This is the third year in a row that I am catching some of the fresh one-act plays chosen for this year's 12th edition of the Virgin Labfest at the CCP. This year, 197 scripts were submitted and the top 12 were chosen to be staged. Because of my work schedule, I could only watch two sets for now. I hope time clears up for me to be able to watch more. VLF XII opened yesterday. Today, on the day of the Presidential Inauguration, I was able to catch the premiere showing of Set B.
1. BAHAY-BAHAYAN, TAGU-TAGUAN Written by: Herlyn Alegre Directed by: Ricardo Magno There was a civil war of sorts which displaced a significant number of residents from a place called Puting Bato to seek refuge in a tent city across the sea. A well-to-do oil executive Eben loses his whole family when their boat capsized while crossing the border. When he reaches the tent city, he encounters a former teacher Fatima, her son Sami and another young man Dan, who had all been there for over a year now. Eben learns that they were actually trying to move out of this dire camp to try their luck to live somewhere else. During the post-show interaction, playwright Herlyn Alegre revealed that she was inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis when writing this play. The story was very interesting and vital, but as it was staged this afternoon, it felt long and oddly monotonous, hardly lifting off. I did not feel the action rising, nor a satisfying climax. The slow pace and long silences did not help. The reliable Doray Dayao was gritty as ever portraying the jaded Fatima. Sky Abundo (Dan) and Rence Aviles (Sami) play the young men as desperate yet idealistic. As Eben, Chrome Cosio projected the confusion of a new refugee well, but I was expecting more emotion from his character because he did just lose everything he had.
2. ANG BATA SA DRUM Written by: Dominique La Victoria Directed by: Dudz Terana A young girl has a conversation with her younger brother Ruru who, at that time, had been punished by their drunk abusive father by incarcerating him inside a large empty water drum. The script could feel repetitive as kids talk would usually be, talking about school, their chickens, their parents. In addition, majority of the script was in lilting Cebuano language. However, the deep emotional message was not completely lost despite me not fully understanding all the words. We never see Ron Alos, the actor playing Ruru, until he came out for the final bows. We knew him only by his plaintive voice from inside the drum. On the other hand, Raven Relavo had to act by herself onstage in a virtual one-woman show. By the end of the play, Relavo was in real tears, even during the curtain call. We in the audience felt our hearts melting as the siblings realize the hopelessness of their condition. This was a one-act play of poignant simplicity. That final scene before lights out was truly haunting.
3. LOYALIST Written by: Kanakan-Balintagos Directed by: Law Fajardo This one-act play is set in 1992, the year when Imelda Marcos came from from her exile. It is a spirited conversation between an activist-artist college boy from UP and his mother, who was staunchly loyal fan of the Marcoses. The setting was a chicly-decorated living room where the son caused a big mess with his stuff. The mother practically spent the whole time cleaning and straightening up the place while talking with her slacker of a son. The fact that none other than Ms. Irma Adlawan was playing the mother is already enough reason for you to watch this play. She of course lives up to her reputation, in a complex role that required her to be so lively and passionate. I have also seen several plays with Abner Delina Jr. before in PETA and here in VLF and he is also consistently on point with his performances. He certainly holds his own against the formidable talents of Ms. Adlawan. In the Q&A after the plays, playwright Kanakan-Balintagos confessed that this, like his recent full-length play "Mga Buhay na Apoy," was also a script he wrote twenty years ago. His professor did not like it then. Amazing how the passage of time had made this material entertainingly nostalgic and fun to watch, especially for us who actually lived through that moment in history.
Green Day is one of the most popular American punk bands that gained prominence in the 1990s. In 2010, a sung-thru stage musical with a musical score which included a line up of Green Day songs debuted on Broadway, with a book written by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong collaborating with director Michael Mayer. Earlier this year, 9Works announced that they will be a local staging of this show and this news was truly exciting. Knowing how high-energy and electrifying Green Day music is, this is definitely a must-watch show.
Basti Artadi and Jason Fernandez
The venue was a huge stage set in an outdoor amphitheater in the heart of Bonifacio High Street in Taguig. There were big screens on both sides of the stage, just like there would be in any rock concert. Just looking at the set already gave you an inkling that this would be an extraordinary show.
There were three young men who were close friends whose paths eventually diverge. Will got his girlfriend pregnant and reluctantly decided to stay in town to stay with her. Tunny got convinced by TV ads to join the US Army. Johnny gets seduced by the drug lifestyle, even developing a powerful alter-ego St. Jimmy to justify his abuse. When his girlfriend Whatsername decides to leave him, Johnny had to make his own life-changing decisions.
Yanah Laurel, with Fernandez and Artadi
The central character of Johnny was played by former Rivermaya vocalist Jason Fernandez. Will was played by Chicosci frontman Miggy Chavez. This is the stage debut of both of these rock stars. Their singing prowess was incontestable, and both also did well in the acting department. Fernandez's character went to hell and back and he impressively convinced us of this. Chavez tended to be a little tentative at first but loosened up eventually. Tunny is played by theater actor Nel Gomez, and his confident ease around the stage is unmistakable, both in acting and singing.
Johnny's mysterious guru persona St. Jimmy was played by none other than the iconic leader of the 90s band Wolfgang, the legendary Basti Artadi, who had been out of the entertainment scene for sometime. The right-sided facial paralysis he suffers now may occasionally draw unnecessary attention. However, Artadi's powerful vocal reach and his enigmatic charisma was still very much there to keep us riveted when he is on stage.
Miggy Chavez
The ladies in the cast certainly had their spot numbers to shine. Yanah Laurel (as Whatsername) got to highlight her unexpectedly powerful rock pipes in the anthemic number "21 Guns". Ms. Saigon alumna Ela Lisondra certainly proved she was an "Extraordinary Girl" as she showed off her pole- and belly-dancing grace on top of singing that song. Alex Godinez was sweet and sentimental as Will's girl Heather, and her crystal-clear vocals in her various songs reflect her character well.
Of course, the big Top 40 hit songs, namely "Boulevard of Broken Dreams,""Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "21 Guns" were easily the most popular numbers. The whole company sings a rousing rendition of "Good Riddance (Time of My Life)" as a triumphant encore.. The other songs also make strong impressions despite their relative unfamiliarity. The poignant "Give Me Novocaine" and the forceful "Know Your Enemy" in particular were my personal favorites.
Nel Gomez
Director Robbie Guevara succeeds to engage the audience with his effective use of the complex multi-level stage area (again with set design by Mio Infante), Videos (by GA Fallarme) projected the influential television images that affected the lives of the youth. Daniel Bartolome conducts the live orchestra, as Onyl Torres serves as musical director for vocals. One of the important aspects of this production was the frenetic yet sexy Choreography, and this was care of PJ Rebullida. Lights and sound quality was excellent despite being in an outdoor venue. The costumes (a mix of leather, t-shirts and khaki) and makeup (trademark black eyeliner) brought us all into their punk world. The modern culture with the deadly troika of "sex, drugs and rock n' roll" was not comfortable to watch onstage, with all the decadent nihilism it espouses among disillusioned and disoriented young people. However as performed by the live musicians and sung by the talented cast, the headbanging music of Green Day was undeniablyinvigorating and glorious. The lyrics developed a new depth of meaning when heard in the context of the story unfolding on stage. 9 Works have a strong contender for Musical Production of the Year!
The Company sings "Good Riddance"
************ Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT will run from June 24 to July 10, 2016. There will be shows on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8 pm. Venue is at the new Globe Iconic Store, Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater, BGC, Taguig. For TICKETS call 586-7105 or Ticketworld at 891-9999!
Earlier this year, popular 80s band Culture Club featuring their flamboyant cross-dressing lead vocalist Boy George audaciously announced a two-night concert in Manila at the Araneta Coliseum on June 17 and 18, 2016. However, by the first week of June, it was announced that the first day had been scrapped and that there will only be one concert on June 18. I had to swap my 06/17 tickets for 06/18 tickets. When we entered the Coliseum at around 8 pm, there were still very many empty seats all over in all sections. This was a Saturday night, so this situation was very unusual. The Gen Ad section had been closed and the lucky GA ticket holders were upgraded to Upper Box, which nevertheless still never filled up despite this. It would never be a full house even as the concert started by about 9 pm. Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and Jon Moss (drums and percussion) entered the stage first, before star vocalist Boy George made his grand entrance. The concert started very strongly, with four consecutive big hits: "Church of the Poison Mind" (#2 UK, #10 US, 1983) (VIDEO), "It's a Miracle" (#4 UK, #13 US, 1984), "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" (#9 US, 1982) and "Move Away" (#7 UK, #12 US, 1986) (VIDEO). It was promising to be a great concert of 80s nostalgia, as the music videos of each hit were being shown on the big screen as Boy George was singing the songs.
Then suddenly, the images on the big screen vanished. The technicians announced that there had been a power outage on the stage! While the microphones and overhead lights seemed to be working, all the amplifiers of the instruments are dead. Upon this announcement, Boy George at first joked if he was going to do a stand-up comedy routine. However, probably realizing that the power problem was serious, he left the stage for a "costume change." The drummers tried to engage the audience with a couple of drum numbers, however they also could not sustain the long wait. The audience grew restless and, in true Filipino fashion, spent the time singing or joking around. This wait would last for an interminable 30-40 minutes before the power was finally restored and the concert could resume. Boy George apologized profusely and thanked everyone for waiting patiently. The first number sung after the outage was Boy George's solo hit "Everything I Own" (#1 UK, 1987), a reggae-flavored cover of an old ballad hit by Bread. Then Boy George paired up with one of his diva-esque back-up singers to perform the soulful "Black Money", followed by another soulful solo song entitled "Victims" (#3 UK, 1983). These two songs prove that Boy George's pipes light-as-air vocals can also be powerful and dramatic.
The next four songs was another hit blitz. For "Time (Clock of the Heart)" (#3 UK, #2 US, 1982), Boy George enjoined lovers put their arms around each other. This was followed by the upbeat crowd favorite "Miss Me Blind" (#5 US, 1984) with its Japanese-themed video playing behind him. The next song Boy George introduced as the song that started it all for them: "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" (#1 UK, #2 US, 1982) (VIDEO). Immediately following was their first and only Number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (also #1 in UK) -- "Karma Chameleon" (VIDEO). This song finally got the whole crowd up on their feet. After that hitting that high though, Boy George elected to play it serious again, with a cover of his personal inspiration David Bowie, an impressive version of "Starman." This was followed by a song that Boy George said he was being pressured to sing. He revealed that they have practically never sung this next song in a concert, only maybe three times in the past 30 years. This was the big hit "The War Song" (#2 UK, #17 US, 1984) sung in a new deconstructed version, which also delighted the audience.
The next song they performed was another cover, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" by T. Rex, and also by the Power Station. Boy George suddenly announced his goodbyes towards the final notes of this song and left the stage. The rest of Culture Club and the band wound up their music and bade their goodbyes as well. The audience seemed unsatisfied still, and no one left their seats right away, yelling for more. However, an encore did not come anymore. The concert covered ALL the biggest hits of Culture Club, so the show should be OK. Maybe it was the order in which the songs were performed that made it seem that the show did not reach a higher climax. I was personally disappointed that Boy George did not get to sing his version of "The Crying Game", which was a favorite of mine. The 30-minute power outage really sapped the momentum of the show considerably. I think Boy George was disappointed with the show overall. He did not dance too much. He only had one costume change. I think maybe it was because of the unexpectedly sparse audience turnout. I really cannot fathom why this concert did not sell as well as it could have.
Artist Playground opens its second season with an original play written by prolific playwright Rody Vera six years ago, entitled "Happiness is a Pearl." This is the first time this play had ever been staged for the public. The young theater company pushes the envelope with daring material that is for mature audiences only. In the center of "Happiness is a Pearl" is a love triangle. Kenji is a Japanese gigolo who knew how to pleasure the ladies with his "equipment" uniquely enhanced by a pearl. Mari, a Japanese woman married to a rich businessman, could not resist Kenji's company for the ecstasy that he gives her. However, Kenji's heart had fallen for Maria, a Japayuki in a seedy Filipino bar in Chiba. As a confrontation among the three lovers was inevitable, each one realizes what they had to lose to gain the happiness of love.
The interior of the Little Room Upstairs where this play was staged was rearranged to fit a bigger diagonally-set stage with three substages. The audience sat on three sides of this stage, offering a different view of the action onstage. The ceiling was adorned with pink florets looking like cherry blossoms to symbolize the Japanese setting of the play. Some movable frames were set on the posterior stage, but I did not exactly get what these frames were supposed to represent.
Of the three main actors on the stage, the one that easily commanded attention by his mere physical presence was the newcomer (with the shortest CV) who played Kenji-- 22-year old indie film actor Tomas Miranda. He is a handsome well-built young man, with penetrating eyes which actually made him look Japanese. He acted with confidence, belying the fact this is was his very first theater production, Japanese accent and various stages of undress notwithstanding. (Jerome Rosalin alternates as Kenji.)
The two ladies who shared the stage with Miranda also had their respective moments to shine. Cath Go played the Japanese matron Mari as an obsessed lonely lady who was willing to buy her way to her happiness. This was the only character supposedly based on a real person. Ira Ruzz (who previously made a good impression as Flerida in Gantimpala's "Florante at Laura") played the entertainer Maria with typical homespun charm, very Filipina in attitude in situations of adversity. (Ruth Alferez alternates as Mari. Shiela Espina alternates as Maria.)
The extreme limitations of the stage space makes this play a challenge in blocking for director Paul Jake Paule, so that the audience around will get to see everything that was happening on stage. However, an even more difficult challenge was for choreographer Lezlie Dailisan. The choreography of the tangos danced by the three main actors was emotionally communicative, one of the best and most memorable aspects of this show. Despite the fact that Miranda, Go and Ruzz had no previous dance training, they were able to execute all the daring lifts and flips with grace and aplomb, very impressive all.
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"Happiness is a Pearl" is staged at The Little Room Upstairs, Rm. 1701 of the Landsdale Tower along Mo. Ignacia (cor. Timog Ave.) in Quezon City. The play shall run from June 9 to July 3, 2016 with 7 pm shows from Wednesday – Friday; 3 pm and 7 pm shows every Saturday and Sunday. For tickets and inquiries, visit Artist Playground's FB Page or contact 0926 932 3179. Strictly for ADULTS only.
Unusual for a concert of an artist at the prime of his career, the MOA Arena was not a full house last night at the Jason Derulo concert. Ticket sales must have been bad, since General Admission was closed down and ticket holders were upgraded to Upper Box. When the crew of front act took the stage by about 8:30 pm, there were still a lot of vacant seats all over the venue. Red Foo (of LMFAO) and his gang really tried his best to pump up the energy of the audience and it worked. People were up and dancing most of his hour-long set of mixes of his catchy, hi-energy original material. Most were not really familiar to me, except for his #1 hit "Party Rock Anthem" (VIDEO).
Red Foo sprays the audience with bubbly
They really had a lot of gimmicks to engage the audience frenzy. They had smoke effects, numerous confetti showers, champagne spraying, blow-up animal toys (including two giant zebra dolls) which they threw out into the VIP audience to their delight. Red Foo even invited a number of girls from the audience to dance with him on the stage. I was surprised at the daring of these initially shy-looking girls when got into the groove of the beat and started their twerking! (VIDEO) After the Red Foo set, they needed about 20 minutes or so to clean up all the confetti off the stage. Then Jason's official DJ Jae took the stage and started to re-energize the audience with his mixes of popular chart hits of other artists from Rihanna to Silento to Bieber which got the crowd singing and dancing along. It was already about 10:30 pm when finally, Jason Derulo himself got on stage.
He opened with his 2013 #14 hit "Trumpets". "Wiggle" (#5, 2014) and "Get Ugly" (2015) followed with Jason showing off his def dance moves with his crew. After a short break featuring his female dancers, Jason returned with a gentler beat with "Marry Me" (2013) sung with colorful stained glass windows in the background. Then he did a throwback with his first ever chart hit in 2009, a song that went all the way to #1, "Whatcha Say" (VIDEO). A couple more of his older hits followed with "Ridin' Solo" (#9, 2010) and "In My Head" (#5, 2009), all very well received by the crowd. For the next song "It Girl," a girl from the audience was called to join Jason onstage. She was a big girl but very charming as she hugged Jason several times and even got to show off her dance moves. Too bad, Jason did not engage her in conversation, but she was visibly thrilled about getting close to her favorite singer.
When Jason came back onstage after a short musical interlude, he was shirtless, showing off his physique with the requisite abs. The song "Breathing" was performed in red light and had a really intense vibe with the choreography. Jason then sat on the edge of the stage and introduced this song which he called "a song currently #1 in the Philippines." It turned out to be his solo version of a Little Mix hit ballad called "Secret Love Song" (VIDEO) on which Jason was a featured artist. He ended this set with "If It Ain't Love" his latest Billboard chart hit in the US. The next song "The Other Side" started with what seemed to be an empty stage with just a hooded figure in the shadows. By the time it reached the chorus though, the lights opened and Jason surprised everyone by performing at the back of the orchestra section! He returned up the stage to sing "Cheyenne". This was another well-choreographed number with excellent lighting effects and eerie accompanying video in the background.
Jason Derulo chats with his fans
It was already past 11:30 when Jason got to sing his two biggest recent hits in succession "Talk Dirty" (#3, 2013) (VIDEO) and finally the very danceable "Want to Want Me" (#5, 2015). The show simply ended there after his thanks and goodbye, with no more encores. I went to this concert primarily to accompany my two teenage boys, but I realized I also actually knew a lot of his songs myself (though I could not really sing along to them, haha!). It was a good energetic boost-me-up concert that left the audience on a natural high.
April 16 is World Voice Day (WVD). Every year, the Dept. of ENT-HNS along with the Voice and Swallowing Center in my institution join colleagues the world over to celebrate this advocacy. WVD reminds us about the importance of our voices in our daily lives. We should strive to acquire and maintain good voice habits in order to preserve this vital vehicle of self-expression, communication and occupation. Like before we had a free throat endoscopy mission and a lay forum about voice care.
As with previous years, a WVD celebration is not complete without a musical presentation. This year, we have invited a classical singing ensemble called VIVA VOCE to be our main guest. We had already invited Viva Voce before in previous WVD celebrations for mini-concerts at the lobby of St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City during the lunch hour. This year however, the concert will be held at the Henry Sy Sr. Auditorium of St. Luke's Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City at evening primetime. Viva Voce had its beginnings as a summer voice camp in 2010 whose faculty was headed by Camille Lopez-Molina, who remains to be the group's musical director up to now. The members are young classical singers from schools of music from various colleges and universities around the metro, including UP, UST, PWU and St. Scholastica. Aside from concerts and recitals, Viva Voce also participates in various theater productions by Dulaang UP and PETA to name a few.
Carlo Manalac and Anna Dinnah Migallos
With Ms. Molina at the piano, the concert proper began seriously with four Italian operatic arias by Donizetti, Mozart and Puccini, done as an ensemble or solos by selected members. Roxy Aldiosa, a soprano, sang "Alto's Lament" by Marvin Hamlisch. There was also a duet by Anna Migallos and Carlo Angelo Falcis entitled "Love Unspoken" from "The Merry Widow" by Franz Lehar, which ended with a real kiss on the lips! They ended the first half with a group version of "Climb Every Mountain" (from "The Sound of Music")
Dr. Tomas Mendez and his showstopper in the middle of the First Half
Some doctors were also invited to share their singing talent in this concert. Junior ENT resident Dr. Tomas Mendez regaled the audience with a strong rendition of Puccini's showstopping aria for tenors "Nessun Dorma" (from "Turandot"). Cardiology consultant Dr. Rodney Jimenez was as smooth as ever with his rendition of "What I Did for Love" (from "The Chorus Line"). Neurology resident and "I Love OPM" shoo-in winner Dr. Fran Efendy channeled Josh Groban with "To Where You Are". (VIDEO)
Carlo Angelo Falcis and Myramae Meneses
Raymond Yadao and Glenda Liao
After the 20-minute intermission, Viva Voce changed from their formal wear in the first half into more casual wear for the second half. The first few songs of the second half were Filipino songs. The set started with "Maalaala Mo Kaya" by Constancio de Guzman sung by the ensemble. There was a duet by Glenda Liao and Raymond Yadao of "Makikiliti Kang Totoo" (from "Walang Sugat" by Severino Reyes), as well as a medley of Tagalog folk songs entitled "Halina't Magsaya." There were also two songs which featured the silken soprano voice of Ms. Myramae Meneses. I believe she is the most well-known soprano from Viva Voce, having already played the lead role of Maria Clara in both the Dulaang UP and the Resorts World staging of "Noli Me Tangere the Opera", as well as in "Kanser @35" by Gantimpala Theater. Her first solo was traditional folk song "Leron Leron Sinta", followed by Manuel Velez's "Sa Kabukiran" (as a duet with Iona Ventocilla).
Roby Malubay and Roxy Aldiosa
Mark Bautista and Iona Ventocilla
The group then divided according to gender to render the next two songs. First, the boys got together to sing "Drinking Song" (from "The Student Prince" by Sigmund Romberg. Then the girls took their turn to sing "Comes the Broken Flower" (from "Trial by Jury" by Arthur Sullivan). They all joined up again to sing a medley of the most familiar songs from "The Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The final three songs of the main set were from the very popular Claude Michel Schonberg musical "Les Miserables." Baritone Yadao first sang his version of "Stars", then tenor Falcis sang "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," both of which just so happened to be my favorite songs from the show (-- you bet I was singing along, haha!). The grand finale of course is "One More Day" (VIDEO), after which everyone took their bows. Upon cries for more from the audience, Viva Voce obliged and sang a Filipino pop classic "Nais Ko" (VIDEO) as their encore before taking their final bows for real.
April 29, 2016 Philstage is an umbrella organization of professional performing arts companies in the Philippines. Presently the members include: 9Works Theatrical, Actor’s Actors Inc. Ballet Manila, Ballet Philippines, Full House (Resort World Manila), Gantimpala Theater Foundation, PETA, Philippine Ballet Theater, Philippine Opera Company, Repertory Philippines, Red Turnip, Stages, Tanghalang Pilipino and Trumpets. Gawad Buhay is the name of its awards of excellence. Last night, Gawad Buhay, the Philstage industry awards exclusively for the performing arts, gave its awards for the 8th year. This was the third year in a row that I watched it. For the last two years, the awards night was held in the CCP Little Theater. This year, the ceremonies were held in Onstage at Greenbelt 1, with the show directed by Jenny Jamora. For 2015, it was my distinct honor to have been invited to serve on the Gawad Buhay jury, an independent panel of critics, scholars, artists and theater enthusiasts who determines the winners for the awards. I was not only watching the show this year, but for the past year, I actually participated in the nomination and voting process for the quarterly citations and of course, these awards. Since the final vote was by secret balloting, I had no idea who will win. So some winners also came as a big surprise to me.
Representatives of the Philstage member companies gather onstage
Like last year, the ever-funny Topper Fabregas was the emcee of the proceedings. But this time he had Kakai Bautista (in an eye-catching body-hugging white outfit with a deep plunging neckline) to banter with as co-host. They gave out the first four awards, all of which were automatic winners for being the only nominees in their category.
Emcees for the Night: Topper and Kakai
1. Outstanding Original Musical Composition • Joed Balsamo, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) (MY REVIEW) "Ganito pala ang pakiramdam ng manalo pag wala kang kalaban." 2. Outstanding Original Libretto • Nicanor Tiongson, “Mabining Mandirigma (TP) 3. Outstanding Original Musical—Original or Translation/Adaptation • “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) 4. Outstanding Production of Existing Material for a Musical • “La Cage aux Folles” (9WT) (MY REVIEW)
The cast and crew of La Cage Aux Folles receive their award.
The next presenters were Roselyn Perez and Fred Lo. 5. Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical • “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) 6. Outstanding Musical Direction • Joed Balsamo, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) 7. Outstanding Stage Direction for a Musical • Chris Millado, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP)
Chris Millado, receiving one of 11 awards for "Mabining Mandirigma"
with Fred Lo and Roselyn Perez behind him
This was followed by "How Do I Prepare?" This was the first of a series short documentary videos (directed by Joaquin Valdez) showing the theater or dance production as a evolving process by collaborating artisans. The next presenters were Nar Cabico and Phi Palmos (who was in a blonde wig, trying to channel Meryl Streep, I think) to present award for acting in a musical. 8. Female Featured Performance in a Musical • Cris Villonco, “Bituing Walang Ningning, The Musical” (Full House) (MY REVIEW) Her Lavinia was the life of the whole show. 9. Male Featured Performance in a Musical • Antonio Ferrer, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) His portrayal of Emilio Aguinaldo was too powerful to forget.
Antonio Arman Ferrer receives his award
with Phi Palmos and Nar Cabico behind him
10. Female Lead Performance in a Musical • Delphine Buencamino, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) Her award was received by proud mother, Ms. Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino. 11. Male Lead Performance in a Musical • Audie Gemora, “La Cage aux Folles” (9WT) "Two years ago, Melvin Lee won this award for "Care Divas." Last year, it was Red Concepcion for "Priscilla". Now this. If you want to win this award, you have to wear a dress!"
Audie Gemora receives his award
After another short video was shown about "Designers in their Element", John Herrera, Giannina Ocampo and Caisa Borromeo strutted out like fashion models to give out the design awards. 12. Outstanding Costume Design • James Reyes, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) 13. Outstanding Sound Design • TJ Ramos, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) 14. Outstanding Lighting Design • John Batalla, “33 Variations” (RTT) (MY REVIEW) 15. Outstanding Set Design • Toym Imao, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP)
Toym Imao won for his "steampunk" designs for "Mabining Mandirigma
The NATATANGING GAWAD AWARDS were chosen by the Philstage Board Members, not the GB jury. These lifetime achievement accolades recounting the lives of veterans who led lives filled with passion for the performing arts were very inspirational parts of the show.
Tonight the first honoree is Ms. Celia Diaz Laurel. The introduction by Ms. Joy Virata told us about Ms. Laurel's prolific career on stage, starring in probably a hundred plays as lead actress throughout her career, from UP to Repertory Philippines. She was also a master of designing costumes within a limited budget using her "glue-gun and stapler". When Ms. Laurel went up the stage, her children Cocoy, Nicole and Iwi accompanied her as she sang "The Colors of My Life" before her heartfelt speech. An unprecedented special number featuring three pairs of dancers from each of the three biggest dance companies of the country -- Ballet Philippines, Ballet Manila and the Philippine Ballet Theater -- regaled us with the power and grace of contemporary ballet. This led to the the presentation of the awards in the Dance categories.
One of the Ballet Pairs in an elegant excerpt
A reunion of the "Priscilla Queen of the Jungle" cast, namely Jon Santos, Red Concepcion, Michael Williams, presented next. Jon Santos was a hilarious scene-stealing riot as always. 16. Male Featured Performance in Modern Dance • Earl John Arisola, “Sarong Banggi” (BP) (MY REVIEW) 17. Female Featured Performance in Modern Dance • Monica Gana, “Sarong Banggi” (BP)
A shy and excited Monica Gana
with Jon Santos, Red Concepcion and Michael Williams behind her.
18. Male Lead Performance in Modern Dance • Gerardo Francisco, “Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin”/from “Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang” (BM) 19. Female Lead Performance in Modern Dance • Rita Winder, “Sarong Banggi” (BP)
Sleek and statuesque Rita Winder receives her award
20. Male Featured Performance in Classical Dance • Gerardo Francisco, “Romeo and Juliet” (BM) 21. Female Featured Performance in Classical Dance • Pia Dames, “Romeo and Juliet” (BM) 22. Male Lead Performance in Classical Dance • Victor Maguad, “Peter Pan” (BP)
A genuinely surprised Victor Maguad did not expect to win this award.
23. Female Lead Performance in Classical Dance • Lobreza Pimentel, "Don Quixote" (PBT) The second Natatanging Gawad Award was for the recently-conferred National Artist for Dance -- Ms. Alice Reyes. She was introduced by Paul Morales of Ballet Philippines. She was given a dance tribute entitled "Tagistis ng Ulan" accompanied in song by OJ Mariano. In her speech, Ms. Reyes reminded us, that in the midst of this fast-paced world we live in today, we should always make time for artistic excellence.
National Artist and now Natatanging Gawad awardee Ms. Alice Reyes
Kim Molina presented the next set of Dance awards with her "Rak of Aegis" co-stars Pepe Herrera and Jerald Napoles (in drag) wackily "dancing" behind her. All the awards of Ballet Manila in this section were received by no less than Ms. Lisa Macuja Elizalde. The awards of Ballet Philippines were received by Paul Morales. 24. Outstanding Ensemble Performance for Modern Dance • “Bloom”/ from “BM 2.0” (BM) 25. Outstanding Ensemble Performance for Classical Dance • “Peter Pan” (BP) 26. Outstanding Choreography for a Dance Production • Edna Vida-Froilan,“Peter Pan” (BP)
Denisa Reyes receives her award,
with the goofy pair of Jerald Napoles and Pepe Herrera behind her
27. Outstanding Choreography for a Play or Musical • Denisa Reyes, “Mabining Mandirigma” (TP) 28. Outstanding Production for Children • “Peter Pan” (BP) 29. Outstanding Modern Dance Production • “Bloom”/from “BM 2.0” (BM) 30. Outstanding Classical Dance Production • “Peter Pan” (BP)
Pair from "Peter Pan" dance an excerpt from the show
Ms. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo introduced the In Memoriam segment next. On the live accompaniment of Ejay Yatco on piano and Jef Flores on violin, the video screen reminded us of the recently departed theater artists, like tenor Nolyn Cabahug, actor Felindo Obach, playwright/director Rosauro de la Cruz, soprano Eleanor Calbes, production manager Lisa Camus and actor Junix Inocian, among others. The next short video reminded us how last year 2015 was "The Year of the Straight Play." Following that, Liesl Batucan and Jonathan Tadioan presented two awards.
Kanakan Balintagos receives his award
with Liesl Batucan and Jonathan Tadioan behind him
31. Outstanding Original Script • Kanakan Balintagos, “Mga Buhay na Apoy” (TP) (MY REVIEW) 32. Outstanding Translation or Adaptation • Rody Vera, “Arbol de Fuego” (Peta) (MY REVIEW) The next set of awards were presented by Loy Martinez and indie film actress Meryl Soriano (who kept on wondering aloud what she was doing in a theater awards show). 33. Female Featured Performance in a Play • Roselyn Perez, “33 Variations” (RTT) Very happy for her, even if I was rooting for her to win for "The Normal Heart" though. **** FLASH REPORT! The next day, the Gawad corrected itself and announced that Ms. Perez actually won for her performance in "The Normal Heart"! I am very happy with this news because I considered her "Normal Heart" performance one of the absolute best for the whole year.
Roselyn Perez receives her award
with Meryl Soriano and Lorenz Martinez behind her
34. Male Featured Performance in a Play • Teroy Guzman, “33 Variations” (RTT) The reason why he was not there to receive his award was because he was in Europe doing a Shakespeare! What more can you say?! 35. Male Lead Performance in a Play • Jef Flores, “This Is Our Youth” (RTT) (MY REVIEW) If there was an award for Breakout Theater Star of 2015, it would go to Jef Flores, who made a very positive impression last year with his roles in "4000 Miles", "Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady", "The Normal Heart" and this one.
Jef Flores shares his award with his co-star and co-nominee Nicco Manalo
36. Female Lead Performance in a Play • Irma Adlawan, “Mga Buhay na Apoy” (TP) In this very tight category, Ms. Adlawan won over similarly formidable actresses such as Ana Abad Santos, Cherie Gil and double-nominee Shamaine Buencamino. It was a stage reunion for "La Cage Aux Folles" couple Michael de Mesa and Audie Gemora as they presented the last set of awards. 37. Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Play • “The Normal Heart” (AAI/TNT) (MY REVIEW) 38. Outstanding Stage Direction for a Play • Bart Guingona, “The Normal Heart” (AAI/TNT)
Bart Guingona and the award-winning ensemble of "The Normal Heart" behind him.
(Perez, Flores, Concepcion and Fabregas)
39. Outstanding Production of Existing Material for a Play • “The Normal Heart” (AAI/TNT) 40. Outstanding Original Play—Original or Translation/Adaptation • “Arbol de Fuego” (Peta)
Lead star Cherie Gil and director Loy Arcenas receive the award for "Arbol de Fuego".
