Fred Said: THEATER, CONCERTS, EVENTS

October 27, 2018

Mariah Carey was one of the biggest pop divas of the 1990s. Her first five singles all reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first and so far the only star who had achieved that impressive feat. She went on to have 13 more #1 songs after those first five. Her singing style had greatly influenced a whole generation who had grown up hearing how she sang.

In 2003 as part of her Charmbracelet tour, Mariah Carey had a concert for the first time in Manila. This was held on an outdoor stage in an empty lot somewhere in the then bare and grassy Bonifacio Global City. She was still in her vocal prime back then, as this was held even before she did "We Belong Together" in 2005.

After 13 years, Mariah is back to wow her Pinoy fans again, this time at the Araneta Coliseum. I confess that I am not so familiar anymore with any song of hers in the past 10 years after "Touch My Body" reached #1 in 2008, as she had not had any significant Hot 100 chart hits lately. However, I still decided to watch this concert because I was curious to hear how her patented 8-octave voice had stood the test of time.

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Mariah fans came full force on October 26 at the Araneta Coliseum. The concert surprisingly began early, by about 8:30 pm. After the house lights were dimmed, images of purple butterflies started fluttering on the big screen, as strains of "Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)" filled the air. When Mariah came out center stage wearing a glittering silver knee-length dress with deeply plunging neckline and long fringes, she greeted Manila and began to sing her 1997 #1 hit "Honey." (VIDEO).

As early as this song, it was clear that the smooth as silk voice she was known for was not all there anymore. Her voice did not have the same light airy quality it was known for. She had choppier phrasing of the verses, and would cut off as the note went higher. During the chorus, she tended to sing harmony, while letting the backup singers sing melody.

Throughout the upbeat song, she was just standing in one place while singing, while her four male backup dancers pranced around her. During the outro of the song, that was when Mariah let fly some of her famous whistles. Though these were just short notes for this song, the crowd went wild with appreciation, reassured somehow that she could still do them.

For her next song, she sang "Shake It Off"(#2, 2005). These newer songs were written and arranged to fit her more mature voice quality and she sang this song more relaxed and hit a full octave change for the final verse, for which the crowd cheered. She went old school for the next song, "Make It Happen"(#5, 1992) and again her choppy phrasing and lower notes were more evident, especially during those parts of the song where she was expected to be soaring high.

Shake It Off

While Mariah stepped out of the stage, the backup singers took to centerstage to render their version of "Dreamlover". Then we heard a familiar rap by Ol' Dirty Bastard to usher in Mariah, now wearing a body-hugging bright yellow long gown with a high slit on the right leg, singing "Fantasy" (#1, 1995) (VIDEO). Her vocals in this song actually sounded like the old Mariah we know. She sang in her higher register, her falsettos sounded solid. She can still do them acrobatics, but she was pacing her voice accordingly.

Her next songs were all crowd-favorites and every body was singing along to "Always Be My Baby" (#1, 1996) (VIDEO), "Vision of Love" (her first #1, 1990) (VIDEO) and "Emotions" (#1, 1991) (VIDEO). I appreciated that she still performed these vocally-challenging songs, even if she had to shift and play with lower notes and was ad-libbing liberally throughout. Yes, she was still able to do the run of whistles in the end of "Emotions," for which the crowd roared with gleeful approval.

Mariah stepped out again, while the male backup singer introduced himself and the rest of the singers and crew, by their names and their zodiac signs. I was surprised that he was actually Trez Lorenz, famously Mariah's duet partner in her live version of Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" (#1, 1992), and that he had remained loyal to sing behind Mariah all these years.

One Sweet Day

Mariah stepped out wearing a white feathery long gown to sing"#Beautiful" (#15, 2013). Then she was joined on center stage by Trez Lorenz and other male singer to sing"One Sweet Day"(#1, 1996, with Boyz II Men) (VIDEO). Her next songs were "Can't Let Go" (#2, 1991) and her latest single "With You"from her upcoming album "Caution." The stage lights turned red for the next song,"My All" (#1, 1998) (VIDEO). Honestly, I was nervous for her while she was singing this difficult torch song, but she was able to coast through with her vocal improvising skills.

After another musical interlude with the dancers, Mariah came out in a shimmery long-sleeved golden gown to sing a series of upbeat songs: "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" (#58, 2008), followed by a medley of "Love Hangover"(Mariah's remake of a Diana Ross #1) and "Heartbreaker" (#1, 1999). Then she called in a Filipino fan from the audience named Mark, a proudly Pinoy Lamb, and serenaded him with, of all songs, "Touch My Body" (#1, 2008) (VIDEO). She ended the concert proper with her biggest hit on the Hot 100, "We Belong Together"(#1, 2005) (VIDEO).

Amidst raucous calls for an encore from the audience, Mariah returned onstage to sing one final song, "Hero" (#1, 1993) before she bid her fans farewell for now. No "Love Takes Time,""Through the Rain,""Can't Take That Away," or "Never Too Far", but of course, she can only sing so many songs in an hour and a half. The iconic voice that enchanted us in the 1990s may not be all there anymore, but the emotional impact and nostalgic appeal of her songs remained solidly intact up to now.

November 11. 2018

"Waitress" had been one of the more recent musical sensations on Broadway since it opened in 2016. With music and lyrics by pop artist Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson (based on the 2007 film of the same title written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelley, starring Kerri Russell), it was an audience favorite and garnered a number of Tony nominations (no wins). Sara Bareilles recorded 12 of her songs from the show and released them as "What's Inside: Songs from Waitress," which debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200.

It was very exciting when Atlantis announced in January 2018 that it would be staging "Waitress" this year. Manila will actually get to see this show before the West End, where it will still debut in 2019. Last month, the Philippine cast, led by West End musical theater star Joanna Ampil, was announced and further hyped up the local anticipation for this international premiere of this show.

Jenna Hunterson worked as a waitress and the chief pie baker of the Joe's Pie Diner. located somewhere in the American South. As imaginative as she was with the pies she created, Jenna was unhappy with the state of her marriage with her bum husband Earl and wanted out, but as bad timing would have it, she got pregnant, much to her dismay.

The owner of the diner Joe encouraged Jenna to join a pie-baking contest and use the $20,000 prize money to make a new start, a suggestion seconded by her friends at the diner Becky and Dawn. Meanwhile, Jenna got to know her new gynecologist Dr. Jim Pomatter, who made the whole situation more complicated.

Joanna Ampil's eloquently expressive singing voice was so beautiful to hear live. She can make even the most monotonous-sounding song so vibrant with her subtle vocal nuances. Her best song number was undoubtedly "She Used to be Mine" in Act 2. This desperate song, in which Jenna sang about losing her sense of self given her life's unfortunate circumstances, is the highlight of the show, and its best known song. Hearing Ampil sing this profound song live is already worth the price of admission.

Everyone else in the cast had been given their own featured song number to shine. Bituin Escalante was so sassy as the outspoken Becky. Her song "I Didn't Mean It" was one of the first songs of Act 2, sung following a startling plot surprise, and her growly rendition stopped the show right there. Maronne Cruz played the bespectacled, sweet and virginal Dawn. She sung about her apprehensions about meeting a man in the neurotically amusing song "When He Sees Me."

George Schultz played Jenna's gruff, ne'er-do-well husband Earl. He expressed his insecurity about their coming baby, pleading with Jenna not to love the baby more than him, in the song "You Will Still Be Mine."Bibo Reyes played the young, handsome Dr. Pomatter, who could not resist Jenna's goodies despite the restrictions. The gentle duet "You Matter to Me" was his best song, showcasing his falsetto range.

Nino Alejandro played Dawn's chubby nerdy suitor Ogie and he dominated his scenes with his outrageous antics, and with sprightly songs like "Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me."Steven Conde as the curmudgeonly Joe also got to sing one song "Take It from an Old Man" in which he advised Jenna about life matters. Dean Rosen as the long-haired sarcastic diner manager Cal was the only one in the main cast without a solo song number.

The rest of the ensemble include Luigi Quesada, Gerhard Krysstopher, Luis Marcelo, Emeline Celis Guinid, Teetin Villanueva, Sarah Facuri, and Jillian Ita-as.

Director Bobby Garcia efficiently led his crew, both local (musical director Farley Asuncion, choreographer Cecile Martinez, costume designer Raven Ong, hair and make-up artist Johann dela Fuente) and imported (set designer David Gallo, lighting designer Aaron Porter and sound designer Josh Millican) to bring us into a convincing slice of southern American life.

Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Gallo's main set piece is of course Joe's Pie Diner with its rustic old-fashioned neon-lit outdoor sign and diner interior with the cushioned seats. The center section of the diner was a rotating section that shifted the scene from the counter to the kitchen. Various set pieces would be brought in and out to bring the scene to Jenna's house, Dr. Pomatter's clinic or the bus stop.

Honestly, as a matter of personal beliefs, the aspect about extra-marital affairs did not completely sit well to me, even when sugar-coated. The situations could be uncomfortable to watch at times (maybe on purpose) and even verged on raunchy, albeit in a comedic way. Despite the seemingly wholesome impression it can give on first impression, this sensitive subject matter of this show is not exactly for young kids.

However, it was the winsome collective performance of the delightful lead triumvirate of waitresses (Ampil, Escalante and Cruz) that won me over. Their chemistry as friends was felt more sincere than their chemistry with their respective lovers. Furthermore, hearing Jenna's fanciful descriptions of the unique combinations of ingredients for each of her pies were so mouth-watering. (Too bad they were not selling pie samples in the lobby.) So come on in for a taste, the diner is open!

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"Waitress" runs from November 9 to December 2, 2018 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium
4th Floor, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave., cor. Gil Puyat Ave. Makati City. Showtimes are 8pm from Fridays to Sundays, with 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket prices are from P4,000, P3,000 and P2,000.

December 8, 2018

It was the year 2034. There was a major war raging in Europe. The artwork of Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer were being exhibited in a museum in Manila. The play is set in the waiting area in the lobby of that museum. We listen in on the random conversations of various guests and staff gathered in the waiting area talking about their lives -- nothing special really, just regular lives.

The central characters would be the five siblings of the Tenorio family.Evelyn, the second sibling, a spinster taking care of their parents in the province, is in Manila, so they planned a get-together in the museum that afternoon. There was Alberto, their eldest brother, and his wife Jeannie: Ramoncito, the middle son, and his shy wife Tessie; Myra, the funny younger sister; and Roberto, their youngest.

Meanwhile, various other people were going in and out of the waiting area, Joy Goquingco was a young woman who was donating the paintings bequeathed to her by her father, was with her boyfriend Manuel Araos, who was planning to join the peacekeepers in Europe. We also meet the two curators of the museum, the stylish Emily Gorospe (who was entertaining Atty. Ross Miranda) and the gregarious Jerome Henares (the expert on Dutch art).

There were two college students doing research, Sonia Toralba and Aliyah Go. There were couples on dates: Bart de la Torre and his fiancee Nicole Magpayo; pilot Eric Bernardo and his girlfriend Helen Davide; and Joaquin Soler with his girlfriend Pamela Quizon. There would be some unexpected connections between some of these people which we discover when they see each other while resting on the benches.

This play was a literal slice of lives of these various characters that one afternoon, caught inside a metaphorical "camera obscura" (hence the Vermeer reference). There was no particular plot to follow at all. It was like listening in to one major flight of consciousness session with unrelated topics ranging from mundane personal problems to issues of a bigger scale and interest, like art and war.

You will feel like you were just sitting on those benches yourself and was just practically eavesdropping, like it or not, on the conversations of these strangers around you. There may be two or more conversations going on at a time, just like it would in real life. We catch snippets of what they were saying about themselves and other people you do not know anything about, yet we can somehow complete their story on our own, and probably make our judgments about them (deserved or not).

As in our daily dealings within crowds of people, there are characters who are naturally magnetic, while some just blend into the background. There are characters whose stories interest you, while there are those whose stories you don't really care about. Many times it was not even their words that catch your attention, but even just mere fleeting facial expressions, be it of joy, of longing, of annoyance, or of disgust.

The cast worked as a fluid ensemble, very zen. No one really grandstands, except maybe occasionally Gie Onida, whose character Jerome had a tendency to be flamboyant. Meann Espinosa (as Evelyn) and Mayen Estanero (as Tessie) drew us in with their kindness and sincerity. Kathlyn Castillo (as Myra) stood out because of her corny jokes. Elle Velasco (as Emily) and Manuel Tinio (as Eric) have winsome personalities that attract attention effortlessly. Randy Villarama (as Joaquin) had an air of sinister about him that set off all sorts of red flags. Micah Muna (as Sonia) scared me as she flirted with danger.

Completing the cast were: Dennis Marasigan (as Alberto), Wenah Nagales (as Jeannie), Jonathan Tadioan (as Ramoncito), Joshua Tayco (as Roberto), Antonette Go (as Joy), Manjean Faldas (as Manuel), Marco Viana (as Ross), Neomi Gonzales (as Pamela), Ian Segarra (as Bart), J-mee Katanyag (as Nicole), Lhorvie Nuevo (as Helen) and Manok Nellas (as Aliyah). Their characters may have been less flashy, but the actors all made them real people, unique with their personal quirks.

The 20-strong cast take their curtain call

"Manila Notes" is the Filipino adaptation of "Tokyo Notes" (1994) by playwright - director Oriza Hirata, who also served as director for this TP production. The Filipino translation used for this staging was written by Rody Vera. The museum lobby waiting room set was designed by a Japanese, Itaru Sugiyama. It was enhanced by the lighting design of Barbara Tan-Tiongco. Costume designer James Reyes and sound engineer TJ Ramos round out list of the main technical crew.

There had already been adaptations in various cities, like "Seoul Notes,""Taipei Notes" and "Bangkok Notes," and there are plans to stage a "Tokyo Notes International Version" with an international cast and a more varied variety of juicy (or maybe not) conversations we can overhear on purpose. Set for the 2019 Theater Olympics in Japan, this is promises to be a most fascinating theater event to look forward to.

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"Manila Notes" runs from November 30 to December 16, 2018 at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Showtimes: Fridays, 8pm, Saturdays, 3pm and 8pm and Sundays, 3pm. Tickets sold at P1000 and P800. Show runs for 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.

December 15, 2018

The show title "RAIN" was actually an acronym which meant "Reinventing Anthology of Individual Narrative." This 3-in-1 show was conceived to offer PSF fans a variety of straight one-act plays, much different from the historical or social musicals that they are known for. The first RAIN last year featured TULA NI VITO AT LIRA by Rachel Gianan, BAGYO BUROL BEKI by Sonny O Valencia and ALIMUONG by JP Lopez. Three new plays have been chosen to be presented this year.

*****

Juvy Lee (Alex Baylon) does her radio show.

The first play was JUVY LEE'S ROMANCE, written and directed by Vince Tanada. Juvy Lee was a very popular radio deejay who hosted a top-rating love advice program. She was offered to transfer her show to television. Problem was she was not attractive and overweight, so she was rejected by the TV execs. Not even her manager Kenji Park could not do anything to help her, as her bitchy but pretty rival Cara MIl got the TV stint instead. Juvy's godmother, who just so happened to be a dermatologist and plastic surgeon, heard of Juvy's plight and came to her rescue.

Kenji (Kenneth Sadsad) and Penny (Bea Martin)

This play uses a lot of K-pop songs and dances to appeal to the young millennial crowd. I noted that these college students were very fond of romantic scenes, squealing with thrill everytime Kenji (a dashing Kenneth Sadsad) and Juvy Lee (Alex Baylon, in drag) or her alter ego Penny Woo (a flustered Bea Martin) have a close clinch together. Everybody was doing their campiest best to connect to their audience all in good fun, but delivering an important message about how inner beauty trumps outer beauty.

*****

The second play was THE GALLERY, written by JP Lopez and directed by Vince Tanada. I had seen this play performed for the first time during the PSF Theater Festival just last summer in a much smaller venue. The truly Rated SPG stuff was tamed down a bit when it transitioned to the bigger SM cinema stage. This was an absurd, over-the-top story about a young drug addict gigolo Roy (Johnrey Rivas) who answered an ad by a bizarre intersex artist Dion (OJ Bacor) for a model.

Roy (Johnrey Rivas) and Dion (OJ Bacar)

get to know each other

The titular gallery was home to weird paintings that their artist claimed were alive so they should never be touched. Later on, what was real and what was hallucination about these paintings were blurred as the intake of illegal drugs entered the picture. As I described it the first time I watched it, "this wild play went in all directions, with diverse elements of various genre -- comedy, sexy, horror and even politics -- all rolled into one flamboyant and schizophrenic show. Its sense of the macabre simply went off the charts!" These words still express exactly what I thought about this play on second watching.

*****

Lilibeth (Gerald Magallanes) talks to

Didith (Adelle Ibarrientos-Lim)

The third play was I DIDITH SHOW, also written by JP Lopez and again directed by Vince Tanada. I first saw this play just last summer as well, but it had a history of winning the grand PSF prize back in 2014. Didith Lorenzo was a superstar singer who has had been hosting a long-running TV variety show, on air for the past 20 years. In this latest episode of her show, her special guest was a pretty and popular new singer named Love Moreno. The two singers vie to get the upper hand over the other during the whole show. While Love had her boyfriend and her manager in her corner, it seemed like Didith only had her loyal gay PA Lilibeth in hers.

Didith (Adele Ibarrientos-Lim) and Love (Rachelle Mae Penaflor)

fighting for the camera

The play is very entertaining, frenetic and hilarious, roasting showbiz stereotypes, with some unexpectedly touching bittersweet moments. Adele Ibarreintos-Lim felt very right as aging bitter Didith, one of the best performances I had seen her play. Rachelle Mae Penaflor, still channeling Ariana Grande's spunk as she reprised her role as Love, much better than when I saw her perform last summer. Their duelling duet of "Tell Him" was like vocal fireworks, bravo! Gerald Magallanes extends his versatility further by playing the distraught gay fan Lilibeth. Vean Olmedo was also playing against her usual type by playing a loud lesbian who was Didith's ex-manager, now Love's.

December 17, 2018

We left my brother's house in the outskirts of Bangkok by about 5 am. There was an advisory the day before that the gates of the Impact Arena open at 5 am and would be closed by 6:10 am. We arrived at the arena before 6 am, still very dark, and a huge crowd of people were already there. The people were (mostly) dressed to the nines in formal attire -- with more fancy folks tiaras and sashes (conspicuously Thailand and Philippines).

Upon alighting from the car, we immediately recognized Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere in her reddish gown with a deep plunging neckline! Walking in, we saw Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2011 Shamcey Supsup, still looking mighty fine in her grey gown. There were a couple of past Ms. Thailands were also being interviewed by the media when we were making our way to the ticket gates to gain access into the auditorium itself. All this preliminary people-watching was a lot of fun.

Upon entering the auditorium and finding our seats, we excitedly saw the the X-shaped runway on the main floor, and we took a number photos of it. We were quick to note that we were seating among a big group of Vietnamese fans of, of course, Ms. Vietnam. This was the only other contestant that caught my attention prior to these finals, because of her cool short hairstyle, which she carried with elegance. They would prove to be very actively vocal cheerleaders for their candidate which added to our enjoyment during the show.

While waiting for the show to begin, there was an American preliminary host dressed in a silver suit, a Steve Harvey-lookalike, so some audience members thought he was the real thing. He and his Thai counterpart were trying hard to rouse the audience who seemed to be sluggish because of the early hour. To whet the audience attention even more, they were also giving out Apple products in ticket raffles (but, sigh, our numbers did not get called).

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There was a countdown just before airtime, and the audience was asked to cheer loudly as the house lights were dimmed about five seconds before the count hit one. There were traditional drummers in red on the stage and the spotlights focused on them as they banged on their native drums. Pop star Ne-yo began to sing his opening number from within a group of Thai dancers dressed in gold in the middle of the X. All 94 candidates walked on and off one arm of the X stage in their casual wear.

After the song, Steve Harvey, now sporting a gray beard instead of his thick black mustache, came out in his sparkly suit to deliver his opening spiel. He then introduced the panel of pageant analysts plus-sized supermodel Ashley Graham, runway coach Lu Sierra and fashion guru Carson Kressley, whose statements we do not hear in the arena. Since we never heard their commentary at all during the show, I was surprised to read all the backlash against Sierra and Kressley after the show.

Harvey then proceeded to introduced the all-female board of judges. The list this year included two former Ms. Universe winners: Porntip Bui Simon (nee Nakhirunkanok) who won in 1988 as Ms. Thailand, and Michelle McLean, Miss Namibia who won her title in Bangkok in 1992. There were two judges from the Philippines, which was incredible -- world-renowned fashion designer Monique Lhuiller and a lady introduced as an architect and aviation executive Richelle Louise Singson-Michael.

Ms. Philippines and the Top 20

After the break, the top 20 candidates were called by geographic grouping: First called from Africa-Asia group (31 girls) were South Africa, Philippines, Nepal, Vietnam (in pants!) and Thailand. These first five actually stayed onstage throughout the announcements and the breaks! The Europe group (31 girls) consisted of Poland, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary and Ireland. The audience reaction to this group was lukewarm compared to the first one. The Americas group (32 girls) had Curacao, Costa Rica (a TV host with sassy advice to Steve!), Canada, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. In the Wildcard group were: USA (I sensed a cold reception), Venezuela, Indonesia, Brazil and Australia.

In what seemed to be a new segment of the show, these top 20 girls were given 15 seconds each to individually introduce themselves with their personal messages. Some messages were more memorable and had more impact than others. These were from: Philippines ("It is lack of child support and not poverty that killed dreams."); Vietnam ("From nothing, here I am. I can do it. You can do it!"): Venezuela ("Venezuelans are warriors of love."): and Brazil ("Conserving the Amazon is preserving the life on Earth.").

This segment was followed by a special feature on Angela Ponce, Ms. Spain, the first transgender candidate in Ms. Universe. A video about her controversial journey was shown which ended with her most powerful statement, "I do not need to win Ms. Universe. I only need to be here." Then, Ms. Ponce came out on stage amidst loud applause. The first thing she did was to remove her Ms. Spain sash as if to say that she represented all transgenders with the same dream, representing diversity in the world. Meanwhile, the controversy about trans-women in pageants for women rages on.

The Top 10

Top 10 candidates were then announced. All the first five girls from the first cut were still very much in the race: South Africa, Vietnam. Philippines, Nepal and Thailand. Perennial Ms. Universe favorites went in: Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Canada (the only Caucasian left so she certainly stood out in looks). Costa Rica and Curacao were unexpected surprises in the Top 10. These were the girls who the underwent the Swimsuit and Evening Gown competitions that followed.

Ms. Laos, on their first time to join the pageant, was named Best National Costume. She wore a golden Buddhist figurine costume with two similarly styled puppets in front and behind her. Last year's Ms. Universe Demi Leigh Nel-Peters's advocacy on #Unbreakable because of her horrifying hostage experience. She came out in a white pants suit, which is certainly out of the ordinary.

The Top 5

The Final Five were announced: Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Philippines, South Africa, and Venezuela. The Philippines was a clear standout in the group with her fiery red gown among the silvery gowns of the others. The questions were provided by fellow contestants. Puerto Rico answered a question about freedom of the press. Vietnam's question was about the #MeToo movement. Philippines question was about legalizing marijuana (I did not like the question because it does not lead to a memorable answer.) South Africa was given a question about refugees, which I thought she nailed quite well. Venezuela's question was relatively easy for veteran beauty queens, about the relevance of beauty pageants.

The pace picked up when the Top 3 was announced: Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela. It was very disappointing for me that Vietnam did not make it into the Top 3 because she was the most unique candidate, but those are the breaks of the game. All three were given only one question, and it was: "What is the most important lesson you've learned in your life and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?"Philippines wowed the crowd when she spoke about finding silver linings in adversity. South Africa talked about people wanting to be loved and to belong so we should treat each other that way -- felt too short. Venezuela's answer was about working hard to achieve one's dreams -- felt too generic.

The Top 3

For the final look, Ne-yo serenaded the Top 3 with his 2008 hit song "Miss Independence." The audience was asked to turn on their phone flashlights once Ne-yo starts singing. With the moving backdrop of floating paper lanterns, the collective effect of all the lights within the dark arena was very dramatic and glamorous. From our seats, we can see Philippines gamely dancing to Ne-yo's song off-camera while South Africa and Venezuela were taking their respective walks.

After Demi Leigh Nel-Peters took her final walk, the final verdict was announced. Second runner-up was Miss Venezuela Shtefany Gutierrez. The first runner-up was Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green. Miss Universe 2018 is Catriona Grey of the Philippines!!! She was the fourth Filipina to win the prestigious title. As Pia Wurtzbach thwarted a Colombia back-to-back win in 2015, Catriona prevented a South Africa back-to-back this time around. You can see my video of this crowning moment is posted HERE.

The Crowning Moment

It was ecstatic pandemonium among the Filipino fans in the audience with that announcement and there were a lot of us there. The Filipino celebrations continued outside the auditorium as Pinoys (many proudly wearing the Barong Tagalog or Filipiniana outfits, some wearing sashes with the country's name or Catriona's distinct ear-cuff behind one ear) gathered together to rejoice together. For one moment of united patriotism, we joined in the group singing of the National Anthem to celebrate Catriona Grey's victory. You can see my video of this Filipino celebration posted HERE.

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For me, it had been a crazy impulsive decision to go visit my brother in Bangkok to watch the Miss Universe pageant together. However, it turned out to be a most fortuitous one that paid off big time in terms of memorableness because of Miss Philippines' victory.

December 22, 2018

For the year 2018, I had seen and written about 43 theater productions: 13 musicals, 12 full-length plays, and 20 one-act plays. I missed all of the productions staged in Ateneo because of schedule conflicts and the bad traffic in that area. This was a pity because I had missed several of the year's best reviewed plays and musicals, like "Desaparecidos,""Dekada '70" and the revival of "Mula sa Buwan" because it was difficult for me to go to Ateneo. Restagings of productions I had seen and cited before were also not included anymore, like "Rak of Aegis" and "Ang Pag-uusig."

I will list here what I feel were the best among those theater shows I have seen and written about for 2018. (My 2017 list was posted HERE. My 2016 list was posted HERE. My 2015 list was posted HERE.)

I. ORIGINAL FILIPINO MUSICALS:

Best: BALAG AT ANGUD
(My Full Review)

Music by: Dodjie Fernandez and Upeng Galang Fernandez
Written by: Layeta Bucoy
Directed by: Audie Gemora

"Balag" was a bamboo formation adorned with activist sentiments set in front of the Oblation in UP Diliman in 1970 to protest against Martial Law. "Angud: A Forest Once" was an interconnected display of thousands of tree trunk remnants set on CCP grounds in 2007 to protest deforestation of mountains. Playwright Layeta Bucoy took these two pieces of outdoor installation art as her inspiration and came up with a biographical play about their creator -- artist Luis Yee, Jr. (or Junyee), and his quest for artistry against all odds.

Other Notable Productions:

Himala the Musical (My Review)
Binondo: A Tsinoy Musical (My Review)
Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! (My Review)
Guadalupe the Musical (My Review)
Ang Huling El Bimbo (My Review)
Supremo Redux (My Review)

Notable Performances:

Rody Vera, Astarte Abraham and Bayang Barrios (Balag at Angud), Aicelle Santos, Bituin Escalante, Noemi Gonzales, Kakki Teodoro and Jenny Villegas de Jesus (Himala), Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Sheila Valderrama-Martinez, David Ezra, Noel Rayos, Ima Castro and Ashlee Factor (Binondo), Jobim Javier, Raul Montesa and Neomi Gonzales (APO), Shiela Valderrama-Martinez, Lorenz Martinez and Cocoy Laurel (Guadalupe), Gian Magdangal, OJ Mariano and Sheila Francisco (El Bimbo), Vincent Tanada, Jomar Bautista and Cherry Bagtas (Supremo Redux)

Memorable Tech Aspects:

The inverted pyramid ceiling fixture of "Balag at Angud." The immersive stage setup of "Himala." The airport scene of "Binondo." The colorful Mexican costumes of "Guadalupe." Toyang's diner in "El Bimbo."

II. NON-FILIPINO MUSICALS:

Best: SIDE SHOW
(My Full Review)

Book and Lyrics by: Bill Russell
Music by: Henry Krieger
Director: Steven Conde

Daisy and Violet Hilton were a pair of twins conjoined at the hip. They were the star attractions of Sir's sideshow of freaks, which also included the Bearded Lady, the Dog Boy, the 3-Legged Man, Cannibal King among others. One day, talent scout Terry Connor and his musician friend Buddy Foster chanced upon their sideshow, and heard the twins sing. Realizing that he had hit upon a goldmine, Terry wanted to take the twins out of the sideshow and bring them to vaudeville.

Other Notable Productions:

Waitress (My Review)
Rapunzel! Rapunzel! (My Review)
All Out of Love, the Musical (My Review)

*** Foreign Touring Production: The Lion King (My Review)

Notable Performances:

Gab Pangilinan, Kayla Rivera, Markki Stroem and Arman Ferrer (Side Show), Joanna Ampil, Bituin Escalante and Maronne Cruz (Waitress), Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Arnel Carrion and Alyssa Rosa (Rapunzel); MiG Ayesa, Rachel Alejandro, Tanya Manalang and Raymond Concepcion (All Out of Love), Felicity Kyle Napuli (The Lion King)

Memorable Tech Aspects:

The Roaring 20s costumes of "Side Show." Joe's Pie Diner set of "Waitress." The whimsical set and Socrates' cute Dragon costume in "Rapunzel." The "Circle of Life" scene of "The Lion King."

III. FILIPINO PLAYS:

A. One-Act:

Best: PULA
(My Full Review)

Written by: Danielle Hill
Directed by: Kyxz Feliciano and Justin Santiago

"Pula" is a play about Martial Law abuses, but this one goes for the jugular in portraying the horrible torture experienced by Lilli Hilao and Boyet Mijares. To say it is gory or explicit is an understatement. This is not a play you "enjoy." Rather, it is absorbing and disturbing, gut-wrenching and painful to watch. The staging, with the dramatic red lights and pulsating music, was very effective. However, the centerpiece of this intense play was the raw, bold and fearless multi-character performance of Sweet Hearty Puyong. One of the most heart-wrenching and realistically harrowing acting I had ever seen on a stage.

Other Notable Productions:

Babae Nga Naka-Itum (My Review)
Amoy Pulbos ang mga Alabok sa Ilalim ng Riles ng Tren (My Review)
Labor Room (My Review)

Notable Performances:

Sweet Hearty Puyong (Pula), Cindy Liper (Babae Nga Naka-Itum), Gerald Magallanes and Pearl Belen (Lukrezia), Kenneth Sadsad and Vean Olmedo (Tula ni Vito at Lira), OJ Bacor and Ado Villanueva (I Didith Show / PSF Theater Fest), Adelle Ibarrientos-Lim and Rachel Mae Penaflor (I Didith Show / RAIN2), Sheryll Ceasico and Skyzx Labastilla (Labor Room), Arnold Reyes and Acey Aguilar (Tulad ng Dati), Bembol Roco and Sherry Lara (Ensayo), Bong Cabrera and Marjorie Lorico (Amoy Pulbos), Dolly de Leon (River Lethe), Ricci Chan and Guelan Luarca (Edgar Allan Hemingway)

Memorable Tech Aspects:

The hovel under the railroad of "Amoy Pulbos." The eerie doll costume of "Lukrezia." The haunted paintings on the wall of "The Gallery."

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

Best: THE KUNDIMAN PARTY
(My Full Review)

Written by: Floy Quintos
Directed by: Dexter M. Santos

Maestra Adela Dolores, a famous operatic diva from more than 30 years ago, has long retired from performing, and was now spending her time teaching her craft to students in her home. She kept a close circle of friends around her, namely the nurturing Helen, the liberated Mitch and the over-protective Mayen. The four ladies regularly met in Maestra's house where they listened to music and discussed politics. One day, her student Antoinette's boyfriend Bobby, a political activist, had the idea of using Maestra's kundiman to revitalize nationalism in the youth via social media.

Other Notable Productions:

Ang Dalagita'y 'Sang Bagay na Di-Buo (My Review)
Manila Notes (My Review)
'Night Mother (My Review)

Notable Performances:

Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, Stella Canete-Mendoza, Missy Maramara, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Kalil Almonte and Teroy Guzman (Kundiman Party), Missy Maramara and Skyzx Labastilla (Dalagita), Meann Espinosa, Mayen Estanero and Elle Velasco (Manila Notes), Sherry Lara and Eugene Domingo ('Night Mother), Nico Varona and Hariette Damole (Anim na Tauhang Naghahanap ng May-Akda), Aldo Vencilao and Manok Nellas (Nang Dalawin ng Pag-ibig si Juan Tamad)

Memorable Tech Aspects:

Maestra's living room and staircase in "Kundiman Party." The museum lounge in "Manila Notes." The living room and working kitchen in "'Night, Mother." The strikingly dramatic anahaw-inspired centerpiece of "Nang Dalawin ng Pag-ibig si Juan Tamad."

IV. NON-FILIPINO PLAYS:

Best: SILENT SKY
(My Full Review)

Written by: Lauren Gunderson
Directed by: Joy Virata

While working in the Harvard Observatory, Henrietta Leavitt began to notice a pattern in the pulsations of Cepheid stars, and eventually concluded that there is a relationship between the brightness of the star and the length of time they take to blink, when she then correlated to the distance of this star. While Leavitt's discovery was published in journals, she was not allowed to do her own independent studies. However, eventually, her vital discoveries were eventually acknowledged as the basis of more well-known work by later astronomers like Edwin Hubble.

Other Notable Productions:

Lungs (My Review)
A Doll's House Part II (My Review)
M. Butterfly (My Review)

Notable Performances:

Cathy Azanza-Dy, Sheila Francisco, Naths Everett and Caisa Borromeo (Silent Sky), Jake Cuenca and Sab Jose (Lungs), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Sheila Francisco (A Doll's House Part II), RS Francisco (M. Butterfly), Frances Makil-Ignacio, Ces Quesada, Missy Maramara and Hariette Damole (The Dressing Room), Lorenz Martinez, Jeremy Domingo and Issa Litton (A Comedy of Tenors), Joy Virata and Jay Glorioso (Arsenic and Old Lace)

Memorable Tech Aspects:

Henrietta's work station in "Silent Sky." The illuminated cube of "Lungs." The ornate and glittering chinoisie in "M. Butterfly." The living room in "Arsenic and Old Lace."

January 6, 2019

Here are the Hot 100 Singles of 2018 as ranked by Billboard Magazine. This year-end recap is based on Billboard Hot 100 chart performance during between the weeks from Dec 2017 and Nov 2018-dated charts (December 2, 2017 to November 17, 2018). This is a list of last year's most popular songs across all genres, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions and sales data as measured and compiled by Nielsen Music, while streaming activity data provided by online music sources.

1"God's Plan"Drake (#1 for 11 weeks, February to April)

Debuted at #1 (the 29th song to do so). Spent its first eleven weeks on the chart at number one (after "One Sweet Day"1996, "Candle in the Wind" 1997 and "I'll Be Missing You" 1997.) Replaced at #1 by another Drake song "Nice for What." Spent 26 weeks in the top ten and left the chart after 36 weeks.

2"Perfect"Ed Sheeran (#1 for 4 weeks, January + 2 weeks, December 2017)

The duet version featuring Beyonce topped the Hot 100 for the first five weeks (23 Dec 2017 to 13 Jan 2018). The original version of the song (Sheeran only) took over at the top on the week ending 20 Jan 2018.

3"Meant to Be"Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
4"Havana"Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#1 for 1 week, January)
5"Rockstar"Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
6"Psycho"Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign (#1 for 1 week, June)
7"I Like It"Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin (#1 for 1 week, July)
8"The Middle"Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey
9"In My Feelings"Drake (#1 for 10 weeks, July to September)
10"Girls Like You"Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#1 for 7 weeks, September to November)

11"Nice for What"Drake (#1 for 8 weeks, April to June, non-consecutive)

Drake was the first artist to have a new number-one debut replace his former number-one debut ("God's Plan") at the top of the Hot 100. Stayed at number 1 for 4 weeks first. Replaced by "This is America" for 2 weeks. Returned to #1 for 2 more weeks. Replaced by "Psycho" for 1 week. Returned to #1 for 1 week. Replaced by "Sad!" and "I Like It" for 2 weeks. Returned to #1 again for one more week.

12"Lucid Dreams"Juice Wrld

13"Better Now"Post Malone

14"Finesse"Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B

15"Boo'd Up"Ella Mai

16"New Rules"Dua Lipa

17"Sad!"XXXTentacion (#1 for 1 week, June)

18"Never Be the Same"Camila Cabello

19"Love Lies"Khalid and Normani

20"No Tears Left to Cry"Ariana Grande

21"Mine"Bazzi

22"Thunder"Imagine Dragons

23"Look Alive"BlocBoy JB featuring Drake

24"Delicate"Taylor Swift

25"Yes Indeed"Lil Baby and Drake

26"Friends"Marshmello and Anne-Marie

27"Bad at Love"Halsey

28"Taste"Tyga featuring Offset

29"Let You Down"NF

30"No Limit"G-Eazy featuring ASAP Rocky and Cardi B

31"Fefe"6ix9ine featuring Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz

32"Tequila"Dan + Shay

33"Feel It Still"Portugal. The Man

34"MotorSport"Migos, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B

35"I Like Me Better"Lauv

36"Youngblood"5 Seconds of Summer

37"Whatever It Takes"Imagine Dragons

38"Ric Flair Drip"Offset and Metro Boomin

39"I Fall Apart"Post Malone

40"Pray for Me"The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar

41"Back to You"Selena Gomez

42"Sicko Mode"Travis Scott

43"Walk It Talk It"Migos featuring Drake

44"Gucci Gang"Lil Pump

45"Him & I"G-Eazy and Halsey

46"In My Blood"Shawn Mendes

47"All the Stars"Kendrick Lamar and SZA

48"Stir Fry"Migos

49"Too Good at Goodbyes"Sam Smith

50"Love"Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari

51"This Is America"Childish Gambino (#1 for 2 weeks, May)

52"Nonstop"Drake

53"Heaven"Kane Brown

54"Bodak Yellow"Cardi B

55"Freaky Friday"Lil Dicky featuring Chris Brown

56"Gummo"6ix9ine

57"Plug Walk"Rich the Kid

58"Wait"Maroon 5

59"Be Careful"Cardi B

60"Wolves"Selena Gomez and Marshmello

61"Bartier Cardi"Cardi B featuring 21 Savage

62"God Is a Woman"Ariana Grande

63"Big Bank"YG featuring 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj and Big Sean

64"Sorry Not Sorry"Demi Lovato

65"How Long"Charlie Puth

66"Lights Down Low"Max featuring Gnash

67"Young Dumb & Broke"Khalid

68"One Kiss"Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa

69"Natural"Imagine Dragons

70"You Make It Easy"Jason Aldean

71"Shape of You"Ed Sheeran

72"I Get the Bag"Gucci Mane featuring Migos

73"No Brainer"DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Quavo

74"Plain Jane"ASAP Ferg featuring Nicki Minaj

75"Sky Walker"Miguel featuring Travis Scott

76"Marry Me"Thomas Rhett

77"Eastside"Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid

78"Call Out My Name"The Weeknd

79"King's Dead"Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake

80"Happier"Marshmello and Bastille

81"Te Boté"Nio García, Darell and Casper Mágico featuring Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam and Ozuna

82"Simple"Florida Georgia Line

83"Lemon"N.E.R.D and Rihanna

84"1-800-273-8255"Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid

85"Say Something"Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton

86"I'm Upset"Drake

87"Get Along"Kenny Chesney

88"Moonlight"XXXTentacion

89"What Lovers Do"Maroon 5 featuring SZA

90"X"Nicky Jam and J Balvin

91"Outside Today"YoungBoy Never Broke Again

92"Trip"Ella Mai

93"Dura"Daddy Yankee

94"Changes"XXXTentacion

95"Mercy"Brett Young

96"One Number Away"Luke Combs

97"Powerglide"Rae Sremmurd featuring Juicy J

98"IDGAF"Dua Lipa

99"Mi Gente"J Balvin and Willy William featuring Beyoncé

100"Believer"Imagine Dragons

February 2, 2019

When Angela was seven years old, her mother attempted to kill herself (but survived). To cope with the devastating psychological torture of this unforunate event, she decided to list down every little thing that made life worth living for. She would regularly let her mom read her list of her favorite things to distract her (both of them actually) out from her depression.

Her list began simply at number 1 with ice cream, written in a sparkly pink notebook. But with time, as Angela grew up, went to college, met her boyfriend Sam and got married, the list grew and grew in number, from 200, to 1000, later well into six digits, with the items becoming increasingly specific and abstract.

Angela writes in her List notebook.

There had been a number of plays recently about the very serious topic of suicide. In 2016, Twin Bill came out with Andrew Hindraker's "Suicide Incorporated" (MY REVIEW). Last year, PETA staged Ian Lomongo's Filipino adaptation of Marsha Norman's "'Night, Mother" (MY REVIEW). Both plays were deadly serious, with humor just sprinkled in occasionally to break the intense tension of the scenes.

This newest production of the Sandbox Collective (on its fifth anniversary) in cooperation with 9 Works Theatrical (on its 10th anniversary) takes on the topic of suicide again, but this time in a particularly unique style. "Every Brilliant Thing" was written by playwright Duncan McMillan (who also wrote "Lungs") and comedian Jonny Donohoe as a monologue for one actor (either male or female), and involved the audience seated around the stage to engage in various interactions with the actor. The surprise sponteneity of this set-up assured that every single show will have a different charm and humor from the last.

Angela tries to catch

Sam's attention at the library

For this show, the producers of Sandbox Collective had chosen to feature a female central character. I thought this was a wise decision because a female lead can connect better with a Filipino audience given the emotional nature of the script.

Angela was played by film and stage actress, TV host, and fashion model Teresa Herrera. The last time Ms. Herrera acted on the local stage had been way back 2011, and I had not seen any of ther past performances until this, her comeback project. Wow, she was so natural and carefree in her performance, as if she were not acting at all. The international dimension of her career (in New York, Hollywood, UK, South Africa, aside from Southeast Asia) reflected in the well-enunciated delivery of her lines.

Angela calls Mrs. Patterson

late at night

Ms. Herrera had to be a good judge of who among those seated around him would be able to deliver extemporaneous lines effectively. It is certainly not easy to tell a person's personality or the quality of his voice merely by looking at his or her face, so this choice was really just a matter of luck. Her audience picks for these supporting characters greatly influence the fun and flavor of the rest of the show.

On the show I watched, Herrera's choices for her favorite school teacher, her favorite college lecturer, her boyfriend Sam and her father all seemed so calm when they were called, and some were even able to come up with zingers or pithy lines off the cuff, which I thought was truly amazing. (I imagine that I would have been shaking like crazy and stammering on every word if ever I was the one were called!)

Sam proposes to Angela!

Before the show, almost everyone else in the audience was given a sheet of paper where an item on Angela's list was written. Throughout the play, Angela would call out different numbers, and that member of the audience should read his or her card out loud. Some cards contained a single word, while some were entire sentences.

Now this was a hit or miss part of the play because not everyone can read clearly or project their voices well without a microphone. There were several instances when I could not understand what was said, which was a real pity because I feel that I was missing out on some of McMillan's witty thoughts. Since I entered the theater late, I did not have a card to read so I missed out on this interaction.

Herrera takes a bow with her co-players from the audience.

Kakki Teodoro will get to play Angela in at least two Saturday matinee performances (Feb. 9 and 23). Ms. Teodoro is also an associate producer of this show.

Leading the creative team is director Jenny Jamora who had also lent a lot of her personality on how this play was presented. John Batalla designed the lighting effects. Arvy Dimaculangan's sound design included a lot of eclectic music choices, from Ray Charles to Chicago to Gustav Mahler, on vinyl. Marta Lovina's production design borrowed from the Sandbox production of "Himala the Musical" last year where props (this time Angela's numerous books and boxes) were scattered even in the audience areas in the round, so further draw the audience in the action.

Suicide had and will always be a touchy and morbid subject matter. "Every Brilliant Thing" manages to present it to in a lighter manner to engage the audience more. However, there were serious reminders about how to deal with the tragedy, particularly directed to practioners of mass and social media about how to cover suicide cases. There was also a talkback session after the show to discuss concerns about suicide with guest psychiatrists and mental health specialists. Suicide is certainly a negative event, but a play about it need not be without positivity.

********

Sandbox Collective and 9 Works Theatrical's production of "Every Brillant Thing" runs from February 2 to 24, 2019, with shows at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Venue is at the Zobel De Ayala Recital Hall , second floor Maybank Theater, BGC Arts Center, 26th St. cor. 9th Ave., Bonifacio Global City. Ticket prices at P1200 and P1000.

February 10, 2019

One of the very first PETA musicals I had ever seen was Vincent de Jesus's "Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diyablo at Ang Limang Milyong Boto" (MY REVIEW) back in February 2010. Nine years later, almost exactly to the day, I was back at the PETA Theater again to watch another play about Philippine politics and elections. This new musical is by J-mee Katanyag and Michelle Ngu, entitled "Charot!" with music by Vince Lim.

It was already Election Day in May 2020. The proposed "Charter of Togetherness" endorsed by President Papsy (Jack Yabut) was up for a referendum to determine if the Filipino people will ratify it or not. The word "Charot" (gayspeak for "just kidding") was being sardonically used as a derogatory nickname for this charter by those against it. The main story of the play follows eight individuals who were on their way to their polling precinct to vote.

Gardo Vicente and CJ Navato

as Millennial Girl and Boy

There was a hyper-excited vlogger Millennial Girl (Gardo Vicente) who wanted to document her election devirginization together with and cynical boyfriend Millennial Boy (CJ Navato). There was a pregnant Nanay (Kitsi Pagaspas) whose store's very existence relied on her casting a vote. There was a street vendor (Norbs Portales), a gay ex-OFW carpool driver (Lemuel Silvestre), a SuperMall salesgirl (Rhapsody Li), a very busty nurse Grethel Tuba (Gold Villar-Lim) and a traffic enforcer they called Boss (Jason Barcial).

Act 1 was about their plight while stranded on top of their vehicles in a traffic standstill on a flyover on a very flooded EDSA. This part was a largely a descriptive comparison between the behavior between the upper and lower socioeconomic classes when it came to their various reasons for voting, as well as their behavior during a stressful crisis. Stranded with them in this part was Mary Grace (Meann Espinosa), a self-important, self-absorbed rich girl whose peg everyone will recognize.

Act 2 was the real meat of the story, with the original group was divided into two subgroups. Five of them hitched a ride on a helicopter with a Pro-Charter pilot (Jack Yabut again). Five of them hitched a ride on a speedboat with an Anti-Charot activist nun Sister Joy (Meann Espinosa again). En route to the polling center, the two groups would learn more vital pros and cons about Federalism and the important choice that they were going to make in that referendum. The answer was just a simple Yes or No, but the irreversible result will significantly alter the country's way of life.

Discussing Anti-Charot Issues

I enjoyed the very catchy songs with music written and arranged by Vince Lim with pithy witty lyrics by Michelle Ngu. The script of Katanyag and Ngu stuffed in all sorts of pop culture references, current or past, political or otherwise, from a controversial Presidential kiss to Catriona Gray's lava walk. It was a lot of fun catching all these little details which got squeezed in the mix. It was an interactive show, with the audience encouraged to join in online polls conducted in real time, with free inhouse wifi provided for this purpose.

The wacky cast went all out with their slapstick comedy, but remained real convincing during their serious moments. Everybody will get his and her own spot number to showcase their inidividual talents.

Gardo (yes she's female) Vicente and "Goin Bulilit" original CJ Navato played Millenial Girl and Boy whose relationship will also go through the wringer on that fateful day. (TeetinVillanueva and Bene Manaois alternate in these roles.) Kitsi Pagaspas was so delightfully over-the-top as the desperate Nanay. Gold Villar-Lim slayed the big boobs and the high notes as Grethel Tuba. (Jimma Mariz alternates as Grethel.)

Rhapsody Li was very impressive in her Supermall Lady rap and dance number. (Icee Po alternates as Supermall Lady.) Jason Barcial seemed to be channeling Gen. Bato de la Rosa in his performance as Boss. (Roi Calilong alternates as Boss.) Norbs Portales was cheerfully shameless as the "jologs" street vendor. Lemuel Silvestre's "beki" character was untypically subdued as gay characters in PETA go. (Gio Gahol alternates as Beki.)

Gathering at the Ballot Box

After an acclaimed restrained performance in "Manila Notes" last December, Meann Espinosa showed off her more rambunctious side in her three distinct characters here. In Act 1, her impersonations of Kris Aquino and Karen Davila were especially spot on and hilarious. In Act 2, her Sister Joy was an authoritative and credible subject matter expert, to get the important message of the play through to the audience.

Jack Yabut also played three distinct characters. His appearances as President Papsy and a construction worker in Act 1 were short but funny. But in Act 2, as the helicopter pilot, we hear him present all the pro-charter change and pro- federalism arguments. Towards the end of this segment of the show, he revealed a startling detail regarding the federalism agenda I myself was not aware about.

Rhapsody Li, Lemuel Silvestre, Jason Barcial, Norbs Portales in foreground

CJ Navato and Gold Villar-Lim in background

The comparative discussion about Federalism and Charter Change was eye-opening and sobering. They even distributed FAQ leaflets for the audience to reflect on some more after the show. An open forum was held after the show to allow audiences to vent their sentiments about the show they just watched.

The writers try to be fair in presenting the pros and cons, although their real stand and sentiments seemed quite apparent. I feel that the people who will be watching this play will probably be those who think like the writers. However, in the true spirit of PETA, this play really needs to go out into the communities and reach the grassroots in order to spread their cautionary message.

The creative team of Charot! is led by director Maribel Legarda with her assistant director Ian Segarra, who was also the choreographer. Boni Juan designed the simple yet imaginative sets with the props made of recycled materials. Gio Gahol (costume stylist), Jonjon Villareal (lights designer) and Ellen Ramos (video and animation) were the other talents working behind the scenes.

**************

CHAROT! runs at the PETA Phinma Theater (No.5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City) from February 8 to March 17, 2019 with 8 pm shows on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees at 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets selling at ₱1,500 for VIP, ₱1,200 for ORCHESTRA CENTER, ₱1,000 for ORCHESTRA SIDE, ₱1,200 for BALCONY CENTER and ₱600 for BALCONY SIDE.

February 16, 2019

If you had watched the recent high-profile local historical films "Heneral Luna" and "Goyo," you probably have a certain impression about President Emilio Aguinaldo in your head already, and most probably it won't be a good one. This bad impression will be even worse when you've seen other movies and plays about contemporary revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio, where Aguinaldo is invariably the main antagonist of the story.

After all these negative stories about Aguinaldo, it should be refreshing to hear the history of the Philippine Revolution told from his point of view. After he is after all the first President of the Philippine Republic, known to be the first Constitutional Republic in Asia.

In 1998, during their 56th season, in a major departure from their usual offerings of foreign plays and musicals, Repertory Philippines staged an original musical in English entitled "Miong" about the life of President Aguinaldo, with book and lyrics by Joy Virata and music by Ian Monsod. The late Zeneida Amador directed, with Rem Zamora playing the title role.

This year, 20 years later, on its 82nd season, and Aguinaldo's 150th birth anniversary, Rep brings "Miong" back on stage again, this time with Tim Pavino in the title role. Virata revealed that for this restaging, she had streamlined the previous 3 hour long running time to a more compact 1 hour and 50 minutes, as well as trimmed the cast from 50 to 30. Ian Monsod's score is intact, with fresh interpretation by musical director Ejay Yatco.

Lani Ligot, Sean Kevin Inocencio and Elver Esquivel

The musical followed Miong's life from his birth in 1869 ("Under the Bells") to the declaration of Philippine independence in Kawit in 1898 ("How Beautiful is Our Flag"). We will see scenes depicting his father's death at age 8 ("An Educated Gentleman"), his education in Manila from age 12 ("Someone Else's Dream"), his initiation into public service at age 17 ("Cabeza de Barangay"), his induction into the Katipunan at age 26 ("One Step at a Time"), and his marriage to Hilaria "Yayang" del Rosario at age 27 ("Rigodon de Amor").

The story then went into the more contentious chapters of revolution history following the rift between the Magdalo (pro-Aguinaldo) and Magdiwang (pro-Bonifacio) groups of the Katipunan. ("Magdiwang-Magdalo,""Where is the Battle") Miong was shown trying repeatedly to unite these two groups but was unsuccessful.

Aguinaldo was shown fighting in Pasong Santol, so he was absent at the Tejeros Convention where Bonifacio was shamed. Bonfacio's death was shown to be against Aguinaldo's orders ("They Say," "Who Said"). Aguinaldo sang a song of tribute to Bonifacio's role in the revolution ("This Man").

Cara Barredo, Tim Pavino and Noel Rayos

Tim Pavino provides Miong with a soaring tenor which got challenged for range with his every song, all of which he hit perfectly every time. Pavino looked very young and boyish with his physique. So while he fit the bill to a T in the introductory parts of Act I, he seemed unconvincing as a soldier and leader during the battle scenes of Act II. His mild manner and kind face made his Miong a sympathetic figure who just got caught up in the intensely cruel web of political intrigues of his time.

Cara Barredo was a beautiful vivacious Yayang. Her Disney-esque singing voice fit perfectly with Pavino's tenor in their sweet romantic duets like " Is He Looking at Me?" sung when they first met, and "Suddenly Love" sung on their wedding night. She also had an upbeat song of support for her husband's revolutionary activities "Side by Side."

Lani Ligot gave Aguinaldo's mother Kapitana Teneng a very strong character with her stern face and humorless demeanor, which makes you recall how she was portrayed in "Heneral Luna." Her rich full-bodied soprano was highlighted in her solo spot number "Never Enough," which tells of her concern for his joining the fight for freedome.

Elver Esquivel played Miong's father Don Carlos. The cute Sean Kevin Inocencio played the Young Miong at age 8, and he also gets to wow us with his crystal clear singing voice. Noel Rayos played Miong's cousin Berong, who also served as our narrator. While he sang in a lot of songs, his strongest song was"Ninety Days" about the successful campaign of Cavite against the Spaniards.

The towering Meynard Penalosa gave his Spanish friar Father Blas a most imposing presence, especially in his sinister song "Divide et Impera."Kuya Manzano was again cast as a Spanish oppressor here, as he was in "Guadalupe."Arion Sanchez painted a different, potentially controversial, picture of the Supremo, Andres Bonifacio.

The Whole Ensemble

Dennis Marasigan designed a simple set, basically enclosing the empty stage with a white geometric frame, while different scenes were happening within that area, with movable stages and set pieces, enhanced by video projections at the back wall. Bonsai Cielo designed some elegant Filipiniana ensembles for the illustrados. Dexter M. Santos and Stephen Vinas (choreography), John Batalla (lights), Winter David (video), Adul Lassin (scenic art) and Arvy Dimaculangan (sound) complete the production and artistic team under director Joy Virata.

We realize now, more than ever, that history is based on who was writing it. We are aware that playwright Joy Virata is the wife of former Prime Minister Cesar Emilio Aguinaldo Virata, who is a grandnephew of Miong himself. Given that there may have been bias in this version, and that it was written in English, there was no doubting the patriotic fervor in Ms. Virata's book and lyrics. This was particularly true in her flag-waving finale, which emphasized how Aguinaldo chose to declare this land as our own.

It may be true that bloodier, grittier musicals sung in Filipino ("like "Supremo Redux" by the Philippine Stagers) may have a stronger impact with convincing arguments favoring Bonifacio. However polished and genteel this show was relatively, "Miong" reminds us that Emilio Aguinaldo's role in our history should not be dismissed. He always had the unity and independence of our country in mind, and he proudly declared it on the historic date of June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite for the whole world to see.

**************

MIONG runs from February 15 to March 10, 2019 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati. Showtimes are at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with 3:30 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket prices: ₱1,500 Orchestra Center (Reserved Seating), ₱1,200 Orchestra Sides (Free Seating).

February 23, 2019

Twelve years ago, Josh Groban held his first concert in Manila. If I recall correctly, it was a exclusive event by one local telco giant for its customers, so it was not easy to purchase tickets. He was on his third album "Awake" by that time, and already had several adult contemporary hits to his name. To be completely honest, most of the Groban songs we love had been his early hits released before this fist Manila concert, and thus were the same songs we looked forward to the most in this long-overdue return engagement.

By 8 pm there was a local front act who warmed up the crowd in the person of balladeer Christian Bautista. With his light soaring tenor, Bautista rendered his signature international hit "Something in the Way You Look at Me" and his own slowed-down version of the Eraserheads'"Ligaya." His final number was a medley of his favorite OPM songs originally by Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, APO Hiking Society, Raymond Lauchengco and Rico J. Puno, among several others.

To the relief of the mostly middle age or senior citizen audience, the concert proper began at around 8:45 pm. Josh Groban, sporting his beard and rich high baritone, came out to sing "Bigger Than Us," a track from his latest 2018 album "Bridges." He immediately followed this up with his first release from the "Awake" album, the elegant anthem "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)." Aside from his band, he had the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra behind him to accompany him.

Groban was quite informal, joking and chatty in his spiels as he told stories behind his songs. Even if I had not heard his new songs before from "Bridges" before, they all carry the familiar Groban warmth. When he introduced "Granted," he shared his experience when he was 13 when a teacher pushed him to perform publicly for the first time. For "River," he talked about reaching out to help people suffering from depression. "Musica del Corazon" was an upbeat Latin-infused guitar and percussion number which brought out a new facet in Groban's performance.

He shared how his career went into new dimensions after the release of his 2015 album of Broadway show covers -- "Stages." It led to his cherished dream of headlining a show on Broadway in 2016, when he played Pierre Bezukhov in Dave Malloy's "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812," a performance which earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical in the 2017 Tony Award. He sang two songs from "Stages,""Pure Imagination"(which was from the film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," not a musical) and "Bring Him Home" (from "Les Miserables").

Groban sat the piano himself at one point and began an impassioned solo at the keys, which later segued into the familiar strains of Michael Jackson's"She's Out of My Life." After singing this beautiful song, he shared that this song was an exclusive for his Manila stop since it was only popular in the Philippines, to the delight of the audience. He said that it was just an ignored B-side in the US, so he never really sang it in concerts.

The unique highlight of this Manila concert were the guest appearances of Filipino singers to sing duets with Groban. The first one was unexpected. Front act artist Christian Bautista was called back on stage to sing Andrea Bocelli's parts in "We Will Meet Once Again," also from "Bridges." Bautista confessed that he was a big fan and was singing all of Groban's hits during his singing contest days. Both 37 this year, Groban and Bautista acted like long-time buddies onstage.

The second featured guest is none other than Lea Salonga. The concert date February 22 is Salonga's birthday and of course, Groban sang the birthday song for her. She suffered a leg fracture from a skiing accident in Japan earlier this year, so she came out on stage on a wheelchair. Groban sat down beside her when they sang their two duet numbers "All I Ask of You"(from "Phantom of the Opera," which he sang with Kelly Clarkson in the "Stages" album) (MY VIDEO), and "The Prayer" (the song he sang with Celine Dion as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli in the 1998 Grammy Awards rehearsal, that launched his career). Groban spoke as a fan of Salonga, and rued that he could not reach the notes of "Ms. Saigon" leading man Chris, joking that the word "saxophone" was banned in his contract.

In the homestretch of the concert, he went back to sing his early hits, beginning with "Alla Luce Del Sole" from "Josh Groban" (2001). Then he introduced the next song as a song he randomly heard in a taxi in Ireland, which turned out to be "You Raise Me Up." (MY VIDEO) He sang this beloved inspirational anthem accompanied by the Ateneo Choral Singers. This was the final song of regular set before he bade the audience goodbye, for the first time. Of course, the audience clamored for more.

When he came back out on stage for his encore, he talked about his TV debut on "Ally Mc Beal" as troubled teenager Malcolm Wyatt. He then sang "To Where You Are,"his first big hit song (MY VIDEO). I was hoping he'd segue right into first first Ally McBeal song, "You're Still You," but he sadly, he did not. His final song of the show was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which he said was a most appropriate song to sing during these complicated times, when we only have music as a common refuge amidst conflicts in beliefs and politics.

With that song, the concert had ended, he still had so many other popular songs which I'm sure many fans missed, like "Broken Vow" or "Evermore" or "You're Still You", but nevertheless, this concert was going to linger long in fans memories long after this night. He promised that it would not take another 12 years for him to come back.

February 24, 2019

Watching a new unfamiliar Shakespeare is not exactly easy to understand right away. I had no idea what "Coriolanus" was about before I went to watch it, nor do I know the names of any character from it. If Shakespeare is adapted in Filipino, it may either be easier or harder depending on how the adaptation was done. If it is done by the award-winning Guelan Varela-Luarca, it should be good (and in this case, it was).

Cayo Marcio was a proud Patrician soldier who did not shy from expressing his contempt against the Plebians who worked under him. After he successfully led a campaign against the Volscian city of Corioli (under the leadership of Gen. Tulo Aufidio), Marcio was given the honorary title of Coriolano. When he was nominated by the Senate to become consul, Marcio faced stiff opposition from the two Plebian tribunes, Sicinio Veluto and Junio Bruto, who rallied the common people against the Coriolano.

The Tribunes rally the crowd vs. the Coriolano

As the play went on, there were so many characters with names which were not exactly easy to hear, to learn or to remember. There were also actors in the ensemble who were playing multiple roles, further adding to the confusion. It took some time for me to figure out that Cayo Marcio was the lead character's name. The play's title "Coriolano" was just an honorific Cayo Marcio earned after he won the battle against the Volscians (an Italic tribe I also never heard before, so it took some time for me to figure this out as well). Up to the very end, I never figured out why the chaste lady Valeria was there at all.

However, despite the difficulty of the first scenes, the flow of the play was engaging enough for you to eventually get the drift of where the story was going by the time the Tribunes were convincing the people to rise against the arrogant abuse of the Coriolano. Actually, the rise in action was remarkable from this point on, until it reaches a climax when the Coriolano was sentenced for exile. It actually felt like a good conclusion right there after an hour and a half, but then you realize it was just the end of Act 1.

Act 2 presented a uniquely ironic situation about the Coriolano and his mortal enemy Tulo Aufidio. This act was easier to get into than it was at the beginning of Act 1, but there were still a lot of talky scenes which can feel too long and meandering to sit through. It would take approximately another hour and fifteen minutes or so before the final curtain. Despite the efforts of the director Carlos Siguion-Reyna and cast to keep the play interesting, I felt that the play's epic length was the major impediment in fully enjoying this play. You should not watch this when tired or sleepy.

The Coriolano with his frenemy Tulo Aufidio

Marco Viana owned the title role of Coriolano with his magnetic stage presence. The Coriolano is a puzzling character with his arrogant elitist outbursts contrasting starkly with his seeming humility when being praised for his exploits. Jonathan Tadioan was a calming presence as Menenio Agrippa, as the voice of reason within the Senate. Frances Makil-Ignacio camped it up with her satin pants in her showy role as Volumnia, the Coriolano's influential mother. JV Ibesate and Doray Dayao were effectively conniving as the Sicinio Veluto and Junio Bruto respectively. Brian Sy relished his intimate "bromance" scenes in Act 2 as Tulo Aufidio.

Ohm David built "stone" steps to occupy the entire breadth of the stage with huge "stone" pillars positioned all around to frame the action within. The costumes of Bonsai Cielo were modern renditions of the tunic and the toga, with Volumnia's satin pants the most memorable anachronistic item up there. Dennis Marasigan's use of red lights heightened the drama of the key scenes. Brian Sy and Remus Villanueva were responsible for the dance-like fight choreography.

The Curtain Call

Jonathan Tadioan, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Marco Viana and Brian Sy in the foreground

Antoniette Go, Doray Dayao, Aldo Vencilao, JV Ibesate in the background

The political implications of this tragic Shakespearean play to the Philippine situation will certainly not be lost on the audience. The whole Act 1 basically predicted the whole scenario of our EDSA Revolution, predating the dictator's caustic pride, snap election, popular uprising and ignominous exile by centuries. It is up to the audience's appreciation how the whole "sleeping with the enemy" scenario of Act 2 applies to our present situation. The political metaphors we pick up from this play can be chilling. This mentally-stimulating exercise is the best reason to go watch this play.

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CORIOLANO runs at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino. February 22-March 17, 2019, with 8 pm shows on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets at ₱ 1,030 and ₱ 824.

On the afternoon I watched, the Little Theater of the CCP was fully occupied by high school students who were clearly quite restless throughout the play's length. They were amused by the few risque comic relief scenes (usually by the servants) and were thrilled by the kissing scenes between the Coriolano and his wife Virgilia. The noise level in the theater during the intermission was so loud that one of their teachers actually stood up and called them to attention, which they thankfully heeded, for a while at least. I hope they learned something from this theater experience.

March 8, 2019

This is already the third time I am watching this, the Philippines' first full-length opera first produced on stage in 1957. Jose Rizal's 1887 revolutionary classic novel “Noli Me Tangere” was transposed into opera form, with music by National Artist Felipe Padilla De Leon and libretto by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. The first time, I watched it in UP Diliman back in 2012 (MY REVIEW). Then, I was also able to watch a new production in Resorts World Manila in 2014 (MY REVIEW).

This year, after being performed in New York and Washington DC by J&S Productions Inc. (producers Edwin Josue and Jerry Sibal), "Noli Me Tangere, the Opera" returns to the Cultural Center of the Philippines' (CCP) at the main Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, from March 8-10, 2019, just in time for the CCP's 50th anniversary.

All Filipinos should know the story by heart -- of Crisostomo Ibarra coming home after a 7-year sojourn in Europe to build a school in honor of his father and marry his beloved Maria Clara, only to clash with the vile machinations of Padre Damaso to thwart all his well-laid plans. Act 1 covered from the events from the arrival of Ibarra up to the part when Ibarra attacks Padre Damaso with a knife. After the 15 minute intermission, Act 2 covered the events following the excommunication of Ibarra to the deaths of Sisa and Elias.

Ibarra and Maria Clara on the Staircase

The libretto was in grand poetic Filipino. Most of the dialog were sung-through opera style, with very occasional spoken lines. The lyrics (with English translations) were projected on supertitles above the proscenium to help us understand the words better. This device was of course limited when the songs were sung by duets or trios, when characters were singing different lines in simultaneous counterpoints. (But ironically, those are the times we need to see the lyrics more.) Since we can all see the lyrics, it was impressive that I did not notice anyone flub their lines throughout the show.

During the Preview night when we watched, the central couple of Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara were played by Nomher U. Nival and Nerissa de Juan. From the excellent singing of the whole cast, Nival and de Juan really stood out with their very strong and solid operatic singing voices. Nival's tenor was full and soaring in his many powerful solos. De Juan's dramatic soprano was beautifully flawless in arias like "Kay Tamis ng Buhay." Ivan Nery (whom I saw as Ibarra the previous two times I had seen this show) and Bianca Lopez (coloratura soprano soloist from the Philippine Madrigal Singers) alternate in these roles.

Sisa Gets Apprehended

As with the previous times I seen this opera, the crowd favorites were the tragic characters of Sisa and her two children Basilio and Crispin. This night, Sisa was played by Bernadette Mamauag who had the physical fragility and the acrobatic vocal ability required by this role, especially with her featured aria "Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa." (Allison Cervantes and Kelly Peralejo" Basilio's plaintive solo "Gising Na, O Inang Ko" is always the most tear-jerking number as ever, as sung by Mari Yapjoco. (Award-winning stage and film actor Noel Comia, Jr. alternates as Basilio, so that should also be something to watch out for.) Cute little Santino Juan Santiago played the ill-fated younger brother Crispin.

Other vocal stand-outs in the cast were the powerful baritone Nils Emerson Flores as the sinister and depraved Padre Damaso, the smiling Miguel Espiritu as the affable Kapital Tiago, the classy Krissan Manikan-Tan as the delightfully old-fashioned Tiya Isabel and the lovely Rare Jireh Yzel Columna as Victoria, the subject of a happy battle of the sexes during the outdoor picnic. (Ronaldo Villaruel Abarquez alternates as both Padre Damaso or Kapitan Tiago in selected shows.)

Padre Damaso's Anguish

The other members of the cast were: Joseleo Logdat (Elias); Greg Abelardo de Leon (Pilosopo Tasyo); Mia Bolanos (Dona Victorina), Oliver Pineda (Tenyente Guevarra), Jose Mari Javato (Padre Salvi), Charina Althea Balmores (Sinang), Micah David J. Galang (Andeng), Tomas Virtucio (Albino),Timothy Racho (Alferez), Ruzzel Clemeno (Don Filipo),and Lorenz Edward Sarrondo (Linares).

The ensemble includes Roxanne Abuel, Neomi Giron, Eden Lorrice Dumlao, Sheila Gamo, Mavel Bautista, Cris Go, Krystl Buesa, Katrine Jamar Sunga, Angeli Benipayo, Elle Tuason, Erielle Fornes, Via Villasin, Marifel Motilla, Airo Saret, Kevin Chen, Michael Del Rosario, Charlene Ramos, and Otepp Billeza.

This 2019 production is co-directed by Jerry Sibal and Jose Jeffrey Camanag. The live orchestra is led by Maestro Herminigildo Ranera. Sibal himself did the set and costume designs. The those Filipiniana gowns worn by Maria Clara and Tia Isabel were magnficent, no expense was spared in their execution. Dennis Marasigan did the lighting design, while TJ Ramos did the sound engineering and the microphones were all working perfectly.

The Picnic on the Riverbank

Alan dela Rama was responsible for the graphic and video designs on the huge LED walls which serve as scenic backdrops for the play. We were brought inside the opulent living room of Kapitan Tiago's house with the grand chandelier and into the gardens outside bedecked with bright pink bougainvillea blooms. During the scenes of the picnic, the sky turned from the orange of sunrise to bright blue of midday. The struggle with the crocodile was depicted by video. The interior of Maria Clara's room was represented with capiz windows. We see Padre Damaso in anguish in darkened cloisters with a giant crucifix hanging behind him. The effect of the final conflagration was also achieved on these walls.

The rich music and libretto of this opera had already endured more than 60 years, and we can certainly hear why. Given the proper attitude and guidance, the younger generations can still very much connect with the story. Given the tweaks of modern technology, the show can still appeal to all ages with a current sense of cultural aesthetics. It was very heartening to see and hear a very deep pool of young talent when it comes to classical singing. Watching this show, I can foresee a very brilliant future for opera singing in our country.

Ibarra versus his Nemesis

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NOLI ME TANGERE, THE OPERA will be running at the Tanghalang Nicolas Aberlardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines for only one weekend. Gala night is on March 8, at 8 pm. There will be two more matinee shows on March 9 and 10, at 2 pm. Tickets on Ticketworld, with prices ranging from ₱2,800, ₱2,300, ₱1,400, ₱1,200 and ₱900.

March 9, 2019

Maria Rosa Henson became a household name back in the 1990s when she came forward to the press about her tortured experience as a comfort woman during the Japanese occupation of our country. She was the first Filipina brave enough to break her silence over woeful episode of her life, nine gruelling months of forced sex slavery. Now more than 25 years after her nationwide confession, the UP Playwrights Theatre brings back her story back to fore on stage (as written by Rody Vera and directed by Jose Estrella), before it gets swallowed up by time.

Act I took us back to World War II when 14-year old Rosa was abducted by Japanese soldiers and corralled with five other young women in an old hospital to serve as "comfort women" -- a deceptive euphemism for a sex slave. Rape had always been a most difficult, most heinous crime to see on TV or in films, but performed live on stage, the effect was even more painful to witness. These lascivious rape scenes were graphically executed, a tad protracted maybe, but all done to make sure we also go through Rosa's pure hell.

Ingrid Villamarin takes her bow.

Act II brought us forward to 1995 when Rosa, now a 67-year old grandmother, agreed to make her story public. Instead of united outrage and sympathy, Rosa's action stirred up divisive controversy. Why did it take her almost fifty years before she came out with her story? Was she telling the truth or was she just after the money? Was it worth it for the Philippine government to take up the cudgels on Rosa's behalf, especially when it could throw a wrench in the good relations between the two countries at present?

Young Rosa was played by Ingrid Villamarin. Seeing Villamarin, she of delicate beauty and frame, sustain the brunt of the brutal and beastial lust of innumerable Japanese soldiers can definitely cause the audience to be collectively revolted and incensed. Despite the dehumanizing atrocities committed against her, Rosa never lost her resolve and her defiance against her abusers. Villamarin had the fire in her eyes for that. (Krystle Valentino alternates in this role.)

Peewee O'Hara takes her bow.

Nana Rosa was played by Peewee O'Hara. Her Rosa was surprisingly calm and level-headed. There was no big dramatic emotional breakdown moment for her. Her anguish was more internal, and O'Hara's acting was restrained to match that approach. Nana Rosa was a character who faced several difficult decisions in her life, and she always made her own mind up by herself. O'Hara had the strength of character for that. (Upeng Galang Fernandez alternates in this role.

Lei Quinquilleria (as Indai Sajor), Sarina Sasaki (as Lidy Nacpil), Bea Racoma (as former beauty queen Nelia Sancho) and Karlo Erfe (as Jimi Castillano) played the four activists who spurred the search for comfort women when no one even believed that they existed. Their delivery of lines can somehow sound too earnest and occasionally even tactless, but you know their heart is in the right place. Jeremy Cabansag, Camille Abaya, double duty actress Iris Monstesclaros, assistant director Issa Manalo Lopez and lead dramaturg Ina Azarcon-Bolivar all figure in one surprise heart-rending scene which was the main dramatic highlight of Act 2.

Jonathan Ivan Rivera and Victor Sy take their bow.

Jonathan Ivan Rivera played the Japanese officer Tanaka, who managed to project enough kindness to make Rose's Stockholm Syndrome convincing. Victor Sy first played Rose's absentee father Don Pepe Henson, who always had to hide their relationship from the prying eyes of the public. Later Sy also played a haughty Japanese colonel with a bold physical display of his rank. Iris Montesclaros played Rosa's prideful mother Julia, Sheryl Ceasico played Nana Rosa's supportive daughter Rosario, while Mikaella Coruna played her affected granddaughter Tina.

The technical aspects of the play, especially the sound by Jon Lazam and Marie Angelica Dayao, successfully set us in the proper mood. The sets of Charles Yee had those movable screens that give a voyeuristic vibe and worked very well with the lights by Barbie Tan-Tiongco and the dramatic graphics and videos of Joyce Garcia. The costumes of the 1940s Pampanga folk and of the Japanese military (with those remarkable brown high boots for the officers) were designed by Carlo Pagunaling.

Rivera, Villamarin, O'Hara and Sy during the curtain call.

The run of this play comes right at the heels of a resurgent feminist movement, with the viral #metoo, presidential misogyny and similar female-centered advocacies being hot topics of the day. As of now, despite the 25 years that passed after Nana Rosa's public disclosure, there had still been no formal acknowledgement nor apology. It is high time to revive interest in the case of the comfort women still alive today. Justice still deserves to be accorded to them while they are still living, even if Nana Rosa herself is already not. However, in a time when even a statue made in their honor was ordered to be removed, will they ever get their elusive, long-overdue retribution?

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NANA ROSA opened last February 27, 2019 and will run up to March 17, 2019. There are 7 pm shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while there will be a 3 pm matinee aside from a 7 pm show on the final Sunday. No more Saturday shows next week. Venue of the play is at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater in the second floor of Palma Hall in UP Diliman. Tickets are at P500 each.

March 24, 2019

In 1982, there was a bold groundbreaking film by director Mike de Leon entitled "Batch 81" which used the violence of college fraternies as social commentary against Martial Law. An award-winning classic as it was hailed, I had never seen the film. I did know about the late actor Mark Gil playing an frat neophyte named Sid Lucero (a character name which would later become the screen name of Gil's son Timothy when he became an actor).

This year, with the tense political and social turmoil of Martial Law seemingly coming back, prolific playwright Guelan Luarca, son of Ward Luarca (who played Pacoy in the film) thought it was time to bring the story of "Batch 81" back as well. Luarca adapted the original screenplay written by Clodualdo del Mundo, Raquel Villavicencio and Mike de Leon into a script that brings Sid Lucero's story into the present time, this time on a theater stage. Luarca himself directed this new play, assisted by Tara Jamora Oppen.

John Sanchez as Sid Lucero

(photo from TA by Aga Olympia)

There were six neophytes that year for the Alpha Kappa Omega fraternity. These were pre-med student Sid Lucero, scholar athlete Arni Enriquez, rich kid Ronnie Roxas Jr., provinci bumpkin Ding Magtibay, mama's boy Pacoy Ledesma and economics professor Santi Santillan. Their ruthless frat masters were led by Vince and Gonzales, who hazed the plebes in secret and made fools of them in public, all the in the name of losing their sense of ego for the sake of brotherhood.

Sid had to join the frat behind the back of his girlfriend Mariel, who hated frats because of a family tragedy. Arni's girlfriend Tina was a drug-addict, who just so happened to be the sister of Abet, the head master of a rival frat, the SOS. Ronnie was forced to live under the shadow of his father, who was an illustrious alumnus of the AKO. Pacoy wanted to prove his manhood after years of hiding under his mother's skirts. 45 year old Santi was bored with his life and wanted this thrill to quench his midlife crisis.

Act 1 opened with a bang, showing us the known frat hazing practices, like the paddling, the bullying, the shaming and being made to run around campus in their underwear, all within the first 30 minutes. Later, more mind-boggling rites were shown. The neophytes would drink and spit beer into the the same cup being passed around, or be interrogated while a fellow neophyte was being electrocuted for wrong answers.

Cholo Ledesma and Chesca de la Cruz

as Pacoy Ledesma and Susan Estrada

(photo from TA, by Waldo Katigbak)

Act 2 would open happily with a comical drag show (rather protracted in my view) with the neophytes all dressed like beauty queens from gowns to bikinis, each one mouthing one classic Miss Universe question and answer after the other. However, the story would soon quickly take a most violent and tragic turn as the grim inevitability of gang wars entered the picture, and young lives were needlessly sacrificed.

Biology major John Sanchez gave his seriouly intense Sid Lucero a scary vibe of fanaticism. Cholo Ledesma (who was impressive in TA's "Rites of Passage" in 2014) was shamelessly delightful as Pacoy, who boldly figured in the play's most embarrassng scenes. (Jose Primo Rafael Escurel alternates as Pacoy.) Veteran theater actor Ron Capinding was the most senior member of the cast and his portrayal of Santi Santillan was the most fleshed out. (Soc de los Reyes alternates as Santi.) The most memorable female performers were Chrisse Joy de los Santos (as the witty powertripping sorority girl Pearl) and Franchesca de la Cruz (as the hilarious prosititute Susan).

One of the best-written scenes in the play was the conversation between a remorseful Santi and their dean, the unfortunately named Miss Casuso, as played with jaded wisdom by Katski Flores. (Was Ms. Flores late for Act 1 today? The role of Ms. Casuso was played by an ensemble member who was reading and stumbling off the script on a clipboard.) Olive Nieto gave a marked performance in her single scene as Mrs. Enriquez, Arni's mother. (Meryll Soriano alternates as Mrs. Enriquez.) Jonel Mojica was imposing as Ronnie's father, based on his stage presence alone, with the minimum of lines.

Katski Flores and Ron Capinding

as Ms. Casuso and Santi Santillan

(photo from TA, by Aga Olympia)

The youth and relative inexperience of the actors were evident, but it did not detract too much from their earnest performances. Earvin Estioco (as Arni), Nico Nepomuceno (as Ronnie), Ram Catan (as Ding), Aric Mamonluk (as Vince), Renzo Guevara (as Gonzales), Kyle Woody Tan (as Abet), Jam Binay (as Mariel) and Dani Capinding (as Tina) all made their particular characters stand out. Alternates include Carlos Hombrebueno (as Gonzales), Kin Ivan Umpad (as Abet), Maxine de Jesus (as Pearl), Rose Clarence Co (as Mariel) and Renee Colleen (as Tina).

The combined efforts of Nicolo Magno (choreography), D Cortezano (lighting design) and Xander Soriano (sound design) effectively created the frenetic illusion of the hazing and frat wars for the stage. Monica Sebial's stage design afforded the big cast enough space to move around, making use of every space available up front, even including the audience area in certain parts.

Interestingly, the Ateneo does not have fraternities on campus. So Luarca and his dramaturg Brian Arda had to consult real frat members outside in order to recreate an authentic and realistic portrayal of the local frat subculture. Aside from political commentary, Luarca also took shots against current sexist controversies within the Ateneo. It was not only a story about the young men, but also about the community around them who motivated and enabled them to behave the way they do.

Writer-Director Guelan Luarca and the cast face the press after the show.

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ALPHA KAPPA OMEGA opened last March 20 and will run up to April 13, 2019. Showtimes are as follows: March 20-23, 26-30, April 2-6, 9-13 | 7:30 pm, and matinees on March 23, 30, April 6, 13 at 2:30 pm. Tickets are sold at P400 (Regular), P350 (ADMU Student) and P300 (ADMU Scholar). Venue will be at the Rizal Mini Theater, Faber Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.

March 25, 2019

When Sue Willows left her husband Henry for another man Terry several years back, she brought with her their three children. One day, their eldest son Matthew brought his 16 year-old goth girlfriend Christine home to pay his dad a surprise visit, one that his irascible old man did not exactly appreciate. When Sue found out where Matthew was, she drove over to pick him up. However, when her old car's engine broke down, Sue too was stuck in Henry's house for one topsy-turvy night.

With the bland generic title and unfamiliar playwright Eric Chappelle, at first I was not really too keen or excited to see this play. However, based on previous experience of watching them, I knew how Repertory Philippines can weave theatrical magic with even the most obscure British comedies, so of course, I still went to watch this. Well, what do you know, this one turned out to be one charming little gem, thanks in large part to the wonderful comic chemistry the Rep actors had on that stage.

The Set by Miguel Faustmann

Miguel Faustmann can do these cantankerous old geezer roles blindfolded already. After all, he had been cast as Ebenezer Scrooge for countless times. Faustmann was some sort of a Scrooge again here, while the unexpected visits of his son and wife parallel those of Scrooge's ghost of Christmas Past. (Playwright Chappelle actually acknowledged this inspiration in one of Henry's lines.) In Act 1, Faustmann's Henry was as dry as a typical Brit can come, while in Act 2, he unexpectedly shifted gears to become naughty and amorous, something you won't see old Scrooge do.

Having Liesl Batucan perform the role of Sue was a brilliant casting decision. Previously, this type of role would have probably gone to Ms. Joy Virata, and Batucan is clearly her heir apparent when it comes to comedies. Even if the character was not exactly painted as a model wife in Act 1, Batucan can still make Sue so cute and endearing during her cheeky arguments with Henry. And when the play shifted to sex comedy mode in Act 2, Batucan rode the wave effortlessly, becoming all giddy and kittenish. Batucan's sense of comic timing and physical comedy was really a pure delight to watch.

I had seen Andres Borromeo's Rep debut last year when he played the Prince in the children's musical "Rapunzel, Rapunzel." He graduates to a main featured role in a straight play this time to play the Willow's eldest son Matthew. His facial features and line delivery sort of reminded me of former Rep actor Jaime Blanch. Anyhow, his Matthew was charming despite the fact that he was an out-of-school bum. It was not difficult to root for him as he tried to reconnect with his father in the most out-of-the-box way. Matthew was written with a lot of heart, and elder folks will think of their own children while watching him.

The role of the weird girlfriend Christine was played by Becca Coates in the show I caught. This role does not exactly give Coates the acting challenge that she faced when she played the title role in "Agnes of God" which won her a Gawad Buhay award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2018. Christine's character was one of physical appearance only -- with her thick Goth makeup, tattoos and multiple piercings, meant to shock the parents. She merely whispered to Matthew the whole play, until that one scene when we finally hear her voice, a deux-ex-machina scene of sorts. (Her sister Rachel Coates, whom I last saw in "A Doll's House, Part 2," alternates in this role.)

The Cast at the Curtain Call

Rep co-founder Baby Barredo returns to the director's chair for this intimate little project. Aside from playing Sue, Liesl Batucan also takes on assistant director duties. The cozy living room of the Willow's home was designed by Henry himself, Miguel Faustmann. The technical crew is composed of the very hard-working John Batalla (for Lighting Design) and Arvy Dimaculangan (for Sound Design).

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FATHER'S DAY began its run last March 22, and will go on weekends up to April 14, 2019 at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1, Makati. Ticket prices: P1,500 - Orchestra Center and P1,200 - Orchestra Side

March 30, 2019

I remember that I had watched "Angels in America" when it was first staged in Music Museum back in 1995. I recall Michael Williams starred as Prior Walters, Joshua Spafford was Joe Pitt, with Monique Wilson as Harper Pitt. That monumental production by New Voice Company, staging both Part 1 and Part 2 in 7 marathon hours, was directed by a 25 year-old Bobby Garcia.

Bobby Garcia, now pushing 50 years old, more mature and definitely more experienced in all things theater, had decided to restage and direct "Angels" again as the opening salvo for the 20th anniversary celebration of his own Atlantis theater company. This time, he wisely chose to present the show the way it was originally staged, Parts 1 and 2 as two separate productions, to be presented one year apart.

It was late 1985 in New York City. Prior Walter shows his boyfriend Louis Ironson the Kaposi Sarcoma lesion in his arm, and confessed that he had AIDS. A macho, brash and influential lawyer Roy Cohn does not accept he had AIDS, a disease associated with homosexuals, instead calling his disease liver cancer. A mild-mannered Mormon clerk of court Joe Pitt struggles with his delusional pill-popping wife Harper and his closeted homosexual urges.

Topper Fabregas brought us along Prior Walter's painful journey from the fabulous queen to the frail shadow AIDS reduced him to, a level deeper than where he took us as Felix Turner dying of the same disease in "A Normal Heart" in 2015. Nelsito Gomez varied the Jewish New Yorker character he did in "My Name is Asher Lev" in 2017, and made his Louis here an insecure, nervous chatterbox. Art Acuna was an acting powerhouse as Roy Cohn, totally subsuming the fearsome arrogance of his character. Markki Stroem was perfectly cast as Joe Pitt, clean-cut boy-next-door, with a secret burning his soul. Andoy Ranay looked and felt miscast in his roles, notably lacking diva sass as Belize, Prior's ex-drag queen nurse.

Angeli Bayani can as delightful as she was disturbing in her portrayal of Harper Pitt and her various hallucinations, but you just need to get over the jarring initial physical mismatch between her and Stroem, who played her husband Joe. Cherie Gil was clearly enjoying her various roles, first as an old rabbi, then as a trusted male doctor, the ghost of Roy's former client, and her main role as Hannah Pitt, Joe's conservative mother. Pinky Amador shuttled around in more minor roles -- a dutiful Nurse Emily, a Mormon real estate agent Sister Ella, a psychotic streetperson, and the Angel, whom we only hear ominously during the show, but only see in her full glory during the finale (and more in Part 2).

Faust Peneyra had two sets of living rooms with multiple lamps onstage side by side, to enable the smooth transition of parallel scenes between the apartment of Prior and the apartment of the Pitts. Roy's office table and Prior's hospital bed were wheeled into center stage during scenes that focused on them. In the background, GA Fallarme's projections of long empty hallways, grim New York cityscapes, or idyllic Salt Lake City, transport the scene to various settings accordingly.Jonjon Villareal's imaginative play of lights defined the dramatic highlights perfectly. Glendfford Malimban's sound design was mostly subtle, occassionally coming to fore with the wintry winds announcing snowfall or the angel wings flapping in midair.

Tony Kushner's original material is very 1980s with its gay street lingo and repeated references to Ronald Reagan, some of which may fly over our heads. However, there is no denying how strongly it captured the prevalent fear about AIDS as the new plague and scourge among homosexual men of that time. This play was not a total downer though. There was welcome relief of humor here and there to temper the pervasively depressing mood. Despite the three hour running time, director Bobby Garcia kept the show going at a riveting pace, you won't feel its length, and you'll look forward to what will happen next in Part 2 (coming next year).

**********

ANGELS IN AMERICA PART ONE: MILLENNIAL APPROACHES runs from March 22 to April 7, 2019 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City. Showtimes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm. with 3 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets at ₱3,500, ₱2,500 and ₱1,500. Rated R-18 because of profanity and implied sexual situations.

April 6, 2019

10 years ago, it was Atlantis who first brought the controversial musical "Spring Awakening" to Manila, under the direction of Chari Arespacochaga (MY REVIEW). I did not like it too much back then, mostly because I could not hear the lyrics of the songs too well where I was seated. Because of this, I did not like most of the songs too much because of the poor sound quality or unintelligible singing by some members of the cast.

This year, the Ateneo Blue Rep is restaging "Spring Awakening." Once again, there is a female director Missy Maramara at the helm. Initial reactions from the shows of the first weekend had been exuberantly positive, so I decided to catch this new staging in the hopes of renewing my appreciation for this multiple Tony Award winning musical (for Best Musical, Direction, Book, Score and Featured Actor) which I did not get the first time.

It was 1891 in a German town. Wendla Bergmann had "blossomed" as a young woman yet her mother does not think she should know who babies are made. Melchior Gabor is radically intelligent in thought but still tended to be rash in his actions. Moritz Stiefel had been doing badly in school and his teachers do not want him to graduate to the next level. Ilse Newman was a victim of abuse in her home, so she ran away to live in a liberated artists colony. The play followed these four young people, along with their relationships with each other, their friends, teachers and parents.

The venue of this Blue Rep production was the Hyundai Hall of the beautiful new Arete building in the Ateneo de Manila campus. The entire production was only set up on the huge stage, including the audience area with chairs and floor seating areas . The actual theater seats were not used anymore as everyone was on the stage very close to the action. However, this time, the sound system was designed to fit that setup, so I was hearing the words and lyrics crystal clear.

In the matinee show I caught yesterday afternoon, the lead roles of Wendla and Melchior were played by student actors, Erika Rafael and Ian Pangilinan respectively, making them very close to the actual ages of these two characters. Rafael had a dusky radiant beauty that made her stand out from the rest of the ensemble. Her rich sensuous singing voice was clearly heard right at the beginning with her solo "Mama Who Bore Me." Pangilinan may have a magnetic presence as an actor, but his falsettos were at times not strong enough to be heard clearly through the musical accompaniment. The chemistry between them was not really an automatic click, but it eventually became more believable before Act 1 ended. (More experienced actors Krystal Kane and Sandino Martin alternate in these roles, so that should be very interesting to watch as well.)

The marked role of Moritz was played by Jason Tan Liwag. He had that angry grit in his singing voice which worked very well in songs like "The Bitch of Living,""And Then There was None" and "Don't Do Sadness." (Juancho Gabriel alternates in this role.) The supporting role of Ilse was played by Alexa Prats who had a unique powerful timbre in her singing voice, best heard in "Blue Wind" which she sang in a scene with Moritz. The role of abused child Martha was played by Sabrina Basilio, who sang solo in "The Dark I Knew So Well." The homosexual pair of Hanschen and Ernst was played by Anthony Peralta and JP Lapuz, but their featured reprise of "The Word of Your Body" in Act 2 felt oddly detached and extraneous in the narrative.

The strong underlying current of teenage rebellion and highly sexualized themes in its book and lyrics as written by Steven Sater (based on an 1891 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind) and put to music by Duncan Sheik may not be everyone's cup of tea. At the risk of angering the show's devoted fans, it is not exactly my cup of tea to be completely frank as I realized after watching this show twice now, ten years apart.

However, this Blue Rep staging led by director Missy Maramara was undisputedly topnotch, The ensemble work by the youthful cast was earnest and energetic. The stylized set design, featuring loosely-hatched wooden beams and wooden floors barely painted with white, was by Ohm David, enhanced by the lights of Miyo Sta. Maria. The raw musical arrangements by Ejay Yatco brought forth a heady atmosphere of teenage angst. This production of "Spring Awakening" possessed an excellent overall quality that could rival those of professional theater companies.

*******

Ateneo Blue Rep's SPRING AWAKENING opened last March 29 and will run up to April 14, 2019 at the Hyundai Hall located inside the Arete in the Ateneo de Manila University campus. There are 8 pm shows on weekdays Wednesday to Friday, and two shows 3 pm and 7 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

April 14, 2019

This play was second of a series of seven plays which will serve as thesis productions for graduating theater arts students. "Machinal" was a play written by American playwright Sophie Treadwell and had its Broadway debut back in 1928. For this particular production, Treadwell's script had been translated into Filipino by Eljay Castro Deldoc. It will serve as the thesis of Theater 200 students: Nour Hooshmand (for direction), Rachel Jacob (for performance), and Steven Tansiongco (for video design), under the supervision of Prof. Dexter M. Santos.

Helen was a harassed secretary at work and an unappreciated daughter at home. Desperate to get out of her situation, she agreed to marry her wealthy boss, Mr. George Jimenez, despite being totally repulsed by his presence and his touch. After an unwanted baby and a steamy one-night-stand, Helen stood at a crossroads in her life, not knowing how to get out of the prison built around her.

At the beginning of the play, it was emphasized that this play was about this one woman (bravely played with mad wide-eyed fervor by Rachel Jacob), and she could actually be any woman. From there, the whole play was divided into eight episodes in the life of this woman, namely: Business, Home, Honeymoon, Maternal, Prohibited, Intimate, Domestic and the Law. I did not hear the name Helen mentioned until the final episode already. It was a powerful statement that this tragedy could happen to any woman.

In the first episode, we hear the cacophony at her workplace as her vicious fellow employees were all ganging up on her when they felt that she was the favorite of their boss (first of multiple roles played by Jack Yabut). The next scene with her mother (an ear-splitting Karen Romualdez) was a shouted exchange of words where each one was not actually listening to the other. Seeing her daily hell as set up in these two first scenes, we already feel the inner turmoil boiling inside this woman and clearly see why she was going out of her mind.

The Cast at their Curtain Call

We all saw and felt how dirty, disgusted and resistant she was during her honeymoon night with her new husband. Then later in stark contrast, we saw how calm, happy and relaxed she was when she was intimate with this other man Arturo (a very confident Kevin Vincent Pajara), whom she just met for the first time in a bistro. The shift of her facial expression and personality were so drastic, she felt like two different women. However, it was clear that we were still watching the same one woman.

There were excellent supporting turns by two other character actors, both of whom played multiple distinct characters. The first was shape-shifting Gino Ramirez, who was the ingratiating stenographer in the office scene, then a homosexual seducer in the bar scene, then a forceful prosecuting lawyer in the court scene. The second was big hefty Nico Dans, who was a hunched-over accountant in the office scene, then a boisterous boyfriend in the bar scene, then an indignant defense lawyer in the court scene.

Director Nour Hooshmand was very sure in her vision on how she wanted Helen's story told. The backdrop, ceiling and sides of the set designed by Marc Dalacat looked like slabs of cold copper. It felt like an inescapable metallic box in which our young woman was trapped. On these were placed multiple LCD screens where the video graphic designs of Steven Tansiongco also set the time period and the mood of the scenes. This claustrophobic set effectively created a stifling mechanical milieu that could overwhelm the weak of heart and constitution, like poor Helen.

Thesis candidates Nour Hooshmand, Rachel Jacob and Steven Tansiongco

take a bow with the cast

I was surprised to learn after the show that this play was written way back in the late 1920s, even before the Great Depression on Wall Street. These hellish situations that Helen experienced still exists now among the women of today. It is disturbing to realize that the story about this young woman is as current now as Sophie Treadwell wrote back then, as if no Women's Liberation Movement ever happened in between.

So, Treadwell's words from her very first scene were indeed prophetic. This IS a story about any woman, but maybe Treadwell never foresaw that this statement was going to be a timeless truth to this day, Or then again, maybe she did.

*********

MAKINAL played for only 5 performances from April 12-14, 2019, 7 pm with 3 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The shows were for free, but a bag was passed around after the show for donations since this was a students production. The venue was at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan in Pavilion 3 of Palma Hall. This was the first time I had been in this black box style theater, fashioned from one of the labs of the old Physics Pavilion as I knew it during my own days in UP Diliman.

May 5, 2019

The full title of this play is very imposing -- "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade." It was first written in German by Peter Weiss in 1963, with an English translation by Geoffrey Skelton in 1964. For ease, it was also known as "Marat/Sade."

Some intrepid Theater students of UP Diliman chose this intense material to be their thesis production. They are: Joy Cerro (for Direction), Hariette Damole (for Acting) and Rowel Pasion Cristobal (for Costume Design).

The Filipino translation of the play which was staged by these students this weekend was written by Gio Potes (who is also the dramaturgist) and the very prolific Guelan Luarca. The title in Filipino sounds even more formidable -- "Ang Pag-Uusig at Pagpaslang kay Jean-Paul Marat ayon sa Pagkakatanghal ng mga Pasyente sa Asilo ng Charenton sa Ilalaim ng Direksyon ni Marquis de Sade."

The director of the Charenton Asylum for the mentally ill, Mr. Coulmier, had commissioned the Marquis de Sade (who was really confined in an insane asylum for three years in real life) to write and direct a play about the brutal 1793 assassination of French journalist / politician Jean-Paul Marat (whose skin malady confined him to his home's bathtub at that time) by a woman of opposite political convictions, Charlotte Corday. The play was to be performed by the various mentally-disturbed patients of the asylum.

The Calm Before the Storm

An eerie atmosphere of human madness pervaded the entire Tanghalang Hermogenes Ylagan the moment you enter the room. The stage (designed by Io Balanon) was at the center of the round of chairs and bleachers, converted into a white bathroom floor of the mental hospital, with the famous bathtub in one corner. The tub is quarter-filled with water, so there is a risk for people seated near it to get wet when the water gets splashed around in the course of the play. A number of insane patients were on the doing their own thing in various parts of the floor.

The play started when Eraldo (Khen del Prado) entered the room with his bell and staff, and announced the arrival of the playwright and director, the Marquis de Sade, and their sponsor Mr. Coulmier (Jacques Borlaza) who came in to watch with his wife (Adrianna Agcaoili) and daughter (Veronica Fortuna). Eraldo also introduced the main characters of the play -- the passionate writer Jean-Paul Marat, his dutiful wife Simonne, and the lovely Girondist assassin, Charlotte Corday. Rowel Pasion Cristobal's period costumes brought us back in time to 18th century France.

Sade (Cayabyab) confronts Marat (Soriano)

Jojo Cayabyab was a very intense and forceful Marquis de Sade, with sheer sadistic madness reflecting from his eyes. Xander Soriano spent practically the whole play shirtless, in linen ruffled shorts, declaiming his political convictions while soaked in the tub. Sheryl Ceasico's Simonne was always fully in character, silently and repetitively wiping Marat with her towels, ever at his beck and call. Hariette Damole's Charlotte was a quiet, withdrawn sort, with her eyes coming to life whenever she got her hands on the dagger hidden in her bosom.

The most notable among the supporting actors were Chris Abecia as the explosively violent Jacques Roux (with the face straps and straitjacket ala Hannibal Lecter) and Io Balanon as the cannibalistic sex maniac Duperret (with that fearsome lascivious leer on his face). Among the singing "ladies", it was Auriz Judaver (as Rossignol) who stood out because of his soaring vocals, as well his whistling during one dramatic scene. Among the nameless patients, it was Nico Labrador who caught attention with his distinctive full body tremors and his powerful monologue which he nailed.

Corday (Damole) and Duperret (Balanon) at Marat's door

Remember that all the "actors" (including the director himself) of the make-believe play were insane, so the play within this play took on a noisy, chaotic and most unpredictable character. The delivery of the lines also had various degrees of derangement -- from the monotone of the depressed, to the over-the-top of the outright psychotic. There were two "nurses" (Kiko dela Paz and Roi Cacnio) who were trying to keep their patients in check.

There were a number of scenes with a heightened feel of insanity it can make your skin crawl. It is very difficult to pull off horror in a play, but director Joy Cerro faced the challenge full-on, taking full advantage of the intimate setting. With lights by Jethro Nibaten and music by Jack Alvero, Cerro brought us all through a very realistic experience of sickening and terrifying madness.

While there seemed to be timely political messages being declared, I honestly could not concentrate of those pronouncements, as the feeling of dread and terror overcame me first. This play was definitely unnerving, unsettling and scary, even when the lights were fully on. That climactic scene of shocking bloody full-blown Grand Guignol horror, ended with me genuinely fearing for my own life. When the lights turn back on, then the political metaphors and implications squarely hit you, and hard.

The Grisly Aftermath

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Review of Atlantis' WAITRESS: Struggle for Self-Worth

Review of TP's MANILA NOTES: Experiment on Eavesdropping

Review of PhilStagers' RAIN 2: JUVY LEE'S ROMANCE, THE GALLERY, I DIDITH SHOW

Recap of the MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT 2018: Catriona Claims the Crown!

My Yearend Roundup: THE BEST OF PHILIPPINE THEATER 2018

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Review of Sandbox' EVERY BRILLIANT THING: Surprising Sponteneity

Review of PETA's CHAROT!: Charter Change Catch-22

Review of Rep's MIONG (2019): Advocating for Aguinaldo

Recap and Videos of JOSH GROBAN BRIDGES TOUR IN MANILA 2019: Warm, Willful and Winsome

Review of TP's CORIOLANO: Perplexing Pride and Personality

Review of NOLI ME TANGERE, THE OPERA (CCP, 2019): Romance and Revolution by Rizal

Review of UPPT's NANA ROSA: Comfortless Catharsis

Review of Tanghalang Ateneo's ALPHA KAPPA OMEGA: Baneful Brotherhood

Review of Rep's FATHER'S DAY: Softening Up the Scrooge

Review of Atlantis' ANGELS IN AMERICA PART ONE: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES: Anguish About AIDS

Review of Ateneo Blue Rep's SPRING AWAKENING: Earnest and Energetic

Review of UP Dulaang Laboratoryo's MAKINAL: Woes of a Woman

Review of UP Dulaang Laboratoryo's MARAT/SADE: Mutiny in a Madhouse