Review of Repertory Phils' STEPPING OUT: Therapeutic Tap-Dancing

April 10, 2016

"Stepping Out The Musical' was developed by Richard Harris based on his own 1984 straight play of the same title, with music is by Denis King and lyrics by Mary Stewart-David. It had a respectable run in the UK 1996 to 1998. 

Mavis ran a tap-dancing class every Thursday night, with her pianist Mrs. Fraser. Her students are a motley group of women (plus one guy) who were there to escape the humdrum routine of their daily lives, not really to become great dancers. She has to get them ready for a charity show where they were invited to perform. While Mavis is sensitive to her students' needs, she herself was wrestling problems about her bum of a boyfriend. 

Dorothy is an old maid who spends her days taking care of her invalid mother. Lynne is a nurse taking care of old ladies in a home. Maxine is a motormouth gossip who never loses an opportunity to make a sale. Rose is a flashy "fat and forty" housewife who had styling problems with her hair. Sylvia is an overweight girl with two left feet when dancing. Vera is a fussy British lady with a frank attitude. Andy is an aloof shrinking-violet with an absentee husband. The lone guy Geoffrey is a widower trying to recapture memories of his late wife who loved to dance.

The show is a talky melodrama which delves into the lives of these lonely women (and man). Everything is actually quite garden-variety mundane though, nothing too remarkable. You can get definitely the episodic feel of "The Love Boat" or "Knots Landing" in the cheesy soap-opera dialogue. None of the songs really stick with you after the show, even if some of them sounded good while they were being sung. For me, the best of the 15 songs in the show is "Loving Him," sung by the martyr-wife trio of Vera, Mavis and Andy towards the end of Act 2. But I cannot hum it anymore when I came out of the theater.

The main factor that made these lines and songs succeed in this production was really the performance of the talented Filipino cast.

It was such a joy to see Ms. Joy Virata do comedy again. No matter how annoying her character Vera got, Ms. Joy can pull it off in such a way that you'd smile every time she's on stage. I can never forget that scene when she entered the stage bedecked like a second-place trophy -- precious! 

The role of Mrs. Fraser could have been a walk-on role for a lesser actress. but Ms. Sheila Francisco stole her scenes with her acerbic sarcasm and her idolatry of Irving Berlin. Silver-haired Ms. EJ Villacorta returns to the Rep stage as Maxine after a prolonged absence. She still has very strong stage-presence and singing pipes, which was most evident in her solo number "Just the Same."

There is simply no way to ignore Ms. Bituin Escalante when she is onstage. Standing out is effortless for her, so she is a natural choice as the bombastic Rose. Her spectacular solo spot in Act 1 "Don't Ask Me" is one of the most-applauded numbers of the whole show. 

There is also no way not to notice Raymond Concepcion in the role of the only thorn among the roses, Geoffrey. He has that nerdy gentleman air down pat as required of his role of a shipping insurance guy, and his sensitive side shows when he interacts with the ladies. Mr. Concepcion is very versatile as an actor and singer. The last lead role I saw him tackle was that of transgender Bernadette in "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," alternating with no less than Jon Santos!

The faces in the lead roles were new to me. Angela Pineda (as Mavis) was very realistic as a frustrated dance instructor, both physically (with her grace and posture) and attitudinally (you feel her love for dance). Christine Flores captured the pained anguish of loneliness within her character Andy. Her delicate soprano fit so well with the psychologically-fragile and physically-scarred character she was playing. 

The other ladies in the class were played by Natalie Everett (as Dorothy), Cara Barredo (as Lynne) and Ms. (yes, she's female) David Shawn Delgado (as Sylvia).

"Stepping Out the Musical" is directed by Jaime del Mundo. Musical direction is by Ejay Yatco who led the live orchestra at the pit. The 80s chic leotard costumes were by Mindy Perez-Rubio. The set consisting of the rundown dance hall, the neighborhood cafe and bar was designed by Miguel Faustmann. The lighting design by John Batalla was effective as ever. The tap choreography by Rose Borromeo is fun to watch, especially that grand finale.


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The show runs April 1-24, 2016 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City. Schedules are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8PM, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:30PM. Call 843-3570. Tickets also available through Ticketworld at 891-9999 or ticketworld.com.ph.

Recap and Videos of IL DIVO Amor y Pasion Tour 2016 Manila: Dancing Divos!

April 7, 2016

My wife and I first watched Il Divo back in 2007 when this new pop-opera glamour boy band had their first Manila concert at the PICC (MY REVIEW). That concert was attended by no less than then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  Two years ago, they had another one day concert at the Newport Theater at Resorts World Manila. That one had no less than Ms. Lea Salonga as special guest star. I was not able to watch that one.

This year, the publicity for their new concert was not too aggressive. I did not know about it right away. I did not really think of watching it at first since I had seen them before. However, my aunt wanted to go see them and treated me to go with her. Why would I say No to an offer like that? 

When I bought the tickets at SM Tickets last February, the venue was at the MOA Arena. The cheapest seats were Lower Box, as the Upper Box and GA were not offered. However, by the last week of March, there was some unverified news that the venue had been moved to Meralco Theater. A phone call from Ticketworld just two days ago confirmed this major move. The cheapest lower box seats were now the side balcony seats at the back of the auditorium.

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Since it was a Wednesday night, the concert did not begin on time. By 8 pm, people were still arriving or eating the expensive dinner being served in the lobby. The audience of this concert was decidedly more high-society, well-dressed and well-coiffed. Most of them were ladies and matrons on a girls-night-out, which is Il Divo's target demographic. 

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra (under the baton of Gerard Salonga) began to play the Overture when the house lights dimmed and the video wall began to show images of Il Divo. The quartet came out to the applause of their fans to a tune of familiar opening song -- "Bésame Mucho". I was more excited with the next song because it was a Spanish version of the Gloria Estefan hit "Don't Wanna Lose You," sang with Carlos at the piano. I had not heard this version before, and it was very good.




After this, the guys explained that their new "Amor Y Pasion" show will be departure from their previous concerts because there will be a lot of songs in Spanish and they will actually be dancing. You already get the vibe that this show will be less formal and the guys were goofing off  a lot, cracking jokes. They then sang a series of Spanish songs: "Contigo En La Distancia," "Abrázame," "Quién Será" (their version of "Sway") and "Historia De Un Amor." They ended this set with a big hit of theirs "Caruso."

Throughout the show, each of Il Divo got to sing a solo spot. First up was Swiss tenor Urs Buhler. Honestly his was the most indistinct voice of the group for me since he mostly sang harmonies. It was good that we finally hear him sing on his own. He chose  to sing "Das Land Des Lachelns," an aria made famous by Fritz Wunderlich, a noted German tenor who died at the age of 36. 

The following numbers were all familiar English songs; "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (with the grand background of the presidential palace), "To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before," (with sexy dancing partners) and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (VIDEO).



Spanish baritone Carlos Marin stepped up for this solo spot. His intro was very laid back and funny, confessing that he was the only unmarried guy in the group. Carlos chose to sing Frank Sinatra's "New York New York" with such charm and verve. After his song, the other three came back onstage to sing another Sinatra classic "My Way" to close the first half in spectacular fashion. A 20 minute intermission followed.

Part Two opened with another series of Spanish songs, "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás," "Por Una Cabeza," "Volver" (a tango song). This set ended with their version of Bryan Adams' #1 song "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman", impressively with Urs and Sebastien on guitars. The guys then goofed around some more talking about their tour experience in Latin America and delivering cheesy pick-up lines, very cheesy. LOL! They then sang one of their rare original songs, "Isabel."

With the Eiffel Tower lit in red, white and blue in the background, French pop tenor Sebastien Izambard sang songs from La Môme Edith Piaf, notably "If You Love Me, Really Love Me." He gave such a passionate and strong performance I did not expect from him because he seemed to be quiet and shy than the other three.




The next set of songs was a series of abridged versions of their earliest hits, "Every Time I Look at You," "Mama," "Passera" (my personal favorite Il Divo song), ending with a powerful rendition of "Somewhere" from "West Side Story." I am sure this nostalgia portion was the part many fans enjoyed the most.

For his solo spot, the wacky American tenor David Miller chose to impress the audience with his version of "Nessun Dorma." Boy, did he nail it! He blew us away with his soaring and triumphant rendition. Some people even spontaneously gave him a well-deserved standing ovation. (VIDEO)

The show proper ended with their upbeat version of "Regresa A Mi," the Il Divo version of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart." After clamors for an encore, Il Divo returned on stage with white blazers to sing "Himno de la Alegría" and finally, "Time to Say Goodbye."

Review of LES MISERABLES at Solaire: Somber Yet Still Scintillating

March 27, 2016

When they started selling tickets to this show last September 2015, I made sure I bought tickets on the first day out. However, due to work, I was only able to buy tickets late that afternoon. The run of this show will start March 11, 2016, which was during the kids' final exams. On March 16-23, we were going to be travelling as the family. Therefore March 26 was the earliest Saturday matinee show I could buy at that time, and it was Black Saturday. The only good center seats were already way up in the balcony area, but I grabbed them just the same.

The story (by Victor Hugo, the music (by Claude Michel Schonberg) and the songs of this play (original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, translated to English by Herbert Kretzmer) were very familiar to me already. I had heard and sung along with the soundtrack album way back in the 1980s. In 1993, we watched in awe the Repertory Philippines all-Filipino production staged at the Meralco with Cocoy Laurel as Jean Valjean. That show had the barricades scene done on a rotating stage which was unforgettable for me. In 2012, I rated the film version of the musical by Tom Hooper (with Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean) as my personal pick for the Oscar Best Picture that year.

Jean Valjean went to jail for 19 years for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread. When he was released, he broke his parole and changed his identity, which became cause for the obsessive pursuit of police officer Javert. Years later, he became the owner of a factory where an unfortunate woman named Fantine worked. When Fantine dies, Valjean took it upon himself to adopt her daughter Cosette and raise her like his own. Several years later, when Cosette was a teenager, she meets and falls in love with an earnest student Marius. Then, the tumultuous June Rebellion of 1832 breaks out in Paris.

In this touring production, the performers were a multinational mix from the UK, US and Australian shows. Their exceptional singing voices were as expected, capturing all the familiar vocal styles and timbers we have heard and loved since the Original Cast recording, with the actors giving their roles their own personal nuances.

Aussie Simon Gleeson was a powerful Jean Valjean. Of all his lung-busting song numbers, for me, his best song was the perfectly rendered "Bring Him Home". Broadway's Earl Carpenter matched Gleeson well as the conflicted Javert, with his excellent renditions of "Stars" and "Javert's Soliloquy". Cameron Blakely and Helen Walsh played the irrepressible Thenardiers, very effective as the comic relief antagonists. I was disappointed when I did not see the name of Rachelle Anne Go on the cast list in the theater lobby. For this show, the tragic Fantine was played by Jessica Daley.

Emily Langridge and Paul Wilkins played lovers Cosette and Marius, with Kerrie Anne Greenland as the third wheel Eponine. I really liked how they staged "In My Life" which segued into "A Heart Full of Love" with the gate, the wall, and the balcony. There were no actual furniture on stage for Marius' lament "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" but the drama of the song was not diminished a bit with the interpretation done here with candles. 

The pacing of the show was at a faster than usual clip, with efficient transition of scenes with their respective set pieces. Along with the lighting and smoke effects, the video backgrounds gave a magical illusion depth to many scenes, making them look bigger than the actual limits of the stage. This was best seen in that scene when Valjean carries the injured Marius through the Paris sewers up to the scene when Javert jumps into the River Seine. Too bad there is no rotating stage for the barricades scene in this particular production.

I do not know if I am just imagining it, but the songs were seemingly sung with a faster tempo than I was expecting. I felt this sucked some of the soul out of the Fantine's "I Dreamed a Dream" and Eponine's "A Little Fall of Rain", interpretations which I found oddly lacking. For me, Greenland's interpretation of the iconic song "On My Own" felt more angry than pained, which did not feel right for me. 

Despite seeming too dark or somber, I feel this dramatically-charged production will effectively make you appreciate why this show possesses such timeless appeal.  The show-stopping "One Day More" ending the first act (with the distinctive marching choreography) and the tear-jerking "Finale" (with the ghostly vocal effects) were very well-staged indeed. These two big scenes will really linger in your memory long after the show. 

The extraordinary music and the powerful songs of this musical will definitely endure for generations. Watching this epic musical unfold on stage with live orchestral music and live singing is so much better than just watching it onscreen as a movie or concert video. You simply must hear these people sing LIVE!


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“Les Miserables” opened with a gala night on March 16 at The Theater at Solaire in Parañaque City. It will run up to May 1, 2016. Performances are from Tuesdays to Sundays at 8 p.m. with matinee performances at 2:30 p.m. for Saturdays and Sundays.  Show runs 2 hours, 55 minutes (with one 15-minute interval). 

Tickets are available at ticketworld.com.ph. Prices are as follows: P7,000 for VIP, P5,800 for A Reserve, P4,50) for B Reserve, P3,350 for C Reserve and P1,750 for D Reserve.

Review of 50 SHADES! THE MUSICAL PARODY: Dirty Delights

March 12, 2016

"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James had been criticized for its embarrassing writing style from the time it hit the bookstores. Yet all of those negative criticisms did not prevent it from being a huge bestseller especially among bored housewives of the whole world. The 2015 film version was also much maligned for its further mangling of the already English-mangling book. It was no surprise that parodies of this book popped up in all forms of media in response of its hilariously contrived story and lines. In the past five years there had been three such stage parodies that were spawned. One of them is here right now.

Three ladies, Pam, Bev and Carol were having their book club meeting. Pam suggests “50 Shades of Grey”, and the three enter the world of dorky college virgin Anastasia Steele and her sexually quirky, contract-wielding beau Christian Grey. Of course, being a parody, the script by director Al Samuels picked out all the unintentionally funny parts of the book and blows them up in full LOL effect with blatantly raunchy songs and racy choreography. Theater fans will enjoy the references to "Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables." Assistant director Robbie Guevara of 9Works augmented the script with some witty Filipino pop references (so funny when delivered by the American cast). 

Karel Marquez was a perfect casting choice as Anastasia. Her pretty face and expressive eyes exuded genuine innocence. Her clear Disneyesque voice managed to make her double-entendre filled song of yearning "There is a Hole Inside of Me" actually sound inspirational despite the very naughty lyrics. Those fans who recall her as Gabriella on "High School Musical" or Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" need not worry as this Anastasia does keep most of her clothes on. (US stage actress Brenna Wahl alternates in this role.)

The big "surprise" of this parody will be the way they portray Christian Grey. When I saw that Lorenz Martinez was going to play Grey, I cannot imagine how it would be. Seeing this actor in films like "Heneral Luna" and serious musicals like "Lorenzo Ruiz" and "Secret Garden," I felt Martinez did not exactly fit the book description of how Grey was supposed to look like. From his first scene though, you'd totally get the seeming casting anomaly and how it was comedy gold. His solo number "I Don't Make Love" is practically X-rated, not only because of profanity it contains and perversion it celebrates, but also for that shameless torso-baring red singlet he wore throughout that number. (American alternate Greg Kata played Grey in the Las Vegas version so it also should be interesting to see his attack on the role.)

Bituin Escalante is as scene-stealing as ever because of her strong stage presence and stronger vocal chops. Good thing she had that one spot solo in one of the ensemble song numbers and she makes those few minutes some of the most memorable in the whole show. As the depressed and repressed housewife Carol, Escalante would delight us with her comic antics, especially when Carol "blooms" towards the end, aggressively engaging a young guy from the audience.

Tall, statuesque Chloe Williamson plays Pam. She surprised the unexpecting audience when she rips out her Idina Menzel-like vocal calisthenics in Act 2 when she leads the singing of the show's main theme song "50 Shades."  Kaitlyn Frotton gets to play two characters, housewife Bev and Anastasia's slutty roommate Katherine. She is game and funny, especially in that wild side scene with fellow cast member Chris Hodgson and one audience member from the front row. 

When you see him onstage, you'd think George Schulze, who plays Anastasia's flamboyant admirer Jose, was one of the foreign cast because of his looks. However, this guy is actually Filipino, and had been a professional stage actor since 2008. Admittedly, I had only noted him once before in "A Horse and His Boy" where he had a very minor role. His turn as Jose gave Schulze a much bigger opportunity to display his flair for comedy and singing. 

Chris Hodgson, Isaac Saleh and Casey Rogers played the minor side characters, as well as helped moved the furniture and various set pieces on stage. However, they are really eye-catching mainly because of their barely-there costumes. In fact, in most posters and promo pictures of the show you see them (and their chests and abs) to catch the audience's attention, and not really the main actors.

The nature of this show is not a secret. This show is about sexual deviancy so expect it to be frank and graphic about it. This is definitely not for closed-minded, ultra-conservative prudes. Yes, some cheesy jokes and suggestive song lyrics may make you groan. It is a parody after all, so do not expect high-brow stuff. For the most part though, the humor is surprisingly good-natured and light-hearted. The actors were all engaging and genuinely having fun and this was infectious. For people who are open about these adult themes as well as vulgar, risque comedy, this can be fun show to watch and enjoy. 


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"50 Shades! The Musical Parody" was only supposed to run from February 12 -28, 2016. However, because of audience demand, it had continue to run in March, and will continue to show up to next weekend: March 18 (8 pm), March 19 (5 pm and 8 pm) and March 20 (Palm Sunday, 3 shows 2 pm, 5 pm and 8 pm.). Show venue is at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater at the RCBC Plaza in Makati. Show is Rated R-18.

TicketS via Ticketworld. Prices: VIP FRONT ROW: Php 5,000.00, VIP: Php 4,500.00, ORCHESTRA CENTER: Php 4,000.00, ORCHESTRA SIDES: Php 3,500.00, LOGE: Php 2,500.00, BALCONY: Php 1,500.00.

Review of Repertory Phils ALMOST, MAINE: Quaint and Quirky

March 1, 2016

It was a Saturday night when I went to catch this show on its second weekend. While I have attended shows where the Onstage Theater was not full, but this one was the saddest attendance I have seen. I was dismayed to see that there were less than twenty people inside when I entered the auditorium. The Rep really needs to improve their publicity it seems, especially for shows with a relatively obscure title or playwright. There was so little I see about this new play of theirs in regular or social media. Nevertheless, the stage looked very good, so I was determined to stay and enjoy their show, as I usually do. 

The stage only had one big square platform in the middle, and every other surface was coated in white to simulate snow. I thought this set design by Coco Anne and Baby Imperial was simple yet very well done. Together with the windy sound effects (by Jethro Joaquin), the bluish lights and the "steam" behind the characters (by John Batalla), the winter illusion was complete and realistic. The emptiness of the auditorium made the desolation of the setting even more felt.

"Almost, Maine" by John Cariani is a collection of unrelated vignettes about 21 characters who lived in an imaginary town in the northeasternmost tip of the US, where winters were harsh and where the Northern Lights play in the sky. There were only two characters in each scene, except one with three. All the scenes tackled various aspects of love -- falling into love, falling out of love, regretting love, hurtful love, hopeful love, affirming love. These 21 characters were played by 4 actors, upon whose charisma the success of this simple yet whimsical play rests.

Reb Atadero is really very good in playing eccentric characters, just like he did in his breakthrough role of Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate" (also by Rep 3 years ago). Among the four actors on the stage, I thought Atadero was best able to project the strangeness of the situations being depicted in the vignettes assigned to him. He was very good as East in the scene called "Her Heart" and as Danny in the scene called "Story of Hope". He had this Jesse Eisenberg vibe going on which makes his stand out from the rest.

Jamie Wilson is such a veteran already with all these unusual roles he is given to play. Only he could have pulled off the role of Pete in that weird "Prologue-Interlogue-Epilogue" scenes or as Steve in the scene called "This Hurts" with his trademark teddy-bear innocence and charm. Wilson's age may sometimes get in the way of roles like Chad in "They Fell" or Dave in "Seeing the Thing", where a younger millennial actor may have been better cast.

Caisa Borromeo was in three straight scenes in the first act. Her performances were good, but nothing that really grabs you. Her best scene would be that in "Story of Hope" where she really shone as Hope, the girl who goes back to her hometown to finally answer the question of a suitor she left hanging years ago. This was the only scene that I felt chemistry between Borromeo and Atadero, barely felt in their two other scenes together. "Getting It Back," the last scene of Act One also with Borromeo and Atadero, did not work for me.

Natalie Everett works very hard to make her roles pop, but with inconsistent results. I thought the role of Rhonda in "Seeing the Thing" was not really fit for her as her acting efforts were very evident. That scene was not comfortable for me to watch and it was even the very last scene. However, in total contrast, she was really so good as Marci in the scene called "Where It Went." Her subdued, natural yet powerful performance in that scene alone made up for everything else. 

Overall, Rep's production of "Almost, Maine" as directed by Bart Guingona is an "almost" success. The general feeling is good, but it was a mixed bag. When it works, it really works; but some scenes did not really fly. Being love stories, this depends heavily on the chemistry between the cast members, which was not always there. The various roles assigned to the cast members did not always feel right for them -- be it by look, by age, or by personality --which may affect the success of their scene as it toes the line between cute and corny. 

Still, the script and production as a whole were very charming in their own odd little way, and is certainly worth checking out for fans of quirky rom-com films and plays. This should be seen by more young people for whom themes like these would definitely connect more. That empty Saturday night when I watched it was just a one-off fluke. That really should not happen again in the next two weeks of this play's run. It deserved more love than that.


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“Almost, Maine” plays Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 pm, with Saturday and Sunday matinees as 3:30 pm, until March 13 at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Roxas cor. Legazpi St., Makati City. For tickets, call Repertory Philippines at 8433570 or TicketWorld at 8919999. Ticket prices range from P400 to P800.

Review of Red Turnips' CONSTELLATIONS: Romance and Relativity

February 27, 2016

The Red Turnips new show is being staged in a new theater venue, the Power Mac Center Spotlight Theater, which is located on the second floor of Circuit Lane in Circuit Makati. The venue is elongated with the audience seated on two parallel rows along the horizontal axis of the room with the stage in the middle. There was one main hexagonal raised stage in the middle of the room, with several smaller "stages" scattered on either side. There were nylon cords creating a web around the area occupied by the stages. The whole area is bathed in blue light.

I always look forward to new productions by Red Turnip because the plays they choose to stage are very challenging --  both for the actors to perform and for the audience to take in and digest. This new show "Constellations" definitely fits that mold. This play had only two actors and the words the exchange in their conversations to hold your attention for 80 full minutes straight, hardly anything else. And boy, how they nailed this. My attention was not only held, it was riveted.

The synopsis is very simple, deceptively so. Marianne is an astrophysicist. Roland is a beekeeper. They meet at a party. They fall in love and live together. They deal with various problems life throws at them, from affairs to mortality. This was told in little episodes, not in chronological order. It will be up to you to figure out what their real personalities are. It will be up to you piece the whole story together. 

From the very first scene, you will instantly see how this play was going to be different from anything. The same lines were repeated over and over. However, there would be different responses to the same question. There would be different emotions and voice inflections to accompany the same words.  These differences in delivery or words used, small or insignificant as they would seem, lead to different outcomes. In this play, we actually get to see the various "what-if" scenarios and what happens afterwards. 

The actors for this play practically had to be schizophrenic, quickly shifting from one emotion to another at the ring of a bell. Cris Villonco set the pace for the play with her very fluid shifts from flighty millennial to smart scientist to drama queen. There was no doubt that she could pull this role off, and she certainly did. I have only seen JC Santos in Filipino productions before, so his performance here in English was a remarkable revelation. He was certainly able to keep up with Villonco's frenetic pace and make his own memorable moments. 

Relativity and romance may seem to be an unlikely pairing for a play, but young British playwright Nick Payne shows us that it can be done with astonishing effect. This play debuted in London in 2012 (with Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall) and brought to Broadway in 2015 (with Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal in his Broadway debut), both productions receiving critical acclaim for the actors and the writer. 

For this local version, director Rem Zamora fully harnessed the best of his two actors and presented the material in the most hypnotic fashion. The lights (John Batalla), set (Ed Lacson, Jr.) and sound (Teresa Barrozo) were unobtrusive as they should be for a play like this. Everything had to be toned down in order to fully showcase the actors and their words they say and how they say them. All the technical aspects worked together successfully for this full enhancing effect to create the "multiverse" where this play existed.


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Red Turnip Theater's CONSTELLATIONS opened last February 12, 2016, and will run on weekends until March 6 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Theater in Circuit Makati located at Level 2, Circuit Lane, A.P. Reyes Ave., Makati City. Tickets are available through TicketWorld (all outlets, call 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph) or Red Turnip Theater at redturniptheater@gmail.com. 

Recap and Videos of MADONNA REBEL HEART TOUR MANILA DAY 1: Quintessential Queen!

February 25, 2016

She is an artist whom fans in our country had been wanting to see for the past thirty years. When it was announced middle of last year that Madonna was finally coming to the Manila for a concert, everyone got very excited. The extravagant P58,000 per seat in the VIP section apparently did not matter. The February 24 date quickly sold out. Just like the One Direction and the EX-O concerts before it, a second date was also opened on February 25.

On concert day itself, the MOA Arena was full of very excited fans of all ages, but mostly children of the 80s and 90s whose long wait to see their Queen of Pop was finally becoming a reality tonight. There were fans who dressed up for the occasion. I saw girls who wore the "True Blue" look, the "Cherish" look, the "Like a Virgin" look. I also saw guys who wore "Take a Bow" matador coats, as well as several transvestites who came in very daring "Express Yourself"-style drag outfits.

By 8:30 pm, a lady DJ named #DJMaryMac took to the stage to warm up the audience. Whenever she played songs from the 80s, notably Whitney's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", everybody got excited and even sang loudly along. However, most of the songs she played were of the modern EDM genre. In fact by the one hour mark, people began to get impatient when her set began to last so much longer than typical front acts. Her set ended 1-1/2 hours later at about 10 pm! As her table and gear were being dismantled to clear the stage, a voice announced that we will have to wait 30 minutes more before the show will begin. A loud groan was heard from the audience, and people started to file out of the theater for a snack or souvenir or a trip to the bathroom.

By about  10:45 pm, the house lights were finally dimmed and people started to scream loudly. I personally felt like I had butterflies in my stomach much like I was about to have a big plunge drop on a roller coaster. The anticipation was quite exhilarating at that point.

The opening song "Iconic" (from the "Rebel Heart" album) was the most elaborate concert production number I have ever witnessed, where Madonna entered in a glittery cage. From that opening number alone, you can already see that this will not be an ordinary concert in terms of its elaborate lights, its colorful costumes, its innovative stage design and props, its complex choreography. This was followed by another song from the last album, "Bitch I’m Madonna" (VIDEO) with its Japanese flavor and racy language. With this song, we are already warned that this concert will still be Rated R. Madonna's age of 57 did not mean jher mouth had mellowed in terms of attracting controversy.

Her very early hit "Burning Up" followed next, with Madonna playing an electric guitar centerstage. The next song "Holy Water" had those Catholic images which had long been Madonna's favorite whipping boy. The stage had four poles (which just had to have crossbars near the top) and her dance mates were four dancers dressed like nuns. Her big hit "Vogue" was thrown into the mix to the delight of the audience. This set ended with "Devil Pray" where Madonna was writhing on the floor of the raised stage with her hands tied together by a red rope. 

After an interlude with some elaborate special effects of air and fire, the next set had Madonna and her dancers in an auto mechanic shop in another big dance showcase "Body Shop." She then addressed the surprised audience with a spiel generously peppered with "M-F" bombs! She even wanted the audience to answer her questions with a "F - yeah!" She then took up her ukulele and sang her sweet old song "True Blue". This segued to an energetic rendition of one of my personal favorite upbeat songs, "Deeper And Deeper". 

A metallic spiral staircase appeared over the heart-shaped stage and Madonna performed the dramatic "HeartBreakCity" with one of her male dancers, ending in an impassioned "Love Don’t Live Here Anymore." This set ended with a simple version of her classic signature song "Like A Virgin" but this one had everyone on their feet singing and dancing along. The big productions were reserved for the newer songs she is promoting.

The next interlude had four beds with four couples doing those sexy suggestive moves to the sultry songs "Justify My Love" and "S.E.X." 

Madonna and crew came out in Spanish matador-inspired costumes to perform "Living For Love". This dissolved into another sweet classic "La Isla Bonita" (VIDEO). She walked to the heart stage, put on her acoustic guitar and unexpectedly sang what I thought was her most obscure #1 song, "Who’s That Girl." The next song again had everyone up on their feet dancing and singing at the top of their voices-- "Like a Prayer"! She was very effusive with her thanks to the audience before she sang the title song of the tour "Rebel Heart." 

The next interlude set to the tune of "Illuminati" had the dancers in tuxedos with coat tails. But what set this number apart were the dancers on tall poles who were bravely swaying in all directions. That act was truly breathtaking to witness. 

Renditions of #1 hit "Music" and "Candy Shop" (from the "Hard Candy" album) followed with a 1920s nightclub setting and costumes. Another classic hit "Material Girl" was sung on a hydraulic stage with lighting effects. She then took a small bouquet and threw it to the audience. A girl named Zorina (?) caught it. I thought Mads would call her up on stage, but oddly this did not happen. Madonna then sat on a raised mini-stage in the middle of the central stage, and surprised the audience by solidly singing a French torch song "La Vie en Rose." 

Her dancers then escorted a tall blonde-wigged transvestite chosen from the audience to dance "Unapologetic Bitch" with the Gay Icon herself. After the number, Madonna chatted with her giddy guest, who called herself "Super Starlet" (VIDEO). Again, the conversation took a raunchy turn when Madonna naughtily gave Super Starlet a banana and a straw as gift souvenirs. Then the words "Bye Bitch" was shown onscreen, and everyone just cleared out of the stage without warning.

The house lights were not yet being turned on, so the audience knew there would be another song at least to end the show. It would be her joyous early hit "Holiday." Madonna courted controversy here by wrapping a Philippine flag around her waist while dancing. I was really hoping the flag would not touch the floor as it dangerously swayed down so closely. She eventually gave the flag to one of the dancers. These dancers would later display the flag horizontally with red side up, which they corrected promptly, thankfully. The song ended with Madonna being lifted upwards by a cable, where she bid her final goodbyes. The show ended at exactly 1 am, making it the latest show I have ever seen.

This would count as one of the most unforgettable concerts I have seen, and you know I have seen a lot. The lights, graphics, stage design, choreography were out of this world. (I know I should already expect anything from Madonna, but the bad language can still be sort of off-putting, until you eventually get used it being repeated so often throughout the show, up to her very final words while hanging on the cable.) Her vocals were not really the highlight here, but it was her grandiose showmanship and her one-of-a-kind artistic vision joyously celebrated in her music and dance. This extravagant and ostentatious show of the Queen was indeed worth the 32 year wait!

POSTSCRIPT: The concert on Day 2 followed the same order of songs, except for two significant changes. Instead of singing "Who's That Girl" and "Like a Prayer", Madonna sang a medley of "Dress You Up/Into the Groove/Lucky Star" and, in celebration of EDSA Revolution Day, a song she said she has never sung live for 30 years "CRAZY FOR YOU"!