Tinay Goes Theater-ing

Hello guys! Diary entry ko ito, actually. Kaso kaso kasi, gagawa rin naman ako ng blog post, tinamad na akong gumawa ng ibang composition. Kaya kung ano yung nasa journal ko, yun na rin yung ilalagay ko dito. Hehehe #tamad lang ang peg. Hahaha!

Nung Sabado, nagpunta ako sa show ng TAP (Theater in Alternative Platforms) - yung Ampalaya Monlogues nila, at nanood din ako ng Wicked. Actually, dapat hindi naman ako pupunta sa Ampalaya Monologues, may class kasi ako. Kaso, nagkasakit yung prof namin, so wala akong gagawin mula 12 noon hanggang 8pm; kaya nagpunta na ako sa show ng TAP.

Ampalaya Molonogues

Bes, ibang klase ang utak ni Mark Ghosn! Ang galing niyang magsulat! Lahat yata nung monologues siya yung sumulat - kung anim o walo yun. Different scenarios, iba't ibang hugot, iba't ibang lebel ng pag-ibig at heartbreak, gawa ng iisang utak! May tungkol sa pakikipag-away sa kabit gamit ang metaphors ng teaching, may young love, may cross cultural love, may proposal, meron ding pag-accept na dalawa sila sa puso ng jowa niya (shunga ba si koya or what?), basta bes, PERFECTION! Talagang masasabi mong antaba ng utak ni Kuya Mark!

Tapos, super friendly nilang lahat! Kahit hindi ko sila kilala (lahat) at hindi rin nila ako kilala pa (kasi hindi pa naman nakakapag-introduction kineme), naramdaman kong welcome naman ako kahit paano! 

Ay siyempre, nagtaka naman kayo bakit FC ako sa TAP. Sumali kasi ako sa internship kineme nila, at nung Sabado yung unang beses kong sumama sa event nila as part of the internship kemeroo.

Ang pinaka-ikinatuwa ko ay yung theater experience. Matagal na kasi since na-involve ako sa theater prod - Tick, Tick... BOOM! pa. So, yung pakiramdam na hirap na hirap akong magpalobo ng balloon (yung di ko alam kung magkaka-beke ba ako o aatakihin ng hika) at ang kaakibat na hirap ng pagbubuhol nung lobo, yung ticket at merch sales, at pag-surround sa sarili ko ng theater people, perfect talaga! Nakaka-miss, iba sa feeling, gusto kong ulitin ulit :)

Seasonal ang shows nila, dapat abangan niyo at manood kayo. Eto yung links sa Facebook pages nila, para updated kayo:

TAP - Theater in Alternative Platforms

Ampalaya Monologues

Wicked

So, Wicked. Wicked was... well, wicked! Hahaha! Another perfection itu! Ano ba naman kasi ang i-expect mo sa international prod? Kapag hindi perfection, ay magdemand ka ng refund! Charot!

May mechanical dragon sila sa set (na medyo naloka ako kung bakit meron dahil as far as I saw, wala namang ibang function yung dragon bukod sa manakot... baka yun talaga ang purpose niya) na gumagalaw talaga! At least, yung ulo, kamay, at pakpak. May pagflash pa ng ilaw sa mata. Pati yung contraption ng ulo ng wizard, epic din. Ang talagang iniisip ko ay kung paano ginawa at pinapagalaw yun. Yung buong set nila, amazing talaga! World class!

Malayo kasi yung seat ko, so hindi ko gaano kita yung mga mukha nung actors. May chance tuloy akong i-imagine na sina Kristin Chenoweth at Idina Menzel yung gumanap bilang Glinda at Elphaba. In fairness, yung actress na gumanap na Glinda, hindi mahirap na i-imagine na si Kristin Chenoweth - magkatunog sila eh!

ANG GALING NILANG KUMANTA, BES - EFFORTLESS! Usually kasi di ba, kapag high note (lalo na for Glinda na manipis ang boses), masakit pakinggan, tipong nakakarindi. But not for the Wicked cast. Kahit putok-litid ang Defying Gravity, pay pagka-soft pa ring pakinggan. Yung feeling/ramdam mong minamani lang niya yung pagkanta.

Bago ko pa napanood yung show, aware na ako sa ilang kanta ng Wicked. Pero mas na-appreciate ko yung mga kanya nung napanood ko na yung show. Ramdam ko talaga yung message ng For Good, mangiyak-ngiyak nga ako eh. Kahit nga kaninang umaga nung pinanood ko yung pagkanta nila Idina at Kristin ng For Good, naiiyak pa rin ako eh. LOL, ang senti ko. The feels din yung Defying Gravity. Dati pa namang the feels yung kantang yun, pero iba kasi yung makita mo ng live at maintindihan mo yung konteksto nung kanta. Pero ang favorite at current LSS ko ay yung Popular. Light lang kasi yung kanta, mababaw, nakakatawa, at ang cute kantahin (or at least, i-attempt kantahin) - basta, fun song talaga. Eto yung Youtube clip ng Popular.

Pero more than the amazing songs, beautiful sets and costumes, at siyempre magaling na performers, na-realize ko yung social relevance nung musical; particularly sa line exchanges na 'to:

GLINDA: Well, I'm a public figure now! People expect me to --

ELPHABA: Lie?

GLINDA: Be encouraging!

Kung tutuusin, parang wala lang yung lines, pero bes, malalim eh. Lalo na sa konteksto nung play, kung saan nalaman ni Elphaba na fraud yung wizard at gusto niyang isiwalat yung katotohanan. Pero ang nangyari, binaligtad nila yung kwento at pinagmukhang masama si Elphaba. Siyempre, may credibility yung wizard at nagalit yung mga tao kay Elphaba.

Di ba ganun din ang gobyerno natin? Kapag may nakaalam ng kurapsyon, malamang sa hindi, malalagay sa panganib yung tao. Or kung hindi man, pahirapan maghanap ng ebidensya na talagang may kurapsyon. At tayo naman, mas gusto nating makarinig ng words of encouragement kaysa sa mga realidad. Kaya nga maraming nagagalit sa media dahil laging 'bad news' ang nirereport.

Yan ang gusto ko sa entertainment industry eh, hindi lang sa musical theater - may capability para magbukas ng diskurso na tungkol sa makabuluhang bagay sa paraang ma-eenjoy; hindi lang basta sa pamamalita sa dyaryo, radyo, o TV, na hindi appreciated ng lahat (marami kayang nagpapatay ng TV kapag news na). Sana lang, gamitin ito ng Philippine entertainment industry nang magkaroon naman ng saysay yung mga palabas sa TV at pelikula.

Eto yung vlog ko tungkol sa araw ko nung Sabado! Enjoy!

Let's be in one big happy family!

Subscribe to my Youtube channel :)

Like my Facebook page :)

Follow me on Twitter :)

Follow me on Instagram :)

Add me on Snapchat :)

Velma and Roxie Rock Manila!

 I was really supposed to watch Chicago the Musical on December 16, but because of some family matters, I got to watch the uber wonderful play last December 12.

Because I am a huge fan of Bebe Neuwirth (who originally played Velma Kelly in the 1996 revival), I was super excited to when I learned that Chicago is in town. I have seen videos of Bebe as Velma on Youtube and I was mega excited to see the choreography of Ann Reinking in person. And when I got there, I know I was in for a wonderful time.

When the curtains raised and one of the members of the ensemble said "Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see a story of greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery... all the things we hold near and dear to our hearts. Thank you," tears welled up in my eyes. When the orchestra started playing the overture of Chicago, was practically crying. And when Velma came up, I was dead.

The ensemble danced so effortlessly that even though I know that the choreography were ultra hard, the ensemble made it look as easy as walking. I was pleased and surprised to learn that after all these years, they retained Ann Reinking's wonderful choreography. Of all the dance numbers, I was really looking in seeing Velma's dancing. One because I have seen Bebe do it in the Youtube videos, and two because I know they were complicated and I want to see them live. However, I was a bit disappointed when I Can't Do It Alone came and the complicated dance steps were replaced with less complex steps.

Bianca Marroquin, the actress playing Roxie was such a good comedienne, all her cracks bite so hard that I was laughing like crazy all throughout the play. I guess Terra MacLeod, the one playing Velma, was good, but sorry I am biased with Bebe Neuwirth's performance. Haha! When I saw online that Bebe played Mama Morton just recently, I was half hoping that she will come to the Philippines and perform, so obviously I was a bit disappointed. But it is okay though, Roz Ryan was good. C. Newcomer, the guy playing Mary Sunshine, yes the GUY, was a great surprise for me. I thought Mary Sunshine is a girl. Jeff McCarthy, the guy who plays Billy Flynn was also good but I think his dancing is a bit awkward, I think I like Richard Gere (the Billy Flynn in the movie) better.  Jacob Keith Watson who plays Amos Hart was so good that I really pity Amos for being married to Roxie and being neglected his whole life. As for the ensemble, well I cannot comment on them because they were just perfect. They danced in seamless synchronicity, they move so effortlessly, and they made me want to learn how to dance jazz.

Though most of the souvenir items sold were quite expensive (for me only though), I was very lucky that my mother lent me some money and I got to buy a souvenir program which has Bebe Neuwirth's pictures! Yey!!

Guys, you still have several shows to watch. Chicago the Musical is up in Solaire Restort & Casino until December 21, 2014 from Tuesdays to Sundays. Just go to the website of TicketWorld.

Bye, Dani Girl! Thank you!

Last Sunday, July 27 The Sandbox Collective's Dani Girl's last night to stage. It was a wonderful experience being able to usher for most of their shows. On my last blog post titled Dani Girl in Manila, I 'reviewed' Dani Girl. Now, I will just post the perks I had for ushering for Dani Girl.

Congratulations to all the cast and crew of Dani Girl!

Meet the everyone who made Dani Girl possible

Anna Santamaria, Ejay Yatco, Mitzie Lao, Luigi Quesada, Kayla Teodoro, Rebecca Coates, Toff De Venecia, Reb Atadero, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez, Pamela Imperial, Maronne Cruz, Kuya Marcel, Khal, Bym Buhain (not in the photo)

  
Meet the cast of Dani Girl

 

Rebecca Coastes as Danica Lyons

Mitzie Lao as Danica Lyons

Shiela Valderrama-Martinez as the Mother

Pamela Imperial as the Mother

Luigi Quesada as Marty

Reb Atadero as Raph and Marty

Loy Martinez as Raph

Mr. Fritz

Celebrity Sightings!

Audie Gemora

Nikki Valdez

Shamaine Buencamino

Nonie Buencamino

Aicell Santos

Benjamin Alves

Micah Muñoz

Aga Muhlach

Charlene Gonzales

Cris Villonco

Carla La Forteza

Christine Bersola-Babao

And...

Lea Salonga

Dani Girl in Manila

My wonderful exposure in theater during my internship last summer at 9 Works Theatrical brought me to a yet another wonderful theater experience this month - ushering for The Sandbox Collective's Dani Girl: A Musical Good for the Soul.

The Sandbox Collective is a Manila-based performing arts theater collective. It is also 9 Works Theatricals's sister company. And for its first project, The Sandbox Collective staged the off-Broadway musical Dani Girl: A Musical Good for the Soul as pert of their RE:Imagined program, directed by Toff De Venecia.

Dani Girl is about 9-year old girl named Danica Lyons who is battling leukemia. Throughout the play, Dani finds different ways to answer the question "Why is cancer?" in order for her to get her hair back, with the help of her friend, who is also a cancer patient Marty, her guardian angel Raph, and her beloved teddy bear called Mr. Fritz.

Having watched the show since the Press Preview (I only missed 2 shows, so that is 11 shows seen in total), I can say that I am now able to critique (in some way) the performance. Well, in all honesty, there is nothing to critique and there are a lot of things to commend. Take the set for example, it is superb. The stage were divided into three strategic levels, symbolizing the reality and the imagination of Dani, only to be separated by a small space. I think this somehow shows that there is only a fine line that separates the reality and the imagination, and it is up to you to decide which side you will live by. There is of course, the glass surrounding most of the stage. For me, its purpose is to show that everything is visible, but that does not mean everything is at our hand's reach. For me, it somehow presents the cliche "so near, yet so far". And who can forget the dragon? In totality, the set, specifically the imagination part of the set were conceptualized so creatively that I would not have imagined the story of Dani as such. It is super impressive.

Then there is the music of Ejay Yatco, originally made by Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond. The songs transported the viewers into places no one has ever imagined. They also made the audience laugh as Pablo gives his rap, but is also made us cry when God sings Requiem. Dani Girl really is indeed a musical good for the soul.

And lastly, the actors. I am no expert but I can say that they are super duper great. Rebecca and Mitzie's performances as Dani were so great that I sometimes think that they really are Dani. Luigi and Reb as Marty made the audience laugh as he show how movie geek he is. But I think everyone agrees that the life and soul of the party is Reb and Sir Loy as Raph who has 13 incarnations throughout the shows. For me, the best characters of Raph is Tommy the Schoolboy and Pablo the... well, you must watch Dani Girl to find out who Pablo is. And there is of course the compassionate Mother of Dani. Both Ms. Shiela and Ms. Pamela tore my heart as she bids Dani goodbye. And it quite irritates me that even though I already seen Dani Girl 10 times, never has it failed to make me sport a big bunch of wet tissue after each show.

Dani Girl is starred by Rebecca Coates as Dani, Mitzie Lao also as Dani on selected performances, Luigi Quesada as Marty, Reb Atadero as Raph and also as Marty on selected shows, Loy Martinez as Raph on selected performances, Shiela Valderrama as the Mother, and Pamela Imperial also as the Mother on some shows. Dani Girl: A Musical Good for the Soul still has two shows left (tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night), so buy your tickets now! It is a show worth watching.

  

 

 

 

 

Last Friday's cast (from Left to Right): Reb Atadero, Rebecca Coates, Loy Martinez, and Pamela Imperial

with Mitzie Lao, the other actress playing Dani

with Shiela Valderrama who also plays the Mother

with Luigi Quesada, the other Marty

with Pamela Imperial who plays the Mother

with Rebecca Coates, the actress playing Dani

with Reb Atadero, who plays Raph and Marty

I also would like to congratulate in advance all the cast and crew of Dani Girl: A Musical Good for the Soul for having a magnificent run! Until your next show!

By the way, I would like to thank Ms. Camille and Ate Gabby for giving me this wonderful opportunity of ushering for Dani Girl. I am once again smitten by theater and each night, the happiest memory would be having the chance to have the autographs and pictures of known people in the industry and of course having been able to watch a super great show. I just love the theater!

Grease is the World

I could have blogged this last Sunday but due to my sudden sickness, I will only upload this now. Don’t worry, I’m fine now. 

Okay, so last Saturday, November 30, 2013, I was able to watch 9 Works Theatrical’s ‘Grease’ at RCBC Plaza. When I first entered the Carlos P. Romulo theater, I was shocked, I felt a sudden déjà vu of my first experience watching a play (Mamma Mia! at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo in CCP) – I was seated at the topmost seat, near the aisle. Looking down to the orchestra made me a bit dizzy. But after a while, I got accustomed to the view and started appreciating the theater. As I observe, the theater slowly filled up and moments before the show started, the theater was jam-packed that during the intermission, it is a bit hard to get inside the restroom.

Then the lights dimmed and the show began – it was so awesome! The play was a bit different from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s Grease, but their difference did not make the production less impressive, in fact I can say that it was better! One difference of the production from the original screenplay was the rearranged sequence of the songs. Instead of having Rizzo sing “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” during the girls’ sleepover, she sang it in a school scene. The famous song of Sandy, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” was sung during the school ball instead of the girls’ sleepover. And lastly, “We Go Together” was sung before the school ball and as the last number, instead of having it solely as the last number.

Another difference was the changed singer and receiver of few songs like “Grease Lightning” and “There are Worse Things I Could Do”. In the production, Kenickey was the one who sang “Grease Lightning” instead of Danny and Rizzo sang “There are Worse Things I Could Do” to Sandy instead of Kenickey.

The last difference I noticed was the little change in the book: Chacha was less significant in the production, unlike in the movie wherein she stole Danny from Sandy. Speaking of Sandy, she was not present in the school ball. She sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” in a soliloquy manner while the kids in the school ball danced to it. The cheerful cheerleader (Sab Jose) was given more emphasis in the play. There was also the absence of the race scene which was understandable – how on earth will you stage that in a theater? Lastly, instead of having Kenickey learn about Rizzo’s false pregnancy in a drive inn, he learned it during a night out with the gang (Danny missing and Sandy present because ‘You are only invited because we need your player’ according to Rizzo).

Now to the technicals. The most impressive thing about the production was the lightings they used. The whole stage was framed by lights and there are always the colorful effect lights that made the play livelier than ever. I can honestly say that the production was definitely child-friendly; too bad the season was over. The most effective lighting was done during the school ball. That scene is just so hard to describe, the only thing I can say is that IT WAS SOOOOOOOOO AWESOME!

Another impressive technicality was the live band. Initially, I thought that since the theater was quite small, and there was no pit, there will be no live accompaniment… boy was I wrong. Once the curtain was raised, the live band was revealed. They were sitting on a mezzanine-like structure above the stage. And when they started playing, ‘Grease’ was modernized – the setting was still made as if it was the 50’s or 60’s but the music was more rock-like.

The casts’ costumes were just so cute. They were made to the liking of the 50’s and 60’s fashion, which I honestly like and wish to wear.

Let us discuss now the actors. My gosh! They are just so awesome! They have impressive sets of lungs and wonderful voices, most especially Francheska Farr who played Sandy. In all honesty, I was a bit doubtful when I learned she was playing Sandy. But when the curtains raised and she and Gian Magdangal who played Danny entered the stage, my doubts flew out the window – she was sooooooo good! Speaking of Gian Magdangal, he was just perfect for Danny. He naturally has this air of slight airiness that Danny has (well, at least on screen). Rafa Siguion-Reyna played Kenickey and I knew that his mom and grandma were so proud of him. He, together with the girl playing Rizzo (Jennifer Blair-Bianco) was so perfect! They have this effective chemistry that made me convinced with their performance. The rest of the cast were so good which made the production successful.

However, a personal favorite of mine is Sir Franco Laurel who played the Teen Angel (you know, the guy in white who sang “Beauty School Drop Out” to Frenchie). I have only seen him live once in ‘Isa Pang Soap Opera’ in Virgin Labfest 8 at CCP, and a few times on TV, but I can easily say that he is such a great actor and he gave justice to himself through his performance. During his scene, everyone in the balcony was laughing so hard, I guess it meant that everybody was convinced with his portrayal of the Teen Angel.

Whenever I watch Grease at home, as well as when I listen to my playlist of Grease, I would often skip “Beauty School Drop Out”, probably because the Teen Angel then was quite boring. But Sir Franco gave him a new face, making me like the Teen Angel now.

Watching the show made me want to become a performer someday.

Overall, the show was great. Even though I was not really supposed to watch it, I enjoyed myself and I can say that the show was worth watching. For those who were unable to watch it, well, too bad, haha!

The Addams Family Visits Manila

Last, November 23, 2013, I was able to watch The Addams Family A New Musical at Meralco Theater. And to simplify things, the performance was wonderful. I will use my newly learned skills to critique the show.

Let me start with its comparison to the Chicago preview and the Broadway show which were both uploaded in Youtube few years back.  In the Philippine adaptation of the show, four original songs were removed and replace – these were the ‘Where Did We Go Wrong’ (sang by Morticia and Gomez, wondering whether they raised Wednesday right because of her sudden liking for a “normal” boy), the‘Morticia’ (which Gomez sang as he pined for Morticia who declined his request for tango), the ‘Let’s Not Talk About Anything Else But Love’ (sang by Gomez, Mal, and Fester) and its reprise (sang by Gomez, Fester, and Grandma), and finally, ‘In The Arms’ (sang by Mal for Alice after having a moment with Bernice, the pet giant squid of the Addams family). These songs were replaced by differently worded songs to the tune of the Broadway preview’s ‘Passionate and True’, and the album’s ‘Crazier Than You’ and ‘What If’ (though both songs were also used in the Philippine adaptation).

The additional song that I really love was Gomez's "There Are Two Things I Will Never Do". It's just so funny. The song talked about Gomez being torn between his love for his daughter and his wife. Gomez sang this when Wednesday asked him not to tell Morticia that she is engaged. The song went "There are two things I will never do. Say no to my wife and say no to my daughter." Then when Morticia tried to confront him, Gomez had a rendition of the song, making it "There Are Three Things I Will Never Do", in which he enumerated the three as "Lying to my daughter, lying to my wife, and telling either of them the truth." There was actually an attempt to do a third rendition, creating "There Are Four Things I Will Never Do", but Morticia stopped him ("Gomez, stop doing that").

Most of the choreographies were changed, which was not bad at all. After seeing the Chicago preview and the Broadway show on Youtube, a new choreography is rather pleasing to the eyes. The book was also modified, merging some of the script of the Chicago preview with the script of the Broadway show, and also having additional script. The story itself was modified a bit as well, instead of Gomez and Morticia being caught off guard to Wednesday and Lucas’s engagement, the Philippine adaptation had Morticia the one to be caught off guard and Gomez knew all about the engagement. Gomez’s Full Disclosure was different as well, making me miss the goat, plum, and crow humor of Gomez, but still, Gomez was wonderful as always.

Now let’s go to the technicals – lights, sounds, set and props, and costumes. The play of lights was simply wonderful, most especially during the opening number (‘When You’re an Addams’). The lights gave the whole show the perfect drama each scene requires. And as a student studying DRM102 (Directing and Production), I cannot wait to get my hands on the technical table, especially the lights panel and experiment on it. Now to the sounds… my golly, the sounds were spectacular. Last Saturday, I realized why the tickets were prized as such, the orchestra was live! Each cent I spent to watch the production was just worth it, the performance itself was wonderful and to have a live orchestra – it was just perfect! Frankly, I did not know that there will be a live orchestra, but when I saw a man tuning his bass, I realized that the accompaniment was live and I knew right then and there that I was in for a wonderful show (and I was not disappointed). The set and props were as amazing as the performance itself. I just love to see the backdrops dropping and rising from the pulleys attached to the ceiling above the stage (what on earth were they called? Sorry!). The dead trees were realistically made, actually, everything looked real. I especially liked the couch and the side table with a bust, it looked just like the one used in the Broadway show. But what I liked the most was the ‘Pulled’ scene. I love the effect of how Pugsley was electrocuted by Wednesday. And finally the costumes, the most notable costume was Morticia’s. It was different from Bebe Neuwirth’s and Brooke Shields’s which was purplish-black. The biggest difference in Eula Valdez’s costume was the wired hem of the dress. I believe that the production wanted to recreate the old cartoon’s dress, but I feel Morticia had a hard time walking in that dress. However, for the second act, Morticia had a different dress, allowing her to dance for the ‘Just Around the Corner’ and the ‘Tango de Amor’. And Morticia was just so sexy during the ‘Tango de Amor’, when she pulled her dress up, revealing her legs (“Mi Amor! Creature of constant surprises, you have legs!” Gomez said). The other casts’ costumes were appropriate for their character, most especially Grandma. I also found Lurch’s heeled shoes cute, I do not know why.

Finally, to my favorite part, the show itself! I was not disappointed at all. The performance lived up to my expectations. Eula Valdez was sublime as Morticia, I totally envy her figure. After those famous people who portrayed Morticia – Carolyn Jones, Anjelica Huston, Bebe Neuwirth, and Brooke Shields, she ranked up to the perfect Morticia (in my scale). Arnell Ignacio was just perfect for Gomez. You can see none of his comedian self as Gomez, he was simply… well, Gomez. K-La was another story, but I cannot comment much on her since last Saturday was the first time I saw her perform. The same comment goes to most of the cast. Nyoy Volante was surprisingly good. I honestly did not see him as an actor, how much more as an old woman. Watching him as Grandma made me almost forgot that the actor doing Grandma was indeed a man. But the person who really mesmerized me was Carla Guevara-Laforteza who played Alice Beineki. She was such a wonderful actress with a very powerful voice. Of all the songs in the show, I believe that the hardest song to sing was ‘Waiting’ and Ms. Carla Guevara-Laforteza did it so well. When I was watching the Chicago preview on Youtube, I did not care much about Alice, but after seeing her perform, I fell in love with Alice. And I think I have a new idol.

For those who are theater fanatics like me, I suggest you watch The Addams Family A New Musical. The show really is worth watching.