History Theatre / APortraitOfTheArtistAsFilipino

* GenteelInterbellumSetting: The very genteel, Hispano-Filipino version of this, set explicitly in October of 1941—two months shy of Pearl Harbour, three months before the start of the brutal Japanese occupation, and three-and-a-half years before the extremely destructive American "Liberation" of Manila, which almost completely levelled the colonial metropolis, as if the countless rapes and skyrocketing death toll suffered by the citizenry weren't enough.

Set in the tragically beautiful, Spanish-colonial Walled City of Intramuros in the late U.S. colonial era, specifically in [[WorldWarII October 1941]], the play is named for the huge, classically-themed self-portrait by the great artist Don Lorenzo Marasigan [[TheMagnificent el Magnifico]], and the rest of the play revolves around his two youngest, unmarried daughters, Paula and Candida, as they debate whether or not to sell off the painting—and the grand, OldDarkHouse they live in—to pay their bills and support their father in his old age, with external pressures from all sides usually telling them to do the smart thing and sell it off.

* LetThePastBurn: [[spoiler:Paula burns the portrait. In doing so, she sets herself and Candida free.]]
** BurnBabyBurn: Overlaps with this, since [[spoiler:the object being burnt is a ''painting'', not the actual house … though it's a ForegoneConclusion that the house will be completely obliterated by American shelling by 1945 anyway]].

* ImpoverishedPatrician: The Marasigans, and painfully so. They used to be among the cream of the crop of colonial Filipino society—living in Intramuros and all—but their status will not help them pay the utility bills now.

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Marasigan siblings all think themselves responsible and each other foolish: Manolo and Pepang see their younger sisters as being too sentimental to sell off the house and/or their father's portrait in order to help him, but Candida and Paula at least care for their father, whilst observing their older siblings cannot even be bothered to send enough money to support him—having splurged the rest on gambling and society events, in the manner of the stereotypical spendthrift Filipino.

* DancesAndBalls: ''Tertulias'', of which there used to be a lot in the Marasigan house, are basically soirees—social gatherings of colonial high society.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: To Creator/JamesJoyce's ''Literature/APortraitOfTheArtistAsAYoungMan''. The parallel seems too much to be coincidental.

Adapted a number of times into film: two examples include a 1962 black-and-white English version directed by Lamberto Avellana, and ''Ang Larawan'', a 2017 Tagalog version in full colour, starring West End veteran Joanna Ampil and Rachel Alejandro respectively as Candida and Paula Marasigan, and Paulo Avelino as Tony Javier.

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Marasigan siblings all think themselves responsible and the others foolish: Manolo and Pepang see their sisters as being too sentimental to sell off the house and/or their father's portrait in order to help him, but Candida and Paula at least care for their father, whilst observing their older siblings cannot even be bothered to send enough money to support them—having splurged the rest on gambling and society events, in the manner of the stereotypical spendthrift Filipino.

* LetThePastBurn: [[spoiler:Paula burns the portrait.]]

* TakeOurWordForIt: Don Lorenzo Marasigan ''[[TheMagnificent el Magnifico]]'' is known by all of Manila society as a famous ''ilustrado'' (intellectual), an amazingly talented elite Filipino painter, and friend and rival of the RealLife master artist Juan Luna, and yet his only artwork ever mentioned explicitly in this play—the eponymous, double-headed self-portrait—is never even shown directly or completely, on stage or on screen. Verges on InformedAbility, though in-universe, Don Lorenzo's talents are not meant to be in question.

* ImpoverishedPatrician: The Marasigans. They used to be among the cream of the crop of colonial Filipino society—living in Intramuros and all—but none of their status will help them pay the bills now.
* TakeOurWordForIt: Don Lorenzo Marasigan ''[[TheMagnificent el Magnifico]]'' is known by all of Manila society as a famous ''ilustrado'' (intellectual), an elite Filipino painter, and friend and rival of the RealLife master artist Juan Luna, and yet the only piece of his art ever mentioned explicitly in this play—the eponymous, double-headed self-portrait—is never even shown directly or completely, on stage or on screen. Verges on InformedAbility, though Don Lorenzo's talents are not meant to be in question.

* InformedAbility: Don Lorenzo Marasigan ''[[TheMagnificent el Magnifico]]'' is known by all of Manila society as a famous ''ilustrado'' (intellectual), an elite Filipino painter, and friend and rival of the RealLife master artist Juan Luna, and yet the only piece of his art ever mentioned explicitly in this play—the eponymous, double-headed self-portrait—is never even shown directly or completely, on stage or on screen.

An English-language Filipino play written in 1951 by author Nick Joaquin. Adapted a number of times into film: two examples include a 1962 black-and-white English version, and ''Ang Larawan'', a 2017 Tagalog version in full colour, starring West End veteran Joanna Ampil and Rachel Alejandro respectively as Candida and Paula Marasigan, and Paulo Avelino as Tony Javier.

* GenteelInterbellumSetting

* OldDarkHouse: The Marasigan house. Its literal darkness becomes a crucial plot element, since Candida and Paula constantly worry about the electric company [[note]]yes, even back in the 1940s, Meralco was already the sole provider of Manila's electric power—as evidenced by its full name: '''M'''anila '''E'''lectric '''R'''ailroad '''a'''nd '''L'''ighting Company[[/note]] cutting off their power, since they're several months behind on payments. At one point, when Paula tries the lights and they don't work, she thinks for a second that what she and Candida had feared has come true at last—at least until Candida looks out the window, and realises the whole Walled City is in darkness, due to a practice blackout.

An English-language Filipino play written in 1951 by author Nick Joaquin. Adapted a number of times into film: two examples include a 1962 black-and-white English version, and ''Ang Larawan'', a 2017 Tagalog version in full colour, starring Joanna Ampil and Rachel Alejandro respectively as Candida and Paula Marasigan, and Paulo Avelino as Tony Javier.