PETA's "Bona": In Awe at Eugene Domingo Live in Action

August 25, 2012

The story is already familiar with most fans of Filipino cinema.  "Bona" is a Lino Brocka film of 1980 starring Nora Aunor as Bona, a fiercely loyal fan of a movie bit-player Gardo played by Phillip Salvador.  In my vague memories of that movie, Bona practically becomes a maid for Gardo as her adulation turns to blind love.  Gardo's callous attitude and response to her voluntary servitude drives Bona to a scalding conclusion.This time though, since the role of Bona will be taken on by current star comedienne

Eugene Domingo, director Soxy Topacio and scriptwriter Layeta Bucoy turned the play into more of a comedy in the first act, with the melodrama of the whole situation taking over in the second act.   They used videos to bridge various scenes, such as the Star of Tomorrow tv show scenes, or the movie shooting scenes, making this a multi-media play.  The set was spare, but they took pains to create a bathtub with a running faucet on stage, telling us that it will play an important role in the play, and indeed it did.

Eugene's Bona is not jobless nor penniless.  She is a working woman, a call center agent holding multiple online jobs on the side in order to support the education of her nephew Bingo (BJ Lacson) and the vices of her wanton sister Binky (Olive Nieto). She has a gay best friend Baldie (Joey Paras) who also enjoys borrowing money from her in order to support his relationship with his "baby", Ralph.  However, when she gets hooked on the reality show Star of Tomorrow, particularly being obsessed with Contestant #5 Gino Sanchez (Edgar Allan Guzman), her world completely turns upside down.

I have one hitch about the story, the turning point was rather shallow. It was not too convincing that a woman like Eugene's Bona could simply quit her job, consciously turn her life around and become a "Gino's Angel" just after watching his brief cheesy stint on TV. Unlike Nora's Bona, this new Bona seemed so sensible and no-nonsense in the beginning of the play, how could she just drop everything she was and she has for someone she just admired from a television show? They seemed to have just glossed over that critical point with one cavalier sentence then that is it. Once we get past that motivation issue though, watching Bona's self-depreciation unfolding on stage is something else, a very involving and unnerving experience. 

"Bona" is Eugene Domingo's personal showcase as you may expect.  It seemed to have been written and conceptualized with her in mind, and she thoroughly owned the role. She dominated the stage with her presence and performance, from when she entered and lit the candle of her altar, up to when she exited the door of Gino's apartment at the end.  She was remarkably so real and accessible, as if you were just watching your next door neighbor going cougar over a macho movie starlet and implode into her own trap of naivete, so you do feel affected. Whatever you see of Eugene on TV and her movies, that would exactly be how she was onstage.  What you see is what you get.  You should see her face during her steamy love scene with Gino!

I have never seen a previous performance by Edgar Allan Guzman before.  He has got his spoiled and smarmy mama's boy character down pat.  He has the charm and swagger of a reality show contestant and neophyte actor.  He has the guts to walk around the stage with nothing more than boxer briefs on.  He got the whole lead-antihero thing going all the way to the end. Guzman was so effective the way his Gino played and used Bona, you will thoroughly understand and agree with what she does at the end.  Of course, there is no convenience of slow-motion and freeze-frame in a play, as this iconic scene ended the Brocka film.

The rest of the supporting cast did their jobs well.  Special mentions have to go to Joey Paras did well with his funny (albeit stereotypical) flamboyant gay best friend role Baldie, as well as Juliene Mendoza in his less showy but effective portrayal of Bert, Bona's landlord and suitor.  I did not exactly like how Gino's manager Ronald (Jeff Henson-Dee) and his minions (Dudz Terana and Junevir Tabor) were portrayed, but hey, maybe that is really how it is in the real seedy world of local showbiz.  The language of the play is acceptable given the situations depicted (there will be fight scenes and intimate scenes), but will not be appropriate for very young audiences.

Congratulations to Direk Soxy Topacio, Ms. Eugene Domingo and the rest of the cast and crew for this successful adaptation of a modern Pinoy film!  Do catch "Bona" at the PETA Theater as it runs every weekend with 3pm and 8pm shows  up to September 23, 2012.

Tanghalang Pilipino's "Walang Sugat": A Glorious Sarswela!

August 16, 2012

I have long heard about Severino Reyes' "Walang Sugat", since my elementary days in fact, as an example of a sarswela.  A sarswela is a musical play usually about romantic love, but incorporating current political issues to spice it up.  

I never thought I would ever see a staging of this legendary play, until I found out that Tanghalang Pilipino will be opening its current season with it.  That Cris Villonco will play the lead role of Julia is another reason why this musical is a must-see for me.  It was also very interesting that movie director Carlos Siguion-Reyna will be directing.  

This play was supposed to have had its Opening Gala performance at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino last August 9, 2012.  However, because of the rains and flooding brought about by the severe monsoon rains, it had been postponed to tonight, August 16.
 

Without unnecessarily spoiling the story, "Walang Sugat" is the love story of Julia and Tenyong, during the last years of the oppressive Spanish occupation.  When his father was tortured to death by his Spanish captors, Tenyong decides to avenge his death by joining the revolutionary forces.  After being away for more than a year fighting the war, can Tenyong return in time to claim back Julia, who had already been promised by her mother Juana to marry the stuttering spoiled brat Miguel?  

This 3-act long play (with two intermissions) tells us this story with some beautiful love ballads, comical duets, and patriotic hymns.  The most famous hymn is of course "Bayan Ko," which is practically another national anthem for most of us.  In my ignorance, I totally did NOT know that "Bayan Ko" is part of this sarswela.  It was most stirringly performed to end the first act, and reprised in the other two acts as well as a recurrent theme song.  The libretto is by Severino Reyes, whom we know better as Lola Basyang.  The music was by Mike Guison Velarde, Jr., Fulgencio Tolentino, and Constancio de Guzman (who was the one who set Jose Corazon de Jesus' poem "Bayan Ko" to music). 

In this production, the classic costume design was by no less than National Artist for Theater and Design, Mr. Salvador Bernal.  The choreography of this show was care of the well-known premier dancer of Ballet Philippines, Nonoy Froilan, with Josefino Toledo as the musical director.  The cast was led by Cris Villonco, whose porcelain beauty and crystal clear soprano were perfect for the role of Julia, and Noel Rayos, whose dashing look and solid tenor were just the right fit for the role of Tenyong.  

The comedy aspect of this play was as vital as the drama of love and war.  The audience was really laughing out loud at the hilarious situations.  People who think this show will only be a stuffy historical drama have a fun surprise coming to them.  The comedy mostly involved the characters of the help, Lucas (Jonathan Tadioan) and Monica (Jennifer Villegas), as well as the bratty suitor Miguel (Nar Cabico) and his old lusty father Tadeo (Red Nuestro).  Even the classy Noemi Manikan-Gomez (as Julia's practical mother Juana) gets some very funny lines and songs. Their operatic singing voices were all as strong as their comedic timing.

The scene-stealer would be Jelson Bay in his role as the outspoken, frank and sassy Padre Teban.  He brought the house down when he said, "Tingnan niyo, kaming mga pari ang magiging pinakamakapangyarihan sa lipunan!" (or something like that).  It would be interesting to see other shows when veteran actors like Bodgie Pascua and Lou Veloso would play Tadeo or Padre Teban (as they alternate in these roles).  

I will admit that it was not easy to get into the story in the beginning.  I could hardly understand what was being sung in the first song.  However, as the play went on, we too get used to the tenor of the Tagalog language used and get absorbed into the story more and more.  It was a familiar love story, reminiscent of "Noli Me Tangere".  In fact, since Cris Villonco also played Maria Clara (in last year's TP production of "Noli Me Tangere"), I thought Julia is also going to the convent.  But the third act is absolutely fantastic, and the ending is positively glorious!  

I had no idea how the story would go at all, and that is the best for people watching this show for the first time.  I am not surprised why this sarswela was a hit then when it was first staged in 1902, and should be a hit in its present incarnation now.

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"Walang Sugat" will only run for the last two weekends of August, 2012.  There will be 3 pm and 8 pm shows on Fridays and Saturdays, and a 3pm show on Sundays.  The final show will be on August 26, Sunday, 3pm.

Snow Patrol: Fallen Empires Tour Manila (My Recap and Videos)

August 9, 2012

To tell you the truth, I only went to watch this Snow Patrol concert to hear two of my favorite alternative rock songs sung live!  These are "Chasing Cars" and "Run."  After both of them were sung within the first hour, my concert was already fulfilled!  However, listening to the other songs of this band performed live made me an even bigger admirer of their music.  

Despite the severe monsoon rains and floods, and the other foreign concerts this week (Smashing Pumpkins the day before, and Tears for Fears the day after), the Araneta last night was alive and jumping for Snow Patrol!  This is after all a current band at the height of its career, not a nostalgia act like the other two.  

The voice of lead singer Gary Lightbody was something else.  He was not kidding when he said they were better seen live than heard recorded.  Yes, there were times that the guitar twangs or even Gary's wailing went out of tune but you can disregard those in the scope of the show as a whole. All their songs have that anthemic feel to them.

They started the show with "Hands Open."  The next songs were "Take Back the City," "Crack the Shutters," (familiar but I forgot it was theirs - VIDEO) and "This Isn't Everything You Are."  And then they sang one of my awaited songs, "Run."  That song is really beautiful.  The next songs were "In the End," "New York," "Set Fire to the Third Bar," "Make This Go On Forever" and "Shut Your Eyes." And then they sang my second awaited song, "Chasing Cars" which really brought the house down.  The next songs were "Chocolate," "Called Out in the Dark," "Fallen Empires," and "Open Your Eyes". "You're All I Have" closed out their regular set.  After a brief break, where the audience raucously cried for more, they came out again for their encores numbers, "Life-ning" and finally "Just Say Yes."

The light shows and the video backdrops were awesome to see. You can see that best on the video of "Fallen Empires" and the final song "Just Say Yes" (VIDEO).  I did not know they also did this electronic-sounding upbeat music.

Gary also did not forget to pay his respect to the victims of the current monsoon disaster.  He dedicated the first song of their encore set, the haunting  "Life-ning" to them, and the country as well. He seemed to genuinely in awe of the Filipino spirit.

Too bad though that they did not sing their other hit song, "Signal Fire".  Even if I only knew two songs very well coming in and the heavy rain and flooding I had to drive through on the way home, I do not regret that I watched this concert.  This really makes me want to listen to their CDs and get to know them better.

Live Blogging the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremonies

July 27, 2012

The Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics is dubbed "Isles of Wonder." The show is directed by Danny Boyle.  $42M budget (less than the $100M budget for Beijing) was spent for this spectacle.  The volunteers had 284 rehearsals! Anticipation was high as to how it could top the Beijing extravaganza four years ago.  I was hoping that the show would be much better than their uninspiring (ok, ugly) logo (reportedly worth £400,000!).

Bradley Wiggins, the first British winner of the Tour de France just last Sunday, rings the Olympic Bell to open the ceremony.  This 23 ton bell is supposed to be the largest harmonically-tuned bell in the world, made in the same Whitechapel Bell Foundry as the Liberty Bell and Big Ben.

The field in the middle of the stadium is an Old English Village with trees and houses and hills, where country folks were playing cricket. On a VTR, we see scenes from Ireland, Scotland and Wales with children's choirs singing folk songs.  Kenneth Branaghsteps out of a horse-drawn carriage and recites a passage from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" on the hill.

As a vibrant lady (deaf Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie) and her band played drums, a tree atop a hill is elevated and more people climb out of it. These people roll the turf away, and chimneys come out from the ground as the field transforms into anIndustrial Revolution scene.  Metal workers come out and work on five circles of fire. As the chimneys go back into the ground, the five Olympic rings are raised and united above, spewing fireworks unite on top of everything.

A VTR showing James Bond Daniel Craig escorting the Queen into a helicopter and flying over the city.  They even fly over a statue of Winston Churchill who wave at them.  An actual helicopter flies above the Stadium.  In a big surprise move, the "Queen" who jumps out of the plane and floats in a British flag parachute!  The real Queen Elizabeth II(in the same pink dress) comes out with the Duke of Edinburgh onto the Royal Box.  The Union Jack is carried to a flagpole and raised. The UK National Anthem sung by choir of deaf children wearing pajamas.  

The British National Health Service is features with a number with dancing nurses and doctors tucking children into bed. JK Rowling comes out reading Peter Pan!  Big replicas of story book characters like Captain Hook, Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Ville, and of course Voldemort come out.  A flock of Mary Poppins fly down over the field to drive out the Dementors and villains, as children dance with glee.  The final image of a huge metal (?) baby sleeping on the field is very weird though.

When he was bored stiff playing his one single note in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of Chariots of Fire, Rowan Atkinson drifts off and dreams about running on the beach (to the tune of Chariots of Fire).  He gets left behind, so he hitches a ride with a car to win the race, in true Mr. Bean fashion!  He awakens and  messes the final note on the keyboards to the feigned disgust of the conductor. Hilarious!

We then see scenes in a typical British household, folks watching television, as the teens go out to party on the town. All the scenes with the cellphones and cameras were a little pointless.  However, we get to hear a series of famous British songs like:  "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Back to Life" by Soul 2 Soul, "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics, "Firestarter" by Prodigy and "Uprising" by Muse.  Scenes from classic British films (like "Oliver" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral") were being shown in the background.

Sir Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, was given the spotlight.  Interesting, but seemingly unconnected with the other parts of the program.

There was then a nice montage of Olympic Torch Relay scenes.  Ever dapper David Beckham was shown driving a speedboat on the Thames bringing the torch to the stadium.   There was solo number by a Scotiish singer Emili Sande from Zambia singing Abide with Me, interpreted in dance by some Bollywood style dancers.  

It was now time for the athletes parade!  205 countries!  There was even a group of so-called Independent Olympic athletes.  Every nation has at least ONE female athlete for the first time in history.  The parade seems less formal than I recall from previous Olympic opening ceremonies, with athletes carrying camcorders and walking out of line.  

Maria Sharapova carries the flag for Russia.  Novak Djokovic carries the flag forSerbia.  Pau Gasol takes over Rafael Nadal to carry the flag for Spain.  Stan Wawrinkacarries the flag for Switzerland, not Roger Federer.  The blue boots worn by the Czech Republic team caught attention, but looked strange.  Eye-catcher of the parade is a gorgeous lady in red in the Paraguay team.  She turned out to be Leryn Franco, a javelin thrower.  The USA has 538 athletes including their Dream Team.  So that is how their controversial "made-in-China" uniforms look like.  The host team UK has 558 athletes led by cyclist Chris Hoy.  Aside from the members of the British royal family, among the dignitaries I recognized cheering their team on were Queen Sophia of Spain, and First Lady Michelle Obama from the USA.

There was a light show on the whole stadium while a rock band Arctic Monkeys play"Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor".  They segue to play "Come Together" while human "doves" with illuminated wings were riding bicycles going round on the track.  A lone winged biker then takes to the air to end the number.  That looked dramatic, but it just stopped there and did not lead to anything else.

There were inspirational speeches by Sebastian Coe, Chair of the Organizing Committee; then Jacques Rogge, IOC President.  The Queen herself opens the 30th Olympic Games of the Modern Era open.  The Olympic flag is then carried in by 8 flag bearers, then raised with the Olympic Anthem.  An ailing Muhammad Ali makes an dramatic appearance!

Outside, the Olympic Torch relay resumes as David Beckham's motor boat lands on a dock to transfer the flame to the runner who will bring the torch into the stadium, Stephen Redgrave, a senior British rower.  Inside the stadium, Sarah Stevenson leads the athletes for Oath of Sportsmanship, as did representatives of officials and coaches.  After the oaths and a relay that traversed 12,800 miles, the Olympic Flame finally enters the Stadium!  The flame is transferred to group of current young athletes carry it around the track. There was also a gathering of surviving British Olympic medallists of all time on the field.

During the Athletes Parade, each team had a child carrying what looked like a copper vessel.  It turned out that these were actually the lamps which would comprise theOlympic Cauldron.  Seven young athletes first light a number of  lamps on the ground.  The flames spread to neighboring lamps arranged concentrically, which then all elevate and come together on the top as the Olympic "cauldron" in the middle of the field!  It was really difficult to top the spectacular cauldron lighting staged in Beijing, so the London guys should be commended for thinking out of the box! Amazing colorful fireworks went up all in, around and outside the stadium.

Sir Paul Mc Cartney comes out and sings "Hey Jude", and led the everyone in a sing-along. This ends the 4 hour long spectacular opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.

JOE: A Filipino Rockssical (Philippine Stagers Foundation)

July 22, 2012

This is the first play I have watched from the Philippine Stagers Foundation (or simply Philstagers), a theater company that has been in existence for more than 10 years now.  Philstagers began its life in 2001, evolving from the Dulaan Bedista Alumni Production.  It was founded by Atty. Vince Tanada, a young man who just passed the Bar Exams that same year, a lawyer by profession, a playwright, stage director and actor by passion.  

Despite my apparent interest in musical theater as you can read in my other blog posts and reviews, I have to confess that I have only heard about Philstagers last year when they garnered much popular acclaim with "Cory ng EDSA," which nabbed the title of Best Musical in 2011, in both the Aliw Awards, and the new Broadway World Awards.  Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to watch "Cory ng EDSA" during its run. At that time, I did not know where they staged the plays nor how to buy their tickets. Fortune intervened this time, as I stumbled upon the opportunity to catch their new show "Joe: A Filipino Rockssical" by pure chance.  I will now see what Philstagers is all about.

(photo credit:  http://theaterbator.blogspot.com)

I learned that Philstagers had actually been producing two shows a year since its inception. There were some very interesting titles in their list of shows, Filipino musicales such as "Desaparecidos" (2004), "Enzo ...Santo" (2006), "Ako si Ninoy" (2010), and of course, "Cory ng EDSA" (2011).  It was interesting to note that, like this current production of "Joe," our National Hero had been tackled by Philstagers twice before, "Ang Joe ni Josephine" (2003) and "Josephine's Joe" (2005).  I am thinking that this show "Joe" is the musical version of those two straight plays.  Atty. Vince Tanada is the writer and director of all of these Philstagers productions.  He had won a number of Aliw Awards both as Best Director and Best Actor. Basing on his message as printed in their programme, Atty. Vince writes about going against more "big-time" or "mainstream" theater companies.  He seems to be quite the passionate rebel, yet secure in his own place in the local theater industry.

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Despite the rains brought about by Typhoon Ferdie in that afternoon of July 22, 2012, theSta. Cecilia Hall of St. Scholastica College in Manila was still fully packed with college students .  It is always gratifying to see the youth watching theater. It was also in college when I first got the theater watching bug.

"Joe" is a three-act musical with 20 scenes.  It runs for about 2 hours without an intermission. As its subtitle denotes, the play will fuse both modern rock with classical Filipino styles of music to bring across a story about Jose Rizal.    

It was written as a play within a play, as a group of schoolmates reunite 12 years after high school to help their former classmate stage a big Malacanang-commissioned musical play about Jose Rizal. The main controversy to be tackled would be about the issue about regarding the questionable signing by Rizal of a retraction statement in order to gain Church approval to marry Josephine Bracken. The structure of the play was quite complicated as it attempts to parallel this old conflict with the modern-day conflict of "History vs. Art" being experienced by the writer-director in the play, Joecas (played by writer-director Vince Tanada himself).  The story also spans several years as it follows the lead characters from high school to present day then to old age.

The play had been both meaningful and entertaining, trained for the young audiences it targets. The music and lyrics of the songs were spot on for the two musical genres this play fuses.  The united voice of the chorus was solid and moving.  The choreography is memorable especially that surprisingly catchy move of leaning backwards to mimic Rizal's fall after being shot.  The set pieces were few but more than appropriate to create the location of the various scenes at the high school, the classy condo of Jocas, and Dapitan.  The costumes were smartly color-coordinated to reflect the running emotion of a set of scenes.

I did not know any of the actors in the cast before this show, but they were quite impressive.  Patrick Libao essayed the iconic title role of Jose Rizal very well, his diminutive stature adding to the realism of his look.  His singing voice was also very strong.  Vince Tanada was likewise very good as Joecas, the tormented rocker-playwright so engrossed in his own artistry despite personal consequences.  His rock tenor voice was unexpectedly soaring.  I was quite taken with the performance of Cindy Liper as the researcher Joanne.  She has very expressive eyes.  The scene-stealer award goes to little Gabby Bautista playing the optimistic orphan Turing.  His stage presence is unmistakable as his confidence onstage is magnetic.  No wonder, as this kid was first recognized by the Aliw Awards for his acting at the tender age of 4 just three years ago!

The favorites of the females in the audience were Jordan Ladra (as the NPA rebel/musician with the very Western name of Hunter) and Kierwin Larena (as the fat classmate turned sexy club DJ named Bimbo).  The statuesque beauty of Monique Azerreda owns the stage as she played the controversial Josephine Bracken.  Comic relief came in the form of the gay beauty salon owner Ambo (played hilariously by Chin Ortega) and his high school enemy now friend and top fashion designer Julia (Adelle Ibarrientos-Lim), as well as Rizal's wacky sisters Maria (Patricia Lopez), Narcisa(Jerie Sanchez) and Trining (Nikki Joy Villaviray).  There were also notable comic turns by Junelyn Villareal (as the actress hired to portray Dona Teodora Alonzo), andJV Cruz (as the fictional hunky but stuttering Rizal aide, Crisanto).

Did the play get its message across to the young audiences?  I would think so, if you base it on the effusive standing ovation that came with the curtain call.  It seems Atty. Vince Tanada himself as the writer of this play was treading the same grey-zone waters where his writer character Joecas was in the play.  Did it really tell us whether Rizal signed the retraction or not?  The characters themselves were arguing about that point. An emblematic scene showed Rizal tearing down a brown banner saying "Kasaysayan" (History) and it was replaced by a white banner saying "Sining" (Art). What exactly does this mean?  Is it up to the artist to interpret history as he sees fit?  Should art protect the image of the hero?  These abstract questions it seems will already be up to the audience to answer for themselves.

I have a minor gripe is about the occasional use of profanity in the script.  I guess those colorful words are there to make the play "cooler" and more accessible to the younger audience.  (I think my age is showing!  Haha!)  But precisely since the play is targeted to the youth, I believe that the language could still be "cool" without any profanity.  I was a bit concerned since I brought my young kids with me, but then I saw that there is an even younger kid in the cast with them, and little Gabby can hear these words every time they go onstage. The gay scenes are used for laughs so they can be excused, but some more conservative members of the audience may find the sexual references (both homo- and hetero-) uncomfortable.  

That said though, my kids did find the play very entertaining as a whole, as did me and my wife.  I am pretty sure you would enjoy and be moved by this wittily funny yet sincerely patriotic play as well.

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The show we caught yesterday was the last show at the St. Scholastica College.  The rest of the run of "Joe" are as follows:

July 29 Tanghalang Pasigueno (at the back of Pasig City Hall) 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm,

August 4-5 SM North Edsa Cinema 9, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 

August 7-9 Dagupan Convention Center 8am, 11am, 2pm, 

August 11 Teatro Marikina 8am, 11am, 2pm, 

August 12 SM Centerpoint Cinema 1, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 4pm

August 18-19 SM North Edsa Cinema 9 8am, 11am, 2pm, 

August 25-26 SM North Edsa Cinema 9 8am, 11am, 2pm

Call this number for tickets:  0927-3913447.

David Cook Back in Manila (July 14, 2012)

July 14, 2012

I was honestly not really thinking of watching this concert because I still have very good memories of the first David Cook concert back in 2009 (MY REVIEW) at the SM MOA grounds.  There are so many concerts going on nowadays that you really have to choose well which one you would spend your good money on.  Yes, even a concert junkie like myself.  Well that was until I was inofrmed just two days ago that my blog post about Ticketnet Online (LINK) won me a pair of David Cook concert tickets! Of course, who am I to refuse such a great gift?  David Cook remains to be my favorite American Idol winner to date.

So off I go with my daughter yesterday afternoon.  We first got to meet Joey Bigornia and Ginez Enriquez of Uniprom, which manages the leisure and entertainment interests of the Araneta Group. Over a snack of noodles and iced tea, Mr. Enriquez met the press and bloggers and excitedly discussed with us the success of the new TICKETNET ONLINE system. This David Cook concert is actually the first concert when they will be accepting home-printed tickets, so it will be their acid test.  He also shared some inside information about the big transformation ongoing in the Coliseum and polled us about our dream artists for future concerts at the Big Dome.  Too bad they got busy with the new ticketing system that night so we were not able to push through with the planned tour around the Coliseum. Hopefully, there will be a next time for that tour backstage.

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The coliseum is slow in filling up this night.  In fact, it did not fill up at all, a far cry from the 2009 concert.  Anyway, the devoted fans are still there waiting for a good show.  The front act was a local male singing trio called V-Fort, whom we just saw at the NKOTBSB concert last month.  They did ok singing Party Rock Anthem and Perfect, but that slowed down version of Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" was simply dreadful.  They closed their set with their first single released called "Princesa."  Fans already stood up and occupied the free space between the front row seats and the stage, and they never left already until David Cook finally came out about thirty minutes later.

As the concert proceeded, I realized that I knew very little of David Cook's newer material.  He opened with a series of rockers which I did not recognize.  Research showed they were "Circadian", "Heroes" (which morphed into a cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova") and "Mr. Sensitive."  The first song I recognized was "Declaration", which was followed by another familiar song "Last Goodbye."  

This would be the same patten for the rest of the show for me.  Unfamiliar songs interspersed with the few songs that I knew.  He even sang a very new song recorded for their next album called "From Here to Zero."  Then he sang "Hard to Believe" and "I Did It For You," before his latest success, the top current radio track "The Last Song I'll Write for You."  Cook is really good in songs like that.  He sang the unfamiliar "Paper Hearts" then his second single "Come Back to Me" (VIDEO) then the unfamiliar "Goodbye to the Girl" before his first post-Idol single and Top 5 hit "Light On" (VIDEO). He closed out his regular set with some heavy rocking songs a cover medley of "Rock and Roll" and "Whole Lotta Love," and finally, his own "Bar-Ba-Sol", then the band exited the stage.

The audience did not budge from their places as they clamored for more.  Of course, David and the guys came out to do their encore numbers.  First up was the Filipino audience favorite, a song he reportedly does not sing live anywhere else, his cover of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby." There was a surprise midway in the song when local rock diva Yeng Constantino came out to sing this song as a rock duet!  Up to now I was not sure if this was a good idea, but David was very effusive in his praise of Yeng.  I wonder why he does not include his Idol best like "Hello," "Billie Jean" or my personal favorite "Music of the Night" in his concert set lists?  I am sure his audiences would like to hear them again.

The next encore song was a stripped-down version of the anthemic "Fade Into Me."  With just Dave alone onstage with his guitar, this was a great number.  I am sure I am not the only one in the audience who was hoping that David Cook will end the whole concert with his rousing AI coronation song "Time of My Life" which he did not sing in the 2009 concert, but unfortunately yet again HE DIDN'T.  Instead, he anticlimactically sang an unfamiliar song called "Rapid Eye Movement."  That ending was a little downer to me.

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As a performer, David Cook, the original AI WGWG, is really a very good rock vocalist as we already knew, and he did not lose his touch with those rock ballads.  More importantly, he wore his heart out on his sleeve as he sincerely professed his love for his Filipino fans. In a memorable spiel in the middle of the concert, he told the story how fantastic he felt in his first Manila show in 2009 when he (and David Archuleta) sang before an audience of 50,000 fans.  When he got back to the States after that, the first gig they had in the States was a concert in Akron, Ohio for 800 people.  Several times in the concert, he would get a case of the giggles when he felt overwhelmed with the love coming from his Filipino audience.  This guy really seemed to be a true down-to-earth person.  I do hope his career would progress more Stateside as he really deserves more than what he has now.

God of Carnage (Atlantis Productions) - My Opening Night Review

July 13, 2012

Atlantis Productions is riding a high wave following totally sold-out run of "Rock of Ages" which had its last show just last weekend.  After a campy fun rock musical that brought the audience back to the 1980s, now the production tackles a straight play for a change.  The play is "God of Carnage," originally written in French by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton.  

The play is award-winning.  It won the 2009 Laurence Olivier award for Best New Comedy in its incarnation at the West End, with a cast headed by Ralph Fiennes.  Its Broadway production won the Tony Awards for Best Play, and Best Director for a Play (Matthew Warchus).  There were only four characters in this play, and all four actors (Jeff Daniels, Hope Davies, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden) got nominated for Tonys for Best Leading Actor/Actress in a Play!  Marcia Gay Harden won the prize as Veronica.

The story starts when two kids get involved in a fight in the school playground, where one hits another with a stick, causing the latter to lose two front incisors.  That night, the parents of the victim (Michael and Veronica) invite parents of the aggressor (Alan and Annette) to their home to discuss the event.  Their discussions start civilly enough.  But as the night wore on and as the rum bottle gets consumed, their conversations branch out into various sensitive topics, escalating into unexpected arguments and accusations between and among the two couples about each other.  The script is hilarious, sharp, spicy and vulgar!  There was much physical comedy involved as well.  Even their classy set was not spared from the action.  This play is excellently entertaining, as well as very thought-provoking, as it dealt with issues among men and women, especially between husbands and wives, as well as between the classes in society.  The play had only one act and one setting, lasting all of one hour and 30 minutes, without an intermission.

In the Atlantis Production, Michael and Veronica were played by Singaporean actor Adrian Pang and Lea Salonga, while Alan and Annette were played Art Acuna and Menchu Lauchengco.  I had already seen the Australian production of GOC at the Sydney Opera House before, so I had pretty high expectations to live up to.  I could not help to compare both productions as I watched. The stage of the RCBC Theater was absolutely beautiful last night.  It seemed that no expense was spared to achieve that tastefully modern living room in New York City.  The huge textured red wall that served as the backdrop was amazing to look at.  The furniture and other props were perfect, and it is fully understandable why they could not use real fresh yellow tulips for each show.

There were only members of this illustrious cast, so I can describe them one by one.  Their perfect delivery of the kilometric lines alone merit good notice.  You will also be amazed at the comedic timing of this talented ensemble as they throw their lines at each other with glee.  It was wonderful to watch.

Art Acuna - I have only known about him since last year when he got good notices as lead of an indie movie.  Since then, I have seen him in TV shows like "The Kitchen Musical" and "The Princess and I."  As the arrogant attorney constantly on his cellphone, the character of Alan was like more of the straight man in this black comedy.  Acuna plays Alan smartly and fully matches the wild energies of the other three, even if he did not have a particularly spectacular punchline. He does get to deliver the title phrase in one of his lines.

Adrian Pang - I had seen this Singaporean actor perform on stage before, also beside Lea Salonga, in a local production of "They're Playing Our Song."  I did not really find that show very memorable for some reason I do not remember.  Anyway in this play, I feel Mr. Pang missed some punch as the supposedly misogynistic macho guy Michael.  I remember in the Sydney show that I watched, the entire theater was electrified when Michael stood on the living room table to declare that he was a "f**king Neanderthal" and the laughter and applause that followed was thunderous. Last night, that strong line just fell on the wayside it seemed, with no one paying much attention to it.  It did not help that Pang seemed too refined to look like a "f**king Neanderthal".  If you recall that this role was played by the burly James Gandolfini on Broadway, you will see the picture.

Lea Salonga - As the committed Darfur activist and writer Veronica, Lea Salonga really went all-out and full force in this, one of her rare straight plays.  It was quite a surprise hearing Lea spout out all of those cuss words, so much against type.  It was fun!  I have to admit though that  throughout her performance, I could not help but be very concerned with her voice with all the shouting that her character had to do.  In the scene where Veronica was attacking her husband with the throw pillows, that precious voice was actually reaching its brink, it was scary.  And this was only opening night!  Maybe Lea should work with her voice coach more to develop a better and safer technique of stage shouting so that this matter of her voice would not get in the way of her future performances.

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo -  What more can be said about this amazing actress that hasn't been said yet.  Even Lea Salonga herself called Menchu the "Queen of Philippine Theater" and you can see why in this play.  She can really transform herself into any character with conviction and credibility.  This was the same actress you saw as Diana Goodman in "Next to Normal" and Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd" to mention her more recent theater triumphs.  Now as Annette, Ms. Menchu nails all the spoken and physical comedic highlights of this high-strung role.  It was fierce and fearless.

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Once again, Congratulations to Atlantis Productions and director Bobby Garcia for this excellent production.  God of Carnage will continue to run at the RCBC Theater only up to July 22, 2012.  There are already a couple of sold-out shows as of this writing.  Do not miss this run. Or else you will have to catch it in Singapore where it will also have a run later this year in November.