Playwright Extraordinaire Floy Quintos, 63, died just days before his play Grace which is based on the 1948 Lipa Marian apparitions went into rehearsal.

His exquisite play opened on 25th May. Played in mixed Tagalog and English, it intrigues and challenges the viewers. Humanity, faith, politics and cruelty entwine. Playing at PMCS Black Box Theatre.

Supremely talented playwright and director Floy Quintos died from an unexpected heart attack on April 27, 2024.

His final play, 3-years in the writing and development but 8 years in conception, Grace, is currently playing at Makati Circuit BlackBox Theatre until 16 June 2024. I watched the play opening over the weekend. It is based on the events around the 1948 Marian apparition in Lipa Carmel. Sir Floy passed three days before the play was scheduled to begin rehearsals. Understandably, there were many tears from the audience and the crew after the play.

I agree with Fred’s review of this play. The playwright skillfully portrayed the politics, the vested interests, the cold ambition, power, and cruelty of the princes of the catholic church when it came to efforts to deny and wipe the Marian apparition from history. The play combines pure faith, love, jealousy, humanity and human frailty under pressure in the setting of the hierarchical, patriarchal and conservative catholic church. The acting was impeccable, the tension palpable and building. 3 hours passed barely noted.

I left with many questions and wanting to know more; the play leads the audience to suspect that there may have been a coverup. The play is a work of fiction, with the Lat-Castillo family and the Community of Lipa Carmel being in no way connected to the play, as stated clearly in the program. I can see a movie based on this script as well. It is a world class story and production and truly deserves a far bigger stage than that of the PMCS Theatre. Yet the intimacy of that small theatre so appropriately brought the story to life.

Rome ruled the apparitions not to have been supernatural.

Yet here is an account by the Catholic News Agency: of death bed confessions, of Vatican closed files, of a negative ruling, but devotion eventually allowed. Certainly, this is not a straightforward case. My companion for the show was very small when the Lipa events occurred. She visited the Lipa Convent with her father and a group of ladies, but waited with her father in the bus while the ladies did their devotion; her father placed rose petals in the ladies’ bags to tears and wonder, when they returned, sworn to silence.

This play may reawaken interest in the event, its mystery and the possible coverup. Thank you, Sir Floy! I hope you are watching, so proud of this fitting culmination to your esteemed career!