Review of TP's JUEGO DE PELIGRO: Sinister Seductions

February 23, 2015

"Dangerous Liaisons" is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was shown back in 1988, but the performances of Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves in this complex web of social intrigue remain unforgettable. This film was in turn based on a controversial French novel first published in 1782, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. There had been other film versions of this story set in 18th century Korea, or 1930s China and even 1999 New York (as "Cruel Intentions"), showing how adaptable the story was for any culture or any time in history.

Tanghalang Pilipino is currently staging a Filipino adaptation of this timeless story, set in the late 1800s in Manila. Entitled "Juego de Peligro", the cruel and manipulative French aristocrats Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont in the original story are now Spanish peninsulares Senora Margarita and Senor Vicente. The victims of their sadistic games of sexual hijinx are convent-bred virgin Cecilia, her indio music teacher Daniel and the very virtuous Senora Teresa. Watching these dangerous liaisons unfold live on stage in vibrantly scintillating Tagalog as adapted by Elmer Gatchalian remained to be as entertaining and absorbing as the film it was based on.

Arnold Reyes and Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino

Sharmaine Centenera-Buencamino was an excellent choice to play Senora Margarita, a truly challenging and ruthless role only the best actresses can play. She delivers her lines with just the right amount of classy naughtiness it was a brilliantly convincing portrayal. She was thoroughly delightful despite the many sins committed by her character. Her worldly maturity and innate confidence makes her a perfect Margarita, dominating the stage whenever she is on. I wish they could have had more people in that final ballroom scene in order to make the sting of humiliation more powerful and more painful than how it appeared.

Arnold Reyes definitely has the requisite irresistible masculine charm to seduce the ladies as Senor Vicente. At first, he did seem too young for the role especially when side by side the magnificent Ms. Buencamino, but he gains believability as the play went along. Vicente is the busiest character in this play, with scenes happening one after the other, entering from various parts of the set, in various states of dress (or undress) in some of them. Reyes ran through these difficult transitions seamlessly. His interpretation of the classic "It is beyond my control" scene is as hateful as it should be.

Arnold Reyes and LJ Reyes

LJ Reyes plays Senora Teresa. With her small doll-like face with porcelain complexion, she seemed to be so young for her role. I always imagined that Margarita, Vicente and Teresa should approximately be of the same age. The delicate Ms. Reyes does succeed in looking pitiful in her virtue. However, because of LJ's  childlike looks, Vicente looked more like a lecherous pedophile. (The alternate for this role is Valerie Concepcion, whom I believe is the better choice based on age and maturity of mien vis a vis Arnold Reyes' Vicente. That should also be interesting to see.)

Adrienne Vergara was a joy as the foolish Cecilia. She was unafraid to make a fool of herself, from her very first scene "singing". She has a lot of chemistry with Reyes' Vicente, which was a lot of fun to watch. The actress who played Cecilia's mother Senora Violeta, Raquel Pareno, was also a delight. Lharby Policarpio as Daniel, was hardly seen in Act 1. But he certainly gets more "exposure" in Act 2. He has the required youthful naive face, and the willingness to bare. He seemed a bit tentative, unsure in his delivery of lines at this point, but will probably improve as the play's run continues. (TV5 actor Vin Abrenica alternates in this role.)

Arnold Reyes and Adrienne Vergara

Being a sex comedy of the vicious sort, this is for mature audiences only. There is some nudity from three male characters, even from Jonathan Tadioan (as Vicente's manservant), but the ladies were more modest. The very elegant costumes for the aristocratic characters by James Reyes, particularly those for the ladies, were so meticulous in detail. The complex set design is by no less than the play's director Tuxqs Rutaquio. That wide balcony looks so real from where I was seated -- it was breathtaking. The lights designed by John Batalla, vital for the sensitive parts of the play, were faultless. However, there were some sound effects which seemed to have been mistimed in that show I watched.

Congratulations to Director Tuxqs Rutaquio and the rest of the Tanghalang Pilipino cast and crew for another bold and entertaining production.

"Juego de Peligro" is the closing production of TP's 28th Theater Season. It opened on February 20 at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater). It runs for two more weekends, Feb. 27-28, and March 1, 6-8 at 3 pm and 8 pm. 

Review of PETA's ARBOL DE FUEGO: Dynamic Dramedy

February 21, 2015

Anton Chekhov is one of Russia's greatest playwrights. There are three plays he is most remembered for. These are "The Seagull" (1896), "The Three Sisters" (1901) and his last play, which debuted only months before his death in 1904, "The Cherry Orchard." PETA's latest offering "Arbol de Fuego" is a Filipino adaptation of "The Cherry Orchard" written by the prolific Rody Vera.

The story of "Arbol de Fuego" revolves around the decline of a landed wealthy family . The play is set during the Martial Law days in Talisay, in Negros province. Enriquetta Jardeleza-Sofronio returns home after five years of living in Madrid, only to discover that their family now stand to lose their their beloved farm and estate known for its titular grove of flame trees. Nonoy Tiking, a son of the Jardeleza's former sugarcane farm hand who became rich with his businesses, suggests big plans to save the land by cutting down the flame trees and making a subdivision. Enriquetta simply cannot accept this solution, but it appears inevitable.

Luna and Gil

Cherie Gil was flawless as Enriquetta. She is tall, beautiful, classy, the perfect insulares aristocrat. She possess the whole stage whenever she was on it. Her comic timing was impeccable and so charming. There was even a scene when the spotlight was on something else, but Ms. Gil can still draw audience attention with her dancing antics in the dark on the side of the stage. I had seen Ms. Gil in two one-woman shows before, where she inhabited big diva characters Maria Callas and Diane Vreeland. "Arbol" proves that she also be part of a big ensemble, but really she can't help but stand out. Best Actress awards are definitely forthcoming for this performance.

Rialp, Bayani, Gil and Macapagal

Jake Macapagal, with his tough exterior and moreno complexion, did not seem to be the right actor to be cast as Adjie, the effeminate brother of Enriquetta. But again, he effectively went against type and imbued this character with so much delightful idiosyncrasies. Another transformative performance was that by Leo Rialp. This tall Hispanic actor usually played haughty rich men, and he can play those with his eyes closed. Here in "Arbol", he played family friend Chitong, an unkempt man with disheveled clothes with a bad reputation for borrowing money and a bad comb-over. He totally nailed this sadsack character so much against what we knew him for. 

Bayani and Tejada

Angeli Bayani is perfectly cast as Charito, a mousy spinster but nonetheless, an efficient caretaker of the estate. Her character is being teased with that of Nonoy Tiking, everyone thinking they are a couple bound for the altar. Her frustration with his failure to commit and propose to her was portrayed so well. Raffy Tejada did not immediately seem to be the correct actor to portray Tiking because of physical mismatch (long hair, beer belly), but he eventually grew into the role as the play went on. 

Enriquetta's optimistic daughter Carmen was played by the upcoming indie actress Anna Luna. Her character's partner onstage is Dante, an idealistic perpetual college student, played by Riki Benedicto. The two don't really look like they make a good pair at first, but their parts were written and played out so well, with much romantic thrill. 

Benedicto and Luna

What drama about the aristocrats would be complete without the servants, who are also with their own little dramas. The scene-stealing standout is really Divine Aucina, who was hilarious as Ling-ling, the flirtatious maid. I have to say though that I was confused as to what role Anthony Falcon played here. His good looks and stylish clothes seem to go against his character Caloy's social standing. He would probably be better suited in the Dante role. Bembol Roco plays the role of Manoy Iking, the mayordomo, who is already slowly becoming senile. The role was awkward as written, but Roco played him with dignity.

Aucina and Falcon

I was expecting "Arbol de Fuego" to be a heavy drama, especially when I saw that top rated dramatic actors are playing the leads. However, I was very pleasantly surprised that there was so much humor in it. Writer Rody Vera's Filipino adaptation has brought out the farcical elements of Chekhov's drama, chock full of sociological sarcasm. The actors really took their roles to heart. They delivered their kilometric lines in thick Bacolod accent with so much heart and passion, with their sense of humor fully intact. The dynamics between the actors on the stage are riveting and a joy to watch. 


Congratulations to director Loy Arcenas and the rest of the PETA cast and crew for another excellent and memorable production. This play should be amply rewarded come awards season later this year.

Review of Ballet Phils' MANHID: A Political Musical with Pinoy Mutants

February 20, 2015

I went to watch "Manhid" tonight at the CCP Main Theater with no clear idea what the storyline would be like. The subtitle "The Pinoy Superhero Musical" is most intriguing. I have seen photos of the cast of actors, singers and ballet dancers in various colorful "hero" costumes. This is a 45th anniversary production of Ballet Philippines, so it is fair to expect dance to be a major component of the show.

It turns out that these "Pinoy superhero" characters would be thrust into a political plot. This original Filipino musical was first staged in UP Diliman back in 1991 when the US bases were the issue of the day. Writer Kanakan-Balintagos (then more popularly known as Auraeus Solito) wrote this play as "a protest against the apathy of the Filipino people." As the play progresses, you will get a sense that it was inspired by the mutant X-Men of Marvel comics and films, the battles between the good and bad among them, and their conflicts with non-mutants, all in a decidedly Filipino context. 

Some of the music was composed by Vincent de Jesus, who is still a popular movie, TV and theater musical director to this day. It is also very interesting to note that THE Pinoy rock band of the 90s, the Eraserheads (Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro), also composed music for this musical, and also played as the in-house band onstage in the original production. This was before they eventually broke through to massive mainstream success and icon status. In fact, I was surprised to hear one of the E-head's big hits "Kailan" sung in this show!

Sandino Martin and Teetin Villanueva

The play is about a future in the Philippines when Mamalahi-ma, the evil megalomaniac Minister of Humanity, wants to kill 99 "children of protest" who were born with special powers, so she can control the whole country. She surrounds herself with a bunch of them who have turned to the dark side, calling themselves the "Tulisan ng Bayan," led by the spear-wielding Gen. Apolaki. Also under her thumb was the mesmerizing shapeshifter and seducer Radia Indarapatra. 

They target to eliminate the "Maragtas", the rest of the children of protest who remained to be on the side of good. Among them were Bantugan (with the power of dreams), Lam-Ang (with the power of wind), Urduja (with the power of insects), Dilim (with the power of song) and Alunsina (with an extraordinary power with her profane tongue). The musical climaxes with a battle-royale to the death between these two rival groups, where only the strongest and most powerful ones survive.

Mayen Estanero and Fredison Lo

The singing is very strong and powerful. I was really surprised that indie film actor Sandino Martin (as Bantugan) can sing so well. He gets to sing "Kailan", the only familiar tune in the show, and that number between Bantugan and Alunsina was one of the most memorable moments of the whole show. Teetin Villanueva (as Lam-Ang) and Jean Judith Javier (as Dilim) I already know are great singers, as I have heard them sing in Dulaang UP productions before. Javier in particular had to hit some pretty killer notes. I knew he could sing very well, but Fredison Lo surprised me in his daring and sensual portrayal of Radia Indarapatra.

The most powerful vocal performances come from three ladies I have never seen before. These were Kim Molina (as foul-mouthed Alunsina), KL Dizon (as the alluring Urduja) and Mayen Estanero (as the despicable Mamalahim-Ma). These three ladies were powerhouse vocalists with their own unique styles. Molina and Estanero were also very funny. Looking forward to seeing and hearing them in more musical productions in the future.

Jean Judith Javier

The dancers from Ballet Philippines played able supporting characters to the singers and actors in this production. Since I recently just watched BP's "Cinderella", it was interesting to watch them dance a totally different, interpretative type of modern dance. Choreography was by Alden Lugnasin and Paul Alexander Morales. 

Richardson Yadao (as Apolaki) even had spoken lines which he delivered in an American drawl since Apolaki was supposed to be a West Point graduate. Very funny indeed. The other two male BP principal dancers Jean Marc Cordero and Earl John Arisola also stand out marked roles as the winged Sarimanok and the dark puppet master Malyari respectively.

Two beautiful and elegant female dancers, Katherine Trofeo and Rita Angela Winder, may have no lines, but they danced the two most sinister and powerful evil characters, Gonoglenda (with the deadly touch) and Rasagadang (with the voodoo doll) respectively. Really amazing transformations for these ladies.

The Creative Team (De Veyra, Buendia, Evangelista, Kanakan-Balintagos, De Jesus)

Admittedly, it was not too easy for me to immediately understand what was going on in the beginning of the play. There were a lot of characters onstage at the same time, and it was not easy to catch the story told in songs. Just when you think you finally figured out what was going on, a major character dies and Act 1 ends already. However, from Act 2 and Act 3, the characters, the story and even the songs become easier to follow and understand. Even then, you may feel you really need to buy its very detailed souvenir playbill to fully know the characters and understand everything that is going on on that big stage.

"Manhid" is ambitious and it pulls it off. Director Paul Alexander Morales effectively manages his big cast of singers, dancers, actors, and a live band (Radioactive Sago Project) to fill up the expansive stage and create truly a unique and exhilarating theater experience. The message still hold true now as it did back in 1991. Can the youth of today take on the challenge posed by this play?

"Manhid" runs at the CCP Main Theater Fridays (8 pm), Saturdays (2 pm and 6 pm) and Sundays (2 pm and 6 pm) from February 20 to March 8, 2015.

Recap of MICHAEL BUBLE Live in MANILA 2015: A Charming and Comic Crooner

January 31, 2015

We had a family event to attend earlier in the evening, so we got to the MOA Arena area by around 8:15 pm. I thought there was still enough time to catch the concert. However, I never imagined that the whole Arena parking building would or could be totally filled up. The open parking areas nearby were also all full. I had to make a major roundabout to make it back to the main mall parking. It was already past 9 pm when I got a parking slot. We still had to rush to the Arena and climb up flights of stairs. 

We reached our seats by around 9:20 pm already. I was happy to see that the people really left our reserved seats vacant despite our tardiness. I was very relieved. I had a feeling maybe we already missed about three or four songs already when we arrived. (Friends would tell me later that I missed the front act performance of Naturally 7 and the two songs (namely "Fever"and "Haven't I Met You Yet?") Buble began his concert with.)

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We caught Michael Buble smartly dressed in a snappy black tux (which he would be wearing for the whole show) towards the end of a joking spiel. The stage had three big screens behind him to ensure that everyone can see him. The center screen had some nifty graphic designs to serve as his backdrop. The first song we heard him sing "Try a Little Tenderness." He introduced the next song as a 1948 song written by Sarah Geronimo (?!). No one reacted so I thought I simply heard wrong. The song was Sinatra's "You Make Me Feel So Young." Then he sang Van Morrison's "Moondance" and another Sinatra song "Come Dance with Me." Buble finished this set off with "Feeling Good" and "I've Got the World on a String." He started off in very good voice.



Then he began to joke around again, introducing his band mates with bizarrely funny stories. This guy is a comedian, an irreverent one at that. He confessed that he cracked a Sarah Geronimo joke that no one got. He was told that Sarah G. was actually in the house, and the camera showed her on the screen. He is not afraid to bring race into his jokes! He introduced his pianist as a Fil-Am guy which of course got the audience excited. Then he took that back, saying, "(he) was just a "stupid" Chinese guy. He introduced the next song as something no Filipino would ever sing. It turned out to be Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," obviously goofing off, and letting the audience fill in the high notes. I did not notice if Arnel Pineda was also in the audience that night.

The loud applause began when the audience heard the intro to his recent hit song, "Everything." Following this, he sang another popular standard "That's All." He then talked about collaborating with Barry Gibb, then sung his cover of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" Then he said he will sing the wedding theme song of his grandparents. Surprise, surprise, he sang "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" (VIDEO)! 




He mentioned that he owes his career to the reception he got during his first Manila stint back in 2003. My wife and I were one of the lucky ones to have been there at the Podium for his free mall show back then. He talked about his time spent with Kris Aquino the night before, and complimented her for being so nice. Apparently, Kris mentioned that her favorite among his songs was "Hold On", so he sang it for the audience even he did not really sing this in concerts. 

The next song was the very popular hit "Home" (VIDEO) which was accompanied by video of different types of families on a sofa. Great song. However, I do not know if Buble was having difficulty with the songs or it was the sound system where we were seated, but his voice sounded thin at points and a number of high notes were being dropped from this point. We did not mind too much as the show was going so well.




He announced he will now do his fast songs. He unexpectedly sang "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk! Then, he surprised the people in the VIP seats by going down the stage and making his way into the aisles. Of course everybody wanted to touch him and shake his hands as he did this. He went to a secondary stage set up at the back of the orchestra section and this made the people around this stage to go wild. There he worked the crowd more as he sang with a great-sounding acapella singing group called Naturally 7 to cover Motown hits like "Who's Loving You" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." 

He then sang "To Love Somebody" and everybody was singing along. He made his way back to the big stage via the song "All You Need Is Love". This number ended in a arena-wide confetti shower with red and white hearts. Certainly a most beautiful and festive sight to see!  I thought he would end it there, but he went on to sing "Burnin' Love" (with Buble dancing like Elvis) and another of his sprightly originals, "It's a Beautiful Day." 

Then, Buble bid the audience goodbye and exited the stage. We all knew better though -- the house lights were still off, so we know there is more to come. So we clamored for more.




Buble came back on stage with a big over-the-top flourish with his dramatic and stormy version of "Cry Me A River." This ended in a fantastic stunt on his stage backdrop as you will see in the video above. He then went on to sing "Save the Last Dance for Me". He ended everything softly with "A Song for You" (by Leon Russell). The ending was rather unusual. He shut off his microphone and began to sing the last lines of the song acapella, powerfully projecting his voice over the din of the crowd. We could hear that he was singing something where we were seated, but the words were not so clear. It might have sounded great in the orchestra area but I would not know.

That ended an excellent evening with wonderful music and songs. His voice may not have been as strong as expected the whole night, but his genuine friendly personality, goofy charm, sharp showmanship and generosity as a performer were more than enough to carry him through to make this a most memorable concert.

My Personal Recap of POPE FRANCIS IN MANILA: Days of Mercy and Compassion

January 19, 2015

Our country the Philippines is the only majorly Catholic country in the whole of Asia. Despite this, only two Popes had visited us. The first was Pope Paul VI in 1970. The next two Papal visits were by the same long-serving Pope, Pope (now St.) John Paul II. 

Pope John Paul II came here in 1981 and again in 1995. I was a fan of this Pope. I remember following his life and career back then. I even had a scrapbook about newspaper articles about him, and all about his first visit here. Sadly, I have no idea where that scrapbook is now. I had no idea how to access any of his events back then as a young student. However, I was able to see him on the street in the Malacanang Palace area. In 1995, he came again as part of World Youth Day celebrations. He was already much older and weaker. I saw him again on the street in the Malacanang area again.

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Now its 2015, 20 years later. We finally have another Papal visit. The current Pontiff, Pope Francis, visits the Philippines for five days. As days approached his arrival, I had no idea where and how I will go see him. The security precautions for this Papal visit were so much more stringent compared to the 1995 visit. Here is a summary of his schedule:

DAY 1: 

On the morning of the Pope's arrival January 15, I was still at work when I suddenly gathered guts to call my high school classmate who lived in the San Miguel area and asked him if I could stay overnight at his place. Fortunately, he accepted my request. I went to meet him at his place of work via LRT and went to his home with him. There was a directive that only residents of the San Miguel area will be allowed to be in the secured area the next day. So therefore, thanks to my friend, the next day January 16, I was able to see the visiting Pope in person in the Malacanang area yet again. 

Believe me, the Pope was seated beside the apostolic nuncio whom we see in the window. 

DAY 2: 

I actually saw him twice this day. The first one was on his way to Malacanang along JP Rizal St, as his convoy came in from Nagtahan. Unfortunately for all us waiting, he was not on his Popemobile, but only in a black Volkswagen sedan. We were doubly unlucky because the Pope was seated on the right side of the back seat, and all of us were only allowed to stand and wait on the right side of the road! So all we caught was a fleeting glimpse of the Pope's profile as his car drove by quickly. My phone camera only caught Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto seated beside him. Lucky that my friend's SLR camera caught the Pope's face, albeit in shadow (which he would later enhance). It was explained that he rode a closed vehicle because he was on his way to a state function. He rode Popemobile en route to his duties of a pastoral nature.

Thank you Dennis and Florence Teo for this enhanced photo of that first quick glimpse we had.

I was unsatisfied, so I decided to walk over to the other side of Malacanang Palace, on the corner of Aguado St. near San Miguel Church. There were only four rows of people in front of me so I thought it was a cinch for me to get a better picture here. Unfortunately as the Popemobile drove by, everyone in front of me raised their phones, cameras and iPads! No picture I took caught the Papal face. However, MY EYES AND MY HEART CLEARLY CAUGHT HIS MAGNIFICENT SMILE since he was facing squarely in my direction. I was tired and hungry by the end of that but the joy and exhilaration of seeing the beloved Pope in person and so close carried me through my long walk to my ride home.

Believe me, the Pope is behind that camera in front of me! You can see him on the LCD screen.

From Malacanang, the Pope was driven straight to the Manila Cathedral where he celebrated his first Holy Mass for the Religious community. Later that afternoon, the Pope had a meeting with selected families at the MOA Arena. I was so tired from my activities that morning that I slept the whole afternoon when I got home. I totally missed the live broadcast of those events, and just caught excerpts on the news. 

DAY 3: 

The Pope went to Tacloban on this day when the city was under Signal #2 as Typhoon Amang just had its landfall there in the Eastern seaboard of the Visayas. I had to work that day so I was not able to witness his Mass which was delivered in the airport open air as it rain was pouring with strong winds. The images from that Mass of the pope and the congregation all wearing yellow raincoats were very moving. His day trip, which was supposed to have lasted up to 5 pm, had to be cut short because the plane had to leave by 1 pm because of the bad weather. He humbly apologized profusely as he took his leave.

While the Pope arrived safely back in Manila, there were accidents that happened in the Tacloban airport. The private plane carrying Cabinet officials skidded off the runway because of the strong winds. Luckily, there were no major injuries. Worse, a young female volunteer was killed when a scaffolding with a speaker fell on her head. This would be the one sad event that marred an otherwise positive and successful Papal visit. The Pope would be able to personally commisserate with the distraught father bereaved of his only child.

DAY 4:  

I had wanted to attend the event at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in the morning. However, the gates open at 4 am, but the people were already lining up as early as the night before!  In fact, people were also lining up already for the Luneta Mass event scheduled at 330 pm also as early as the night before. Because of this and the very real threat of rain, I decided to forego going to UST or Luneta already and just watch the proceedings on TV. 

It rained during the UST event. It started with the testimonies from various youths. First up were two ex-street children. The girl could not control her emotions and burst into tears when she asked the Pope why bad things happen to children. A new engineering graduate who volunteered in Tacloban after Yolanda also spoke about the problem of the youth with too much technology and information. 

During his speech, Pope first talked about 27 year-old Kristel Mae Padasas, who lost her life in the Tacloban airport the day before and offered her a moment of silence. Then he deviated from his original prepared speech and delivered a response to the statements of the youths in Spanish. 

The Pope blesses the children who sing for him.

Important lessons learned during the Pope's talk at UST:

"If you don't know how to cry, you cannot be a good Christian!"

"To think. To feel. To do. And we should use these three languages harmoniously."

"You lack only one thing: To learn how to beg. To learn how to receive. To learn how to be evangelized by the poor. Do you know you are poor? This is what you need to serve. To offer your hand out of your own poverty. To learn how to love, and to learn how to be loved."

The event ended with children doing hand gestures to the 1995 World Youth Day anthem "Tell the World of His Love" amazingly sung live by Darren Espanto. With the Pope there holding the children's hands for the entirety of the song, this was a most touching finale.

I'm awed by the multitudes who braved the rain and the cold to attend this special Mass.

The final Mass at 3:30 in the afternoon was a mammoth event. An estimated 6 million people attended that Mass. To think that this was able to happen on a very wet and cold day is nothing short of a miracle. The stage and altar was beautiful. The ritual services celebrating the uniquely Filipino feast of the Sto. Nino (Christ Child) were very solemn. The first reading was remarkably read by a blind girl reading in Braille! 

The homily of the Holy Father was very meaningful as ever. He reminded us the the meaning of sin is that we have forgotten that we are children of God.

Pope Francis listens to the Words of Thanks for him.

The messages of thanks delivered by Archbishop Soc Villegas, president of the CBCP and Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of the Archdiocese of Manila were also very inspiring. Fr. Villegas described the Pope as "typhoon-proof" and called him "our sunshine". Fr. Tagle told the Pope to "send us Filipinos out to spread the light of Christ."

DAY 5: 

Pope leaves by a PAL direct flight to Rome at around 9:30 am. At almost 7:30 am, my dad suddenly wanted to go see Pope Francis one last time. So, the two of us drove out, braved the crowd at Quirino Ave. near Adriatico St., waited for about an hour, and was rewarded with one last final fleeting glimpse as the Pope rode his Popemobile en route to his Shepherd One. 

My Papa is all smiles as he awaits El Santo Papa.

Here is my video of our last Papal encounter. I started recording when the motorcycle escorts passed by. The Pope appears only in the last ten seconds of this short clip. Really a fleeting quick glimpse, but another memory to cherish forever.

By the time we reached the house, the Papal plane had already taken off. He will reach Rome in 14 hours. I pray for him as he has repeatedly asked us to do in all his speeches. I pray for his safety and health. The world needs his charismatic presence and inspiring wisdom. I pray that we, the Catholics of our country, cherish and apply this renewing experience we just had. It has to be lasting and transformative, as the Pope said: in our thoughts, in our feelings and most importantly, in our actions.

My Yearend Roundup: The BEST of PHILIPPINE THEATER 2014

January 1, 2015

Last year, I had seen and written about 36 theater productions: 12 musicals, 16 straight full-length plays, 8 one-act plays. 

Still, that is only a fraction of everything the very active local theater scene has offered for the general public in the past year.  I had not been able to see "Dani Girl",  "Grease" and other productions running in Makati in the second half of the year because of the problematic traffic situation. I was out of town when "Imaginarium" was shown. 

I will recount here what I feel were the best among those theater shows I have seen and written about for 2014.

I.  FILIPINO MUSICALS:

Best: RAK OF AEGIS (My Full Review)

This musical play, based on the lyrics of Aegis songs, is set in Barangay Venezia, a poor community wallowing in flood waters for several months now.  Aileen Dimaraan loves to sing, and wishes her singing will bring her fortune when she gets noticed by Ellen Degeneres. When her Youtube music video goes viral though, her dreams for fame and fortune are caught between familial, personal and even societal conflicts.  

Aicelle Santos beautifully essays the charming but flawed role of Aileen. Her singing is undeniably strong, as we have heard before. Those punishing wailing high notes of the Aegis girls were actually given more class and pathos when Aicelle sings their songs.



Honorable Mentions:

Ang Nawalang Kapatid (My Review)
Ang Huling Lagda ni Apolinario Mabini (My Review)
Filipinas 1941 (My Review)

Notable Performances: 

Aicelle Santos and Julienne Mendoza (Rak), Roeder Camanag and Poppert Bernadas (Mabini), Teetin Villanueva (Ang Nawalang Kapatid), MIcko Laurente (Kleptomaniacs, Prinsipe Munti)



II. NON-FILIPINO MUSICALS:

Best: SHREK THE MUSICAL (My Full Review)

The swamp home of the grumpy green ogre Shrek was overrun by fairy tale characters who were exiled there by Lord Farquaad of Duloc. Shrek with his new friend Donkey accepts the challenge set by Farquaad to save the Princess Fiona from her imprisonment in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. However, Fiona has a dark secret of her own that needs true love's first kiss to solve. Who will set her free from her nightly curse? Will it be Farquaad? Or can it be Shrek?

Franz Imperial was actually very good as Shrek!  His singing voice was full and very solid. He had Shrek's Scottish accent down. He had excellent buddy chemistry with the Donkey and romantic chemistry with Fiona, such that he did not feel like a short-notice replacement at all. Imperial was able to project the inner goodness of the gruff ogre from under all of that green rubbery make-up. This pinch-hitter hit a home run!  As Princess Fiona, Shiela Valderrama performed like I had never seen her perform before. Her songs showed off her comic flair on top of her flawless strong vocals. 

Honorable Mentions:

Ghost the Musical (My Review)
Priscilla Queen of the Desert (My Review)

*** Foreign Touring Production: Wicked (My Review)

Notable Performances: 

Franz Imperial and Shiela Valderrama-Martinez (Shrek), Cris Villonco and Ima Castro (Ghost), Red Concepcion, Michael Williams and Raymond Concepcion (Priscilla), Nikki Gil and Joaquin Valdez (The Last 5 Years)


III. FILIPINO PLAYS:

A. One-Act: 

Best: ANG NAGHIHINGALO (My Full Review)

Intoy suddenly suffers a stroke and needs P300,000 for brain surgery to drain the hemorrhage.  Being an ice cream seller who was just recently laid off from work, he did not have the money for this. Intoy's wife Felisa seeks the help of Intoy's three elder siblings, Guido, Doreen and Ate Linda. As Intoy lies critically in the ICU, his three siblings end up squabbling over past family issues instead of coming up with the cash.

At first, this play did not seem so promising because of the rather common and morose initial premise. However, as the play progressed, especially with the entry of Bong Cabrera as loud-mouthed Guido, the play's hilarious over-the-top nature revealed itself.  The entry of Dolly de Leon as Linda, the flamboyant loan shark eldest sister, further upped the comedy scale even more.  



Honorable Mentions: 

Betang (My Review)
The Missing Peace (My Review)

Notable Performances: 

Sherry Lara and Chino Veguillas (Betang), Dolly De Leon and Bong Cabrera (Ang Naghihingalo), Sarah Salazar (Bago Ilibing), Gio Gahol (Freshman)



B. Full-Length: Original Filipino Material or Filipino Adaptation: 

Best:  PAHIMAKAS SA ISANG AHENTE (My Full Review)

The play is about Willy Loman, a travelling salesman and also family man happily married to Linda, with two grown sons, Biff and Happy. As he gets older though, his boss takes him out of the company payroll and makes his earnings per commission-basis. With this demotion at work, his own sanity begins to unravel. Willy's stubborn pride makes him resist help from his family and friends. Ghosts from his past, like his elder brother Ben and the mysterious woman from Boston, insidiously creep into Willy's present dementia, throwing his family into a major turmoil.

"Pahimakas sa Isang Ahente" is no doubt a formidable play. It runs for about three and a half hours long. The main characters all have lengthy soliloquies, made more difficult by being in delivered Filipino. Some lines can be awkward to say in Filipino because they possessed a distinct American flavor in the words. The innate complexity of this play automatically makes the actors who take on this big challenge a notch above other actors. 

Honorable Mentions: 

Rite of Passage (My Review)
Ang Misis Kong Promdi (My Review)
Hakbang sa Hakbang (My Review)

Notable Performances:

Nanding Josef, Yul Servo and Gina Pareno (Pahimakas), Frances Makil-Ignacio and Ron Capinding (Rite of Passage), Guelan Luarca and Dolly de Leon (Middle Finger), Delphine Buencamino (Hakbang sa Hakbang), Tarek el Tayech and Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino (Ang Misis Kong Promdi), Ana Abad Santos and JC Santos (Fluid)



IV. NON-FILIPINO PLAYS:

Best: AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (My Full Review)

This play is set in a small Oklahoma town on one warm summer. Violet Weston reunites with her three willful daughters, Barbara, Ivy and Karen, when there was an unexpected death in the family. Fireworks fly when family secrets are revealed as mother and daughters clash, dragging the rest of the family along in their downward spiral.

The role of Violet, the dysfunctional wife and mother made worse by her dependency on drugs given for her oral cancer, was played by Sheila Francisco. Ms. Francisco had us all mesmerized by the sadistic web she is spinning. She owned that pivotal second act set around the lunch table completely. 




Honorable Mentions:

Rabbit Hole (My Review)
Wait Until Dark (My Review)
Cock (My Review)

Notable Performances: 

Sheila Francisco (August), Liesl Batucan (Wait Until Dark, August), Agot Isidro (Rabbit Hole), Cherie Gil (Full Throttle), Topper Fabregas and Jenny Jamora (Cock), Carla Laforteza-Guevara (Noises Off)

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Looking forward to more vibrant productions of the various local theater companies and more scintillating performances from multi-talented Filipino theater artists this year 2015! 

Review of Dalanghita Prod's KAILAN AT BAKIT: Dark Unsettling Stories

December 12, 2014

"Kailan at Bakit" is a set of three one-act original Filipino plays held at the Studio Theater on the 3rd floor of the PETA Center. (I never knew they had a small intimate theater venue up there before.). This show is the first production of Dalanghita Productions. One of the producers, Pertee Brinas, gave a very short introduction about their company which aims to produce all original local plays or musicals. This one weekend run of "Kailan at Bakit" is just a soft opening of sorts for this fledgling company. The big one comes in summer next year with the musical "Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady."

1. BETANG (Written by Joanna L. Katanyag; Directed by Ed Lacson)

I had already seen this one-act play last July during the Virgin Labfest at the CCP. Here was how I reviewed the play back then:

"The situation in this play is so deceptively simple that the synopsis can be summarized in a single sentence: Octogenarian Lola Betang waits for her former lover boy to fetch her with him in the next life. However, the multi-layered performance of Ms. Sherry Lara as the title character Betang was able to show us so much more than that.  If there was a best actress for the festival, she would probably be one of the top contenders. The audience audibly responded to her, even when she was just batting her eyelashes or smiling coyly.

There was intense chemistry felt between Ms. Lara and the actor who played her long-awaited "sundo" (or, in Philippine superstition, a fetcher to the afterlife), Chino Veguillas. Veguillas possessed a palpable charisma that made many females in the audience swoon with Betang.  That theme song of theirs, "I Wanna Be Loved By You" by Marilyn Monroe, was so hauntingly perfect.  When they delivered those killer lines at the end, you'd have to be made of stone if you were not emotionally moved. Beautiful."

The luminous Ms. Sherry Lara reprises her role here as Betang. In the Virgin Labfest, Juliene Mendoza only played the minor third character, Betang's nephew Norberto. In this new staging, Mendoza takes on the main character of Betang's ghostly "sundo". Mendoza has always been a reliable actor and this time is no different. However, I do not know if it is because I had already seen this play before, but the romantic chemistry between Lara and Mendoza did not affect me as much as it did back in July. Maybe it was because I was already aware of how perfectly it had been portrayed the first time around. 

2. MGA BULONG NI RARA (Written by Pertee Brinas; Directed by Claudia Fernandez)

This play is set in a house inside a subdivision. Houseboy Nitoy is washing clothes and doing all the household chores because housegirl Gemma is in her first month of pregnancy. Her condition was the result of a one-night stand with hunky security guard Yuri, whom Nitoy also fancied. Their love triangle reaches a head when something disturbing happens to Yuri which had diabolical consequences.

The script throws us a weird curveball. From a funny love triangle story, it went to a totally unexpected direction that was not funny. Instead, it went from something light to something totally dark. This shift was so radical and sudden, with no clear explanations given. By the way, I also did not really get who the titular Rara is.

The three new actors all did well in their roles nevertheless. Flamboyantly helpful Nitoy was played by EJ Patacsil. The clueless guard Yuri was played by TJ de la Paz. The two of them have good playful chemistry together. The annoying Gemma was played by Ina Azarcon.  I am sure we have all met employees like her in real life. These three realistic characters as charmingly portrayed by these actors really made the supernatural twist come out of totally nowhere. I think the same initial premise of the play could be reused for a totally different and more interesting rom-com type of play, or even a musical.

3. FRESHMAN (Written and Directed by Chris Martinez)

Bonn is struggling to study for their Statistics finals the next day. He asks his classmate Ryan to his house to help him in his review. In the course of this study session, their conversations turn from small talk about school to unsettling discussions about the most bizarre of subject matters.

I had the most expectations for this play because Chris Martinez is well-known for his well-written, very funny films like "Here Comes the Bride" and "Kimmy Dora". There was nothing light or breezy or funny about "Freshman". The whole play is strange, and very uncomfortable to watch. (I did like that reference to a certain "review center", brought back memories of my own college days in Diliman.)

Ryan is a manipulative weirdo genius with repressed desires and violent tendencies. I guess there are really crazy people like that in college. Gio Gahol got all his character's idiosyncrasies down -- from the way he eats his potato chips, to his calculator rituals, to the secret of his "ballpen". He was totally committed to his role, did not fall out of character, no missed beat.

It was Bonn though that was unrealistically written, as portrayed here by Brian Sy. Is desperation to pass a subject enough reason to bear such indignities as this character was made to endure? In the first place, why does he not have his own calculator? The two of them can't be sharing this quirky calculator during the exam, can they? Two sick violent events happen to him that night, and both times, this supposedly macho jock just gets up to resume his review. I would have told that guy to get the hell out of my house after the first one. Of course, maybe I just did not get it.

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"Kailan at Bakit" will run only for this weekend, December 12-14, 2014 at the PETA Studio, 3/F PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. There will be two shows on Saturday and Sunday, 1 pm and 5 pm. The 5 pm show is perfect appetizer for those who are watching "Rak of Aegis" in the main theater at night. The 5 pm show ends about 7:30 pm, just as Rak will begin at 8 pm. Each ticket costs P 600 inclusive all three plays already. For ticket reservations, contact number is 09985311389.