Credo--sort of

[Thought I might as well share this here. The original discussion thread is here, and my piece below was a contribution/response to some specific points raised by a playwright for my consideration--augmented with some clarificatory notes from my private correspondence with another commenter. I hope it helps answer questions about why and how I do what I do... What, you haven't checked out the thread? It's now 68 comments-strong, and by the likes of Anton Juan, Rody Vera, Nick Pichay, Frances Makil Ignacio, Arlo de Guzman, Jamie Wilson, etc., all reacting in some way to my original tweet: “naisip ko lang, bakit pag praise tinatanggap, pag puna hindi? di ba dapat pareho invalid yun kung di kapani-paniwala ang nagsabi? (smile).” Props to Facebook for the space and the means for this valuable back-and-forth.]

-----------------

lemme answer some points you raised, from someone who covers theater. akin lang 'to, my own perspective, and i don't intend to speak for the rest:

frankly, and with no disrespect meant to anyone in the theater world--i don't consider myself part of the theater community. i see myself as a journalist covering theater, that's it. i am from the outside looking in. and whenever i write a review of a play, it is, in effect, my report of what i had experienced while watching the play. i try to describe what i saw and what i felt, and why i think i felt that way from what i had seen.

that means that i am, in fact, a member of the audience. i suppose with one difference: i am a bit more informed about theater--not because i am smarter, but because i have chosen to spend more time, effort, money, etc. watching plays and covering the industry. the sheer number of plays i watch, the private research i do, the effort i put in to try to understand and see in perspective everything that i'm able to watch--even if i'm half-alert lang, that should make me a bit more informed than the average theater-goer who goes for a more select repertoire of plays. i try to watch all--simply because i like to and i enjoy it. actually, just to mention lang: this is not part of my job at the paper. my job is simply to edit. that's my main job. i wasn't assigned to cover theater. i took it on my own because watching plays isn't at all work for me--i enjoy it without reservation. it's a privilege. walang chorva yan.

having said that, i keep to certain limitations: because i don't see myself as a theater practitioner and more an outsider covering the field, i limit my coverage to what's ultimately presented in front of me. to be specific: i am not, and don't see myself as, part of the the process that playwrights, directors and actors go through backstage. on a couple of occasions, i've been invited by two directors to attend their final rehearsals and asked to "critique" the work/offer improvements. i declined at both times, because i felt it wasn't my place to get involved in the process.

as an audience member, generally when i watch a play i have not had the chance to read the text (unless it's previously published/staged and the text is available commercially), or learn the process it's gone through before it eventually reached the stage. i can only judge what's ultimately, finally presented on stage before me. of course, if i am discerning enough, i should be able to understand what the material is talking about, to appreciate the quality of the text, to see how stagecraft is able to bring it alive before my eyes, etc.

but again, everything based on a product being presented to me already functionally whole, and whose evolution i wasn't privy to. that means that the way you as a playwright/director look at your work, and the way i look at it, would certainly vary. ideally, i suppose, a one-on-one correspondence between what the playwright and director are trying to say and what an informed audience member actually gets would be most welcome.

but we all know that seldom, if ever, happens. when an artist releases his work to the public, it's no longer his: the people who will look at it will invest their own viewpoints, perspectives, biases, temperament, etc. into it, and take away from it whatever suits their state of being at that moment. that's art. so i think it might be wishing for the moon for an artist to wish that the public will get him or her every time, fully and down to the last nuance.

while the reviewer/critic has a responsibility to the artists he covers, he has a bigger responsibility to a bigger audience: his readers. in my case, i write for a general-circulation paper. my audience consists of people like me--people who read, who try to be updated, who are reasonably intelligent and open-minded--but who are not part of the backstage, offstage life of theater. we don't know the process, we only get to see the final product. i can't write academic criticisms because the paper wouldn't publish them. i can't write jargonese because readers wouldn't read me--or worse, would berate me for it (i once used the word hortatory in a film review and got flak for it). what i can write are my opinions about what i see--sabi nga ni ebert, what is a review but an opinion? and he's won a pulitzer for his. yun lang.

in fact, my proximity to theater has also afforded me the chance to know more about the lives of theater artists. di maiwasan, kasi paminsan-minsan you overhear ang mga kwentuhan or naikukwento din. masayang pag-usapan, but in the end, as a journalist reviewing the plays i see, wala silang kinalaman sa napapanood ko sa entablado. that's why i've never posted theater gossip on my blog, or written about the private lives of theater people, etc. dahil, in the end, they have nothing to do with what i see onstage. and what i see onstage being presented is the only thing i'm concerned about.

the word 'critic' has always carried a lot of baggage such that, in the beginning, i never used it on myself. ibang mga tao ang unang gumamit niyan to describe what i was doing. i was content to say i was writing about plays. the long antagonistic relationship between critics and artists was something na i thought needn't necessarily be where i would end at, for two reasons.

one, i come from a position of friendship and support. i like the theater, i wish it to succeed, i have enormous respect for the people in it. that's precisely why i devote a big amount of my time covering it (inquirer does not pay at all for my pamasahe going to plays, or tickets whenever i need to buy, or pay me for the reviews i publish--kasama na yun sa basic sweldo ko) and getting more people to be interested in it via my blog.

two: i want to be as fair and objective as possible. that's the main reason why i don't want to get involved in the backstage/offstage process and become, in effect, an insider, a practitioner just like you. i'd like to believe i can honor your and your peers' work by keeping myself at a certain distance. quite a number have taken this the wrong way, but i also consciously don't hang out with theater folk, even if, in an ideal world, i'm thinking the closest friends i have would be artists from there too---given the shared likes and interests. if i weren't covering theater, i'd probably be an all-out groupie sa teatro. totoo yan!

but because i'm covering you guys, i just feel it's the proper thing to do, na wag ako maging intimately involved. training namin yan sa dyaryo--you are not part of the beat you cover. friendly, but not familiar--because the detachment and distance will (hopefully) help me see things in a clearer, fairer manner.

let me clarify this further: akshuli, i've no problem with going backstage to observe the process--rehearsals, script discussions, etc., how you guys put the play together. what am wary about is being asked for my input during that process--and thus ending up somehow having a vested interest in it, too. because that would eventually pose a conflict-of-interest question for me when i'd need to review the play once it's up on stage.

i don't know if i'm just being finicky--medyo conscious lang ako about these delicate dividing lines. like, if i can help it, i'd rather not write the advance feature on a play na lang, just to separate the 'publicizing' part from the 'reviewing' part, since i'm more inclined to review it din naman. i'd let somebody else do the advancer while i reserve the option to review the prod--unless it involves, say, the opportunity for a face-to-face with david henry hwang na minsan lang andito, so sige, ako na magvo-volunteer for both. haha, marupok din ako that way.

in the same way, i fear that if i get intimately involved in a play's evolution via being asked to help shape it with my inputs/ideas/suggestions as the play is being developed, it wouldn't be proper na for me to review it afterwards since kasama na din ako sa pagbuo niya. and since my greater inclination nga is to review, then i'd avoid na lang the appearance of conflict of interest.

but, yes--going backstage to observe SILENTLY, see for myself how you guys are going about your craft--i'd love to do that. i'm still being a journalist that way.

so, sa pagkahaba-habang sinabi ko dito (sorry about that), it all comes down to this. your process is your own. it's not the place of someone like me to be part of it. i'm happy enough to be at the receiving end of your creative efforts. believe me, i may pan a work, i may find something objectionable with it, but in the grand scheme of things, i'm always grateful enough na me naipapalabas, me nagagawa at me napapanood.

ang responsibility ko naman is to equip myself constantly to be able to consider a work fairly, as it is presented. from that vantage point, i can't guarantee i will see the playwright/director's intention with 100-percent accuracy, all the time. all i can promise is, with everything at my disposal sa puntong yun, bubuksan ko ang isip ko sa kung anuman ang gustong pumasok. i know i will never satisfy everyone; me magagalit at magagalit sa opinyon ko, but wala ako magagawa sa ganun--in the same way that artists would have to resign themselves to the fact that their works will be received in as many different ways as there are viewers. ganun siguro talaga. we have more in common than we think. :)

ang haba na nito! thanks for reading.

PLUS: Rody Vera took my credenda of sorts and made of it a “counter-monologue.” Here.

Banaag at Sikat, Isang Rock Musical from Tanghalang Pilipino

Tanghalang Pilipino 24th season season opens with "Banaag at Sikat, Isang Rock Musical," a production that headlines the collaboration between National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera (libretto) and National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal (set and costume design).

This exciting new musical is based on Lope K. Santos’ groundbreaking literary opus of the same title, about the breakup of the Filipino family and the rise of socialism in the country.

With music by Lucien Letaba, "Banaag at Sikat, Isang Rock Musical" universalizes its socialist theme by juxtaposing central, turn-of-the century Philippines (1911) with music that is very much today--indie rock. The production will be staged under the direction of José Estrella, whose past acclaimed works for TP include "Orfeo sa Impiyerno (Orpheus Descending)" and "Ang Pokpok ng Ohio (The Whore from Ohio)," among others.

Leading the cast are top-rate stage performers such as Ayen Laurel, Franco Laurel, John Arcilla, Roeder Camanag, Angeli Bayani, Banaue Miclat and Al Gatmaitan.

"Banaag at Sikat, Isang Rock Musical" also features seasoned stage actors Clottie Lucero, Emlyn Santos, Greg de Leon and Raymond Roldan and the TP Actors Company members/alumni Riki Benedicto, Jonathan Tadioan, Kat Castillo, Tara Cabaero and Cheryl Ramos.

Also included in the cast are Maria Elcon Cabasag, Kathlyn Castillo, Martha Comia, Aandrei David, Jejie Esguerra, Hazel Maranan, Gino Ramirez and Rachel Alfonso Rubio.

"Banaag at Sikat, Isang Rock Musical" runs Aug. 18-29, with evening shows (8 p.m.) from Wednesday to Sunday and matinees (3 p.m.) from Friday to Sunday, at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater).

For ticket reservations, booking of special performances and other information, call the TP office 8323661 or 8321125 locals 1620-1621; CCP Box Office 8323704; or Ticketworid 8919999.

Muni-muni dahil kay Muning at Mingming

Cats' gala night crowd. Theater as A-list summit. Where could they be when it's a local production on the block? Naisip ko lang.


[Photos: JC Fonte. Thanks, JC!]

Family and educational entertainment from Theater Down South

Theater Down South is one of the newer entries into the country's burgeoning theater scene and the only one that caters specifically to audiences in the South Metro area. Addressing the needs of the residents in Alabang, Parañaque, Las Piñas and points further down south, the company is dedicated to providing quality family and educational entertainment for the communities in these areas.

This year, Theater Down South will add two more musicals to its repertoire: "The Princess and the Red Carp", an original children's musical based on the earliest known retelling of the Cinderella story, and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", the Tony-award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim. Veteran stage actor Michael Williams, who is also the company's Artistic Director, will direct both shows.

Previous Theater Down South productions include "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Rapunzel" and "Treasure Island," which have all been well received. The company is also making a mark with its summer theater workshops, now in their third year, and their special holiday shows and events.

Theater Down South has a strong educational component through its children's shows and curriculum-based productions. These shows feature thematic lobby exhibits, which provide pertinent historical and literary information about the plays and allow for a more immersive experience for the audience members, to help them gain a deeper understanding of the show.

With "A Midsummer Night's Dream", for instance, a 3-D replica of the Globe Theater was on display along with a graphic chart outlining the relationships of the characters in the play. For "Treasure Island", the lobby was transformed into a beach with a shipwrecked boat filled with informational posters about the history of pirates as well as the life of Robert Louis Stevenson, whose book was the basis for the show.

In addition, during shows for school audiences, study guides are given to teachers and the actors are made available for meet-and-greet sessions, open forums after the performance and even pre-show visits, to teach students about theater etiquette and what to expect from a live show. It is the company's belief that developing an early appreciation for the art form will help create future audiences and perhaps also inspire a new generation of theater practitioners.

With its latest offerings, Theater Down South hopes to welcome new audience members alongside returning patrons and to continue helping theater to thrive in the South Metro area.

For sponsorship or show-buying inquiries, please call 6436976 or 5056380, e-mail info@theaterdownsouth.com or visit www.theaterdownsouth.com

PLUS: Company members of Theater Down South perform Comedy Tonight, from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, at the recent presscon announcing TDS' new season. (Apologies for the audio--positioning myself in front of the speakers proved to be a bad idea.)

My life, her words

What it's really like to be a copy editor, according to Lori Fradkin. You beat me to it, girl.

The job has its perks--an accumulation of random knowledge, for instance—but it also has its side effects when you unintentionally drink the copy Kool-Aid. Once you train yourself to spot errors, you can’t not spot them. You can’t simply shut off the careful reading when you leave the office. You notice typos in novels, missing words in other magazines, incorrect punctuation on billboards. You have nightmares that your oversight turned Mayor Bloomberg into a "pubic" figure. You walk by a beauty salon the morning after you had sex for the first time with a guy you’ve been seeing and point out that there’s no such thing as “lazer” hair removal, realizing that this may not be the best way to get to have sex with him again.

Another downside of the job is that only your mistakes are apparent. The catches are basically invisible. No one will look at an edited article and think, I am certain that, once upon a time, there was a double quote where there should have been a single, and a wise person fixed the issue for my benefit. But if you let a “their” slip through in the place of a “there,” you are a complete moron. And if you are working online, commenters will let you know so. Then your boss will let you know that the commenters are saying so in case you didn’t see it yourself. Also, people will want to talk to you--outside of work--about grammar. Aside from the guy who called me “awkward, in a cute way,” I think the worst line I’ve heard was from the dude who asked my thoughts on the serial comma.

In my case, the ellipsis...

[h/t: The Daily Dish]

Search is on for Filipino choristers to the first Asia Pacific Youth Choir

The Philippine Choral Directors Association is now accepting audition folios for the first Asia Pacific Youth Choir. Singers aged 18 to 28 years old are invited to submit their audition folios to the PCDA on or before August 1, 2010.

PCDA Secretary General Oscar Pantaleon Jr. announced that the audition folios must be addressed to The PCDA Secretary General’s Office, Azalea Avenue, Greenwoods Village, Dasmarinas, Cavite. Folios may also be brought to provincial drop-off centers manned by PCDA members in Baguio, Cebu, Davao and Iloilo on or before July 29, 2010.

The audition folio contains each candidate’s application form, curriculum vitae, digital audio files and letter of motivation answering the question, “Why do you wish to join the Asia Pacific Youth Choir?” in at most 100 words.

The list of provincial drop-off centers, application form and the music sheets for the required digital audio files are downloadable from the PCDA website at www.philippinechoraldirectors.weebly.com.

The Asia Pacific Youth Choir is organized by the International Federation for Choral Music–Asia Pacific Working Committee. The 32-member choir will meet for the first time in Macau on February 21-26, 2011, under the joint directorship of Saeko Hasegawa of Japan and Jonathan Velasco of the Philippines.

Velasco is the Philippine representative to the IFCM working committee and is concurrently the PCDA president.

For more information, please call the PCDA Secretary General at (0917) 834-0424 or send e-mail to choral_directors@yahoo.com.ph with the heading, “APYC”.

From Lavinia to La Divina, take 2

Before the Philippine Opera Company’s excellent if short-lived staging of “Master Class” in October, [Cherie] Gil had only done two productions--Atlantis Productions’ “Doubt” and Rep’s “The Sound of Music,” both in 2006.

She was riveting in “Doubt” but finally overwhelming in “Master Class,” offering a haunting, crystalline performance that, with barely a raised voice, branded the role of a ruined Maria Callas as hers--spectacularly, indisputably hers--for many moons to come.

In a year of bold star turns, hers had the unique distinction of effacing the image of Gil the movie star, enshrining in its place Gil the consummate theater actress. Lavinia had become La Divina.

-- “The seniors strike back”, December 8, 2008

Best Actress-Play: Cherie Gil (“Master Class”). The glamorous actress had a tricky high-wire act to do: play Maria Callas as a character, not an impersonation, while casting off her own outsize persona as the local movies’ eminent queen of mean. She delivered--nay, conquered.

-- “Bravo! Best of Theater 2008”, December 15, 2008. [Master Class, directed by Michael Williams, was also a nominee in the Best Play/Full-Length section.]

Cherie Gil (Philippine Opera Company’s “Master Class”): For two hours every night for five nights last October, Gil, only in her third major theater outing, seemed absolutely possessed by the ghost of the diva-in-decline Maria Callas. So fine-grained was her disappearing act that you completely forgot she had, beyond the footlights, her own iconic persona--THE Cherie Gil of Philippine movies.

-- “12 best theater performances of the year”, December 28, 2008

Obviously, this was a performance and a play I couldn't praise highly enough. Now, starting July 29 until August 15, the brilliant Terrence McNally paean to art and art-making as embodied by one of the greatest creative spirits of all time returns to the RCBC stage for only 10 performances. And Cherie Gil, she of the vanishing breed of true movie stars with the flair, elan and larger-than-life presence to match their exalted status (really, watch the video below and see who else among today's so-called celebrities could evoke, or pull off, that grand manner of hers so naturally) is back as La Divina.



Michael Williams once more directs, with a supporting cast that includes classical performers Juan Alberto Gaerlan, Al Gatmaitan, Florence Aguilar, Ana Feleo, Kay Balajadia-Liggayu and Francis Amora. For tickets, call the Philippine Opera Company 8928786 or 8817168, Ticketworld 8919999 or visit www.philippineoperacompany.com

PLUS: Me videotaping Cherie's turn at the podium during the press meet-up. Photo courtesy of Girlie Rodis.


PLUS PLUS: “Truth or consequence”--my review of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, staged by Atlantis Productions in 2006 with Cherie Gil playing “that Rottweiler in a wimple,” Sr. Aloysius.

Cats in Manila: pre-gala press peek

Of all days, YouTube decides to be unreliable today, when I have a bunch of fresh video clips for uploading, taken during the final presscon for Cats in Manila before it opens tomorrow, July 24.

Somehow the uploads always get aborted midway through. Freaky--and frustrating. The clips include three musical numbers performed on the spectacular set now about to greet theatergoers at the CCP Main Theater--Lea singing a snippet of Memory from Act 1, John O'Hara slinking his way through Rum Tum Tugger, and the entire cast performing a bit of Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats.

I blame this part from Jellicle Songs for hopelessly hooking me on the soundtrack many moons ago. The parade of descriptives was, to a boy in high school in love with words, charming and ingenious, and a witty way to introduce the quirky conceit of the play--that while this was ostensibly about cats, they were actually stand-ins for a society and ecology of a more human kind. Us in fur. So you get the whole variety: Practical cats, dramatical cats, pragmatical cats, fanatical cats, oratorical cats, Delphi-oracle cats, skeptical cats, dyspeptical cats; romantical cats, pedantical cats, critical cats, parasitical cats, allegorical cats, metaphorical cats, statistical cats and mystical cats, political cats, hypocritical cats, clerical cats, hysterical cats, cynical cats, rabbinical cats... (Recognize yourself there somewhere?)

Anyway, the vids later, if dang YouTube rights itself. Some other highlights via pictures:

A portion of Cats-Manila's ticket sales was pledged to the Philippine National Red Cross. After the sneak performances, Red Cross chairman Rosa Rosal went onstage to receive the check donation amounting to P2.3 million pesos, which was handed to her by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions (aka Cats producer) CEO James Cundall, along with his local counterparts Francis Lumen of All Youth Channels and Bambi Verso of Concertus. Sarah Meier hosted the short program.

Lea, with John Ellis (Old Deuteronomy), Shaun Rennie (Munkustrap) and John O'Hara (Rum Tum Tugger) at the brief press conference in the lobby after the sneak performances. It took a while for them to emerge from backstage, since it wasn't easy to get out of their elaborate costumes and makeup. The actors need at least two hours every time to put them on, said O'Hara. And the performers do the makeup themselves. In the beginning, a makeup artist does one half of their faces, then they have to learn to replicate the look on the other half. That usually leads to some strange-looking cats, said O'Hara, especially when the show has new cast members just getting the hang of the routine.

Gone are the Cinemalaya banners and buntings of as late as last week. In their place, the iconic black and yellow motif of the world's longest-running musical now dominate the spaces of CCP, including the dinky food kiosk at the corner of the Main Theater lobby, now completely redone. These guys are nothing if not thorough.

The show runs until August 22 at the CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. Call the ticket hotline (+63-2) 8919999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph/Outlets.

Hot, hot Jose

Krystal Joy Brown and Jose Llana in Falling for Eve

“Jose Llana makes an adorably animated Adam, who's got a loincloth of lamé and a voice of velvet.” -- from Joe Dziemianowicz's review of the new musical Falling For Eve in the NY Daily News. More here.

[Hat tip: Oliver Oliveros]

Gantimpala Theater's new production of Florante at Laura

“It is a unique theater experience!” Tony Espejo, artistic director of Gantimpala Theater, says of “Florante at Laura,” now under the direction of Roeder Camañag and with a new script written by Bonifacio Ilagan. It opens Gantimpala's 33rd season.

“Florante at Laura,” written by Francisco Balagtas, is about warring Moors and Christians and the intertwining lives of a quartet of star-crossed lovers--Florante, Laura, Aladin and Flerida.

This immortal Filipino love story uses the theater form of the komedya, complete with majestic marches and grand batalla.

“Bonifacio Ilagan wrote a very breathtaking and cinematic script, that is why I am very inspired to do this,” says first-time director Roeder Camañag.

“People can expect that the action and romantic elements plus the beauty of the language will be highlighted. If you are an actor, doing the play is very challenging since it requires you to use all your instruments, your body, voice and mind. If these three are not in sync, then you will not be able to give justice to the role assigned to you. ”

“It is important for all actors to experience and act in a production like 'Florante at Laura' as it will make them appreciate more our heritage and roots,” adds Camañag.

The cast includes Joel Molina and Randy Villarama (as alternate Florantes); Criena House (Laura); Eric dela Cruz and Arkin Da Silva (alternately playing Adolfo); Jose Jeffrey Camañag (Haring Linceo); Zenaida Loyola Sevila (Reyna Floresca); Billy Parjan (Duke Briseo); Paul Jake Paule (Menandro); Ronald Concepcion (Antenor); Leo Ponseca (Sultan Ali-Adab); Berl William Angeles (Aladin) and Hazel Orencio (Flerida).

In the artistic team are Jose Jeffrey Camañag (associate director); Andy Villareal (lighting designer); Norman Peñaflorida (set designer); Alex Guerrero (choreographer); Charyl Chan de Guzman (production manager) and Glendel Dacumos(stage manager).

The National Parks Development Committee and Ever Bilena support Gantimpala Theater’s “Florante at Laura.”

Performances are on August 1, 6 p.m., at the Concert at the Park Open Air Auditorium, in Luneta, Manila; August 6 to 8, August 13-15, (10 a.m./2 p.m.), at the AFP Theater in Quezon City; and August 20-22, (10 a.m./2 p.m.), SM Southmall, in Las Piñas City.

For bookings and tickets, call 8995745, 8963503 or 4745198. Visit www.gantimpalatheater.multiply.com or www.facebook.com/gantimpala.

Video: Cinemalaya 2010 winners' speeches, part 1

The winning actors and actresses, both for the New Breed and Directors' Showcase categories. Everyone was there to accept the hardware, except for LJ Reyes (The Leaving), whose trophy was accepted on her behalf by her director.

NEW BREED
Emilio Garcia--Best Supporting Actor, Rekrut


John Arcilla--Best Actor, Halaw


Lovi Poe--Best Actress, Mayohan


DIRECTORS' SHOWCASE
Tirso Cruz III--Best Supporting Actor, Sigwa


Carla Pambid--Best Supporting Actress, Donor


Baron Geisler--Best Actor, Donor (his second Best Actor trophy after 2008's Jay)


Meryl Soriano--Best Actress, Donor (her second, after 2005's Roomboy)

Equus--once lethal, now average

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 07.19.2010


IN JULY 1973, when Peter Shaffer’s “Equus” debuted in London, The Guardian’s Michael Billington hailed it as “sensationally good”--a play whose “intellectual argument and poetic imagery are virtually indivisible.”

Repertory Philippines’ ongoing production of “Equus” at Onstage Greenbelt 1 makes clear that, nearly 40 years later, the play’s poetry remains vital and intact. It’s the intellectual riggings that are shown, upon second look, to have frayed considerably over time.

While Shaffer’s lines, especially as delivered by a technically flawless Miguel Faustmann (playing the psychiatrist Martin Dysart), still transfix with their power and beauty, what they’re talking about is, in the end, rather wearyingly silly.

You wouldn’t immediately know that, however, from the care and respect with which this play has been mounted. Audie Gemora’s direction of Shaffer’s densely worded psychodrama, a touchstone play in its time for its highbrow exploration of rationality and madness, elegantly teases out the mystery of why an introverted stable boy of 17 (Alan Strang, alternately played by Red Concepcion and Marco Mañalac) would commit a seemingly senseless act of extreme violence--blinding six horses under his care, when he practically worshipped the animals.

Compacting the play within a near-bare central platform ringed by a series of shadowy recesses from which the horses (half-naked muscular men wearing glinting wire-mesh equine heads) would emerge, Gemora’s uncluttered staging has the benefit of letting Shaffer’s shimmering language do its work.

The effect is intensely theatrical (John Batalla’s lighting and Jethro Joaquin’s atmospheric sound design are of superb help), yet much is still left to the imagination, as befits a play that lends great sympathy to the workings of the unfettered mind.

Ironically, it is when one goes beyond the stagecraft and peers more closely at what it all means that the play’s galloping argument, as it were, starts to lose stride.


Homogenizing impulse
In “Equus,” Shaffer offers a critique of the power of civilization and modernity to destroy what’s free and primeval in people--specifically among the mentally challenged, which this play holds up as shamans of heretofore untapped knowledge and insight. To make them “normal” is to take away that primitive fire, lobotomize them into ghostly shells of themselves.

(In place of the field where a naked Strang, at midnight, would ride the horse that has become his god, he’s giving the boy “new places of ecstasy--multilevel highways,” Dysart laments.)

In the ’60s-’70s, when pop culture and faddish psychology made counter-cultural heroes of nonconformists and anarchists (e.g., Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest;” the Broadway musical “Hair;” Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of “A Clockwork Orange”), when the hippie spirit mocked the strangling, homogenizing impulse of modern life, this was arguably heady stuff--nothing less than a poke in the eye of the Establishment. Now, it sounds only quaint, shortsighted.

Unhappily, that hokey premise is at the heart of “Equus” more than the whydunit story of the boy and those unfortunate horses. Thus, Dysart’s existential angst (what he calls his “professional menopause”--might it not be the actual kind?) has him spending much of Acts 1 and 2 bemoaning the supposedly stark options before him.

To be fair, his self-lacerating monologues do offer the pleasure of being couched in Shaffer’s bewitching lines (“I settle for the pallid and provincial out of my own eternal timidity,” goes one.)

Lucid delivery
And this set-up is catnip to Faustmann, an actor with a proven ability for the elongated, bravura line. His delivery is astoundingly clear and well-sustained, rendering this voluble play vivid and lucid throughout.

He is, however, hobbled by something else--a surface skill for the dark and tragic. His Dysart hardly evinces genuine despair or self-loathing, and without these undercurrents, his character’s newfound grievances eventually elide into lugubrious whining.

Faustmann’s Dysart is more a chirpy bourgeois gentleman than a harassed shrink teetering on the edge of his own breakdown. When he badmouths his philistine wife to a colleague, the tone is jocular, and the audience dutifully laughs with him.

Yet the text is clear--Dysart is actually repulsed at himself for having arrived at this point, when his sense of misery has forced him to breach his code of propriety by laughing at his wife in public. That bitterness isn’t there.

(Or perhaps we watched too early in the run? Nearly everyone in the cast still seemed to be feeling their way around the set and their characters. Concepcion has a better grasp of his by several notches compared to Mañalac, but both of them could fill out the role more plausibly given time. Their commitment already seems absolute at this point; the play’s lengthy and harrowing nude scenes would tax actors of lesser constitution.

(As Strang’s parents, Jaime del Mundo and Tami Monsod are individually good, but have yet to lock into a prickly chemistry together. It’s Pheona Baranda, as the girl who seduces Strang into a fateful sexual encounter, that beguiles with a sweet, affectless performance.)


Ferocious passion
Dysart, trapped in that arid marriage and a listless life flecked with desultory, cautious holidays in Greece, the glories of whose ancient pagan culture he has come to equate with Strang’s untamed inner world, now dreads the sterilizing effects of the “normal” life he’s reintroducing his patient into--“the good smile in a child’s eyes, [but] also the dead stare in a million adults... the ordinary made beautiful, the average made lethal.”

Why? Because “That boy has known a passion more ferocious than I have known in any second of my life, and I envy it!,” he roars. “That’s what his stare’s been saying to me all this time--‘At least I galloped! When did you?!’”

“Equus” takes some two hours and 30 minutes to make a theatrically fervid, diligent case for the nobility and creativity of the mentally unbalanced. Who will argue with that? Yet its bleak dichotomy sounds hollow.

“My desire might be to make of this boy an ardent husband, a caring citizen, a worshipper of a unifying and abstract god. My achievement, however, is more likely to make a ghost!” says Dysart.

Really? Is ardent parenting not a good enough passion? Is patriotism, which has shed uncontainable blood and bred more than its share of heroic, if hardly mad, instigators? If that isn’t passion, what is? More, can’t someone be “ordinary” enough yet live a creative, productive, impassioned life with its own richly realized gods and rituals?


Corrective
In the 1977 film version of “Equus,” Hesther, the judge-friend of Dysart (played by Roselyn Perez in Rep’s staging, by the great Eileen Atkins in the film), offers the one indispensable corrective to Dysart’s ululations and the play’s sentimental bent with this appeal to common sense and perspective:

“You’ve made other things. Your own thoughts, your own skills--absolutely what’s unique to you. I watched you do it year after year and it’s marvelous! You can’t just sit there now and say it’s all provincial and you’re just a butcher... All right, you never galloped. Too bad! Let me tell you, if I had to choose between that boy’s galloping and your training, I’ll take the training anytime, and what’s more, so will the boy at this moment. That stare of his isn’t accusing you, it’s simply demanding! Just that--your power to pull him out of the nightmare he’s galloped himself into!”

Shaffer himself wrote the screenplay, so we’re reasonably sure those lines were his. Curiously--inexplicably--those words are no longer in the current stage revival. Hesther’s rebuttal of Dysart’s anguish over the boy is now a wan pseudo-explanation: “Maybe he just wants a new dad.”

Where did the lines go? Why were they cut? Without them, “Equus” is so much horsepower spent on, well, nothing much. The lethal, in effect, made average.


(Repertory Philippines’ “Equus” runs until July 25 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. For ticket inquiries, call 8870710 or visit www.repertory.ph.)

Cinemalaya 2010: Complete list of winners

SHORT FEATURE
Best Screenplay: Harang
Special Jury Prize: P, directed by Rommel Tolentino
Best Director: Rommel Tolentino, P
Best Film: Wag Kang Titingin, directed by Pam Miras

FULL-LENGTH FEATURE, NEW BREED
Best Sound: Rekrut
Best Original Musical Score: Mayohan
Best Editing: Halaw
Best Production Design: The Leaving
Best Cinematography (tie): Mayohan, The Leaving
Best Screenplay: Mayohan

Best Supporting Actor: Emilio Garcia, Rekrut
Best Supporting Actress: LJ Reyes, The Leaving
Best Actor: John Arcilla, Halaw
Best Actress: Lovi Poe, Mayohan

Special Jury Prize: Sampaguita, directed by Francis Xavier Pasion
Best Director: Sheron Dayoc, Halaw
Best Film: Halaw, directed by Sheron Dayoc

FULL-LENGTH FEATURE, DIRECTORS' SHOWCASE
Best Sound: no award
Best Original Musical Score: no award
Best Editing: Pink Halo-halo
Best Production Design: Donor
Best Cinematography: Two Funerals
Best Screenplay: Two Funerals

Best Supporting Actor: Tirso Cruz III, Sigwa
Best Supporting Actress: Carla Pambid, Donor
Best Actor: Baron Geisler, Donor
Best Actress: Meryl Soriano, Donor

Special Jury Prize: Two Funerals, directed by Gil Portes
Best Director: Gil Portes, Two Funerals
Best Film: Donor, directed by Mark Meily

AUDIENCE'S CHOICE AWARDS
Short Feature: P, directed by P. Rommel Tolentino
Full-length Feature, New Breed: Magkakapatid, directed by Kim Homer Garcia
Full-length Feature, Directors' Showcase: Two Funerals, Gil Portes

NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) SPECIAL AWARD
Sheika, directed by Arnel Mardoquio

[Video clips of acceptance speeches and musical performances to follow. Abangan!]

Cats extended for one week! Tickets on sale starting July 14

“Cats” is extended for one week! It's the final, final extension, with the show now closing on August 22, 2010.

TicketWorld will announce the extension on Sunday, July 18, 2010. Get the best seats on the extended performances now. Call the ticket hotline (+63-2) 8919999 or buy online at www.ticketworld.com.ph/Outlets

The additional performances are on:

August 17, Tuesday 8 p.m.
August 18, Wednesday 8 p.m.
August 20, Friday 8 p.m.
August 21, Saturday 3 p.m.
August 21, Saturday 8 p.m.
August 22, Sunday 2:30 p.m.
August 22, Sunday 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available starting Wednesday, July 14 at 10 a.m.

This was announced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises and Concertus, which is producing the musical in association with The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific.

This highly-anticipated musical, an international cast featuring Lea Salonga as Grizabella., will be staged at Cultural Center of the Philippines at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo starting July 24, 2010.

Head-scratchers

Calling the President P-Noy is already kinda stretching it, but V-Nay? Will somebody sane enough in Malacanang (meron ba?) please put a stop to this kavaduyan--este...?

Sndwch Cke daw. Why is it spelled that way? Galit ba ang manufacturer sa vowels? (Oh, there's E--maybe he was forced to put it there kasi Ck might be read naughtily.)

Ryan Cayabyab announces new HK Disneyland auditions for vocalists and dancers

Ryan Cayabyab recently announced that talent-casting representatives from Hong Kong Disneyland will be in Manila to conduct auditions for vocalists on July 17 and dancers on July 18.

Vocalist auditions will be held at The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab, while the dancer auditions will be held at the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet.

The Disney talent casting team is in search of professional performers at least 18 years old who possess both excellent musicianship and showmanship.

Vocalists will be asked to sing a short solo piece of his/her choice accompanied on the piano by a Disney music director. Qualified singers will be asked to sing additional songs and to learn a short choreography. Call time at the venue for all applicants is 10:30 a.m. on July 17.

Dancers will be taught a progressive routine by one of the theme park’s dance directors in a three-round audition. Artists are advised to audition in proper dance attire. Call time at the venue for all applicants is 10:00 a.m. on July 18.

Free online pre-registration and audition requirements can be accessed at www.themusicschoolofryancayabyab.weebly.com.

For more information, please call The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab at 6379840 and 914-5055. The audition management team can be reached at 0917-8340424 and auditionsmanila@gmail.com.

For other auditions, please visit www.hongkongdisneyland.com/careers.

Essay-writing contest on new breed of Filipino filmmakers

[Swiped from Poyt]

MOVFEST, an independent film outfit spearheaded by writer-filmmaker Khavn De La Cruz, is involved in PHILIPPINE NEW WAVE This Is Not A Film Movement, a compilation of intimate interviews and conversations of the definite movers and shakers among this generation's filmmakers.
















Edited by Khavn De La Cruz with Dodo Dayao & Mabie Alagbate
Introduction by Bienvenido Lumbera
Profiles by Chard Bolisay, Oggs Cruz, & Dodo Dayao
Published by Noel Ferrer, Instamatic Writings, & MovFest
Book Design & Layout by Gerard Lico

If you want an autographed copy of this book (by all directors!), just join their essay writing contest, answering one of these two questions:

1) Who is your favorite director from among those featured in the PNW book? Why?

2) What is your favorite digital film from among those done by the directors featured in the PNW book? Why?

Send your entry to mabie.alagbate@gmail.com.

Essays must have at least 1,000 words. Submit in a word file (Times New Roman 12, double-spaced) on or before August 1, 2010.

Autographed copies of the Philippine New Wave will be given to the writers of the top three entries. The top three winners of the contest will be taking home signed copies of the film book--by all participating directors.

P-Noi rocks the house

P-Noi, not P-Noy. Willie Nep, not Noynoy. But I dare you to tell the difference once you close your eyes and listen only to Willie's amazing mimicry of the President. He gets it right seamlessly--the voice, the cadence, the speech pattern, the folksy lines.

But even P-Noy, who is prone to speaking off-the-cuff and likes easy banter, wouldn't be caught dead mouthing the deadly blizzard of jokes that P-Noi dishes out. Example, talking about the Aquino sisters: “Lahat ho ng mga kapatid ko, possessive--'yan ho e family trait. E si Kris kung minsan, lumalampas pa. Di lang possessive--possessed!”

We roared in laughter at that--“we” being the Inquirer editorial people who, one night some two weeks before Noynoy's inauguration, enjoyed a fellowship evening with catered dinner and entertainment as the paper's way of thanking everyone for their contribution to the newsroom's extensive, and exhausting, election campaign coverage. We didn't know it then, but the big boss had an impish plan: announce that the President-elect would be the special guest (which made the gathered journalists salivate at the thought of exclusive scoops from the inevitable Q&A with Noynoy) and then spring P-Noi on them instead.

Goodbye scoops, hello har-de-har, as Willie Nep poked fun at everyone and everything, from Noynoy's receding hairline and smoking habit to Mar and Korina and VP-elect Jojo Binay (of whom he said, recalling how Binay was among the first to rush to Malacanang in fatigues to defend Cory Aquino during the 1987 coup--“Akala nga nila si G.I. Joe na laruan!”).

Lookie, I got part of the brilliant routine on video. Enjoy!

Late for the book launch

I was two hours tardy, so I missed much of the big event--the readings (Karla, I heard yours was a high point! Way to go!), the musical numbers, the remarks by Migs, McVie and E, the crowd that I heard was so thick at one point the venue became quite hot and people had to decamp to the cooler courtyard outside.

Most of all, I missed those who, as I understood from McVie's urgent text messages, were also looking for the editor of Migs' book--that's me. Sorry I wasn't able to meet you, guys. In lieu of my signature on the book (assuming you'd also ask me to sign it for you), just send a silent Miss Universe wave my way every time you open Migs' green opus and end up spending pleasurable hours reading it. If your eyes glide over the text with hardly a stumble over an awkward phrase, a convoluted sentence or a grammatical gaffe--if you don't notice at all, in fact, that you've consumed chapter after chapter without pause--then I shall take that to mean I've done my job well.

Happy reading! And congratulations not only to the three newly-minted book authors, but to Gibo and Dennis of Grey Matter Publishing as well, for putting it all together. (Great packaging for the limited-edition boxed set!)

More: McVie, on how he prepared for his moment on stage--by summoning his theater background!; CC, reflecting on the special occasion; and Migs, a day after, expressing belated acknowledgments. Indulge us for now, please. This is a biggie for us friends.

The books are available at www.mybookstore.ph. National Bookstore will have them in about a month. Bili na pow!

[All photos courtesy of Von Draye]

You're invited to a threesome

Er, a booksome threesome, just to be clear about it. (What, you thought I was being kinky? Moi?)

Grey Matter Publishing, a small independent publishing house, is launching three books on Saturday, 4-7 p.m., at TheRoom, G/F Unit 8802, Crowne 88 Condominium, Panay Avenue, QC. You're invited to the launch, which is officially called “Threesome: 3 Books to Break the Rules.”

Two of the books are by my co-Fabcasters: Mcvie's The Wetbook: Stories from the Bathhouse, and Migs' Dear Migs: Letters to Manila Gay Guy. The third title is by E, the anonymous blogger behind Chronicles of E, which is now in book form. I edited Migs' book, and talked about the process here.

From the program sent us by the organizers, I understand there'll be readings of excerpts from the books, plus brief remarks by the three authors and a musical performance by Cookie Chua. You may also have the books signed by the authors (and the editors, if you feel like it. Screenwriter Raymond Lee edited McVie's book, while Carl Lester Yap did the honors for E's).

While McVie is well-known to many bloggers and online readers, this will be the first time Migs and E will reveal themselves to people. Why now? Here's Migs explaining why he feels the time is right to attach a face to his online persona.

To celebrate the occasion, Migs, McVie, E and I recorded a brief podcast to talk about the books, and to reiterate our invitation to those interested to join us at the launch. Hear, hear:

Download this podcast (right click and save)

Starting today, the three books will be available for sale at http://www.mybookstore.ph. In addition, Migs' book is now on Amazon.com (charush pempengco!) and may also be pre-ordered here. At the launch on Saturday, the three titles will be sold at discounted prices--P450 for the three books in a limited-edition box set; they will also be sold individually. The books should reach the shelves of big bookstores in a couple of weeks' time, though at adjusted prices.

Lastly, para lahatin na ang good news: our Fabcasts are nearing the 100,000-mark in terms of downloads, mostly via iTunes. Ang zaya!

[Map to the launch venue here]

Marvin Ong launches debut pop album

And there's marvelous singing in it. Marvelous Marvin--maybe that's how this entry should be titled.

The only quibble I have with the album--12 tracks consisting of 10 covers and 2 originals, one by Marvin himself and the other a composition by HK Disneyland musical director Rony Fortich--is the overall tunog of the arrangements. The aural palette tends to sound the same across all tracks; perhaps Viva and the album producers were scrimping on the scoring costs?

The upside of the thin instrumentation is, Marvin's beautiful voice comes through on every single song. And it's apparent that he's much helped by his background in theater. His diction is crystal-clear. He's able to “act out” the song, though never too theatrically. No undisciplined belting here, only a pleasingly assured way with melody. And, at his age, he shows distinctive musicality. He's done the covers a big favor by retooling them, making them sound fresh again--familiar yet new at the same time.

In short, this is one young singer who won't sing plakado-style.

In fact, he seems more at home singing “old” songs--meaning, the radio hits that made their mark when he hadn't been born yet, from a time when melody and lyric mattered more than the beat. There's an intimate quality to his vocals that honors these songs well--such as the Carpenters' I Need to Be in Love (now an exquisite expression of youthful yearning), the 5th Dimension's Worst That Could Happen (which, in the '70s, was translated into Tagalog and became the Hajji Alejandro hit Panakip-Butas, or didn't you know?), even Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' reworked Hang On.

Marvin was signed by Viva after he played a winning Toby in Repertory Philippines' Sweeney Todd last year. That's winning in a literal sense--early this year he bagged the Philstage Gawad Buhay! trophy for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for that role. The album, and a crack at a career in mainstream music, seems a natural progression from that auspicious start.

If you've been hearing a mellifluous new version of Panaginip on the radio and wondering who the singer is--that's Marvin Ong. Here's a live version, sung during the launch of his album at The Roxy in Tomas Morato, QC, last Monday. Another track he performed was Chicago's Hard to Say I'm Sorry. The original synth-heavy mellow-rock sound has given way to a slower, dewier ballad version.





[The album is available in record bars and sells for P199.]

PLUS: Marvin sings the first bars of I Dreamed a Dream--“actually my first audition piece ever," he reveals. He was 10 years old at the time, auditioning for the role of Edmund in Trumpets' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He got the part. For his debut album, he wanted the song included but the producers nixed it. Now you can hear his lovely vocals revisit the Les Miz anthem a capella (at 3:27 in the vid below).

Exhibition and live auction of rare works by National Artist Victorio Edades at Rockwell

Edades Tower and Garden Villas, the latest luxury development of leading property developer Rockwell Land, and Salcedo Auctions, the first and only auction house in the Philippines specializing in fine art, decorative arts, jewelry and collectibles, present the exhibit-auction “Victorio C. Edades: Father of Modern Philippine Art.”

This landmark project marks the first time that so many original works by the National Artist have been gathered together for an exhibition and live auction. As Edadeses hardly come into the market, this presents discerning art collectors with the rare opportunity to acquire an oil on canvas painting or graphic work in charcoal or pen by the master.

Among the highlights of the exhibition to be held at the Edades Tower model unit at Power Plant Mall from 10-15 July 2010 are “Sunburst,” a dazzling 1971 work in oil that shows the full range of the artist’s painterly skill in the post-Impressionist style. Here, the figure of the sun dominates as it rises above a river scene, the rays of light applied in thick impasto suffusing the canvas.

A later landscape, “Davao Shoreline” (1975) shows the artist’s more fluid and gestural approach to representation as he depicts the environs of the city where he moved together with his American-born wife Jean in 1967, following his retirement from the University of Santo Tomas.

The many years that Edades spent at the university, where he served as Director of the College of Fine Arts and Architecture, is foregrounded by the lush painting of the UST Botanical Gardens, which also emphasizes the master’s deep interest in gardening and horticulture.

Edades spent most of his time at his garden in Davao, listening to Chopin as he painted and received friends. Among them were the American missionary Rev. Miles Seaborn and his wife, from whose collection “Badjao” (1975) is derived. Mrs. Seaborn took art lessons under Edades, and the painting the artist gifted to the couple features a personal dedication on the back, giving the work impeccable provenance.

The exhibition’s curator, noted gallerist Norma Crisologo-Liongoren, who is also the Modern Philippine Art Specialist of Salcedo Auctions, was another frequent visitor of the Edadeses during the two and a half years (1977-80) that she spent in Davao with her husband Fred, also a renowned visual artist.

Liongoren became one of the master’s closest confidantes, often exchanging letters with the man who she lovingly calls “Uncle Vic” to this day. On her return trips to Manila, she served as courier during the production of the seminal book on the artist published in 1978. She would later become a dealer of Edades’ graphic works, bearing witness to a number of the drawings featured in this exhibition in the artist’s Davao studio, among these the 1980 nude of a seated Japanese woman, and the back-to-back 1981 pen and ink nudes.

Following the preview, the works will be offered at a live auction to be conducted by Salcedo Auctions on Thursday, 15 July 2010, 6 p.m., at the Glass House across Power Plant Mall. A beautifully-illustrated printed catalogue as well as bidder registration forms will be available at the preview and auction venues.

For more information, please contact Feanne Mauricio (Salcedo Auctions) at 02- 9644996 or Greg Soledad (Rockwell Land) at 02-7930088.

Blog the Labfest 2010 edition: The winners

It's quite a task, poring through some 30 blog entries about the just-ended Virgin Labfest 6 and choosing the best, or at least the most compelling ones. I was looking for incisive ideas expressed with clarity, wit, felicitous phrasing--all three, if we're lucky. Most of the entries deserved to be read in their own right--well-argued and articulated, often with surprising, distinctive takeaways from the plays we all had seen. But I've got only five prizes, and my thankless job is to decide who should get them. (Whether the entries agreed with my own judgments of the plays or not wasn't a consideration.) Here they are, plus a bite of what they wrote. Do check out the rest of their winning entries.

First prize
Arvin Ello (Prize: Festival pass to the 2010 Cinemalaya Film Festival)

On Ondoy: Ang dulang “Ondoy” na sinulat ni Remi Karen Velasco ay may malinis na kuwento at suwabe ang daloy ng diyalogo... Nakatulong nang husto ang tunog ng ulan, kidlat, helicopter, pagbabalita sa radyo o TV upang iparamdam sa mga manonood ang tunay na sitwasyon ng nasalanta ng kalamidad. May lalim ang pag-unawa sa kuwento dahil makapal ang naging ugnayan ng dalawang persona upang mapag-usapan at mapagtalunan ang ilang problema. May lalim at bigat ang pagsasabuhay ng karakter nina (Jojit) Lorenzo at (Cai) Cortez sa dulang ito. Mahusay ang kemistri ng dalawa na siyang nagpatibay sa magandang daloy ng dula.

Second prize
Ipat Luna (Prize: Limited-edition Cory Aquino Swatch watch)

On Kung Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas: [It] reminded me of a Maxim Gorky Play mounted in the basement of a building under construction in UP in 1985 translated into Filipino as Kalatakan, but quite different because this is lighthearted without losing the grit and grime that one imagines to be on everything and on everyone who spends time on such a overpass. I walked out of the theater singing “If you like Piña Colada . . .” and wanting to congratulate Mayen Estañero for giving life and distinction to a role designated merely as “babae”.

Third prize
Rand Jester Poquiz (Prize: Loot bag of premium men's grooming essentials)

On Ang Huling Habilin ng Sirena: Nagsimula itong sumusubok na magpaka-enggrande at magpaka-surreal, mula sa mga kilos ng mga karakter, pagsayaw, pagsasalita, at sa di maipaliwanag na galaw... Pero nagtatago sa teksto ng isang baklang magsasaka na may kontrabidang salamangkero ang madilim na istorya ng monopolyo sa lupa... Naghanap ako ng climax sa loob ng apatnapu’t limang minuto. Naramdaman ko lang sa buong dula ang pagpupumiglas ng teksto sa pagpapanggap at pagsusubok ng suryalismo. Sige, ikaw na ang surreal, kasi lumalabas sa pridyider ang kontrabida at fog-machine ang usok ng niluluto mong tipak-tipak ng ahas. Set D. Dismaya.

Fourth prize
Journey of Eros (Prize: Gift set from global hair-care brand Schwarzkopf)

On Higit Pa Dito: Maituturing na 'departure from old tradition' ang script ni Allan Lopez. Dati kasi, ang mga dula niya'y hindi pangkaraniwan at may pagka-experimental na nagreresulta madalas sa negatibong pagtanggap ng manonood. May pagka-literary, intelektuwal at hindi mainstream ang istorya ng HIGIT PA DITO pero pamilyar. Melancholic. Pamilyar rin ang mga karakter lalo na ang ina--quirky at suicidal na para bang nagmula sa nobela ni Haruki Murakami. Ang pamilyaridad na ito ay nakatulong nang malaki para epektibong kumonekta sa manonood ang emosyon ng dalawang tauhan. Sa palitan nila ng dialogue, sa pagitan ng katahimikan, mararamdaman mo ang bigat ng kanilang dinadala. Kung emosyonal ka, hindi na nakapagtatakang maantig ka't maluluha.

Fifth prize
Eon/Daredevilry (Prize: Notebook set from Filipinas Heritage Library, plus a CD of Highlights from Cats)

On Balunbalunan, Bingi-bingihan: Bembol Roco as Gilbeys the pimp and Paul Jake Paule as Whiskey the bedspacer wore their feelings on their faces well... The play was perfect—the set design, the dialogue, the thespians’ movements and blocking, the clothes, the acting — everything was precise. I would pay two hundred and fifty for this play alone. With Missy Maramara as Brandy the whore, I would readily pay more. Everything about her—the clothes, the movements, the sexual dynamics between her and her husband/pimp, the hesitancy with the bedspacer—turned her completely into the character she was playing. She was delicious on stage.

To repeat my closing spiel from last year's contest: Thank you to everyone who joined in whatever way--by sending entries, donating prizes, spreading the word, leaving comments, or by plain keeping this blog company with your (much-appreciated) lurking. Maraming, maraming salamat. Sa uulitin!