So first, Rak of Aegis...
The moment I entered the theater, all I could think of was WOAH! The set is just so wonderful. Who would have thought that you can put flood and rain in a small place such as a theater? Thanks to the scenographer of Rak of Aegis, Mio Infante. However, the theater of PETA has a downside, since I only purchased a balcony ticket and PETA operates in a first come, first serve manner, it is not easy to secure a good seat (not unless you come extra early). And I think, finding a good seat is also hard even to those who are seated in the orchestra because there are only monoblock chairs and those are not elevated so it is hard to see if you are seated at the back part.
But despite the inconvenience of finding a good seat, the totality of the show was just superb. I was lucky enough to be able to witness Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, and Kakay Bautista in the production. Them, together with the whole cast were just magnificent. They made me fall in love harder to theater, especially to Filipino made musical theater. Their voices were just AWESOME! They brought the songs of Aegis to a whole new level, making those songs transform from the usual videoke hits to something close to our hearts.
It was actually fun to see Isay and Robert act quite antagonistic with each other, given the fact that they are real life wedded couple. And I guess knowing the fact that they are spouses made their characters more kakilig.
I guess what really made Rak of Aegis patok to its audience is because of the reality shown in the play. It was like seeing the reality we are experiencing but not being part of it. The play showed how optimistic we Filipinos are, despite the calamities we are facing. The play also showed that despite the corruption present in our country, there are still other government officials who really care for the community they are representing. But most of all, Rak of Aegis showed the Filipinos' ability to love unconditionally.
My favorite part of the play were during Tolits and Aileen's duet with all those gigantic bubbles, of course the magnificent rain scene, and most of all, Isay and Robert's snide about each other.
Another remarkable person in Rak of Aegis who I think brought everything to life was the guy playing Jewel who also appears in Batang Rizal, which I am sharing next.
My friend Kat was the one who told our Stick-O tropa about Batang Rizal, and it was me, Kat, and another tropa of us, Florian who watched the show which was held at Star Theater at CCP Complex.
The story of Batang Rizal was about Pepe (the young Jose Rizal) time traveled with Pepito (a modern kid) to our present time. Pepito was the first to time travel to Pepe's time and Pepito brought Pepe to present.
Batang Rizal tackled more than the history of our national hero, the play also discussed the power of friendship and what makes bullying so wrong.
The play was very child friendly, fun to watch, and with wonderful set pieces, good songs, and a very good stage management. However, my friends and I were quite skeptic about Pepe's character. Instead of sounding like an innocent child, he sounded more of like Budoy and Nino. Sorry for this comment but I think if the production team of Batang Rizal reads this, they will be able to enhance Pepe's character and make him sound like a child and not like a special child.
But what made me like Batang Rizal despite my skepticism with Pepe's portrayal, was how the show taught me that performing, specifically theater acting, does not just exist for the purpose of entertainment - theater is there to educate people. It is created to teach people things that are not normally and usually discussed in the four walls of the classroom. The play made me realize the reason why I want to become a theater actor - because I want to perform and I also want to teach, and that teaching and performing are not different things.
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Rak of Aegis is still showing so do not miss your chance! Meet everyone from Barangay Venecia :D And coming this September 2014 is PETA's FnL Pinoy Speaks.
THEATER ROCKS!
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