WE are now down to 32 days before Christmas, have you already thought about the gift you will give to your loved ones?

In case you are still pondering on your present, here’s an idea for you: a gift does not always have to cost a pretty penny to make important individuals in your life happy.

You just have to look within yourself and your surroundings to find the true meaning of gift giving, according to the lead cast members of the family-oriented musical “Sandosenang Sapatos.”

“Sandosenang Sapatos” is the second production in Tanghalang Pilipino’s 37th theater season, following Chris Millado’s “Anak Datu.” 

Based on the children’s book written by Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, the musical centers on a wheelchair-bound girl named Susie, whose goal is to fulfill her father’s dream to have a ballerina daughter.

Despite not having legs, Susie still receives shoes as gifts from her father who is a shoemaker.

Family’s love

In an interview with republicasia during the musical’s opening night at the CCP Black Box Theater, Floyd Tena, who plays the role of Tatay, defined what gift giving truly means in “Sandosenang Sapatos.”

“You don’t need to buy expensive gifts just to make your loved ones happy. If you just open your senses—your eyes, your heart, they’re just around you. You just have to accept what is there around you,” the theater actor said.

“It’s the love of your family. You may not choose it, but they will be there for you no matter what,” he added.

Felicity Kyle Napuli, who is one of the actresses who play the role of Susie, agreed with Tena and said that people don’t have to look further to find the love they deserve.

“It could be within you, it could be within your family, and hindi mo kailangang maghanap sa society ng validation,” she said.

The 16-year-old theater actress said this as a reminder to some individuals who tend to develop insecurities, especially in the digital era today where almost everything can be seen and shared through the internet.

“It’s within you already and it’s within your unit which is your family, your friends. At hindi mo kailangan maghanap sa social media for the validation that you want,” she added.

Tena echoed this and said that people would find everything they need if they just looked closely at their hearts.

“Sometimes, we’re blinded by a lot of things around us na, ayun nga, parang we tend to make things complex by involving a lot of elements like money, ‘di ba?” he said.

“Buksan niyo lang ‘yung puso ninyo, nandyan lahat ng mga kakailanganin niyo,” he continued.

Overcoming frustrations

Aside from unveiling the true meaning of gift giving, “Sandosenang Sapatos” also showed the frustration that Susie felt as she couldn’t fulfill her dad’s dream because she was born with no legs.

Like her character, Napuli had her own challenges, particularly when the COVID-19 pandemic happened. The global outbreak took a toll on her singing career, which she was forced to pause for two years.

But with the help of her voice teacher, Napuli was able to bounce back from this obstacle. She went back to taking voice lessons to gain her stamina and other singing techniques.

“Ang dami kong natutunan and unlearn stuff as well. That’s a frustration of mine, but thankful ako sa voice teacher ko na si teacher Mia na nagawan namin ng paraan,” she said.

There are also other young individuals who are feeling frustrated as they try to attain their goals in life. But Tena, who is a father to a 12-year-old boy, would like to remind them that some parents would already be glad just by seeing their children happy.

“Sometimes, they really dream big and that’s okay. But you know? Ako masaya ako kung masaya yung anak ko,” he said.

“If it means that tuparin niya kung ano man gusto niyang gawin, kung ano man yung trabahong gusto niyang gawin in the future, as long as masaya siya at wala siyang naaapakan na ibang tao, masaya na ang parents non,” he added.

Tena also believes that the Lord will always guide them every step of the way and help them overcome the challenges they will face.

A new ‘Sandosenang Sapatos’

This year’s theater season of Tanghalang Pilipino is the second rerun of “Sandosenang Sapatos.” It was first staged in 2013 and was directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio.

Although this is a restaging, the musical has a lot of new things to offer to theater fans, according to Napuli.

“I could say almost everything is new, except, of course, yung core of the story. Same heart, parehas na touching, but it’s definitely new choreography, new costumes, new cast,” she said.

The musical also has a lot of new interpretations that viewers should look forward to, Napuli added.

Napuli and Tena invited everyone to watch the heartwarming musical that will surely bring tears to their eyes at the CCP Black Box Theater in Manila.

“Ito ay tungkol sa totoong kahulugan ng pagbibigay ng regalo sa isa’t-isa at naniniwala ako na kailangan lang ng patnubay ng magulang at mga kaibigan na nagmamahal sa kanya para matupad niya ang kanyang mga pangarap,” Tena said.

“Sandosenang Sapatos” will run until December 3.