Review of JOHN LEGEND "All of Me Tour" in Manila 2014: Intensely Passionate Soul

September 26, 2014

This is already the second time that John Legend has been to Manila for a concert. I had been a fan since hearing his impassioned voice interpreting the extraordinary song "Ordinary People." I do not know why, but it had been a last minute decision to watch this concert. But coming out of it after the show, I don't know why I had doubt about watching this at all. This was the best concert I have been to for a very long time. 

The concert started almost an hour later than the time indicated on the ticket which was 8 pm. By 8 pm, the Patron area downstairs, as well as the Lower Box were still quite empty. However, by 9 pm, when the lights finally dimmed down, all the seats were already fully packed and the audience was all ready to hear the main act. Like a few other recent concerts I attended, there had been no front act anymore. I don't know if that is still done nowadays or that is already a passe concert practice. 




The spotlight was first trained on stage right, where a string quartet began to play. Then suddenly, spotlight moved to centerstage. A dapper John Legend stepped out dressed nattily in a white suit. After his bows, he sat at his grand piano and began to sing his first song, "Made to Love." With that first song alone, we already knew how great and unique his vocals were as well as his mad piano playing skills. It was a beautiful opening number, which was followed by a new hit "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)". The audience was already singing along at this point.

Before his next song, Legend recounted how he had a lucky break playing piano on one of the songs in classic album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" in 1997. After that though, he claimed to have been rejected by all the record companies, until Kanye West took a chance on him. He had been given backing piano or vocals for bigger acts like Jay-Z or Alicia Keys. Kanye gave John one featured song to sing on the former's concerts. That was "Used to Love U" (VIDEO), which became his first single in 2004. This was also the next song he sang, with the audience made to sing the catchy "holla holla holla" chorus, which was fun.




He sang and played some more songs which were not too familiar with me, but were so awesome to hear for the first time, like "Save the Night" and "Maxine." He gave us a glimpse about his songwriting process via one of the songs from his second album "Again." But a lot of times, he pleasantly surprised me with songs that I already forgot were in his discography, like "PDA" and "Save Room" (VIDEO). These are both wonderful catchy tunes.

He made everyone get up to dance when he sang "Green Light" (VIDEO) one of the rare times he left his piano. He knows his limits as dancer so he does not make any wild moves, just kept everything pretty cool. He followed this up by a great cover version of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You." It felt great to get up and groove to these upbeat songs.




He returned to his piano to sing "Who Do We Think We Are". Then he began to talk about his origins in Ohio, his Pentocostal church upbringing and his musical family. He especially dedicated the next song to his grandmother who taught him to play gospel piano. The song turned out to be his cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and his intense soulful delivery definitely raised not a few goosebumps.

He sang his latest single next "You & I (Nobody in the World)" followed by "Caught Up", as he talked about how he is setting up the perfect date for every couple in there that night with his songs, and we know he is right. The next song was a big one, "Ordinary People" and the audience greeted the first note with pandemonium. This song is simply excellent is all aspects, and hearing it sung live by John Legend, with the audience beautifully singing backup this night was already worth the ticket price. He sang one more anthemic song entitled "So High" before finally bidding the audience goodbye.




Of course, we all know the night is not yet over. How could it be when he had not yet sung the title song of his concert tour, which just so happened to be his first and only Number One song to date. He only played one encore song, and this was the song we were all waiting for: "All Of Me." Words could not describe the depth of emotion we hear in his voice as he was singing this song. Again the audience participation was amazingly perfectly in tune, even making the song sound more beautiful than it did on the CD version.

This concert was all about the incredible singing voice and piano playing of John Legend -- no costume changes, no gimmicks, no elaborate dance numbers. He was breathtaking to hear perform live. He gave his songs an additional edginess we do not hear in the recordings. Now this is what a concert performance should be. I am so glad we were there to imbibe John Legend's passionate soul. This is one of the best pop concerts I ever attended in terms of vocal virtuosity, right up there with Stevie Wonder, Sting and Andrea Bocelli.

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Recap of MUSIKAL! Day 2: Celebrating Original Filipino Musical Theater

September 7, 2014

Because of some domestic circumstances, I thought I would not be able to watch either of the two nights of this special show set on Sept. 5 and 6, 2014.  However, at the last minute on the second day, tempted by the photos and rave reviews I saw on the social media, I found a way to go to the CCP to catch this first-ever revue of original Filipino musical theater shows. No way I will miss this.

Surveying the twenty or so titles on the poster, I have actually watched and written about 15 of them. The other shows on the line up like "Magsimula Ka" or "Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal" I have heard about, but never got the chance to watch yet. Of course, there are also other Filipino musicals (mostly by PETA) I have seen but are not included, "William", "D'Wonder Twins of Boac"  or personal favorite "Juan Tamad" come to mind. "Ang Nawalang Kapatid" by Dulaang UP was also not on the list. Saving them for a future revue? Maybe.

After the National Anthem, the show opened with a speech by Dr. Raul Sunico, the current president of the CCP, which is celebrating its 45th year of existence this year.  He introduced a surprise second speaker (whom I did not read about for the first night), none other than Ms. Lea Salonga! Frank as she was, Ms. Salonga immediately squashed with a smile from the get-go all expectations that she would sing. She talked about how she started her theater career with a performance on that very CCP stage as a 7-year old girl in a production of "The King and I".

The show began with Sheila Francisco introducing, then performing, a funny excerpt from the zarzuela "Walang Sugat" with Red Nuestro entitled "Makikiliti Kang Totoo." This was quite the strong opening number especially with the clear booming voice of Nuestro. This is the first time I've heard Francisco sing operatically, though too bad her lapel mic did not seem to be working well. 

This microphone problem would haunt many other singers throughout the show, like Ebe Dancel during the "Rock Supremo" number "Lakambini" and Athena Tibi during the "Rivalry" number "Boy from La Salle". The orchestra and the louder mics of the backup singers would sometimes drown the lead vocals.

The best numbers of the revue for me are those for the Ryan Cayabyab musicals.  A medley of songs from the rock musical "Lorenzo" was performed by the excellent Ryan Cayabyab Singers. Their voices effortlessly soared up to reach those punishing notes they were made to reach.  A suite of songs from "Noli Me Tangere, the Musical" was performed by the ever-perfect Philippine Madrigal Singers, who were a league of their own in terms of musical elegance.  The penultimate number before the grand finale was "Rama Hari" with OJ Mariano and Karylle with Robert Sena, with dancers from Ballet Philippines so gracefully athletic in interpreting the songs.

The most popular numbers among the audiences based on the loudness of spontaneous applause were those numbers by the PETA.  There was a loud ovation already heard even before the "Rak of Aegis" number began, with only the title flashed on the screens onstage. The catchy song form "Batang Rizal" entitled "Pag-asa ng Bayan" was very well-received. The medley from "Himala" was so hauntingly beautiful, with stellar solo performances by May Bayot, Dulce, Isay Alvarez and Cynthia Culig-Guico. Of course, the "Caredivas" brought the house down with their glittery white drag queen ensembles and high heels while singing "Saan Ka Man Dalhin."

Even independently produced shows staged in the PETA Theater also stood out. These were the numbers from "Maxie the Musical" (with Jayvhot Galang and Jojo Riguerra) and that of "Sana Dati" (led by Victor Robinson, Caisa Borromeo and Kyla Rivera -- the three performers I did NOT see in the actual show as I saw their alternates).

Among the Tanghalang Pilipino productions, the best showcase was by "Sandosenang Sapatos" with a stellar solo by young Trixie Esteban singing "Sa Panaginip", with great support work by the rest of the company, including her imaginary friends precariously on roller skates while working the stage.

A chorus came out to sing "Ang Babaeng Malaya", a song from a movie musical I have not exactly heard of before entitled "Ang Kababaihan ng Malolos".  Though it was my first time to hear it, the song was beautiful, as the choral rendition was excellent. The other choral performance of an unknown song that I liked was "Alalahanin, Gunitain" from the musical "Sinta" which I also had no idea about. I am now very curious to watch these two shows.

The song chosen by the "Bluebird of Happiness" crew to perform was the group ballad number. "Christmas Morning". The song chosen to represent "Zsazsa Zaturnnah" was also a ballad "Multo ng Nakaraan" rendered led by Wenah Nagales as Zaturnnah.  I wished these two shows picked more upbeat songs from their respective shows.

The songs "Take Me to the Sky" (by Red Concepcion from "Toilet the Musical")  and "Luksang Pangitain" (by Margarita Roco from "San Andres B.") similarly felt buried under the other songs with production numbers, but the singing was undoubtedly solid.

Representing "Stageshow" is the rather uncomfortably raunchy song and dance number with the naughty title "Titina" featuring Roeder with four skimpily-clad girls. While it may have been funny within the context of its show, it seemed uncomfortably out of place for this grand occasion.

My bird's eye view of the stage during the finale

The most hardworking male singer may be Myke Salomon who appeared and sang solo parts three times. He was one of those who held a mic during the "Rak of Aegis" number as Kenny. Then he opened the second act with strong version of the popular title song from the 80s musical "Magsimula Ka." As the Palestinian guy Faraj, Salomon would also have a duet with Melvin Lee (as the coy Chelsea) in another "Caredivas" song "Mysterious".

The most hardworking female performer was Isay Alvarez-Sena. She sang solos in "Rak of Aegis" ("Munting Pangarap"), "Katy" ("Aba Ba Boogie"), and "Himala" (as Nimia). She introduced and led in the finale song number "Minsan ay Minahal Mo Ako" with Dulce and Aicelle Santos, who were then joined in by the whole ensemble on the stage behind them. This meaningful song from "Katy" provided the perfect ending to the whole night's celebration of local theater talent. 

After the list of composers and writers were acknowledged, Ms. Lea Salonga would join the company onstage to sing the CCP Hymn composed by Ryan Cayabyab, with lyrics by Hermie Beltran.

The vibrant orchestral accompaniment of the evening was care of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga. The show was directed by Chris Millado. The Musical Director was Jed Balsamo. The stage design with those colorful LED light panels was designed by Ricardo Eric Cruz, with digital video designs by GA Fallarme.

This show proves what a very deep pool of musical stage talent we Filipinos have -- songwriters, musicians, librettists, actors and all the production crew behind them! Mabuhay ang teatrong Pilipino!

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Here are the shows included in MUSIKAL! that I have seen and LINKS  to what I had written about them when I saw them:

PETA's Caredivas: MY REVIEW

TP's Noli Me Tangere, the Musical: MY REVIEW

TP's Walang Sugat: MY REVIEW

Ballet Phil's Rama Hari: MY REVIEW

Rivalry: MY REVIEW

PETA's Himala: MY REVIEW

Sa Wakas: MY REVIEW

TP's Sandosenang Sapatos: MY REVIEW

Katy: MY REVIEW

PETA's Batang Rizal: MY REVIEW

Lorenzo: MY REVIEW

Trumpets' Bluebird of Happiness: MY REVIEW

Maxie the Musical: MY REVIEW

TP's San Andres B: MY REVIEW

PETA's Rak of Aegis: MY REVIEW

Review of Dulaang UP's HAKBANG SA HAKBANG: For Life or Virtue

August 30, 2014

A Shakespeare play is always a challenge to watch because of its intricate language and plotting, but it really pays off with satisfaction after the show. I am not familiar with this play entitled "Measure for Measure," which is currently being staged by Dulaang UP. I was very curious to go see this uncommonly staged Shakespearean play.  However, because of schedule limitations I was only able to watch during the second weekend of its three week limited run. The shows shown that week had another challenge for its audience, the Shakespearean verses had been translated into Filipino!  Now that is quite a way to end Buwan ng Wika, isn't it?

From the beginning, admittedly the story of this play was not the easiest to get if you have not read any synopsis about it.  Slowly but surely though you will get into its drift.  This play was set in Vienna. Duke Vincentio leaves for abroad leaving his deputy Angelo in charge of the city. A nobleman Claudio gets his young girlfriend Julieta pregnant out of wedlock. Angelo charged them with fornication, and mercilessly metes a death sentence to Claudio for this offense. 

Claudio's friend Lucio visits Claudio's sister Isabella in the abbey where she is a novice nun and convinces her to appeal for her brother's life. Angelo is seized with lust by Isabella's wit and beauty and offers her an indecent proposal, Claudio's life for her virtue. Isabella discusses her dilemma with a mysterious hooded friar Lodowick, who was in fact Duke Vincentio in disguise.

You will really be fascinated with the way the cast delivered its kilometric lines (65% in verse!) in tongue-twisting classical Filipino, as meticulously translated by Ron Capinding. The title alone is a challenge in translation. I probably would have translated "Measure for Measure" with the more literal "Sukat sa Sukat," rather than "Hakbang sa Hakbang". This required a deeper understanding of the play's underlying message. It was funny how Capinding translated the name of the brothel manager Mistress Overdone among many other sexual double-entendres into crisp irreverent Filipino.

Mitoy Sta. Ana was practically on stage the whole time as the Duke and his alter-ego, the Monk. He may at times be fumbling with his complex long monologues or settling into a dry singsong rhythmic delivery at times, but his characterization was no less impressive for such a difficult role. I want to see theater veteran Jeremy Domingo slay this Duke Vincentio character in the English version.

As the virtuous novice Isabella, Delphine Buencamino was simply riveting. In that scene where she was lawyering for her brother in front of Angelo, she aced those difficult lines. Her monologue as she was contemplating on her dilemma was also very demading as it vacillates from wanting to save her brother to saving her virtue. Up to her last moment, which is a puzzling silent answer to a question by the Duke, Buencamino was haunting and elegant. (Cindy Lopez plays this role in the English version.)

Randy Villarama, the actor who played the hypocritical Angelo, had the requisite sleaziness in his actions and sly humor in his facial expressions. (Tarek El Tayech plays this role in the English version.)  Arkel Mendoza, the actor who played the annoyingly funny Lucio is the perfect comic relief with his excellent timing in his exuberant delivery of his jokes. (Earle Figuracion plays this role in the English version.) Jojit Lorenzo tried to be funny with his loquacious pimp character Pompey, but most of his jokes were somehow lost in translation. (Eshei Mesina plays this role in the English version.)

This is already the third Shakespearean play by Director Alexander Cortez after "Macbeth" and "Richard III". This play is traditionally called a comedy, but there is a heavy dramatic conflict that lies therein which makes the director's job of balancing these two aspects a definite challenge. Director Cortez succeeds in telling this complex story with both effectivity and artistry.

The stylized costumes of Gino Gonzales with those white and ecru overcoats and robes and wacky blond wigs and head gear. The commanding two-tiered set with imposing walls and a grand banister as well a dungeon underneath was a creation of Faust Peneyra.  Meliton Roxas, Jr. was responsible for the precise technical direction and lights. Teresa Barrozo incorporated a music design which highlighted some comic moments with silent movie-like sound effects. The talented artistic staff deserve accolades for the illusion of 15th century Viennese opulence their effects created on the limited stage space. 

"Measure for Measure"/"Hakbang sa Hakbang" will still have one final weekend before it closes on September 7, 2014. The English version will run on Sept. 3 and 5 at 7 pm, and on Sept. 6 at 10 am and 3 pm. The Filipino version will run Aug. 31 and Sept. 7 at 10 am and 3 pm, and Sept. 4 at 7 pm. 

Venue is at the Wilfrido Ms. Guerrero Theater of the Palma Hall in UP Diliman. Tickets at only P300 each. For inquiries, call Samanta Hannah Clarin or Camille Guevara 926-1349, 433-7840, 981-8500 local 2449 or email dulaangupmarketing@gmail.com.

Review of 9 Works' THE LAST 5 YEARS: Intersecting Lives

August 24, 2014

This is the first production of 9 Works Theatrical that I had seen since "Sweet Charity" back in 2011. That show starred Ms. Nikki Gil, whose verve and talent was able to transcend that musical's dated book. For this 5th anniversary presentation of this young theater company, 9 Works brings back Ms. Gil, and I wanted to see her perform on stage again. It had also been a long time since I had seen Joaquin Valdez since his excellent turns in "Into the Woods" and "Spring Awakening."

 "The Last 5 Years" is about a couple whose 5-year relationship had gone awry. However, the story was not told nor staged in a linear fashion.  In fact, if you have not read the synopsis prior to watching (like me), you may not completely get what was happening in the first half of the show.  We first see a distraught young lady (Nikki Gil) sorrowful about her lost love.  We then see an excited young man (Joaquin Valdez) meeting the ideal goddess for his life. They would alternately sing one "stream of consciousness" song after the other. We would later learn that as the young man was a writer whose name was Jamie, the young lady was an actress whose name was Cathy. 

At almost exactly the half-way point of the show, they finally sing together what would be their wedding song. Maybe then, it would dawn on you (as it did to me) that the girl's story was being told backwards, and the boy's story was being told forwards, intersecting only on their wedding day. Truth to tell, even if I already knew what was going on, it was still difficult to understand every little story they were telling.  The songs sung to tell the story were not exactly easy on the uninitiated ear because of their unusual melodies, discordant notes, and repetitive loops.

This is not an easy musical for everyone to digest or like.  I may be in the minority here, but I cannot say I enjoyed watching this play. The running time was only one and a half hours (without intermission), but it seemed to just be going on and on without making much sense, even if I already knew what was going on. The time-bending story-telling gimmick by Joseph Robert Brown was innovative, but for me, it did not really work on the stage. It did not give me a chance to get to know these two characters enough to commiserate with their predicament. 

It was only thankful that we had the likes of Nikki Gil and Joaquin Valdez playing Cathy and Jaime. Their amazing singing and sensitive acting skills were the main reasons to see this rather indulgently-written piece of theater.  These two excellent thespians will definitely be up for awards come season's end.

Their highest points were their first songs: "Still Hurting" for Nikki Gil, and "Shiksa Goddess" for Joaquin Valdez.  That is what made this musical so frustrating for me. Despite the all the exhaustingly intense, deeply emotive singing by Gil and Valdez, every other song could not compare anymore to those excellent first songs. 

I thought this would be a musical composed of duets. I could not have been more off with this assumption. The wedding song "The Next Ten Minutes" was a highlight of sorts since this was the ONLY time they actually sang together. The final songs was staged beautifully with the two actors singing "Goodbye" in different senses and different time frames. They end up on the same bed, but they were not really together. Too bad that was already the final moment of the whole show, but what an ending! 

I am not in any way discouraging you from watching this musical.  The performances of Gil and Valdez are already worth the price of admission. It could be that I may not really be the target demography of this play that is why I did not like the show too much as a whole.  The odd eclectic songs may resonate better with the younger hipper yuppie set better than they did with me. Congratulations to Director Robbie Guevara and the crew of 9 Works for taking on this very challenging project.

"The Last 5 Years" will run only up to next weekend. There will be one show today August 24 at 4 pm. Then next week, on August 29, 8 pm, August 30 at 3:30 pm and 8 pm, and finally on August 31, 4 pm. The venue is at the RCBC Plaza in Makati.

Review of Red Turnip's RABBIT HOLE: Difficulty Moving On

August 23, 2014

"Rabbit Hole" is a straight play written by David Lindsay-Abaire, the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It tells about how a young couple, Becca and Howie, struggles to deal with the loss of their five-year old son Danny, who died in a car accident eight months ago. The drama intensifies as Becca's irresponsible younger sister Izzy gets pregnant. Furthermore, Becca's mother Nat could not stop talking about her own son Arthur, a heroin addict who committed suicide at the age of 30 several years ago. Also, Jason, the teenager who drove the car that killed her son, dedicated a sci-fi short story he wrote about parallel universes and "rabbit holes" to Danny's memory.

The script of the play was written with much sensitivity to express those persistently negative emotions felt by people who cannot get over their grieving. It is a very sad play from beginning to end. The general tone of the play is quiet with simmering tension.  There was no big explosive hysterical scene that blows up at the end.  There were occasional arguments which make the characters flare up with pain and bitterness they have pent up inside.  Admittedly, this can be a difficult topic to sit through for two hours.

Agot Isidro was very restrained in her portrayal of Becca, the mother who wanted to erase every trace of her dead son in her house.  The script gives her character several dramatic highlights and she nails all those complex emotions.  Never mind that this was her first dramatic straight play she had ever done in her long showbiz career. That fact certainly did not show in her vivid performance. Cynthia Nixon won the 2006 Tony for Best Actress in a Play when she originated this role in Broadway. Nicole Kidman earned an Oscar nomination in the 2011 movie version of this play. Ms Isidro will definitely be cited as well.

Michael Williams plays Becca's husband Howie who, despite being seemingly composed, also cannot deal well with Danny's death.  Of course, Williams was as solid as ever, but there was something about the performance that did not come across as realistic for me. Perhaps there was little chemistry between him and Agot? I do not know. Or maybe I was expecting more? The role of Howie had a lot of intense moments in the film version. I even felt Aaron Eckhart acted so much better than Nicole Kidman, who had all the citations.

Che Ramos-Cosio plays Izzy.  With her zinging one-liners, she plays the comic relief in this otherwise relentlessly morose play. Ms. Ramos was very effective in her role.  She certainly proved her range as an actress to me, as she looked and acted nothing like how I first saw her in the indie film "Mariquina."

Ross Pesigan plays Jason.  He only had three scenes which were all terribly uncomfortable to watch given the role of his character.  Thankfully, Mr. Pesigan possessed that youthful charm which this character needed to gain the audience's sympathy to his situation.

Sheila Francisco shines in another rather dysfunctional maternal role as Nat.  Dianne Wiest played this role in the movie version, and was so warm in her portrayal. Ms. Francisco gives her Nat a sassy charm. I was very impressed with her "mom-from-hell" Violet in Rep's "August Osage Country" earlier this year. Ms. Francisco also owned that role even though she was "only" the alternate of Ms. Baby Barredo. Ms. Francisco just had her solo "Triple Threat" concert at the CCP two nights ago within this play's run, a feat that deserves big applause.

After "Closer" and "Cock" last year, Red Turnip continues in its quest to stage plays with the most challenging, non-mainstream themes with "Rabbit Hole." Unlike their first two plays with bare sets, this play had a complex beautiful set depicting a well-furnished suburban house. There were a lot of delicious-looking food items being served and eaten by the cast in the course of the play. I was hoping I would get a taste of the birthday cake, the lemon squares, and the zucchini bread as well after the show. But of course, that was only wishful thinking.

Congratulations to Mr. Topper Fabregas on his directorial debut. He had led the cast and the rest of his crew in successfully bringing this heavy play to a more accessible life.

"Rabbit Hole" plays only up to next weekend. Remaining shows are on August 24 at 4 pm, August 29 at 9 pm, August 30 at 4 pm and 8 pm, August 31 at 4 pm and 8 pm. The play is being staged at Whitespace 2314 Chino Roces Ext., Makati City.

Review of Tanghalang Ateneo's MIDDLE FINGER: Vital Rebel

August 10, 2014

For this their 36th season, Tanghalang Ateneo will be presenting three plays with the theme "Navigating Identities" about the struggle of people to discover who they really are and the purpose of their lives. The first in the series of three is this play written by Fil-Am playwright Han Ong.  For this staging, TA has decided on a bilingual script, with the translations done by Ronan B.Capinding.

"Middle Finger" follows a familiar story.  An adolescent boy could not handle the pressures of school and commits suicide.  This was seen before in other plays like "Spring Awakening" (on which this play was loosely based) and films like "Dead Poets Society". Here the characters are Fil-Ams in the US who are having a hard time in adapting to the strict rules of the Catholic school they attend.

Jakob Rodriguez (Guelan Luarca) is the school delinquent and bully. His best friend is Benjamin Lunga (Joe-Nel Garcia) strives hard to do well in school.  They have other classmates who represent a cross section of boys we meet in school. Yachin (Brian Ramos) is the nerd. Wallace (Gab Tibayan) is the eccentric guy with the big wild hair. Michael (Avie Alcantara) is the straight-laced new student.  

As for the adults in school, their perversely strict teacher is played by David Bianco, while the sly inflexible school counselor is played by Richard Cunanan. We also meet parents of the two main characters. Mrs. Lunga (Dolly de Leon) is a battered wife. Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez (Joseph de la Cruz and Marj Lorica) are proud achievers who are looked up in society.  The relationship of Mrs. Lunga and Benjamin would seem to be one of genuine affection. While in the Rodriguez household, it is one of intimidation and fear.

I admit the beginning of this play was hard to get into with all the wordy lines and the unfamiliar situations.  I was tuning out most of Act 1 and had to force myself to concentrate. However as the story was building up towards a big eerie climax, the haunting musical score you hear and the intensity of the acting you see will draw you in and leave you breathless at the end of the first act. 

By the second act, you already know the characters more so you can identify with them and follow the story better. However, there were certain scenes that felt more distracting than contributory to the story progression. The very last line got a huge positive reaction from the audience. But after some thought, doesn't it rob the thunder from the very important lines said right before it?

The star of this show was really Guelan Luarca whose Jakob was the life of the whole play. He has the most vibrant and interesting character of all and he runs with it passionately. His highlight was that long monologue he delivered while battling and eventually succumbing to temptations of the flesh. Devastating and daring performance right there! Joe-Nel Garcia does not really look like the Benjamin Lunga I hear in his words. He was also giving his all for sure, but there is some disconnect with actor and character that did not feel right for me. The other three boys fit their roles better.

Richard Cunanan is so good in another one of these sleazy characters which really fit him well, like I first knew him from "Duchess of Malfi". David Bianco effectively radiated a sinister sanctimonious vibe that was scary despite the minimal words he said. Dolly de Leon proves her versatility, tackling a role so radically different from her last outing in "Ang Naghihingalo" just last June at the Virgin Labfest, and she was quietly moving in her gentle role here.

While the story is familiar and the original script somewhat difficult at certain parts, the storytelling of Director Ed Lacson, Jr. is well done. The high points had been very well built up for maximal climactic effect. The lighting (Meliton Roxas Jr.) and the music (Teresa Barrozo) were highly effective in creating the tense atmosphere that makes this tale of harsh reality mixed with adolescent fantasy and conscience work. And for the most part, it does hit home and gets its vital rebellious message across.

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"Middle Finger" runs at the Fine Arts Black Box Studio of the Ateneo de Manila University. Aug 4-9, 11-16, 18-22; 3 pm (Sat & Sun) & 7 pm. Tickets are Php 300 for outsiders and Php 250 for Ateneo students. Limited seats only. Contact Hannah Tolentino on 0917-576-0806 for more details.

Recap of BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE: The Accompanist is the Star

July 26, 2014

This concert was to be held Saturday July 26, 2014 at the Teatrino at the Promenade in Greenhills. I was worried that Saturday night in Greenhills is going to be a parking nightmare.  But with barely five days to go, I decided that this would be too good and precious a concert to miss and bought a couple of tickets. That day, despite worries about an INC event affecting traffic in the area of my daughter's school, we got to Greenhills and got a basement parking space with a lot of luck. In fact, on the day itself, I bought an additional ticket for my daughter to watch with us. That was to be the last ticket for sale, and we got it.

A few minutes after 8 pm, Mr. Rony Fortich addressed the audience and took his seat at the Mickey Mouse-adorned piano.  We first saw some artists come out and act as if they were auditioning for a show.  Mr Fortich then launched into a funny song of his own which set the tone for the whole concert, "He's Just the Accompanist" while all the other guest artists came in and submitted their music pieces to him, to the audience's warm applause.

With the first few songs, we realize that this will not really be a concert about very big musical theater hit songs only.  Many of the 35 guest artists would sing songs I have not heard of before, but that was good because it introduced me to so many other musical gems I would not have known of otherwise. It is too bad also that there were no introductions on who the singers were.  While I recognize most of them, there were those whom I did not know yet.

Joaquin Valdez opened the show with a strong vigorous song I did not know. This turned out to be "Shiksa Goddess" from Jason Robert Brown's "The Last 5 Years"--a musical he will star in this August with Nikki Gil. Topper Fabregas was hilarious as a waiter who longed for "The Man in Table 3".  Of course he did not miss promoting his upcoming show "Rabbit Hole" which he is directing. Carla Guevara-Laforteza was in an elegant black ballgown when she belted out "Woman" (from "The Pirate Queen"). Fred Lo was dapper in black with a red tie as he sang "So Close" (from the film "Enchanted") 

Gian Magdangal rendered for us a Tagalog ballad "Panaginip" (from Ryan Cayabyab's "Noli Mi Tangere"). There was a beautiful duet "It's Never That Easy / I've Been Here Before" (from "Closer Than Ever") sung by Cathy Asanza-Dy and Jenny Jamora, both so powerful! OJ Mariano and Bituin Escalante had a sassy little duet "Therapy" (from "Tick Tick Boom"), about "a problem of co-dependency". Michael Williams surprised the audience by singing the jazzy "Lies of Handsome Men." 

Of course, there are also very familiar songs in the first half of the show.  Kyla Rivera and Caisa Borromeo sang "What is This Feeling?" (from "Wicked"). OJ's solo number is "Home" (from "The Wiz"). Red Concepcion and Cris Villonco sang an energetic duet mixing two Filipino hits "Ale" and "Limang Dipang Tao".  Then looking back on his career as Musical Director of Hong Kong Disneyland, Fortich also played for us a suite from "Frozen" with Kakki Teodoro on "Do You Want to Build a Snowman", Mako Alonzo and Jill Pena on "Love is an Open Door", Gab Medina on Olaf's song "Summer", and Shiela Valderama-Martinez on the ubiquitous "Let It Go".

After an intermission of fifteen minutes, the second act opened with a group of kids singing songs from Fortich's two youthful original musicals. The first was the title song from last year's "The Bluebird of Happiness." The second is "Let's Get Cooking" from "N.O.A.H.", where the kids were joined by a vivacious Shiela Francisco. Fortich then introduced us to the song he wrote for an anniversary of HK Disney "Celebration in the Air" sung by Sweet Plantado and special guest who flew in just to sing for this show, Felix Rivera.

Bituin Escalante goes jazzy with her soulful rendition of "Guess Who I Saw Today." Franco Laurel draws from "Joseph the Dreamer" with his rendition of the song "You Know Better Than I". Menchu Lauchengco mesmerizes like only she can in the song "Raining" (from "Rocky"). Lorenz Martinez sings a hearty "On the Streets of Dublin" (from "A Man of No Importance"). The audience was taught to sing along to the chorus of this song.

Fortich introduced the next number to be a number of dueling divas.  Carla Guevara and Shiela Valderama belted their best to outshine each other in "Let Me Be Your Star" (from the TV show "Smash")  Following this was a number with Audie Gemora squaring off with Michael Williams in a very entertaining mash-up of "Stars" (from "Les Miserables") and "Impossible Dream" (from "Man from La Mancha.")  (VIDEO)

Fortich then dedicated his final song to his artists "You Have More Friends Than You Know" (from the TV series "Glee') (VIDEO).  This song was beautifully rendered by Felix Rivera. After this, Fortich then sang his own solo song entitled "Best Seat in the House" (a piano ballad by Barry Manilow), during which all the guest artists all came out and joined in onstage toward a gospel-like conclusion.  After some final words, all the singers gleefully sang "Seasons of Love" (from "Rent") (VIDEO). That was a glorious end to a most memorable night of beautiful music and amazing singing.  The giddy spirit of love for theater permeated the Teatrino last night, and we were glad we were there to imbibe it all.







*** Thank you very much Ms. Kakki Teodoro and Mr. Rony Fortich himself for filling in my blanks regarding the singers and songs I did not recognize.