OUR AWESOME PLANET

Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Watching this play brings back memories of Vagina Monologues with a focus on clothes (instead of Vaginas) as witness to memorable events in a woman's life. Each of the women shares her story and memories about Bras, Boots, Purses, Birkenstocks, the Madonna era, etc.

Yes, it is a show for women, but the guys could learn a few things to understand women a little better. This is one of those shows where it starts the discussion and you finish it by sharing your own reflections after the show.

It is a straight 90-minute play with one setting (see photo) where the top 5 actresses in Philippine Theater read through their monologues and occasionally interact with the other women.

It is always fun to watch Menchu Lauchengo-Yulo's performance because she really embodies the role and empathizes with all the characters she portrays.

My favorite is Bituin Escalante's sharp and witty portrayal of Mary in Fat/Thin segment, and her solo on the "I Hate my Purse" story of Nora.

Lastly, I personally love the segments on "The Bra", "Madonna" and "I Just Want to Say".

This is highly recommended for  a romantic theater date! (Catch its limited run only this weekend!)

Defending the Caveman in us...

Defending the Caveman is a straight play starring Joel Trinidad, who shares the nuances between men and women, with the hope that we understand each other a little better.

It kicks off with a funny marriage intro video, and introduces the photo of a 25,000-year-old carving of The Great Goddess of Laussel discovered in 1911 plus the 17,000-year-old prehistoric drawings of a man and bison discovered in the Lascaux Cave in France in 1940.

The arguments are founded on the idea that men are hunters and women are gatherers by nature. This dictates a lot of our behavior even in the modern age.

There was never a dull moment listening to Joel defend the male sex for almost 90 minutes (no intermission). :)

♬ The hills ♪ are alive with ♩The Sound of Music ♫...

If the timeless movie The Sound of Music was part of your childhood, you'll certainly enjoy watching it onstage this time around.

The musical features the all-time favorite songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, like "The Sound of Music", "Sixteen Going on Seventeen", "My Favorite Things", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and "Do-Re-Mi".

Watching this show with your family is a great way to introduce the younger generation to this classic. Don't miss it!

A Next to Normal Life?

You might be interested to watch this too: A Seussical Affair

Life is Crazy

I realized that all of us live a crazy kind of life.

We turn into our own monsters at times, just  to cope with the pressure of everyday living.

The insanity is only made bearable by our family and friends.

When you are an employee, you long for the day when you own your own time and hit it big with your own business.

When you are an entrepreneur, you think of your more carefree employee days when you had a consistent salary and comfortable benefits.

You wish for a perfect family but instead you get a quirky one with little habits that annoy you at times.

You hate living a life of compromises.

We all have our personal crazy stories that we are afraid to share with other people because we might lose face.

Natalie sings it beautifully in the song, Maybe (Next to Normal): 

"I don’t need a life that’s normal.
That’s way too far away. 
But something next to normal,
Would be okay."

Yes, I agree -- A Life Next to Normal is OK.

 

IN THE HEIGHTS, A Review

I love watching Broadway musicals because they are usually very innovative and offer a different perspective to life.

IN THE HEIGHTS tells the story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythmof three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. (Source: www.intheheightsthemusical.com)

In The Heights got mixed reviews from theater lovers. As for me, here's my take on it:

What I like about IN THE HEIGHTS:

1. New Theater Actors to Watch Out For

It is exciting to watch plays in Manila these days because new talented actors are appearing onstage with every new production.

In In The Heights, K-La made her debut as the lead female role, Nina . I was surprised by her powerful voice; it was quite enjoyable to listen to her sing. This new MYX VJ has a bright future in theater, and we will be there to watch her success on stage.

This was also Jackie Lou Blanco's first full-length English musical. I think she was perfect for the role of Camila,  Nina's mom. I personally liked her solo "Enough", which I think most young families can relate to. :)

We also enjoyed Bibo Reyes' funny, hip hop-dancing character, Sonny. In The Heights is also Bibo's first foray into professional theater. He is a product of the country's premier college musical theater -- Ateneo Blue Repertory.

A Seussical Affair

One thing I realized about this show is that you need to be familiar with the world of Dr. Seuss to enjoy it with your kids. We know Cat in the Hat and Horton the Elephant -- but that's about it.

I must admit I got bored with the first part of the musical. I came in without any expectations and I did not read any prior information about Seussical in Manila.

During the latter act, the plot started to seem familiar. I recognized it as part of Dr. Seuss' book "Horton Hatches the Egg".   The show ended with a dance musical of "Green Eggs and Ham". Those parts got me excited because I've been reading those books to Aidan and Joshua ever since they were little.

To  appreciate it, you and your kids need to be fans of the books so that you can enjoy the compilation of the story plot and personification of Dr. Seuss' famous characters.

Here is a sneak peek into the Seussical world...

Sweet Charity Hope Valentine!

Most of the people who watched the show during press night, I think,  had low or no expectation about Sweet Charity. Personally, I was not sure if I can relate to the show and its 1960's setting, fosse-type of dance choreography, and the concept of a "taxi-dancer" during that era.

However, since this show was produced by 9 Works Theatrical with star studded cast of Nikki Gil, Ciara Sotto, Shiela Valderrama - Martinez, Sheree, and OJ Mariano, we decided to go and watched it.

At the end of the show, most of the people we talked to was pleasantly surprised with its entertainment value highlighted by  a couple of explosive dance numbers and scenes that the viewers  were raving about.

The first half was a blast with Nikki Gil's driving the energy of the entire production and an awesome elevator scene that became the defining moment for Kris Lawrence's baptism into the theater scene.

The second half was a bit slow, and dragging after the Rhythm of Life production number.  The only thing that saved it was the  emotional rollercoaster of the plot towards  the end.

These are the top 5 reasons why you should watch it:

AIDA in Manila Review

On November 13, 1999,  I visited my college barkada Meli and Anna, who showed me around Chicago. We watched the Limited Pre-Broadway Engagement of AIDA at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. That's where I was first bitten by the Broadway musical bug.

The musical premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on March 23, 2000. In the 2000 Tony Awards, it won Best Original Musical Score (Elton John, Tim Rice), Best Actress in a Musical (Heather Headley), Best Scenic Design, and Best Lighting Design.

Finally, after 11+ years, Aida makes its debut in Manila.