December 5, 2009
We attended this tale of Sweeney Todd last night at the Onstage in Greenbelt 1, as rendered by the Repertory Philippines. Admittedly, I was there to hear the great music and songs of Stephen Sondheim again (of which I was a fan since the 1980s). I was not really looking forward to a great production. But boy, was I SO WRONG!
They had succeeded in transporting us to seamy old London where this grisly tale was set. The set of Sweeney's tonsorial parlor cum Mrs. Lovett's meat pie shop were ingeniously created and set up. The costumes were appropriately of the period and fashionably ragged to fit the storyline. The actor ensemble was very well directed and blocked to recreate the somber mood. The fantastically staged "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" scene when the crowd was pushing poor Toby around WAS SO REALISTIC.
Another one of my worries was the casting of the lead. When it was first announced, Audie Gemora did not really strike me as the correct actor to play Sweeney Todd. He seemed to project a goody-goody image that did not fit the role of the "Demon Barber of Fleet Street". But again, my fear was unfounded. Mr. Gemora more than did justice to this role. He had struck that delicate balance of dignity and madness. I had never heard his baritone as deep and as rich and as menacing as he sang last night. He was mesmerizing.
I did not also see Menchu Lauchengco as Mrs. Lovett at first. But again, she has exceeded my expectations. Her look and attack on this darkly serio-comic character was very accurate. Her Cockney accent was very natural. Her singing was amazing as usual. Her chemistry with Mr. Gemora was electrifying in their scenes and songs together.
Minor quibbles include how dull Anthony and Joanna looked like, although that was negated by the excellence of their singing. I think the actor who played Pirelli did not look and fit the role, but he was funny. The actor who played the Judge Turpin did not look evil enough, but his baritone voice was also very rich. (But I have to say, Robbie Guevara as the Beadle was perfect casting!) The guy who played Toby looked a bit older than expected, but his acting was very good.
All in all, this is must-see theater. Repertory Philippines has certainly outdone themselves with this one. This is proof that there is still significance for Philippine theater companies to stage foreign musicals. It is because we can do it very well here. We do not really need to go all the way to the West End or Broadway to see the best theater performances. Filipino musical talent will never cease to amaze me.
December 2, 2010
My boys and I watched "RPG Metanoia" today, which is an entry in the current Metro Manila Film Festival. I found it the best way to introduce the watching of Filipino films to them. This is the first Filipino film they had ever watched in a movie house. They generally enjoyed it for the most part (save for a few fuzzy details), and I was happy for that. I definitely enjoyed it myself.
The story of "RPG Metanoia" is very current and relevant. It tells about Nico and his friends who are computer-game addicts to an RPG called Metanoia. When an evil force that was destroying the world of Metanoia also threatens the real world, they need to forget their personal differences and band together in order to beat the common foe.
I liked the very real Filipino characters. I liked how the relationship of Nico (voiced by Santino himself, Zaijan Jaranilla) and his parents (funny to imagine Aga Muhlach and Eugene Domingo voicing them) was portrayed. The gang of Nico was also very realistically scripted, like how I remember playing with my neighbors back then, with the misunderstandings and getting back together as playmates. I liked how they had a Chinoy (Filipino-Chinese) guy in Nico's gang. I liked how they had a girl character May teach Nico and friends about outdoor activities, as well as play an important role in the RPG conflict.
I liked the characteristically Filipino imagery like Vigan houses used in the virtual world, the Moriones mask as the evil guy's avatar, the Filipino street games like Patintero, Tumbang Preso and Shato, etc. I liked the underlying message of warning to kids about addiction to computer games. (My 7-year old got that lesson!) The Filipino musical score by Ria Osorio and Gerald Salonga is also outstanding.
I also liked the international scope of the story, as we see the involvement of several foreign Metanoia characters in the virtual battles. There appear to be plans to distribute this to foreign countries, as the subtitles for the Korean and Japanese dialog were in English, instead of Filipino (even my 7-year old did find it odd though). I think we can be proud to have this film represent our country in festivals abroad.
OK, first of all, there is no point comparing this film to a Pixar, or even to a Dreamworks film. After all, this only the first full-length 3D computer animated film from the Philippines, so we have to cut it slack for its pioneering efforts. The animation quality is certainly more than passable. While the quality of the color palette, design neatness and the 3D can still be improved further, this is the best of local animation I have seen.
This is an action film that requires a high level of sophistication in order to pass muster in terms of excitement level, and "RPG Metanoia" does so with flying colors. Kudos to Star Cinema for taking up this challenge, even if it did take five long years to make this one.
September 25, 2009
My friends and I went to watch "Spring Awakening" last night at the RCBC Theater. It was Opening Night. We decided to buy tickets to this show quite late already, so only on-stage seats were available from the buyer I contacted. Our seat location was also a matter of great excitement since we will be very close to the action.
We onstage ticket holders were asked to be there 30 minutes before the start of the show for a short briefing and to get our cellphones to ensure no one forgot to turn it off, or got any unauthorized photos (I guess with the sensitive stuff this show is known for, they need this precaution.) Onstage seats were either on the left or right wings of the stage. Our group was assigned to the left wing. We were asked to wait in a holding area before the show and went in together as a group.
It turned out however that being onstage actually affected our proper appreciation of the play as a whole in a NEGATIVE way. The major issue with me was the sound quality. We could not understand most of the song lyrics being sung. This was especially when handheld mikes were used by the actor. We were just getting the story from the general action and spoken conversations. But the essence and angst of the supposedly sublime songs were lost on us who are not familiar with them before watching the show. I wish they had put speakers at the wings for the benefit of the onstage audience. Now I know why these seats were less expensive than the real seats in the theater.
This problem with the sound served to define and distinguish the true quality of the actors' singing voices. The best singers of the group were definitely Joaquin Valdes among the boys and Bea Garcia among the girls. Joaquin's stage experience was quite evident in his effective acting and strong singing, well required of the main male character, the mature and confident Melchior. Bea's portrayal of the Bohemian girl Ilsa was vibrant and memorable. Her singing voice and enunciation were very clear despite the poor sound we had where we were seated.
On the other hand, the voices of Sitti (Marta) and Miguel Mendoza (Georg) were very weak. What they were singing were barely intelligible. The low registers of their songs did not help. As the lead female character Wendla, I felt that Kelly Lati also had a weak vocal projection and stage presence throughout the show. She was wan and obviously nervous in her first song "Mother Who Bore Me", which gave the show a weak opening.
I also had a problem with the way Moritz was portrayed by the actor Nicco Manalo. In the first part, I felt he acted too effeminately during his scenes with Melchior in the first act, which seemed inappropriate for his character. Manalo was much better in the second act but his way of singing and speaking his lines sounded garbled where I was seated, diminishing my appreciation of his character's tragedy. It was too bad because I found the character of the problem boy Moritz the most interesting in the group.
Jett Pangan and Cheska Inigo were proficient in their portrayal of their multiple adult roles. However, apart from the professors who had on caps, there was nothing to distinguish one character from the other. They could have added an accessory to distinguish one parent from the other. Too bad that Jett Pangan did not have a featured song number. I was expecting to hear him sing something.
As for the much-publicized nude scenes, they actually could have been left out without affecting the story. But of course, they still had to be done as instructed in the script. It happens as the first act closes, and again, strangely, as the second act begins. I could not see Kelly (nor her bosom) very well from where I was seated. The girls beside me were commenting that Joaquin needs butt make-up to improve how he looked back there. I will not make further comment about that. Actually, the scene that elicited a louder scandalized gasp from the audience was actually the seduction scene between Hanschen (JC Santos) and Ernst (Nar Cabico), not really this Melchior-Wendla nude love scene.
The much acclaimed and award-winning Duncan Sheik soundtrack did not really grab me, sorry. I found it maudlin, monotonous and even boring in parts as it wallowed in low notes, as typified by songs like "The Dark I Knew Well". The best song is pretty much "Totally F*cked" as this was the only song that elicited a spontaneous applause because of its lively choreography, bravado and energetic staging. I also enjoyed the duet interaction of Moritz and Ilse on "Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind". Bea Garcia was positively glowing in that number. The finale song "Song of Purple Summer" was also very imaginatively and dramatically rendered by the whole company.
I feel bad because of my gripes. I so wanted to like this show, but ended up disappointed. But my perspective may not be typical because of where I was seated. Anyway, it only opening night. I hope that Director Chari Arespacochaga, along with the cast and crew of this show, can still make the necessary adjustments in order to improve their production for the rest of their run.
February 12, 2010
This year 2010 is an election year. It is a national election which has everyone interested to be involved as the head of the country will finally be changed after nine unsatisfactory years. This election is also special as it is the first automated national polls. So it seems just right that the first musical play I watch this year will be about the elections. It had the long title "Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diyablo at and Limang Milyong Boto." It is the very first play I had seen in the PETA Theater in Quezon City despite its proximity to my workplace.
"Juan Tamad" is a serio-comic satire on the current political state of Philippine politics, set in lively music and dance. The gamut of election-related topics are bravely tackled in the script and the songs. Juan Tamad (or JT) embodies the typical Filipino youth who has become so apathetic about the current mire our nation is in. The play follows JT's political awakening from the registration, the campaigns, the ghost voters, the political harassment, and in the end, self-reliance and community action. Very timely messages indeed, delivered in hilarious skits and funny dances, by actors in campy costumes and make-up -- all in the effort to appealing to the youth in the audience, to get them involved.
Juan Tamad in the 3pm show yesterday was played by Marvin Ong. I have only heard of him one other time, and that was as Toby in Rep's "Sweeney Todd". His singing voice is strong. He connects with his hip acting. He is young, current and earnest, a true representative of today's youth. He was a hit with the many girls in the audience.
Diyablo was played by Vincent de Jesus, who was also responsible for this play's music, libretto and musical direction -- talk about multi-tasking! He was very much into the role of the jaded devil-figure who like to see the squalid status quo continue to oppress the populace. He was not shy to exploit his sharp facial features to maximize the physical comedy. As he obviously knows this material in and out, he seems to adlib liberally to the best overall effect. I cannot imagine Robert Sena (Vincent's more popularly-known alternate) in this role. Vincent's slinky sarcasm is excellent!
Lola Anitan, JT's grandmother and sole guardian since his parents went to work abroad, was played by Joann Co. She was also very effective in her funny, and also emotional moments. The rest of the supporting cast was also unafraid to do their exaggerated best in whatever it takes to make all those funny little jokes work, be it in their voices, their faces or their body movements.
I watched yesterday afternoon in an auditorium filled to the rafters with St. Paul of QC college students. It was a very noisy group, since they all knew each other. A pretty juvenile group as well, as they would still produce a collective gasp when the house lights were turned off right before the show, even when it happened again in the second act!
Anyway, when the play got started, you see these young people getting into the groove of it, laughing at the right times, at the right jokes. This play gets through to its target audience. But the play ends by challenging the audience to pick up where the play ends, and make JT's dreams a reality. Now that still remains to be seen.
