Fred Said: THEATER, CONCERTS, EVENTS

August 5, 2017

The PhilStagers newest musical play once again returns to the late 19th century to tell the story of the Philippine Revolution from the point of view of another one of its heroic protagonists -- the celebrated painter Juan Luna. Most of us know Juan Luna only for his spectacular 4.2 m x 7.6 m masterpiece -- the "Spoliarium" -- which is now hanging in its own special hall inside the National Museum. We frankly know nothing much more about him other than that beautiful gold medal-winning painting. It is time we knew more.

In an inventive and bold twist of storytelling genius, Atty. Vince Tanada brings us inside the disturbed psyche of Juan Luna as he argued within himself about key decisions and events of his life, both celebratory and tragic. While this potentially controversial two-in-one characterization style (the genteel artist vs. the volatile cad) can cause confusion for the viewers at first, this novel approach also made us gain a unique understanding of the artist and his state of mind. I marveled at how Atty. Tanada was able to create such an imaginative manner of telling what could have been a straightforward dry history lesson.

Vince Tanada, Cindy Liper and Patrick Libao

The two stalwart lead star actors of the PhilStagers, Patrick Libao and Vince Tanada himself, portray these two disparate personalities within Juan Luna, known here as Juan Luna 1 and Juan Luna 2. Libao is making a comeback of sorts since he took a year-long leave from the company. It was as if he never left at all as everything he did was on point. Tanada is consistent with his signature acting and singing style that earned him a lot of devoted young fans over the years. His singing vocal range seems to be expanding with his every show -- impressive. (Kenneth Sadsad and Chin Ortega alternate as JL1 and 2.)

Juan Luna's story could not be told without including his group of friends in Spain with him -- namely, best friend Jose Rizal (Johnrey Rivas), propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar (JP Lopez), brother-in-law Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (Kenneth Sadsad), and his hot-headed younger brother Antonio Luna (Jomar Bautista). The story of brotherhood of these Filipino illustrado indio intelligensia in Spain had never been told in a more vibrant way. Their boyish antics together played well to thrill the ladies in the audience.

Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (Kenneth Sadsad), Antonio Luna (Jomar Bautista), and MH del Pilar (JP Lopez) talk about Jose Rizal (Johnrey Rivas in background)

While all four of them had their own moments to shine, an inordinate amount of time was given to Jose Rizal, his despair about Leonor Rivera (Judyy Tolentino) and his love triangle with Antonio Luna and Nellie Boustead, even his incarceration and execution. These side stories did take the play on a significant detour away from the main Juan Luna thread. However, I did not mind the side trip because it featured the ballad "Ako na Lang," which I thought was the best and most memorable song of the whole show.

Johnrey Rivas had a strong stage presence as Rizal, and he also gets to sing his own arias. His strong singing voice is a pleasant surprise. Jomar Bautista, who looked like a heftier Enrique Gil from afar, was an excellent Antonio Luna, both as youth and as general. Rutchel Leonor plays the girl which came between their friendship, Nellie, and she certainly projected so well why the two heroes are crazy about her. Her crystalline singing voice is certainly another one of her virtues.

Liper, Adele Ibarrientos and Sadsad

as the Pardo de Tavera family in happier times

One of the best-executed scenes as staged was that about the biggest scandal attached to Juan Luna's name -- the murder case involving his wife Paz Pardo de Tavera and his mother-in-law Juliana. The two stalwart lead actresses of the PhilStagers, Cindy Liper and Adele Ibarrientos, portray these two ill-fated women. Director Tanada again stages this sensational episode with the characters involved with only a stand-alone door and doorway prop between them. The dark and loud musical score in this scene certainly gave this outstanding scene a heart-pounding air of insanity, tension and violence. (Vean Olmedo and Rutchel Leonor alternate as Paz and Juliana.)

Juan Luna's artistic oeuvre not only served as the backdrop of the stage, but also played important roles within the story being told. The "Spoliarium" had a whole production number on its own, with the ensemble portraying the gladiators and the townspeople gathered around them as depicted in the painting. There was another nice scene where four ladies behind colorful frames told the story behind four other Luna works ("Las Damas Romanas,""Despues del Baile," the sublime "Tampuhan" (a personal favorite painting of mine) and "La Muerte de Cleopatra"). The subjects behind his "Mi Hijo Andres" and "The Parisian Life" came to life on stage.

A moment of restful calm with Ina (Vean Olmedo) and the 2 Juans (Libao and Tanada)

"Obra ni Juan" is a 2 hour show without an intermission. Unlike most previous PhilStagers plays which were more immediately accessible, it took time for me to get into the groove of this given the more challenging novel approach it took in telling its story. (No wonder they told the audience to "open your mind" during the opening remarks.) However, once I got on, the rest of the ride was engaging and entertaining. A lot of the tried-and-true signature PhilStagers gimmicks in acting, choreography and humor were still very much there to effectively capture the attention of their youthful audience. Passion overflows in all scenes.

Kudos to director-writer-lyricist Atty. Vince Tanada, musical director-composer Pipo Cifra and the rest of the cast and crew! Special mentions go to Jeff Ambrosio (Production Manager and Set Designer), Art Gabrentina (Technical Director), Gerald Magallanes (Choreographer), Emy Tanada (Costume Designer), and John Paul Santos (Stage Manager).for their valuable behind the scenes work.

Johnrey Rivas, Libao, Tanada and Bautista take their bows

After a month's worth of soft opening shows, tonight's Grand Opening of "Obra ni Juan" was held in Cinema 9 of SM North EDSA, 6pm. Tickets cost P300 for regular patrons. This show will be touring in various Metro Manila and provincial venues. Check out the PhilStagers FB page (LINK) for more details about future shows.

August 26, 2017

PETA has always been known for its outstanding theater shows for children, like "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang" and "Ang Post Office." This year, on its Golden anniversary, PETA once again comes up with a new show for kids and kids at heart -- J-mee Katanyag’s “Tagu-Taguan Nasaan Ang Buwan”.

Against his wishes, Popoy was brought by his strict and stressed out Father to Lola Luna's house to take care of her because she was ill. Popoy was puzzled when his Lola called him Jepoy, and told him that she needed to look for her friends. His Father though told him to ignore her because this was all mere nonsense idle talk of a sick old woman.

Later that night though, a giant mouse named Ngo appeared and told Popoy that he had a shining heart and was the prophesied savior of Dilim-Dilim Land from the curse of the monstrous Papaw Halimaw. With the help of Ngo and the crazy and colorful Princess Mina, Popoy collected some items from the other denizens of Saysay Lupalop -- essential things for him to complete his fated task.

Those new to PETA may not recognize them, but all those nutty residents of Saysay Lupalop were actually characters culled from other PETA children's shows. I recognized Pepe and Pepito to be from "Batang Rizal" (MY REVIEW). As for the others, the hypernasal Ngo is from “Ngo ang Dagang Patay,” the bipolar Prinsesa Mina is from “Ang Tiririt ng Ibong Adarna,” the English-speaking Little Match Girl is from “Hans Christian Andersen Must Be Filipino”, and the challenge-hungry travelers Ismail and Isabel are from “Ismail at Isabel.”

To make the play attractive to kids, the set and costumes have to be vibrant and colorful, and they are! Costume designer Leeroy New had some very imaginative designs for the costumes of the Saysay Lupalop characters, especially Ngo, Princess Mina and Match Girl, also with accessories recycled from household items. The lighting of Loren Rivera and the shadow designs of Sig Pecho worked well with the sets of Charles Yee to create a world of wonder. The giant puppet of Papaw Halimaw was a sight to behold!

Bugcat, Silos, Relavo and other cast members

meet fans in the lobby after the show

In the show I watched, the boy Popoy was played by Albert Silos ( his alternates in this role are Noel Comia and Omar Uddin. The role of Lola Luna was played by Joann Co (her alternates in that role are Marichu Belarmino and Upeng Galang-Fernandez). Popoy's father was played by John Moran. Silos gave a spirited lead performance with confidence and verve. Co gave the third act a potent emotional core. Moran did not feel like he was comfortable playing a father.

The delightful audience-favorite Ngo was played by Roi Calilong. His speech defect must have been so hard to sustain the whole show with a straight face. The very exhausting role of the unhinged Princess Mina was played by Joan Bugcat. She also got to display her belting voice that we heard before in "Rak of Aegis."

Match Girl had a pitch perfect English accent care of Teetin Villanueva. Her Tagalog with an accent is even cuter to the ear. Ismail was rather awkwardly played by Gelo Lantana, but Isabel was sprightly played by Raven Relavo. Pepe and Pepito were given energetic portrayals by Lemuel Silvestre and Vic Robinson III respectively.

Vien Alen King, Eric Dela Cruz, Phil Noble, Gab Pangilinan, Angelo Lantaco, Julia Enriquez, Yeyin Dela Cruz, Gerhard Krysstopher, and Norbs Portales alternate in these roles on other show dates.

Director Dudz Teraña kept the physical comedy up on high gear for almost the whole one and half hours running time of the show, knowing how any dip in the show's momentum might cause the attention of the kids in the audience to wander. The music by composer Jeff Hernandez may not have been immediately catchy for me, but it was lively and bubbly enough to keep the energy of the show going.

For adults though, the payoff will be in the third act, which will resonate with them, with me, the most. Writer J-mee Katanayag delivers a message of not losing our connection with our childhood and the stories we have heard back then. We should never be too jaded with the pressures of adulthood. Instead, we should always hang on to our inner child with its essense of awe and imagination. Our kids will love us more for it.

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“Tagu-taguan Nasaan Ang Buwan?” debuted last August 18, 2017 at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. It will have one more show at that venue on August 27 at 3 pm. The next weekend, it will be staged at the Star Theater in Pasay City on September 2 and 3, with shows at 10 am and 3 pm. For the Sept. 2 shows, contact Eko Baquial at 0915-734-7431. For the Sept. 3 shows, contact PETA at 0917-539-1112.

August 28, 2017

Needless to say, this recap has MAJOR SPOILERS. Read only after watching the whole Season 7.

This Season 7 of Game of Thrones that just concluded this morning was the most controversial one of this celebrated TV series. These controversies involved both its shortcut storytelling style, as well as the advanced leaking of a couple of episodes.

Many people were complaining how this season eschewed the cherished GoT tradition of slowly building up the story in several episodes, especially since the distances between the various locations in Westeros would take a lot of time to traverse. In this season though, characters looked like they were teleporting from one place to another, most particularly in Episode 6. Even messages by raven seemed like they were just text messaging each other.

There was also a minor controversy in Episode 1 where there was a needless scene featuring pop star Ed Sheeran as a friendly Lannister soldier who sang a short rustic ditty, then later shared a meal with Arya Stark. This was a charming scene, no doubt, showing a calm Arya. But yes, it had no contribution to the storyline except to give GoT fan Sheeran some screen time as guest star.

There were two episodes which were leaked several days in advance. Episodes 4 and 6. The leak of Episode 4 ("The Spoils of War") was from Star India. Four individuals with company credentials were eventually arrested because of this leak. The leak of Episode 6 ("Beyond the Wall") came from HBO España and HBO Nordic five days early. These leaks though did not affect the ratings of these highly anticipated episodes.

Controversies notwithstanding, I personally found the quick pace of the developing story in Season 7 very exciting. This was done without losing the beauty of the dialogue being delivered by characters we have known and grown to love or hate for the past six seasons.

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Season 7 Episode 1 ("Dragonstone") opened immediately with a major kill. Arya Stark, disguised as their (already dead) patriarch Walder Frey, killed off the entire Frey family right in the very banquet room where the infamous Red Wedding (where her mom Catelyn and brother Robb Stark were killed) was held back in Season 3 Episode 9.

For every episode after that, there would at least be one or two major characters killed off. The Sand Snakes Obara and Nymeria Sand were killed in Episode 2 ("Stormborn") when Euron Greyjoy attacked their ship. Their youngest sister Tyene was killed in Episode 3 by Queen Cersei with the same poison they used to kill her daughter Marcella. The final scene of Episode 3 ("Queen's Justice") was the final scene of the Queen of Thrones -- Lady Olenna Tyrell-- mercifully with poisoned wine offered by Jamie Lannister.

There was no one character of note who died in Episode 4, but that was the episode where we saw in full spectacular display the firepower of Daenerys's dragons (and her Dothraki horde) during the so-called "Loot Train Battle," practically decimating the Lannister army on that field that day, nearly killing Jamie Lannister himself.

Episode 5 ("Eastwatch") had the noble deaths of Randyll and Dickon Tarly via Drogon's dragon fire upon order by his mother. Episode 6 saw the deaths of fire priest Thoros of Myr (after being mauled by an undead bear) and Uncle Benjen Stark (who appeared one last time to save Jon Snow before sacrificing himself to the Night Walkers). But the most memorable death was that of dragon Viserion from an ice spear to the neck thrown by the Night King himself, who later turned the beast into his own undead monster.

My most favorite death of this season happened in Episode 7 ("The Dragon and the Wolf"), when Sansa, Arya and Bran Stark turned the tables on and eventually executed the sneaky and snarky Petr "Littlefinger" Baelysh, the very master of chaos himself. This man had been behind a lot of the mayhem in Westeros, including the deaths of Ned Stark, Joffrey Baratheon, Jon and Lysa Arryn. To see Littlefinger's slimy neck slashed by Arya's Catspaw dagger while he was on his knees and crying (!) was very satisfying.

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Season 7 is a season of jubilation for fans of the Stark family because ever since they were split up in Season 1, the three surviving Stark siblings are now finally all together with Sansa in Winterfell -- Bran in Episode 3, and Arya in Episode 4. While their reunion scenes seemed cold at first (especially because Bran is now the Three-Eyed Raven, and Arya is now a master Assassin), by season's end, we know they will work together well. In Ned Stark's own words: "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives."

In Episode 2, Arya met Hotpie again first time they met since Season 3. Later that same episode, Arya met her direwolf Nymeria while she was en route to Winterfell. In Episode 5, Jorah Mormont, healed of his greyscale by Samwell Tarly, was finally reunited with Daenerys after they parted ways in Season 5.

Episode 7 alone is fun to watch because of all the mini-reunions that happened like Brienne and the Hound, Brienne and Jamie, Tyrion and Podrick. Brothers Sandor (the Hound) and Gregor (the Mountain) Clegane had a face off. All the Lannister siblings (Cersei, Jamie and Tyrion) were all together since the Purple Wedding in Season 4. For the first time, the three main contenders to the Iron Throne (Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow) were all in one place to talk about joining forces against the Night King.

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The biggest revelation of Season 7 was the true nature of Jon Snow. All this while, he was known as the bastard son of Ned Stark. However, throughout the seasons, hints have been dropped about his real identity, and this was finally revealed in Episode 7 via a conversation between Bran Stark (who had seen visions of a dying Lyanna Stark endorsing a newborn infant to her brother Ned) and Samwell Tarly (whose wife Gilly read him a passage from a private diary saying how crown prince Rhaegar Targaryen had his marriage to Elia Martell annulled to marry someone else).

It was previously thought that Rhaegar (Danaerys' eldest brother) kidnapped Lyanna Stark and held her captive, an event that triggered the revolt of Robert Baratheon against the Mad King Aerys Targaryen. It is now confirmed that Jon Snow was in fact a legitimate child of a Targaryen, and is therefore higher in the line of succession to the Iron Throne than his aunt Danaerys. However to further complicate things with a little more incest, the writers decided to have Jon and Dany succumb to their carnal desires in Episode 7 (after they just met for the first time in Episode 3).

The whole season ended on a somber note as the Wall comes crashing down from the icy fire breath of the undead Viserion as piloted by the Night King and the Army of the Dead go charging on beyond it. I cannot wait for the final Season 8 to know what will happen next in the Great War. Season 8 reportedly will have only 6 episodes, all more than an hour long. However, word is that we will have to wait for more than a year (late 2018 to early 2019) for it.

September 1, 2017

This new musical play from Tanghalang Pilipino "Aurelio Sedisyoso" (literally, "Aurelio the Seditionist") is dubbed a "rock sarswela" about a heroic intellectual artist whom not everyone knew -- Aurelio Tolentino. I confess I knew next to nothing about his life even if I knew his name because the CCP Little Theater is formally called Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, coincidentally the venue of this very show about him.

The musical begins at the turn of the 20th century when the Philippines was newly under the control of the American colonials. By then the revolutionary forces for Philippine Independence was being conducted in three key fronts. The military was under Gen. Macario Sakay, The labor sector was under Dominador Gomez. The theater artists were under Aurelio Tolentino, whose forte was the symbolic drama.

In 1903, Tolentino wrote and produced his play entitled "Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas" ("Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow") which directly enjoined the audience to join the revolution against the Americans. His repeated arrests and incarcerations from that time on adversely affected his family life, as well as his friendship with his lawyer, future president Manuel Quezon.

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This is the first time I saw David Ezra perform and he is indeed impressive with his vocal gifts as Aurelio Tolentino. His tenor can definitely soar but his lower registers are likewise solid. There was one song when he hit a perfect Ted Neeley-like rock wail which caused the audience to spontaneously erupt with applause. He was the most consistent vocal performer of the whole show, though the demands of his final song seemed to take its toll on his voice last night. A small drawback was that he seemed to be too young-looking to play Tolentino, whom his actors called Tatay.

The role of Tolentino's symbolic antagonist Tikbalang representing the American Government. Playing this role last night was Jonathan Tadioan in another one of his richly nuanced, scene-stealing performances. There must have been some microphone issues because I could not tell at times if Tadioan was speaking in English or Filipino (and he is definitely known to speak clearly). It was much hyped that this role was to be played by movie bad boy Baron Geisler in his first theater role. I'm sure people were expecting him for Opening Night, but that did not come to pass.

Main Cast Tadioan, Teodoro, Ezra, Maranan, Villanueva, Palmos, Ibesate

at the curtain call. with some of the company behind them

The role of rich and well-connected Dominador Gomez was played by JV Ibesate. By the end of the first act, I understood why probably I had never heard the name of this person before. The role of Macario Sakay was played by Remus Villanueva. I expected the part to be longer than it was, though he did figure in a "gory" tableau. Villanueva also ditched the long wig and hoodie to play Andres Bonifacio in other parts. The frills-free performance of Rivermaya vocalist Norby David as clean-cut Manuel Quezon stood out for me.

Tolentino had two wives, one wife for each act of the show. His first wife Saling was played by Hazel Maranan. His second wife (after a whirlwind courtship it seems) Natividad was played by Kakki Teodoro. Both ladies were in good soprano voice last night, always crystal clear in their song delivery, overcoming any microphone issues.

Tolentino and Saling had two children, Crising (a girl, but played coyly by Phi Palmos) and Didoy (played by Paw Castillo). They both have their respective featured songs. The scene and song where Celing was introducing a strapping new actor Dodong (Aldo Vencilao) to her father was the scene that finally broke the ice with the audience. Didoy had his big moment in Act 2 when the girl he fancied named Diday (Blanche Buhia) broke off with him. A third child Corazon was introduced in Act 2 when she was fined in school by her Marilyn Monroe-wannabe teacher Ms. Diwata (Sasa Cabalquinto) for speaking in Tagalog.

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The playwright and librettist is Nicanor Tiongson, the same genius behind the last TP hit "Mabining Mandirigma." This new play continues to explore the issues of American colonization from 1902 to 1907, including the pushing of English in schools and organization of the National Assembly. The musical director, composer and arranger is Joed Balsamo. I get vibes of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "A Chorus Line" in his musical score here mixed in with the classical sarswela, with touches of hiphop.

The best production number in the show for me was the fliptop rap battle between Jonathan Tadioan and David Ezra during the trial scene. The rapping of these two guys was so crisply enunciated to the beat of the driving Another remarkable number was the duet number of Ezra with Norby David with both of them playing acoustic guitars. The musical talent levels here were really off the charts.

The multi-level, multi-stage set designed by Toym Imao was huge as it sprawled across the entire audience area of the the Little Theater. The first act ended with a carnival spectacle featuring one gigantic equine set piece with lights. The lighting design of Katsch Katoy along with the graphic projections of GA Fallarme gave this already expansive set more depth and color.

Grand Set, Grand Props

I may be too traditional in my preferences, but there are times when I felt that the anachronistic choreography by Denisa Reyes would confuse rather than enhance the story being told. James Reyes's costumes (with all the skirts and tulle overskirts) did not work too well for me in this production, especially when compared to his amazingly innovative work in "Mabining Mandirigma".

There were still a lot of sound glitches that hounded the show throughout, understandable for opening night. The 6-man live band (with Balsamo with the Radioactive Sago Project) would oftentimes compete with the singing with their inordinately loud, occasionally off-key instrumentals. Even the violin of the soloist sounded twangy. Because of this, I could not understand many of the lyrics being sung, a lot of times I just relied on context. I am sure adjustments would be made to correct these sound issues.

The cast are all known to be triple threats, but there are times when the singing harmonies among the company members also sounded off-key. One particularly awkward sounding number was when a Filipino song was sung in counterpoint with "God Bless America." That combination did not blend smoothly last night. I am sure adjustments would be made to improve these arrangement issues.

I commend and congratulate director Chris Millado for taking on this massively ambitious project full on. There was really a lot of material to show and tell that the show lasted almost three hours (with a 15-minute intermission). There may still be room for streamlining the telling of the story, especially in Act I which may feel long for some viewers. Act II picked up some pace but the ending felt like it came on too suddenly. Anyhow, while this story may have happened at the turn of the previous century, we can still feel its pertinence during our present time when love of country is very much an issue of importance.

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"Aurelio Sedisyoso, A Rock Sarswela" runs from September 1 to September 17 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater). There is an 8 pm show on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 pm shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets at P1,500 and P1,000.

September 3, 2017

Founded in September 1992, Actor's Actors Inc. (a local theater company born out of the combined talents of Roselyn Perez, Dodo Lim, Jaime del Mundo, Cita Astals, Bart Guingona, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Wylin Gervacio) now prefers to be called The Necessary Theater. Their last show "The Normal Heart" staged in 2015 was great critical hit first, then a bonafide box-office hit on its re-staging last year.

This year The Necessary Theater has chosen to stage a critically-acclaimed harrowing two-hander play written by Scottish playwright David Harrower back in 2005. It had won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. When it was revived in Broadway in 2016, it garnered Tony Award nominations for Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor Jeff Daniels) and Best Actress (Michelle Williams). This local staging will have the dynamic Topper Fabregas at the helm.

One day, a 55-year old office employee Peter Trivinian unexpectedly gets a visit at work from a pretty 27 year old young woman named Una. He led her into a room to talk in private. It turns out that 15 years ago, 40-year old Peter (then called Ray) carried on an illicit sexual affair with 12-year old Una which eventually wound up in a nasty trial for statutory rape and incarceration for Ray, and cruel social ostracism for Una.

Una confronts Ray

(publicity photo from TNT)

The set was a typical multipurpose room in an office where employees would eat their meals during break time. Set designer Joey Mendoza made it feel very cold in there because of those silvery gray metallic wall paneling, which later turned out to be translucent blinds through which you can see the blurry bustle of activity outside. Prominently placed in the foreground on the right is a big trash bin overflowing with garbage. There were lockers at the back, and a water cooler that does not work. On the left side are random piles of storage boxes full of paper.

Eight white fluorescent lamps ominously hang overhead. As designed by John Batalla, these lights were made to turn off one at a time to slowly dim the room during key moments of the play to heighten the brewing mood of tension inside. During an intense flashback monologue by Una, all eight of these white lights were off and a warm yellow spotlight was focused only on her. The power outage scene felt very real when there were emergency lights that automatically turn on.

And then there were just these two people talking on and on about an affair between them that happened 15 years ago. At the start, the man was obviously flustered, speaking nervously in fragments; while the girl was composed and confident, knowing she had the upper hand. The moods of the conversation will then switch up and down, shifting from one character to the other, mesmerizing the audience as they hear a mystery unfold. The topic is not easy to listen to. The language use is blunt, frank and direct. It was a very unsettling 90 minutes for an audience, but we are riveted.

A harassed Ray

(publicity photo from TNT)

Bart Guingona plays Ray, a man trying desperately to move on after a major failure of judgement in his past. He thought he had already done so, reestablishing himself as Peter, a respectable employee at this medical equipment firm. But then that evening, his nightmare came visiting in a cute floral mini-dress. Guingona, as always, was very natural in his acting. His distress and panic and loneliness all felt very real.

The very situation of seeing an older man talking to a younger girl in a two-hander play brought back memories of David Mamet's "Oleanna" which I watched when New Voice Company of Monique Wilson staged it maybe 10 years ago or so. Suddenly it dawned on me that it was actually Bart Guingona also who played the role of the older man in that play! Guingona's character then was a professor accused by his female student of sexual harassment. No wonder the performance felt familiar in its feeling of helpless despair and emotional breakdown.

A playful Una

(publicity photo from TNT)

Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante plays Una, a girl trying desperately to move on after a man took advantage of her innocent pre-teen crush. The first time I saw Mikkie Bradshaw on stage was in a dark production "Carrie" by Atlantis four years ago. Even if she was still a newcomer at that time, she held her own ground opposite Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo who played her dominating mother. It was only this time that I had seen her in another lead role, and she has certainly grown more more mature as an actress.

Una is such a complex character for any actress to play. What was she really hoping to achieve with this visit? Was this for revenge? Or was this for reconnection? Was this visit one of hate? Or was it one of love? Una is the one driving the story forward, with Ray merely reacting to her every word. Bradshaw-Volante's portrayal captured this vagueness with all her little character quirks and nuances. This performance of hers as Una is certainly of Best Actress caliber.

Congratulations to Director Topper Fabregas and the rest of Necessary Theater's cast and crew for their excellent work on this controversial material. Admittedly, this topic is not audience-friendly at all, being the stuff people would rather not talk about, stuff people subsume in their subconsciousness. Nevertheless, this staging of "Blackbird" is still an immersive theater experience that deserves to be seen even for the sake of its powerful acting performances alone.

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BLACKBIRD opened last September 1, 2017 and will run for only 6 performances up to Sept. 10. Showtime is 8 pm for Fridays and Saturdays and 3 pm on Sundays. Venue is at the Carlos P, Romulo Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza in Makati. Ticket price at P1200 for Orchestra Center, P1000 for Orchestra Sides and Back, P800 for Loge, and P500 for Balcony. Show is for mature audiences only because of its sensitive nature. It runs for 90 minutes straight with no intermission.

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P.S. I really hope RCBC Plaza would be able to adjust its parking rates for the sake of theater viewers. The new rate is P60 for first 2 hours, and P25 for every hour or fraction thereof after that. I was given an extra card at the theater door to prove that I watched a show in the Auditorium. I thought that would limit the parking rates. However when I went to pay however, I still racked up a parking bill of P110.

September 9, 2017

I got off work a little late this afternoon. I reached the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater a little past 3 pm already, and the play had already started. I was standing at the back first, waiting for a time when I can find myself a seat. However, director Tony Mabesa noted this old man standing there sticking out among the young kids and offered me the empty seat beside him. So that was how I got to watch this play seated beside the director himself, hearing some of his directorial commentary along the way.

Director Tony Mabesa sharing his thoughts after show,

with Paula Benitez and Issa Litton beside him.

It was a day in the mid-1970s in a suburb just outside Manila. Zacarias Monzon was a man who rose out of poverty by running a horse-drawn carriage business. From his earnings, he was able to build himself an enormous mansion. The most remarkable piece of furniture in his house was a very long dining table which can accommodate three dozen people.

Aside from his first wife and his two surviving legitimate children Marcelo and Nena, Zacarias would go on to have many mistresses and many other children. However, when the family fortune turned to the worse and a debilitating stroke, Zacarias was left alone in his house with only Nena and his last mistress, a young prostitute named Bessie, taking care of him. His son Marcelo, now a business bigshot, never forgot nor forgave his cruel father who found pleasure in using the whip on his children.

Veteran actor Leo Rialp was playing a flawed man on the ebb of his life, yet his performance of Zacarias was vivid and strong. His naughtiness brought about by his dementia was even oddly delightful, especially in that scene when he was getting drunk with gin. There was a scene when he was repeating lines over, when you cannot tell if this was a mistake or it was in character, so realistic in his breakdown. The tattoos (henna) you see on Rialp's body was an idea of the dedicated actor himself to make him fit the look and personality of Zacarias more. (Menggie Cobarrubias alternates in this role.)

I think this is the first time I saw acclaimed playwright Rody Vera act and he was intensely passionate in his role as Marcelo. He was the character in the middle of the three generations in this play -- his father's son and his son's father -- so his was technically the central character. Reacting to the faults of his father and those of his son, this was the character who developed the most. It was his emotional explosions that ended Act I and Act II which were the most painful dramatic highlights of the whole show. (George de Jesus III and Greg de Leon alternate in this role.)

We only see the character of Sofia, Marcelo's socialite wife, in Act II, she provided that vital sparkle of humor and frankness that kept this play from wallowing in melodrama. As brilliantly played by Issa Litton with perky, almost manic, energy, she stole every scene she was in. Our attention gets drawn to her patrician beauty, her chic fashion but most importantly to her scintillating personality and shocking liberality -- a woman ahead of her time. (Adriana Agcaoili alternates in this role.)

The cheap and skanky way she was dressed, you'll think that the character of Bessie is just a comic figure at first. However, her maligned character's true heart and dignity will unfold and be revealed before the play ends. It was in these concluding scenes that Paula Benitez shone, providing the play's most tear-jerking moments. (Bessie is also played by two other young actresses Sarina Sasaki and Chloe Jenna. However the most interesting casting choice is that of Candy Pangilinan, who is more mature than her other alternates, hence will definitely give the character more depth to work with. Her age will also change the dynamics between her Bessie and the other characters.)

The dutiful sister Nena is the symbol of society's expectation of daughters -- to be the one to care for their aging parents. She never left the family home, never got married, never practiced her profession, yet to the end, she still felt like she had not offered her father her best. This self-sacrificing role was played with sincerity by Banaue Miclat-Jannsen, as her character tread the line between filial duty and personal frustration. (Stella Canete-Mendoza alternates in this role.)

Tracy Quila played the role of Chitong, the son of Marcelo and Sofia who could not make up his mind on what career he wanted to take. He quit law to become a seminarian, but the event in the play made him even more confused. (Carlo Tarobal and Mark Dalacat alternate in this role.) Olive Nieto played the humorous role of Mrs. Paulo, the nosy neighborhood nurse who had a big crush on Zacarias as she was growing up. (Belen Calingacion alternates in this role.)

The magnificent set depicting the classic all-wood interior of the Monzon mansion by Ohm David is the first thing that will strike you when you enter the theater. The lighting of Meliton Roxas Jr. provided the shadows that enhances the dramatic moods, particularly in that haunting last scene. Eric Pineda's best costumes were those stylish pieces worn by the flamboyant Sofia. Those striped bell-bottom pants worn by Chitong reminded us that this play was set in the 1970s. The sound design was done by the ever-efficient Jethro Joaquin.

The cast members answer questions from the audience after the show.

"Fathers and Sons" was written in English by Nick Joaquin based on his own short story "Three Generations." This was in 1976, exactly the year when he was declared National Artist for Literature. Its Filipino version "Mga Ama, Mga Anak" was translated by National Artist Virgilio Almario (Rio Alma) and Jose F. Lacaba for the PETA production in 1977 directed by National Artist Lino Brocka.

Just three years ago in February 2014, Tanghalang Pilipino restaged "Mga Ama, Mga Anak" directed by Joel Lamangan and starring Robert Arevalo as Zacarias. There was nostalgia in that TP show as Lamangan and Arevalo were in the cast of that original 1977 PETA production. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch it then. So I was glad that to learn that UPPT is going to restage it this year to mark Joaquin's birth centenary. Nick Joaquin was born Sept. 15, 1917.

Director Tony Mabesa shared he decided to complete the translation of the last few pages of Joaquin's English script (skipped in previous productions) because he wanted to clearly deliver what he thought was the essential message of the play. The political undertones of the play (remember that this was originally staged in 1977) became crystal clear and undeniable because of that fiery final scene.

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"Fathers and Sons"/"Mga Ama, Mga Anak" opened last Sept. 6 and will play up to Sept. 24, at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, Palma Hall of UP Diliman. English shows are scheduled on Sept. 6,7,15,19 & 21 (7pm), 10,16,23 &24 (10am) and 10 & 23 (3pm). Filipino shows are scheduled on Sept. 8,13,14,20 & 22 (7pm), 9 & 17 (10am) and 9,16,17 & 24 (3pm).

September 30, 2017

I had seen the classic Lino Brocka film of the same title before, which was based on a novel by Edgardo Reyes. I recall it to be a bleak and gritty drama starring Bembol Roco and Hilda Koronel who turned in memorable performances as the star-crossed lovers Julio and Ligaya, who fell into the inescapable claws of the city. I was very surprised when word surfaced just a couple of months ago that there would be a new original musical based on this film. It did not seem possible, but knowing Filipino artistic ingenuity, no idea was impossible.

Julio Madiaga went to Manila to look for his girlfriend Ligaya Paraiso who had been recruited to work by a certain Mrs. Cruz. To make ends meet during his quest, his friend Pol pointed him to the construction site run by the ruthless foreman Mr. Balajadia. Julio's co-workers welcomed him warmly, especially his new friend Atong. When Julio finally found Ligaya, circumstances simply would not allow them to get back together again.

Ligaya and Julio Share a Romantic Moment

The best thing about this musical is its dynamic music and its soaring songs, perfectly rendered by its triple threat cast. From the very first song number, I was enthralled by the huge number of performers on the stage, probably reaching 40, all singing and dancing together. The first song told about how there was no room for a weak constitution in the city, or your life will just go to waste. The choreography was frenetic with jerky movements to match the energy of the catchy song itself.

There next song number ("Basta't Ikaw ay May Diskarte") was a jazzy one performed by the construction workers about the Filipino virtue of "diskarte" (roughly translated to "resourcefulness"). This was a fun number that even ended in an improbable chorus line. This segued to another upbeat and happy song "Kung Maka-Jackpot Lang Ako", about getting lucky in life, led by working student Imo (played by Rafa Siguion-Reyna, with Joseph Puducay as alternate), which even featured a surprise song and dance solo by Mr. Balajadia (played by Jim Pebanco, with Joseph Billeza as alternate).

Rafa Siguion-Reyna, Jim Pebanco and Noel Rayos take their bows

The next song was a yearning ballad about what ifs ("Minsan May Isang Panahon") sung by Julio, later joined in by Ligaya as a duet, even if they do not actually see each other. There would be another song later ("Kailan Ba?") about misfortune in love, also blocked separately onstage, featuring Pol and Atong's sister Perla. Still later, there would be a quartet arrangement of "Bawa't Oras Bawa't Sandali" -- a song about how time passes in Manila with all four of them (Julio, Ligaya, Pol and Perla) in four different parts of the stage.

The most show-stopping number of the whole show was the closing number of Act 1. While this featured a funeral march, the execution was far from being funereal. It was done with the most bombastic combination of electric choreography and dramatically red lighting. The final tableau about the "Sigaw ng Manggagawa" ("Shout of the Workers") was a very strong moving image that will haunt you long after you've seen the show.

In an effort to lighten up the mood of this drama, the villains in the story were mainly made out to be the comic relief. First is the unscrupulous recruiter Mrs. Cruz (played tonight by Dulce, with Ima Castro as alternate). Second is the sadistic Chinese businessman Ah Tek (Joseph Billeza). Their delightful sarcastic song together that opens Act 2 "Teka Teka"was about how we should not judge immoral employers like them because they do help many people out with their businesses anyway. It was a lot of fun seeing them do their dance moves.

Ferrer, Valderama-Martinez lead the ensemble in the finale

All the main singers were in top form tonight, which made all of their songs sound so good.

Arman Ferrer's singing voice as Julio was so solid and clearly enunciated, with an incredible falsetto and at one point, even a rocker's wail. It is hard to pick one song where he did best, because every song he sang sounded so good, be it soft and sweet, or full and loud. What made the flawless voice quality more impressive was that he mostly had to sing these songs after exhausting scenes where he had to run and jump around the stage.

I had never seen Shiela Valderama-Martinez in a Filipino language play before. I had also never heard her attack such sadistically high notes so powerfully before. Her best solo vocal singing performance was with "Awit ni Ligaya", her song of lamentation about being eaten up by the monster that is Manila. While her portrayal of Princess Fiona remains her best performance in English, this one as Ligaya is easily her best performance in Filipino. (Lara Maigue alternates in this role.)

Floyd Tena and Aicelle Santos take their bows

We loved Aicelle Santos as Aileen in "Rak of Aegis" and we know she can belt with seemingly unlimited range. Her voice here as Perla was all so crystal clear and clearly rose above the rest of the ensemble she sings with. Her best song was "Nasaan ang Hustisiya?", a desperate plea for justice which she sang in the wake of a man who died under suspicious circumstances. She hit that money note at one point so perfectly everybody erupted into wild appreciative applause, even it was really the end of the song yet. (Rita Daniela alternates in this role.)

Floyd Tena had a lighter, more pop-sounding tenor tone as Pol, which he showed off in a dramatic solo number singing about life in Manila ("Laking Maynila"). Not to throw any shade on Tena's winning performance, but if the production wanted to streamline the show further (it lasted a long three hours with a 15 minute in between the two acts), maybe they can trim down some of Pol's scenes talking with Julio because they tend to slow down the momentum of the storytelling.

Noel Rayos may have had only a couple of solo vocals heard but his singing voice was strikingly strong as Atong. The rest of the cast include: Khalil Kaimo (Gido), Jeffrey Camanag (Omeng), Romcel Binquis (Benny), Randy Rey (Frank), and many more talented actors, singers and dancers in the ensemble.

The Cast at the Curtain Call

Big kudos to Director Joel Lamangan and the entire artistic team behind the show namely: , Von de Guzman (Musical Director), Jose Victor Torres and Em Mendez (Libretto), Joey Nombres (Lights Designer), Douglas Nierras (Choreographer), and Jun Flavier Pablo (Production Design). The direction, acting, original song compositions and choreography of this show were outstanding and, for me, are clearly on their way to year-end awards. I want to own a CD of the songs -- I surely hope they would release an original cast recording!

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The schedule of performances are: September 30, 3 pm and 8 pm (Gala), October 1, 2017, 3 pm and 8 pm, October 4, 2017 8 pm, October 5, 2017 8 pm, October 6, 2017 3 pm and 8 pm. Venue is at the KIA Theater in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.

Tickets can be bought via Ticketnet at the following prices: PHP 3710 (VIP center and sides rows 1-8), PHP 3180 (orchestra center and sides rows 9-18), PHP 2650 (orchestra back rows 19-35 center and sides), PHP 2120 (loge center rows 1-5, balcony center rows 1-4), PHP 1590 (loge sides rows 1-5, balcony center rows 5-13, balcony sides rows 1-13)

The proceeds of this show go to Gantimpala Theater Foundation, the company that spearheads the National Artist Production Series in which short stories and plays written by National Artists for Literature and Theater are produced for the stage for people to enjoy and appreciate.

September 30, 2017

"Ang Pag-uusig" is the Filipino translation of the classic 1953 Arthur Miller play entitled "The Crucible." We usually know the word "crucible" to mean a vessel used in conditions of extreme heat. In the context of the play's title, "crucible" also means an extremely trying test or experience. This is the same meaning expressed in the Filipino word "pag-uusig" meaning a trial, but it is more usually used to refer to a legal trial.

It was 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. A girl named Abigail Williams and her posse of suggestible girls accused several townsfolk, in particular Mrs. Elizabeth Proctor, of being witches. It turned out that this was a personal vendetta against Mrs. Proctor, who fired Abigail from being their maid because of her loose morals.

John Proctor fought for his wife's innocence by convincing their new maid Mary Warren to testify in her favor. However in front of the Deputy Governor Danforth and Judge Hathorne in the courthouse, Abigail and her friends resume their false demonic possession act to turn the judges against Mary Warren and the Proctors.

The Men of Salem

(TP Publicity Photo)

The Filipino translation done by Ateneo Philippine Literature and Theater professor Jerry Respeto is easy to understand yet powerfully eloquent despite the alien situations and names to which the language applied. There were some surprising seemingly modern-sounding Filipino words used which drew audible reactions from the audience. It was just too bad that some of these words could hardly be heard clearly as delivered by some actors.

The stage designed by Ohm David was basically an imposing wall made of dark-colored wooden panels serving as the backdrop. This was converted by the Parris residence to the Proctor residence to the Salem Courthouse by spare and simple set pieces. This wall will reveal an eerie scene behind it by the end of Act IV.

The costumes were designed by James Reyes. These were mostly in drab colors -- blacks, whites and browns of Puritan America. The only color onstage are worn by the trouble-making Abigail and her friends, who had bright colored accents in their dresses. Weird though why the character of Judge Hathorne was wearing a working barong Tagalog, further emphasizing the awkward portrayal by Daniel Gregorio.

The Women of Salem

(TP Publicity Photo)

The cast is composed of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company.

As the man in the middle of all the intrigue, JV Ibesate was intense as the disgraced and desperate John Proctor. I think this was the best performance I had ever seen him in with the TP crew. The scene when he publicly admitted his greatest sin in Act III, and his passionate scene with his wife in Act IV were so well-played.

Jonathan Tadioan looked quite at home playing the despotically authoritative Danforth. He had deluded himself to be absolute correct, unable to go back anymore on any of his past actions. Marco Viana played the hypocritical Rev. Parris. His best scene was that revealing his all-too selfish reasons like a frayed bundle of nerves in Act IV.

Joshua Tayco was really trying his best to project maturity as witch-hunter Reverend John Hale but his young age gets in his way. This was the same limitation with Aldo Vencilao as Giles Corey, an elderly man whose curiosity about the book his wife was reading led to her being arrested as a witch. Ybes Bagadiong played the greedy Thomas Putnam, a casting choice that did not seem too fit.

Cast during the Curtain Call

Since there were only 12 of them, some ladies are playing two roles, which can be a little confusing since they play contrasting characters. Doray Dayao played both upright Elizabeth Proctor (in a show of remarkable quiet strength) and the slave Tituba, who knew black magic. Lhorvie Nuevo played both the flighty Mary Warren (a character who perfectly fit her quirky personality) and the saintly old Rebecca Nurse (a role where she felt miscast).

Antonette Go revealed more of her acting range as the wickedly manipulative Abigail Williams. Go's powerful performance boils up so much feeling of hate for this shameless, remorseless character. That moment in Act III where the despicable Abigail conjures up an imaginary yellow bird representing Mary Warren's spirit possessing her and her girls (Eunice Pacia as Mercy Lewis, Monique Nellas as Susana Walcott and Blanche Buhia as Betty Parris) was a memorable highlight of female group hysteria, and Go was the charismatically malevolent spirit in the midst of it all.

Kudos to director Dennis Marasigan and the rest of the Tanghalang Pilipino cast and crew. Being presented by TP, you cannot help but feel an undeniable political undercurrent throughout the witch-hunt scenes and how it mirrored the current situation in the country these days. As Arthur Miller used this play to comment on McCarthyism and the communist scare, TP is using this play now to comment on the drug war and EJKs. Such is the compelling timelessness of well-written theater.

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"Ang Pag-Uusig" will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 22, 2017, with 8pm shows every Friday and Saturday, and 3pm matinees every Saturday and Sunday. The venue is in the intimate Tanghalang Huseng Batute at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Tickets are selling at the CCP Box Office and via TicketWorld at PHP 1000 (VIP), PHP 800 (Bleachers). There is 50% off for students. Play is rated PG for its mature elements. Play runs for 2 and a half hours with a 10 minute intermission.

October 5, 2017

I first knew of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" the 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. I believe it is the first live-action movie I had ever seen as a child, not sure if it was on the television or on videotape. We had a long playing vinyl record of the original soundtrack which was played on repeat. I guess it is safe to say that it was "The Sound of Music" that set me on my road to enjoying musicals on film as well as on stage.

There had been several productions of "The Sound of Music" by local theater companies over the years.

There was the seminal 1980 production by Repertory Philippines directed by Zeneida Amador, with Baby Barredo as Maria, Chito Ponce Enrile as Captain Von Trapp and Celia Diaz-Laurel as the Baroness. That show gave us eventual theater stars Menchu Lauchengco, Monique Wilson and Lea Salonga who made their theater debuts as Von Trapp children, and Audie Gemora as Rolf.

In 2006, Rep restaged the show directed by Barredo. It had Lauchengco and Wilson (with Liesl Batucan) alternating as Maria and Gemora (alternating with Michael Williams) as the Captain, with Cherie Gil (alternating with Rina Reyes) as the Baroness. Liesl was played by Vanessa Paoleli, Criselda Consunji or Menchu's daughter Nicole Yulo. Rolf Gruber was played by Topper Fabregas JM Rodriguez, Irra Cenina or Jaime Barcelon. This show was the only stage version that I got to watch.

In 2011, the Resorts World produced its own version of the show directed by Roxanne Lapus. This starred Joanna Ampil or Cris Villonco as Maria and Audie Gemora, Ed Feist or Jon Joven as the Captain, and Pinky Amador or Lynn Sherman as the Baroness. Liesl was played by Tanya Manalang or Rachel Coates, while Rolf was played by Marvin Ong or Bryan Homecillo.

This September-October 2017, Concertus Manila (after successful runs of "Wicked" and "West Side Story" also this year) brings us the London West End Production of "The Sound of Music" at the Theater at Solaire. This touring production was met with much excitement earlier this year when it auditioned local kids to be cast as the younger Von Trapp children last May, the list of which was announced last July.

As expected it was certainly nostalgic to listen all these classic songs performed live on stage. These are songs whose lyrics I've known by heart since childhood, so the temptation to sing along audibly really took a lot of self-control to repress. It felt unusual to hear some songs in different parts of the play than it was in the film. "My Favorite Things" was sung in the abbey by the Abbess and Maria. In place of that song in the thunderstorm scene, Maria and the kids sang "The Lonely Goatherd" instead. "Edelweiss" was only sung once by the Captain, and that was at the concert.

There were also two songs by Max (Jonathan Taylor) and the Baroness (Haylea Heins) that I first heard now. The satirical "How Can Love Survive" in Act I, the two sing about love among the rich and famous. The political "No Way to Stop It" in Act II was about convincing the Captain to accept the inevitability of the Anschluss (occupation of Austria by Nazi Germany). While they were catchy ditties in their own way, with their mature themes, it was clear why they did not make it into the movie version.

With the film so iconic, it was really very difficult to imagine anybody else as Maria and the Captain other than Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. At first, Carmen Pretorius looked too thin to be the gamine Maria, and Nicholas Maude not dashing enough to be the heroic Captain. but after a few songs all these little details fly out the window. Though the chemistry was not automatically apparent, by the time the Ländler dance scene came along, the audience did feel that romantic spark. When the first kiss came, there was an audible thrill and even applause!

The only first impression that stuck the whole show was that Zoe Beavon was too tall and too mature-looking to be sweet Liesl. As far as the other kids were concerned, aside from that night's Friedrich being shorter than Kurt, their being Filipino never really got in the way. In fact, Rayne Cortez, the girl playing the observant Brigitta and Tory Cortez, who sang some short solos as Kurt, gave standout performances. The touching reunion scene after the Captain joins them to sing the first time was wrought with sincere emotion. Tears will be difficult to rein in.

For me, the best vocalist of the ensemble would have to be Janelle Visagie who played the wise Mother Abbess. Although she did look too young and pretty (with cute dimples) to be the most senior nun, her full soprano was very powerful. The Abbess' centerpiece song "Climb Every Mountain" ends both Act I and Act II, it was a sure showstopper both times, thanks to Visagie's commanding yet warm-hearted rendition of the classic anthem.

I have to mention the presence of actual Aryans in the cast made the ball scene and the concert scene uncomfortably chilling. The political tension of the musical festival scene was very palpable the way it was executed on the stage with that huge red flag with the eagle insignia. That actor playing Herr Zeller (the Nazi regional officer) can really make a chill run up and down your spine with his hateful character.

The set design and lighting design were beautifully rendered, faultless already in the timing, as it is expected from a touring production. The abbey backdrops give such cavernous depth on that small stage. The wedding scene with those metal gates and the glorious Madonna and Child sunburst sculpture hanging overhead was grandiose despite its short length. If there was any debit, it is probably the "I Have Confidence" scene that felt bare because did not have anything showing in the backdrop at all. Other than that, everything else brought us right into Salzburg in the late 1930s.

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"The Sound of Music" runs from September 27 to October 22, 2017 at the Theater at Solaire. Showtimes every Tuesday - 8:00PM, Wednesday - 8:00PM, Thursday - 8:00PM, Friday - 8:00PM, Saturday - 3:00PM and 8:00PM and Sunday - 3:00PM and 8:00PM.

Ticket prices: P7,000 for VIP Orchestra Center; P5,800for A Reserve Orchestra Premium Gold: P4,500 for B Reserve Orchestra, Premium Gold, P3,500 for C Reserve
Balcony Front and P1,500 for D Reserve Balcony Back.

October 8, 2017

Last year, Artist Playground presented Rody Vera's "Happiness is a Pearl" (MY REVIEW) at their Little Room Upstairs. This was a Japanese-themed play about what a person would do for love. This play was re-staged just this August to September, this time at a bigger venue in Arts Above on West Avenue. It turns out this re-staging was to prepare the audience for yet another Japanese-themed play by Rody Vera, also about love. But this time, "Fly Me to the Moon" would be about what love can do to a person.

Jo, a Japanese prostitute (or karayuki-san), and Melanie (a.k.a. Manuel), an aspiring Filipina transgender entertainer, meet onboard a dingy sea vessel en route to Japan. Jo told about why she was sent abroad to do her dirty job and her tragic forbidden affair with Muslim islander Ibrahim. Melanie told about her. Melanie told about how her dream to become a full-fledged woman drove her to ditch safety and stowaway on this ship.

Xosh Ardio and Dea Formacil

as Melanie and Jo

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From the get-go, you will note a puzzling temporal disconnect between the two main characters. Jo is demure and formal, dressed up in a kimono, humming standards like "Fly Me to the Moon". A karayuki-san was a Japanese woman from very poor families who were sold abroad to work as prostitutes in the first half of the 20th century. Melanie is clearly from a more recent time, a loud Japayuki-wannabe dressed in garish robe of silver lamé, singing gay anthems like "I Am What I Am". This anachronistic contrast is not accidental and is essential to the story of Vera's play.

The historical background behind the character of Jo is interesting. I never knew about karayuki-san before and was surprised to learn that international sex-trafficking happened even in those early days. In Jo's case, she was sent to a brothel in Southeast Asia (Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia) to earn the price for his brother's "becoming a man," hence we see men dressed in tribal costumes as her customers and her true love Ibrahim.

We can imagine how Melanie may have snuck up into the boat, but how did Jo get up there? Did she just board the boat with her Cat at the same time with Melanie? Or had she been in the boat the whole time? If it is the former, what made her decide to board the boat at that time after all those years? Did she see Melanie as kindred spirit? If it is the latter, how can a small boat remain seaworthy enough for fifty or more years to make the long sea voyage from the Philippines to Japan? Then again, maybe we do not really have to think too much about this issue.

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Dea Formacil, who was just fresh from playing Maria Clara in "Kanser," now makes a complete turnaround to play the jaded karayuki-san Jo. Her acting style is appropriately subtle given the historical context of her character. Her delivery of lines was clear in her delightful Japanese-inflected English. Formacil had to portray her own flashback scenes so it must have been exhausting for her to move from one stage to another. (Fatima Cadiz alternates as Karayuki.)

Xosh Ardio is raw, "out-there" and over-the-top as Melanie, providing the energy to counter the oppressive darkness. It must have been difficult for this her to spend the whole time on stage topless (I guess this was a metaphor for his openness) or holding up a loose-fitting bra (should be fixed in the regular run). Melanie had another actor playing his flashback scenes, so Ardio is spared from costume change problems, but this may be confusing for the audience at first. I know Melanie was supposed to be a lousy singer, but I wish she could try to sing "Fly Me to the Moon" better. That was such a emotionally-charged scene, but its effect is hampered by the tuneless singing. (A.I. Hose Ki and Aldy Cadupay alternates as Melanie).

Clifford Gonzales played Ibrahim, Jo's lover. He also doubles as the cat that accompanied Jo on the boat. The symbolism is apparent, and actually rather cute, given the dire circumstance they were in. (Ar Ar Ramilo and BJ Ocampo alternate as Ibrahim.) Manu Gallardo, who played Japanese officer Hirohito in another Artist Playground play "Lagablab" (MY REVIEW), again plays a Japanese baddie here, as the Captain of the ship the two main characters were on. (Jun Nayra alternates as the Captain.)

Gonzales, Formacil, Ardio and Gallardo after the show

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"Fly" is more daring and more downbeat than "Happiness" was, as it dealt with brothels and deaths. The mood is persistently dark and gloomy throughout and the dim lighting design made sure we felt it. There was just a shrill panel of silly judges at an audition of gay singers that provided the only scene with laughter. There are multiple scenes that dealt with illicit and forced sex which makes this play for mature audiences only.

There is one main stage in the center where Jo and Melanie were talking, while their flashbacks were happening in two other smaller stages on either side. One limitation of the stage design was that it failed to consider that the seats of the audience were at the same floor level. People who sat on the third row already cannot see what was going on on the foreground so we had to stand up to see some scenes better. I hope this problem can be rectified during the regular run. This was not a problem in Little Room Upstairs because the bleachers were elevated.

Being still the press preview a week prior to opening day, there were still some problems in the sound department. Sometimes the background music would be too loud or tinny, tending to drown out the dialogue on stage. There was a very ingeniously staged scene where the Captain was speaking to Melanie in Japanese (how accurate, I would not know), and in the background Jo and the Cat were translating was he was saying real time. The idea was great, but the execution still needs polishing since the overlapping lines were difficult to understand at times.

The main cast at the curtain call

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There is however a major error of anachronism in the main song hummed by Jo in the play, which is fact also the very title of the play (making it difficult to rectify). "Fly Me to the Moon" was written by Bart Howard and released as a recording (by Kaye Ballard) in 1954. The most popular version by Frank Sinatra was released in 1964. Karayuki-san like Jo were supposed to have existed before World War II, in the 1930s. I am sure playwright Vera had any compelling reasons for choosing this particular song for this play.

Congratulations to director Paul Jake Paule for the imaginative direction of the complex script by Rody Vera that involved a lot of scene changes and flashbacks, which could have been more confusing in lesser hands. The transitions between those flashback scenes (especially those scenes not directly involving the main characters) could still need some smoothing out and streamlining for better understanding of the story.

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"Fly Me to the Moon" runs from October 13 to 22, 2017 at ARTS ABOVE Artist Playground II, West Venue Building, 112 West Ave., QC (beside McDonald's). Play dates are as follows: October 13 & 20 (Fridays) 8pm, October 14 & 21 (Saturdays) 4pm & 8pm and October 15 & 22 (Sundays) 4pm & 8pm. Tickets are at P600, free seating, so if you want to get those front seats for unobstructed view, come early. Tickets available at Ticketworld and at the gate.

October 13, 2017

I did not hear anything about this new theater company nor their maiden production at all, by any media. Then suddenly last week, there came the rave reviews from those who saw the play in its first week which were posted on social media with some very attractive photos from the production. Lucky for me, they had afternoon shows so I could go see it for myself.

The story is based on a Sanskrit legend as written by Kalidasa in his epic masterpiece, the Mahabharata. However, in this Filipino translation by Allan Palileo, the setting was shifted to a futuristic dystopic society in the year 2080. King Dusyanta was hunting in the forest one day when he stumbled into a peaceful community of hermits. There he was smitten by the beauty of the hermit's adopted daughter, Sakuntala. When the two lovers decide to get married though, the demon Durvasas casts a curse which tore them apart.

The Main Stage

The technical aspects of this production were impeccable. The vibrant lighting design of Meliton Roxas added so much to the drama and dimension of the basic scenography by Ohm David. There was an interesting scene featuring puppetry of an illuminated fish set to swim in the green-lit abyss. The costumes and make-up by Raqs Regalado and Jody Carig were imaginatively dystopian yet distinctly Asian.

As the play began, the exotic tribal music by Gian Gianan filled the room. The acoustics were perfect in the warehouse-like venue, making the music heady and even intoxicating to the senses. When the lovers were dancing together to the sensual choreography of JM Cabling, the music took on a life of its own creating a raw erotic wall of sound all around the audience. The final group dance for joy had such an ebullience and infectious energy.

Sakuntala and Dushyanta share an intimate moment,

with Bharata looking on.

The title character may have been Sakuntala, but the more challenging role was that of the king Dushyanta. Vincent Kevin Pajara was magnetic in his portrayal of this regal character with his strong stage presence and smart carriage. No matter how cheesy his pickup lines were in the name of love-at-first-sight, Pajara pulled them off with charm and charisma. His delivery of his kilometric lines was solid. His dancing skills also did the choreography good. His character also had to sing, and this triple threat delivered well on that as well. (Paul Cedrick Juan alternates in this role.)

As the titular fair maiden Sakuntala, Ms. Chase Salazar could have played her to be the weak pathetic victim Kalidasa may have written her to be. Instead, the confidently modern Salazar gives her unfortunate character spunk and spirit. She was the first to declare her feelings for the man she admired. She did not shirk to express her anger and indignation when she was denied her rights. Salazar dramatic singing voice was showcased when she sang her Dushyanta a robust love ballad. Her chemistry with Pajara was so rich and palpable in those intimately choreographed pas de deux their characters shared. They definitely made a beautiful pair together. (Matel Patayon alternates in this role.)

Vincent Pajara, Chase Salazar and Paul Santiago

at their curtain call

Sakuntala's two loyal but naughty ladies-in-waiting Anusuya and Priyamvada were delightfully played by Lei Ann Quinquileria and Sarina Sasaki respectively. Dushyanta's best friend Madhavya was played by Al Angcoy, who also had to deliver lengthy complex lines as the play's narrator. The main antagonist Durvasas was played with flashy fuchsia flamboyance by Paul Santiago.

The most elaborate costume of the show, a truly cyberpunk outfit with a metallic stylized helmet, rose cape, chains and tubes, was worn by Jacques Borlaza as Sakuntala's adoptive father, the hermit Canwa. Ronnie Martinez played the serious Lead Hermit with the long white hair. Diane Formoso showed fortitude of will as Sakuntala's mother Gautami. Fritz Esase portrayed Bharata with youthful playfulness

Ronnie Martinez and Jacques Borlaza at the curtain call.

Congratulations to director Joey Ting for his grand vision had been fulfilled so cleanly with admirable polish. Despite being a new company in a new venue, there was nary any technical glitch noticeable as everything went on without a hitch. The sound quality, a problematic matter even the most experienced theater groups have issues with, was so remarkably crisp and clear despite all the movements the actors were doing.

There may have been only a handful of people watching when I went to watch a Thursday matinee show. However, the level of energy in the actors' performances remained at full blast! With such an auspicious and audacious maiden production, we wish for nothing but the best, artistically and financially, for this fledgling theater company, Art Theater Manila.

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"Sakuntala" runs from September 27 to October 21, 2017. They have two shows, 3 pm and 8 pm, per day, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The venue is at Studio 72 Black Box Theater, #72 Kalayaan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, a white building right beside Verjandel Hotel. Tickets are available at the gate, at the following prices: P 1,000 for VIP A (150 seats), P 800 for VIP B (150 seats) and P 500 for Regular (300 seats).

October 21, 2017

While I had watched a number of theater productions with sensitive themes, even plays with nudity, I had actually never seen an original local play that billed itself as a sex comedy. I had no idea how this play was going to go down, but knowing how Filipinos enjoy their green jokes, I thought this show, to be shown for one-night only at the Music Museum, should be a lot of fun to watch.

Jonamae San Andres (April Gustilo) was a Filipina who found success in the US as a porn star with the screen name of Veronica Fox. In her desire to open doors for Filipinos to wanted to follow in her footsteps, she accepted an offer to make a local porn film. She was proud of her job and saw porn as an expression of female empowerment, not victim-hood.

The director of this daring new project was Dino, an award-winning director whose career had been on the skid. He still wanted to make this film artistic and relevant, but his lecherous Chinese producer Mr. Lee simply wanted to make plain pointless profitable porn. The two supporting porn actors in the film were Georgina (Tori Garcia) and Nicolas (Andres Vasquez), both of whom had been forced by poverty into the skin trade.

JV San Miguel (John Rapadas), a very popular mainstream actor, solicited the services of a home service masseur named Alfred (Vivo Ouano). The two tell each other their respective life stories and discussed the conflict of love and ambition. Alfred shared that his ultimate dream was to be an actor. JB, who had fallen in love with the hunk, promised to help him fulfill that dream.

These two separate threads merge into one cohesive narrative by Act 2. We will actually see six different options for how this play could end based on which character gets accidentally shot and killed in a moment of passion. The play concludes with an epilogue set during a showbiz awards night which told about the fate the film they were making (also entitled "Solo Para Adultos"), as well as the fates of each of the characters.

The stage before the show

The play was quite entertaining, especially those who are interested in the sleazy goings-on behind the glitter and glamour of legitimate show business. It was also timely because it tackled the controversial casting couch, very much in the news in Hollywood these days with the Harvey Weinstein scandals. At first, the dirty jokes and frank language may give an initial jolt, but being played for laughs and the wordplay so witty, you get used to them in no time. It was the more serious touchy-feely intimate scenes which could be uncomfortable to watch depending on your own orientation and sensitivities.

All the main actors, all unknown to me prior to this show, were very game in their daring and naughty roles. April Gustilo, who gained fame before as Wowowee's "Congratulations" girl, exuded confidence and bravado as her character required. The very fit Vivo Ouano and much heftier John Rapadas played their parts seriously, despite being mostly with their shirts off and only a towel around their waist. Cutie Tori Garcia and boyish Andres Vasquez were mainly there for comic relief, despite some sad details in their stories.

It was actually the supporting actors who really made the show come to life with their over-the-top comedy antics. The actor who played Mr. Lee was constantly on a high level of energy. The actor who played Direk Dino was very convincing in delivering his serious artsy lines. The actress who played both the brash producer Mrs. Lee and the butch manager Tito was very versatile. The actor who played the predator gay director giving JV a "workshop", the actor who played TV hosts Mike Enriquez, Gus Abelgas and Boy Abunda, and the actor who played Jonamae's mother all made a strong humorous impact. Hope to acknowledge them by name soon.

The attractive cast during their curtain call

The main drawback of the show was its length, almost three hours with two 10-minute intermissions. Some people sitting beside me were already dubbing it a "Lav Diaz" of plays. In Act 1 alone, we see the life stories of all six main characters played out in individual flashback vignettes. In Act 2, there were six different endings played out, each one was narrated by a couple of actors impersonating six known TV emcees. Act 3 opened with an unnecessary full dance number by a group of boy dancers. Then ironically, it seems NONE of those ending options we spent a significant time on in Act 2 ever happened at all!

I guess that is what you get when you have three writers (Bong Ramos, AJ Rollon, and James Golla) contributing material with so much to say. The emotions of the various acts were going up and down like a roller coaster shifting wildly between heavy drama and slapstick comedy. The material in each act may sound good separately; but when put together as a whole, it felt unwieldy in its own complexity. Some judicious streamlining needs to be done by director Bong Ramos to trim the material down to a more manageable length if and when it gets re-staged.

October 26, 2017

One of the centerpiece activities for its 50th foundation anniversary this year is this five-day international celebration of People's Theater for Development dubbed "FESTIVAL OF WINDOWS". The objectives of this grand event is two-fold: 1) To present an exhibition of how theater can be used for communication and advocacy through performances, lectures, workshops and discussions; and 2) to use arts-based means of bringing together artists, practitioners and audiences to share insights and experiences, identify historical and emerging trends and share best practices for arts as advocacy.

Each day form October 24-29, 2017 is full-packed with various activities the whole day. In the mornings from 10 am to 12 nn, there are lecture performances called "Dungaw" (or Peep-Out). In the afternoons from 1-5 pm, there are workshops, called "Tamwa" (or Look), or small group huddles called "Silip" (or Peek). In the evenings at 7 pm, there are performances called "Tan-aw" (or View) featuring not only PETA, but also other regional and international theater groups. While waiting for the house to open, the lobby was full of excited participants, several of them from different countries, like China and Thailand.

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Too bad for me that despite all these exciting offerings, my hectic calendar this week could only allow me to check out a lecture-performance this Thursday morning October 26, 2017 called "Half of the Sky." The longer subtitle is "The Evolving Practice of Women's Rights and Gender-Equality Advocacy in PETA Workshops and Performances." This particular session was directed by Maribel Legarda, written by Liza Magtoto and presented by CB Garrucho, Lea Espallardo and She Maala -- all women. The program was delayed more than 30 minutes due to technical difficulties, which Ms. Magtoto joked was funny for a lecture about women by women, being late and "ngarag" (or haggard from lack of sleep).

PETA began paying due attention to women's issues by the 1980s, thanks to a woman named Remy Rikken, whom they interviewed on video. She was eventually appointed by Pres. Corazon Aquino to lead a commission dealing with women's rights. Rikken harnessed PETA to help her with this thrust and this eventually brought about the birth of the Women's Theater Program. We were told about landmark community theater projects (Advocacy Theater) with women lead characters like "Iteng" and "Libby Manaoag" who were meant to encourage the women in the cast and the audience to reevaluate their own feelings about these issues.

"Di Pa Makintab ang Sahig!"

The passion of PETA's women artists on that stage about this topic was very palpable, especially that of Lea Espallardo, who had been one of the facilitators from the get-go. Espallardo engaged the audience in a participative type of interaction for their short excerpt from "Iteng," about a battered wife. Anytime anyone from the audience wanted to stop and change how the story of the play was running can shout "Stop!" and express her desired change. That morning, a bold audience member named Wilma stopped the play when Iteng's husband was about to hit Iteng. She turned the play around and instead chased the husband around the stage with a metal ladle!

Vincent de Jesus was there as musical director, playing the piano and leading the band for the live musical numbers of this presentation. So that was why it was called a "lecture performance." We heard songs like "Patriarchy" (by Lucien Letaba and Liza Magtoto), "Di Pa Makintab ang Sahig" and "Napasakamay" (by Vincent de Jesus and Liza Magtoto), with those incisively witty lyrics interpreted in energetic acting and dance by the funny and engaging ensemble.

J-Mee Katanyag and her doll

Things turned serious with a provocative poetic dance from "La Vie en Rose," directed by Melvin Lee, with poetry by Lea Espallardo and Ces Millado, interpreted in dance by Delphine Buencamino, Stephanie Ocampo and Kit Trofeo. There was an excerpt from PETA's Creative Pedagogy for Feminist Education modules where J-mee Katanyag and Stephanie Ocampo meditated about their body images with the help of life-size dolls. She Maala also stepped out of her hosting duties to give a stunningly dramatic solo song number about a woman named "Magda," who was a "dove" (the Tagalog lyric "kalapati" described her better) who flew at different heights during her life.

The event concluded with all the presentors and the ensemble on stage talking about the state of women's rights at the present. It was noted that with all the progress that have already been made in the areas of gender sensitivity, body politics, reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, there are still forces that threaten to pull the movement back into the Middle Ages in the form of sexist remarks and rape jokes. Thus, there is still very much a role for a Theater of Resistance, to lead the fight against this potential backward slide. It is in projects like this that one can clearly see why PETA deserves its Ramon Magsaysay Award.

The Presentors and Ensemble at the Finale

Here is a video clip of the rousing finale song number:

October 28, 2017

I was looking for a show to watch on the evening of Saturday October 28. I chanced upon an advertisement on FB about this Halloween-themed play by a new theater production company whimsically known as Theatre Titas. I had been trying to see a play in the horror genre in the past few Octobers but so far, this is the first time I actually had the best chance to go see one.

The Entrance to the Axon

The venue is called The Axon, a spacious ballroom in the lobby of the Green Sun Hotel along Don Chino Roces Extension in Makati. There were five groups of chairs arranged in a semi-circle around the performance space. Before the show, the two Theatre Titas themselves, Chesie Carino and Cheese Mendez, personally introduced themselves and their maiden production.

The Theatre Titas!

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A. BEHELD

Claire is a 10-year old girl who could not find her beloved Mama nor her way back home. Saul is a mysterious man lurking in the dark -- not only because of his ugly face, but also because of his ugly sins. This play is a conversation when these two contrasting characters meet in the darkness one night. In all her blind innocence, Claire chose to trust the kindness of the voice she can only hear, oblivious that that voice belonged to a dangerous man who could cost her her very life.

Claire (Katie Bradshaw) consoles Saul (Epy Quizon)

In a simple two-hander play like this, the script and the acting need be able to grab the audience attention for the whole running time. With her masterful choice of words, writer Nicole Fuentes took a tense encounter between a serial child killer and his potential next victim and turned it into an intimate, moving study of loneliness and trust. Director Carl Carino effectively used his lights and the darkness to bring out and build the drama.

Young Katie Bradshaw was riveting as fearless Claire, very confident in her performance, yet never losing the vulnerability required of her character. (Natalia Abad alternates in this role.) Epy Quizon is well-known actor of film and TV and this is the first time I am seeing him perform live, and in English. His Saul is a psychotic killer, but here Quizon sensitively played him as a psychologically damaged man we could pity instead of hate.

B. CAROL

Newton was a man teetering on the edge of insanity because of the shocking death of his 9 year old daughter Carol on what should have been a fun vacation at the beach. The day after Carol's burial, Newton forces his angry and horrified wife Jill to sit and witness him conjure up diabolical reanimation rites prescribed in an ancient book of black magic in a desperate effort to bring Carol back to life.

The tragic family of Ethan (Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap),

Jill (Sari Estrada) and Carol (Liv Gonzales)

The script alone of Juan Diego Gil was already very disturbing in itself. His words effectively depicted extreme despair and guilt pushing a man down a spiraling descent into madness. The loud verbal tussle between husband and wife further amped up the tension. Director Tinette Villanueva Miciano really played up the whole horror atmosphere with her ritual props and her lighting effects. Things do get over-the-top, but it worked!

You can clearly see the progression of raving insanity in the eyes of Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap as he portrayed the physically and psychologically exhausting role of the father Newton. (Javi Coromina alternates in this role.) Sari Estrada was hysterical (who wouldn't be?) as the mother Jill who had to sit captive to the whole crazy show. Young Liv Gonzales had a disturbing role as the living-dead girl Carol, a role she clearly relished to play.

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With this auspicious debut of the Theater Titas, I'm looking forward to their next projects.

WHAT'S IN THE DARK runs from October 27 - 29 at The Axon at Green Sun Hotel. There are two more shows today October 29 at 3 pm and 8 pm. Each one act play runs for about 40 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission in between.

For tickets (@ P500 each walk-in, P450 if pre-ordered), contact Diandra at 0917 656 7293 for inquiries or reserve your tickets thru this LINK.

October 30, 2017

Aside from "The Sound of Music," another movie that was constantly played and replayed in our house during my childhood was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968) We also had the original soundtrack LP record which we also had on repeat on our turntable, so I knew all those classic songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman by heart. I would find out later that the movie (directed by Ken Hughes and co-written by Roald Dahl) was not exactly critically acclaimed or that well-known by many, but nevertheless this movie had a nostalgic hold on me.

When I heard that Full House was going to mount the Jeremy Sams stage adaptation of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in Resorts World Manila, I was both excited and apprehensive because I knew the movie and songs inside and out and I cannot wait to see it come to life, but at the same time I had high expectations which may not be met. I knew that this was going to be a technological challenge how they were going to make Chitty float or fly.

Caractacus Potts was an eccentric British inventor, a widower with two sweet children, Jeremy and Jemima. The playful children wanted their father to buy the remains of a classic race car so Potts needed to raise 30 shillings whatever it took. When he did, he transformed the car into one with special abilities, as only Ian Fleming can endow it. The covetous Baron of Vulgaria (a country which outlawed children) ordered his minions to steal the fantastic car because he wanted it for his own.

While it was hard to get Dick Van Dyke out of Caractacus Potts, Gian Magdangal was able to give him a charming personality of his own. As he reminded us in 9Works/Globe Live production of "Disney's Newsies" earlier this year, Magdangal possesses a strong singing voice perfect for musical theater. Whether the song is whimsical (like "You Two") or sad (like "Hushabye Mountain"), Magdangal sang them so well. He can also deliver in the dance department, as he showed in the dynamic "Me Ol' Bamboo" number. (Lorenz Martinez understudies this role.)

With her short hairdo and masculine costume, Yanah Laurel looked nothing like the immaculately ultra-feminine Truly Scrumptious of Sally Anne Howes. While it took a while for me to get used to it, Laurel's beautiful voice in her self-titled song "Truly Scrumptious" eventually won me over, and cemented later in "Lovely Lonely Man" and "Doll on a Music Box" . Her Truly was spunky and feisty, a thoroughly modern woman of that era. (Arya Herrera understudies this role.)

The sugary Toot Sweets confection

(publicity photo)

Albert Silos and Isabeli Araneta Elizalde were an energetic and chirpy Jeremy and Jemima Potts. (Noel Comia Jr. and Zoey Alvarado alternate in these roles.) I just saw Silos as lead in PETA's children's show "Tagu-taguan" last August. This is the first time I had seen Elizalde in action, since I caught her alternate in "Annie." I was happy to see James Paoelli, a delightful FDR in "Annie," back in a longer, but similarly lovable role as Grandpa Potts. He even had his own solo song "Posh" and comedy number with the old rickety inventors in "Roses of Success." (Michael Williams understudies this role.)

The colorful characters of the Vulgarian Baron and Baroness were played by Raymund Concepcion and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo with naughty pizzazz, especially in their featured song "Chu-Chi Face." Yulo had her own "Bombie Samba"dance routine which was a rather oddly-placed, off-tangent Brazilian-flavored number. (Juliene Mendoza and Christine Flores understudy these roles.) Mako Alonzo and Reb Atadero played bumbling spies Boris and Goran, who livened things up with their ad-libs and slapstick comedy sideshows as the show momentum would occasionally sag. (Chino Veguillas and Raul Montesa understudy these role.)

There was one seriously evil villain in the show and that was the scary Childcatcher as played by Lorenz Martinez. His make-up and costume looked like it was inspired by Danny DeVito's look as the Penguin in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" (1992). This character gave me the creeps as a child as he was played in the old film by Robert Helpmann. Martinez's characterization was similarly sinister and dark. (Stephen Vinas understudies this role.)

Colorful Cast at Curtain Call

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang itself is the central prop of the show everyone is waiting for. It does not actually move, so the production makes things move around it to give the car a sense of motion. These "tricks" may or may not work, depending on from where you are looking at it. The much-awaited flying scene was a cleverly executed illusion against a dark starry sky to end the first half. The lighting was not too good from my viewpoint when the floater or the wings came out from the car's underchassis so the sense of wonder in those scenes was rather muted.

Mio Infante's sets were wonderful when they are expansive and used up the whole stage, like the Pott's residence with its imposing windmill, the Scrumptious Candy Factory, or the Fun Fair. That beautifully hypnotic White Cliffs of Dover backdrop which turned from idyllic to menacing was executed perfectly. Aside from Chitty, they also had to come up with convincing machines for making breakfast, sweets and cutting hair.

Director Jaime del Mundo came up with another cheerful and fun show, featuring some imaginative ways to circumvent the technical limitations. As usual, the amazing talent of Filipino artists both on stage and off stage (particularly musical director Maestro Rodel Colmenar, choreographer Nancy Crowe, costume designer Bonsai Cielo) carried and lifted this production creditably. As an old fan of the movie, I could not say I was completely satisfied with all the scenes, but hearing the songs again and singing along to them made me very happy.

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“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” opened last October 21, 2017 and will run until November 12 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila. Tickets available at the RWM Box Office and on ticketworld.com.ph at the following prices: ₱4,087.28 (SVIP), P3,334.36 (VIP), P2,581.44 (GOLD), P1,828.52 (SILVER) and P1,075.60 (BRONZE). Shows run on Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm.

The show is best seen in the center sections of the theater. The visual illusions on the stage do not work consistently when you are seated in the peripheral sections, and you will tend to look at the giant video screens placed on either side of the stage.

November 12, 2017

I first heard of "Matilda" as a 1996 film based on a 1988 Roald Dahl book. This starred Mara Wilson in the title role and Danny de Vito (who also directed) as her father, Harry Wormwood. In 2011, the musical version of "Matilda" (music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and book by Dennis Kelly) debuted on the West End in London. This production won a record-setting seven Olivier Awards, including Best Musical. Its Broadway was in 2013, for which it won five Tony Awards. This year, Atlantis brings the acclaimed hit show to Manila.

A precocious little girl named Matilda was born to the Wormwoods, a slimy car conman and his bimbo dancer wife. Feeling unloved by her family, Matilda immersed herself in a lot of books, something for which her parents despised her more. When she entered school, her genius for reading and math caught the attention of her kind teacher Miss Honey. This same ability earned the ire of ogre-like headmistress Mrs. Agatha Trunchbull, a former Olympic gold medalist in the hammer throw event, who thought children are like maggots who needed to be broken. Time came however when Matilda just could not take Trunchbull's cruel bullying anymore.

The heart and soul of the whole show was Telesa Marie "Esang" De Torres who played Matilda. I first saw her as a Mini-me Lea Salonga on "Showtime" and later as a contestant under Team Lea on "The Voice Kids." So impressive was her snappy Hermione-Granger sounding British accent with which she flawlessly delivered the longest lines while narrating four parts of her story about an escapologist and his acrobat wife. When we hear her sing her solo songs "Naughty" or "Quiet", it was transcendent of any initial expectations for a child performer her age in her first lead role in a major production. It would not be too much of a stretch to say that "Matilda" is for Esang what "Annie" was for Lea Salonga. (Uma Naomi Martin and Felicity Kyle Napuli alternate in this role.)

The goody-goody adult characters on Matilda's side were her dedicated teacher Miss Honey and the friendly librarian Mrs. Phelps. Cris Villonco's kind face and crystal voice were perfect for the sweet but determined Miss Honey. "Pathetic" shows off her skill with tongue-twisting lyrics and "My House" provides the more sentimental moment of the show. Emeline Celis-Guinid had to be wacky and flighty to keep her character from being stuffy.

The cute child actors who played Matilda's "revolting" classmates were bursting at the seams with their quirky personality. Standing out in their more prominent roles were Josh Nubla (as the chocolate cake glutton Bruce) and Gabrielle Aerin Ong (as Matilda's best friend Lavender). Likewise drawing attention on that crowded stage were Alba Berenguer-Testa (as Hortensia) with her patrician looks and Nicole Chien (as Alice) for being Lea Salonga's daughter. The other kids last night were: Pablo Palacpac as the bespectacled Nigel, Chi Chi Tan as the pigtailed Amanda, Ian Albert Magallona as Eric, Teddy Velasco as Tommy. My favorite songs by the children were "The School Song" with its innovative A-B-C lesson and their rabble-rousing number "Revolting Children." (Miguel Suarez, Maria Ericka Peralejo, Chantel Marie Guinid, Ella Gonzalez, Gabo Tiongson, Denise Arteta, Rhythm Alexander and John Joseph Miraflores alternate respectively.)

But of course, as with all other plays and musicals based on children's literature, those bizarre kooky villains were a lot more fun to watch. Jamie Wilson was hilarious in his gender-bending role as the terrifying and hateful Miss Agatha Trunchbull with her twisted philosophy for teaching children. Wilson had this funny perpetual scowl on his face as he marched around the stage in his fat suit, skirts and bloomers. Her song number "The Smell of Rebellion" was a such an outlandish riot and showstopping highlight.

Joaquin Valdes and Carla Guevara-Laforteza stretched their skills for slapstick comedy to play the crazy Wormwoods with their bizarre makeup and cartoonish costumes. They have outdone their own off-kilter characters earlier this year, as Spike for Valdes in Rep's "Masha, Vanya, Sonia and Spike" and as Lady of the Lake in Upstart's "Spamalot" for Laforteza. Valdes and Laforteza frequently do amazingly quick changes to play their dramatic alter egos, the Escapologist and the Acrobat.

Nel Gomez was hardly recognizable as the spaced-out elder brother Michael. Bibo Reyes steals his scenes with his stupid pseudo-Italian dance instructor character Rudolpho. Tim Pavino had a very short featured role as Mrs. Wormwood's cool doctor in the beginning of the show, as Steven Conde did as the Russian mob boss Sergei towards the end. Rhenwyn Gabalonzo, Teetin Villanueva, Gerhard Krystoffer, Alex Reyes, Jim Andrew Ferrer, Gabby Padilla and Mica Fajardo complete the rest of the ensemble.

The beautiful stage design depicting Matilda's favorite library is immediately arresting in its size and play with colors, as designed by Faust Peneyra, and enhanced by Driscoll Otto's lights. The magnificent carousel opening the second act is a most impressive set piece. Other remarkable aspects of the show were Raven Ong's costumes and Cecile Martinez's choreography. Director Bobby Garcia, as always, never fails to wow the audience with how he staged the shadow play story-tellling and the telekinetic special effects. This technical finesse, coupled with the on-point performances, make this one another triumph in the already extensive Atlantis catalog of Broadway hit show productions. Kudos!

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“Matilda” opened last November 10, 2017 and will run at the Meralco Theater on weekends until December 10, with 8 pm shows on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket available at Ticketworld.com. Prices range from ₱4,000 (Orchestra Center), ₱3,500 (Orchestra Sides and Loge Center), ₱2,500 (Loge Sides) and ₱1,500 (Balcony).

November 12, 2017

The theme of this 42nd Theater Season of Dulaang UP is "Honoring Defiance." With this 1907 play by the controversial writer Aurelio Tolentino, things simply do not get any more defiant. We just learned from the recent play by Tanghalang Pilipino how defiant Tolentino could be, hence his rather unflattering nickname "Aurelio Sedisyoso"given American authorities of his time. Dulaang UP chose a Tolentino play also to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary this year of this steadfastly patriotic man.

Like his namesake Jesus Christ, the charismatic Jesus Gatbiaya goes around the countryside boldly and eloquently preaching his message of worker emancipation from the oppression of the opportunistic capitalists. Of course, the "Bagong Cristo" (New Christ) earned the enmity of rich businessmen, like Magdangal and Capitang Berto. They hated Jesus to the point of having him abducted and tortured, not even sparing the women who followed to help him -- Magdangal's ex love Neneng (Rachel Jacob), her friend Biheng (Elaiza Toledo), even his old mother Dolores.

I salute Boo Gabunada for his mesmerizingly intense delivery of Jesus Gatbiaya's lengthy declamatory speeches. There was even a scene in Act II where Jesus had a 15-20 minute-long monologue all by himself on an empty stage. It was only Gabunada's impassioned voice that kept viewers at constant attention. This actor was able to capture the fascinating personality of his character that drew him his loyal followers.

Rica Nepomuceno played Jesus' long-suffering mother Dolores. While her portrayal of this tragic maternal figure (Mater Dolorosa) was generally effective, the over-all impact was diminished by the weakness of her voice whenever she would start to sing. I frankly did not hear nor understand anything she was singing. This problem ruined the moment for her symbolically-loaded "Pieta" and "Crucifixion" scenes, which was truly unfortunate. I do not know if it was her microphone which was not working well, or was her soprano voice not in top condition.

In plays like this, the more hateful the antagonists, the more heroic our hero. The coolly sinister performance of Nino Mendoza as cruel industrialist Magdangal was really seething with pure malice. On the other hand, Vincent Macapobre's haciendero Capitang Berto and Joseph Nabong's kidnapper Limbas were both played with hammy exaggeration, with loud voices and even fits of evil laughter. These over-the-top moments do serve well to distract us momentarily from the very serious tone of the play, and these were not completely unwelcome for me.

On the technical front, the rustic set design by Io Balanon, rich turn of the century period costume design by Mitoy Sta. Ana, and original music by Krina Cayabyab were the most remarkable. These elements brought us back to those seemingly idyllic times at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, yet there were also heinous elements that lurk insidiously.

Director Alexander Cortez was also able to give us some visually dramatic executions of certain key scenes, like the murder of Neneng's father Cabesang Andoy (Greg de Leon) or those powerful flag waving scenes at the end in response to the ardent exhortations of wealthy Jesus supporter Dona Salud (Gel Basa). His decision to use masks (Moriones and Venetian) to keep Jesus' many tormentors anonymous was wise because these bad guys could literally be anyone or even everyone.

The events of this play may have happened more than a century ago. However, poor workers continue to be oppressed under the thumb of rich capitalists. As their plight continues to exist, the message of this play remains essential and current. When Jesus Gatbiaya speaks, it was as if he was talking in the here and now.

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"Bagong Cristo" runs from November 8 to December 3, 2017 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2nd Floor Palma Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Show times are Fridays at 7PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 10AM and 3PM.

For ticket, show-buying, and sponsorship inquiries, you may contact Camille Guevara (0917 823 9531), the Dulaang UP Office (Tel. No. : 926-1349 / 981-8500 local / dupguevara@gmail.com ), or you may drop by the Dulaang UP Office at Palma Hall Room 136, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.

November 17, 2017

For their final show on their 50th anniversary, Repertory Philippines chose to stage a Broadway play that was also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year -- "Hair". This musical had music by Galt MacDermot, with book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni. It began off-Broadway in 1967, and eventually went on Broadway the following year. Its original soundtrack generated a couple of popular hit singles. Because of these songs, I knew this musical was about hippie culture, but this is the first I was going to see the songs in the context of the show from which they came.

It was the late 1960s in New York City, a tribe of hippies, led by their charismatic main man George Berger, welcomed a naive farm boy Claude Bukowski into their fold. Claude was initiated into their world of drug use and free love. During one of their anti-Vietnam War protests, the other hippies burned their draft cards. Claude initially also threw his card into the fire, but decided pick it back out, thinking of accepting the draft and going to serve his country as a soldier.

The stage was bare except for several layers of see-through curtains of hanging rope as the backdrop. The cast in their colorful hippie costumes and wild wigs would later bring in blankets and pillows for them to lounge around in. The magic of the stage design was completed by the remarkably dynamic lighting design, one of the best lighting work I've seen this year. The hippies entered to dance and move on the stage, moaning and writhing a lot in some sort of initiation rite. Then they started to sing the famous song "Aquarius" in all its psychedelic glory to begin the show on a high note.

After that rousing start, I sort of got lost with most of Act 1 with its various episodes of hippies singing their commentary on drugs, sex and race, dated by the use of some unfamiliar slang lingo and liberal doses of profanity. The singing prowess of the Filipino actors, however, was undeniable in solos like Crissy's "Frank Mills" (by Cara Barredo), Sheila's "Easy to be Hard" (by Caisa Borromeo) and Claude's "Where Do I Go".(by Topper Fabegas), and group songs like "Ain't Got No" and "Hair". Act 1 ended with the same bold ending which made the original show very controversial back in 1967 -- an ending which still made some audience members last night gasp in audible surprise.

In Act 2, the trippy song "Walking in Space" led us into Claude's bizarre red-lit hallucinations about the terrors of war. PJ Rebullida's amazing choreographic execution of that recurring sequence of various wars and deaths made me feel like I was on that same vivid LSD trip as Claude. Songs like "Three-Five-Zero-Zero" and "What a Piece of Work is Man" give a haunting impact. The simple folksy "Good Morning Starshine" then segued to a powerful and catchy finale number "Let the Sun Shine In."

Topper Fabregas successfully projected Claude's naivete and idealism (Markki Stroem alternates in this role). You can easily pick out Caisa Borromeo (as Sheila) from the rest of the female cast because of her radiant beauty and soaring voice. I had never seen George Schultz as manic on stage before as he was last night, riding completely on Berger's outrageous groove. Cara Barredo was innocently sweet as Crissy as Maronne Cruz was wacky weird as Jeanie. Big guy Alfritz Blanche stood out from the ensemble as Hud, with his big afro and big voice in short featured solos in the group songs.

It was a tough challenge for director Chris Millado to make this 50-year old play current again for the new generation. I still found it difficult to connect with Act 1 as it set the flower-power mood of the late 1960s, but the episodic nature and datedness of the material hampered my full appreciation. Fortunately, Act 2 completely turned things around for me. Act 2 gives "Hair" its timeless appeal and makes this show absolutely worth watching. Everything came together solidly and strongly in terms of its still potent anti-war message and the incredible ensemble performance by the whole cast.

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HAIR runs at the Onstage Greenbelt 1 with the following schedule: Fri - Nov. 17 (8pm), Sat - Nov. 18 (3:30pm & 8pm), Sun - Nov. 19 (4:30pm), Sat - Nov. 25 (3:30pm & 8pm), Sun - Nov. 26 (4:30pm), Sat - Dec. 2 (3:30pm & 8pm), Sun - Dec. 3 (4:30pm), Sat - Dec. 9 (3:30pm & 8pm), Sun - Dec. 10 (3:30pm), Sat - Dec. 16 (3:30pm & 8pm) and Sun - Dec. 17 (4:30pm). Tickets are available on Ticketworld.com at the following prices: ₱1,567.50 Orchestra Center, ₱1,254 for Orchestra Sides and ₱836 for the Balcony.

November 29, 2017

The Rajah Sulayman Theater in Fort Santiago was especially designed to be the venue for the plays of PETA since its birth in 1967 to the 1990s. This year, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, PETA returns to this outdoor theater to restage one of its most acclaimed plays -- Alan Glinoga's Filipino translation of Bertolt Brecht’s "Ang Buhay ni Galileo," directed by Rody Vera.

Galileo Galilei was a noted astronomer in the 17th century who was able to develop a powerful telescope to discover truths about the universe around our planet, which unfortunately ran against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

As you can expect, this was as much about Galileo's discoveries and travails as it was about the Church's antagonistic resistance to scientific progress, which it felt displaced God (and his clergy) from its exalted central position. It talked about how the Church wanted the people to remain ignorant in order to keep them under their thumb. It showed that despite unlocking the mysteries of the skies, but the mysteries of human society remain unsolved. The science which was supposed to liberate man, the Church adamantly suppressed.

The Backdrop

Joel Lamangan returns to the lead role he originated during the first staging of this play in 1981. Lamangan looked much older than the age of 46 Galileo was supposed to be. He captured the eccentricity and stubbornness of the man, with some moments of odd belly laughter. The occasional lapses in line delivery was excusable since he was onstage practically the whole running time of the play. You can already hear the strain on his voice which is bad since this is only the first night.

Bodjie Pascua was also a member of the cast then as again now. Here, he plays a number of varied characters. Despite having different costumes, it could still be confusing to tell them apart with the different opinions of each character he played, be it a skeptical Aristotlean philosopher, a subversive balladeer or his Holiness the Pope himself.

The three close apprentices of Galileo were played by Gie Onida (as the illiterate Federzoni), John Moran (as the monk Fulganceo) and Ian Segarra (as his principled young ward Andrea). Andrea as a young boy was played by Noel Comia, Jr., who was the plays narrator as well. Each of these actors had their big moments in the play in which they shone.

Veteran PETA actors filled in the other roles. Gold Villar- Lim played his loyal daughter Virginia, as Randy Villarama played her aristocratic Beau Ludovico. Upeng Fernandez played Galileo's conservative housekeeper. Raffy Tejada played a very old Cardinal who thought Galileo's discoveries were the devil's work. Jack Yabut, Manny Pambid, Roi Calilong, Norbs Portales, Neomi Gonzales and more play smaller roles.

The Cast at the Curtain Call

The costumes of Brenda Fajardo consisted of pieces of cloth color-coded to define the social standing of the character who wore it. The spare set was also designed by Ms Fajardo under the philosophy of Aesthetic of Poverty, but this was enhanced by the lighting design of Roman Cruz. The music by Dodgie Fernandez was played by a three-man band and a live choir. I could not see where these singers were, so their disembodied voices sounded ethereal.

Be ready for a long but picturesque walk from the front gate of Fort Santiago to Rajah Sulayman Theater proper. Last night, the very long first act started at 6:30pm and ran up to almost 8:30pm, which had many of the high school kids in the audience rather restless.

After a 10-minute break, the start of Act 2 was interrupted by strong rain showers which led to the show being stopped for about 30 minutes. After all the monobloc chairs were wiped dry, Act 2 began and would run at a more compact 40 minutes. Aside from rain, a spectacular fireworks show in the sky above Rizal Park (?) went on for a few minutes during Act 2. The actors had to play on and project their voices louder to be heard above the noise. Now that's a live outdoor play experience for you!

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"Ang Buhay ni Galileo" will only have three shows from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2017 at the Rajah Sulayman Theater in Fort Santiago. Show starts promptly at 6:30pm. Tickets sold at P600 only.

December 14, 2017

This is a very belated post as this list was published on December 8, calculated with data from December 5, 2015 to November 26, 2016. I was about to post the Billboard Year-end Hot 100 List of 2017, when I realized that I failed to post the Billboard Year-end Hot 100 List of 2016. Here it is for the sake of completion.

1"Love Yourself"Justin Bieber (#1 for 2 weeks, Feb)

- spent 23 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 since its debut
- youngest artist to earn the #1 year-end song

2"Sorry"Justin Bieber (#1 for 3 weeks, Jan to Feb)
3"One Dance"Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (#1 for 10 weeks, May to Jul)
4"Work"Rihanna featuring Drake (#1 for 9 weeks, Mar to Apr)
5"Stressed Out"Twenty One Pilots
6"Panda"Desiigner (#1 for 2 weeks, May)
7"Hello"Adele (#1 for 4 weeks, Jan, + 7 more weeks Nov to Dec 2016)
8"Don't Let Me Down"The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
9"Can't Stop the Feeling!"Justin Timberlake (#1 for 1 week, May)
10"Closer"The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey ( #1 for 12 weeks, Sept to Nov)

11"Cheap Thrills"Sia featuring Sean Paul (#1 for 4 weeks, Aug)
12"7 Years"Lukas Graham
13"Needed Me"Rihanna
14"My House"Flo Rida
15"I Took a Pill in Ibiza"Mike Posner
16"Work from Home"Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign
17"This Is What You Came For"Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna
18"Cake by the Ocean"DNCE
19"Me, Myself & I"G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha
20"Ride"Twenty One Pilots

21"Heathens"Twenty One Pilots
22"Pillowtalk"Zayn (#1 for 1 week, Feb)
23"Stitches"Shawn Mendes
24"Hotline Bling"Drake
25"Cold Water"Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ
26"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"Adele
27"Roses"The Chainsmokers featuring Rozes
28"Treat You Better"Shawn Mendes
29"Too Good"Drake featuring Rihanna
30"Low Life"Future featuring The Weeknd

31"What Do You Mean?"Justin Bieber
32"The Hills"The Weeknd
33"Just Like Fire"Pink
34"Broccoli"DRAM featuring Lil Yachty
35"Don't"Bryson Tiller
36"Dangerous Woman"Ariana Grande
37"Jumpman"Drake and Future
38"I Hate U, I Love U"Gnash featuring Olivia O'Brien
39"Here"Alessia Cara
40"Same Old Love"Selena Gomez

41"Controlla"Drake
42"Like I'm Gonna Lose You"Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend
43"One Call Away"Charlie Puth
44"Let It Go"James Bay
45"No"Meghan Trainor
46"Never Forget You"Zara Larsson and MNEK
47"Let Me Love You"DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber
48"Don't Mind"Kent Jones
49"H.O.L.Y."Florida Georgia Line
50"We Don't Talk Anymore"Charlie Puth featuring Selena Gomez

51"Into You"Ariana Grande
52"Gold"Kiiara
53"Exchange"Bryson Tiller
54"679"Fetty Wap featuring Remy Boyz
55"Oui"Jeremih
56"Hands to Myself"Selena Gomez
57"2 Phones"Kevin Gates
58"Starboy"The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
59"For Free"DJ Khaled featuring Drake
60"Never Be Like You"Flume featuring Kai

61"In the Night"The Weeknd
62"Me Too"Meghan Trainor
63"Ex's & Oh's"Elle King
64"Die a Happy Man"Thomas Rhett
65"White Iverson"Post Malone
66"Close"Nick Jonas featuring Tove Lo
67"Unsteady"X Ambassadors
68"Sucker for Pain"Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons with Logic and Ty Dolla $ign featuring X Ambassadors
69"Down in the DM"Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj
70"Luv"Tory Lanez

71"Sorry"Beyoncé
72"Can't Feel My Face"The Weeknd
73"Hymn for the Weekend"Coldplay
74"Say It"Tory Lanez
75"Antidote"Travis Scott
76"Lost Boy"Ruth B
77"Side to Side"Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
78"Sit Still, Look Pretty"Daya
79"Wildest Dreams"Taylor Swift
80"Middle"DJ Snake featuring Bipolar Sunshine

81"On My Mind"Ellie Goulding
82"Pop Style"Drake featuring The Throne
83"When We Were Young"Adele
84"Hide Away"Daya
85"Lean On"Major Lazer and DJ Snake featuring MØ
86"I Know What You Did Last Summer"Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
87"All the Way Up"Fat Joe, Remy Ma and Jay Z featuring French Montana and Infared
88"Watch Me"Silentó
89"Back to Sleep"Chris Brown
90"No Limit"Usher featuring Young Thug

91"Cut It"O.T. Genasis featuring Young Dolph
92"Really Really"Kevin Gates
93"All In My Head (Flex)"Fifth Harmony featuring Fetty Wap
94"Starving"Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd
95"Adventure of a Lifetime"Coldplay
96"Humble and Kind"Tim McGraw
97"Wicked"Future
98"Tiimmy Turner"Desiigner
99"See You Again"Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
100"Perfect"One Direction

******

PAST YEAR-END HOT 100 LISTS:

2015 -- 2014 -- 2013 -- 2012

Review of PhilStagers' OBRA NI JUAN: Perturbed Patriotic Prodigy

Review of PETA's TAGU-TAGUAN NASAAN ANG BUWAN?: Charm of our Childhood

Recapping GAME OF THRONES Season 7: Reunions and Revelations

Review of TP's AURELIO SEDISYOSO: Parsing a Patriotic Playwright

Review of The Necessary Theater's BLACKBIRD: Payback for a Predator

Review of UPPT's MGA AMA, MGA ANAK: Painful Patrimony

Review of Grand Leisure Corp.'s MAYNILA SA MGA KUKO NG LIWANAG: THE MUSICAL: Soaring Songs, Sublime Singing

Review of TP's ANG PAG-UUSIG: Persecutory Paranoia

Review of THE SOUND OF MUSIC: Warm, Winning and Worthy

Review of Artist Playground's FLY ME TO THE MOON: Dark, Downbeat and Daring

Review of Art Theater Manila's SAKUNTALA: Fierce, Flashy and Fervent

Review of Red Lantern's SOLO PARA ADULTOS: Daring, Diverting, but Drawn-Out

Recap of PETA's FESTIVAL OF WINDOWS: HALF OF THE SKY: Working for Women's Welfare

Review of Theater Titas' WHAT'S IN THE DARK?: Trials of Trust

Review of Full House/RWM's CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG: Musical Mechanical Magic

Review of Atlantis' MATILDA the MUSICAL: Extraordinary Endearing Esang

Review of Dulaang UP's BAGONG CRISTO: Welfare for the Workers!

Review of Rep Phils' HAIR: Hallucinating Hippies

Review of PETA's ANG BUHAY NI GALILEO (2017): Suppressing Science and Society

BILLBOARD HOT 100 HITS OF 2016!