#TheaterPH - Finding Light in Every Bonggang Bagay: A Sunday with Jon Santos and a Thousand Beautiful Things
Some plays entertain. Others shake your core a little. Bawat Bonggang Bagay, The Sandbox Collective’s heartfelt production starring the incomparable Jon Santos, somehow does both—and more.
I watched it on a Sunday afternoon, and the theater was buzzing. Not just with people (nearly full house!), but with energy—gentle, electric, expectant. It's the kind of crowd that tells you something special is about to unfold.
And it did.
Adapted from Duncan Macmillan’s “Every Brilliant Thing,” Bawat Bonggang Bagay is a tender, interactive monologue about a child’s journey to make sense of their mother’s depression—by listing every beautiful thing in the world. The list starts with small joys: ice cream, staying up past bedtime, the color yellow. Over time, these “bonggang bagay” accumulate, evolving as the narrator grows, stumbles, and learns to live alongside grief.
Jon Santos brings not just presence but deep humanity to the role. He moves with humor, vulnerability, and the kind of sincerity that makes you forget you’re in a theater. There are moments where audience members are invited to participate—don’t worry, it’s more heartwarming than terrifying. It’s a shared space of laughter, nostalgia, and unexpected connection.
While watching, I couldn’t help but think of my own “list.” The smell of my dad’s old cologne. Rain on a Sunday nap. A song that brings you back to high school without warning. We all carry these quiet joys, and Bawat Bonggang Bagay gently reminds us to notice them—especially when life feels unbearably heavy.
There was something cathartic in watching it with strangers—smiling through the ache of shared memory. The show doesn't offer tidy answers, but it gifts you a lens to see beauty, even in your darkest corners. It's like a collective exhale we didn’t know we needed.
Here’s the thing, though: this is a limited run(June 14 to 22, 2025). And trust me, it’s not something you want to hear about secondhand. So if you’re reading this, I urge you—go. Bring a loved one. Bring tissues. Leave with a list of your own.
Because sometimes, theatre doesn’t just reflect life—it changes how you walk back into it.
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