwela is the Filipino version of the Spanish art form which alternates musical and spoken scenes, together with operatic and dance numbers.

The CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gomez, commonly known as the Black Box Theater, played host to masters of the musical craft for a grand night of lyrical and melodical excellence, entitled Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela.

"The CCP Out-Of-The-Box: Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela sets in motion our direction to produce pioneering and progressive performances that bridge the gap in our current programming, while developing the most relevant values and benefits that our audiences want and need," Floirendo's playbill message stated.