Remember, remember, remember

PLUS: ok sige fine, ilibing na si marcos sa libingan ng mga bayani, basta isasama si imelda--ng buhay. sampu ng kanilang mga alagad/alipores. Yes, as my tweets amply prove, I have Marcos Derangement Syndrome. The question is--why don't you?

• Bongbong: Marcos would have turned PHL into ‘another Singapore’ -- nyahaha, PHL was way ahead of singapore before marcos-martial law, twerp.

• eto pa: d spirit of EDSA 1 is unity? http://bit.ly/gBqaXl -- HINDI PO. why be united w/ those who've not apologized for ruining the country?

• Aquino asks Binay to decide on Marcos burial issue http://bit.ly/hLCAHp -- e ano kung me 'bias' ka? u're supposd 2 stand for sumthng! wt BS.

• gadaffi's bizarre speech reminded me of marcos' unhinged last appearance on a malacanang balcony. bongbong, are you watching? you should.

• misguided economy, corruption, crony capitalism, widespread poverty--the economic decline that led to Marcos’ fall http://bit.ly/e0BC3k

• Bongbong: Marcos would have turned PHL into ‘another Singapore’ http://bit.ly/fO8shH -- di lang pala makapal ang mukha nito, hibang pa.

• dear Bongbong: pasalamat ka na lang nakidnap kamo kayo during d edsa revolt. mas gusto mo ba magutay-gutay ng taumbayan? tama na ang hirit.

• Marcos should be buried in heroes' cemetery too, says Bongbong http://bit.ly/eL4Z0N -- pls don't test our patience; u're tolerated enough.

• why is P-noy hands off on the marcos-libingan ng mga bayani issue? he's the son of ninoy-cory. he was elected as torchbearer of that legacy!

• even haiti's duvalier has apologized to his countrymen. the marcoses? never. tapos pinag-dedebatehan ngayon to bury him on heroes' ground?

• ok sige fine, ilibing na si marcos sa libingan ng mga bayani, basta isasama si imelda--ng buhay. sampu ng kanilang mga alagad/alipores.

• sige, ilibing na si marcos sa libingan ng mga bayani, so we have the perfect excuse to give up altogether on this crazy country.

PLUS PLUS: Aquino asks Binay to decide on Marcos burial issue http://bit.ly/hLCAHp -- e ano kung me 'bias' ka? u're supposd 2 stand for sumthng! wt BS. Below, excerpts from a friendly but frank back-and-forth between me and a lawyer-cousin on Facebook.

RAM: Cuz, I understand where PNoy's coming from. If he decides for Marcos' burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani people will say he's ruled against what's morally right, if on the other hand he decides against it, people will say he's ruling against what's legally right. I'd never want to have that kind of dilemma. I don't wanna ask too much from him. :)

GC: sorry, CUZ--this is not just about some law covering ex-presidents. this is about THE ex-president who happened to have placed the country pretty much in the shitty place where it is now. the colossal incongruity of placing him on heroes' ground is not a mere question of legality. looking at it that way is being blind to the lessons of history.

RAM: Don't get me wrong cuz ha, I don't want Marcos to be dubbed a hero as well. He's far from being one! But the thing is the rules say that he can be buried there being an ex-president. If this thing goes to Court, the Court won't have a choice... but to follow the rules. We can't decide on mere emotions. The EDSA People Power was a revolution against anarchy, we cannot use anarchy now in retaliation. Marcos placed the law in his own hands, we shouldn't do the same thing. I'd say amend the rules or change the cemetery's name. Let's show the Marcoses that we are much more civilized people than they are. ;)

GC: CUZ, the rule does not say all presidents SHOULD BE buried in the libingan, otherwise, cory aquino would've been there, and his family would've had no other recourse but to bury her there. she opted not to... as for showing the marcoses that we're not like them--here's the best way to do it: prove to them that crime does not pay. that pillaging the nation's coffers will not get you a privileged place on heroes' ground. that running the country to the ground deserves only scorn, condemnation and eternal remembering. insisting on merely the letter of the law, and not its spirit, is precisely to subvert what it was meant to honor in the first place. edsa was not a revolt against anarchy--there was no anarchy in marcos' time, everything was iron-clad, with him holding the iron club and iron keys. to protest now against this planned desecration of honorable ground and the wholesale scrubbing of history is not being sentimental--what is being sentimental is suddenly forgetting everything marcos and his family did because 1) he's dead; 2) it's been 25 years; 3) there's a law that basically appears to cover his ass. to agree to the marcoses' wishes in this respect is to be complicit, approving and forgiving of their wrongdoing, none of which they have even owned up to and apologized for. that is not showing them we're much better. that is, in fact, joining them and becoming one of them. that law was created for something much higher than the marcoses' personal wishes; to use it now in its narrowest, most myopic sense can only trivialize what this country has been through, and diminish us more than ever.

Atlantis Productions' Next to Normal--the presscon

No musical numbers, no structured program, no speeches--just informal, round-robin face-to-face chats with cast members over lunch. That's usually how Atlantis Productions conducts presscons for its shows, and the one yesterday for its upcoming run of Next to Normal (opens March 11 at the RCBC Theater) was no different. Except, when the cast--all of six, namely (from left, photo above) Markki Stroem, Bea Garcia, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Jett Pangan, Felix Rivera and Jake Macapagal--gathered for the obligatory photo-op, they were coaxed to sing a few lines from the musical. And they did--off the cuff, but already sounding good. (Isn't Jett Pangan's voice one of the wonders of our age?) I had to scramble for my Flip video camera and missed Felix's first few lines, but here's the rest of that unexpected teaser:



Atlantis Productions opens its 2011 season with the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical “Next to Normal.”

Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book/lyrics) penned the emotional work that puts a woman's lifelong struggle with bi-polar disorder and depression center stage. The two earned the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Kitt and Yorkey reflected on their work in an interview with Playbill.com following their Pulitzer Prize win.

“Without 'Rent' and Stephen Sondheim, there is no 'Next to Normal,'” Kitt said. “I think that we've always been moved and inspired to write material that maybe says something a little different through musical theater. I think at the very beginning, when we set out to write this, we just wanted to write something that mattered to us, something that felt maybe that it hadn't been explored in musical theate4 before. But never could we have imagined in our wildest dreams that we'd be here.”

Starring in “Next to Normal” is one of Philippine musical theater’s most accomplished actresses, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Diana, along with rock star/ theater actor Jett Pangan as Dan. They take on two of the most demanding roles written for the musical stage, originated on Broadway by Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley and J. Robert Spencer.

Joining them are Felix Rivera, Bea Garcia, Jake Macapagal, and “Pilipinas Got Talent finalist Markki Stroem.”

Menchu will also be releasing a CD-Lite consisting of seven musical theater songs from shows she has performed in in the past. The CD, which will feature two songs from “Next to Normal,” is produced by Atlantis Productions and released by Sony Music. It will initially be available at the theater lobby during performances.

Bobby Garcia, fresh from his critically acclaimed staging of “A Little Night Music” in Manila and Singapore, directs the Manila production of “Next to Normal,” which is the first licensed English-language production outside the United States. G

Garcia says, “I am thrilled that Atlantis is opening 2011 with a show as ground-breaking and as demanding as “Next to Normal.” It is one of the most unlikely hit musicals to have ever opened on a Broadway stage, and I am thrilled that we will get to create our own unique family for this production. When I saw “Next to Normal” off-Broadway two years ago and on Broadway last year, I was once again excited for the future of musical theater.”

The show's lighting design by Shoko Matsumoto, choreography by Chari Arespacochaga, costume design by Twinkle Zamora, music direction by Ceejay Javier and vocal coaching by ManMan Angsico.

“Next to Normal” runs March 11-27, 2011 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. For tickets, call Atlantis Productions 8927078 or 8401187, or Ticketworld 8919999.

Jose Llana--from quivering auditionee to soaring Lun Tha

Playbill.com describes it as “a good crash-and-burn story of an audition gone horribly wrong,” but with a happy conclusion.

Broadway hopeful Jose Llana, then an 18-year-old Voice student at the Manhattan School of Music, lines up to audition for the 1996 Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I. When the next guy is called and nobody steps forward, Llana raises his hand and auditions as the (absent) guy. He sings I Have Dreamed and apparently impresses the one-man panel, who begins scrutinizing the CV in front of him more carefully...

How the young Fil-Am actor gets out of the fix and lands the part of Lun Tha, the Burmese scholar-emissary whose forbidden love for the Siamese king's young concubine, Tuptim, occasions two of Broadway's most ravishing melodies (We Kiss in a Shadow and I Have Dreamed) is revisited in the video below. Watch until the end--what Llana unleashes after the chitchat (with writer-actor-Broadway authority Seth Rudetsky) is gorgeous.



More Filipino connections in that King and I revival: The King was played by another Fil-Am actor, Lou Diamond Phillips, who was praised for the not inconsiderable feat of ushering the part out of Yul Brynner's formidable shadow. (Donna Murphy played Anna Leonowens, the English governess hired to educate the Siamese king's children.) A third Fil-Am was in the ensemble: Paolo Montalban, who understudied Llana's Lun Tha, and in a few years would also break through as Prince Charming to Brandy's Cinderella in the TV musical production produced and topbilled by Whitney Houston, who played the Fairy Godmother.

When Phillips visited Manila in 2003, along with Tia Carrere, Inquirer Lifestyle sat them down to a Playtime session and I got to ask Phillips about The King and I and his two Fil-Am co-actors. He remembered Llana as a particularly nervous, sweaty newbie, and Montalban as the chatty guy. Phillips would earn a nomination as Best Actor in a Musical in the 1996 Tony Awards, while the show itself won Best Musical Revival and Best Musical Actress (Donna Murphy), as well as trophies for scenery, costumes and lighting.

When the revival began a London run in 2001, Elaine Paige played Anna, Jason Scott Lee was the King and, this time, Tuptim was played by another Filipino: Aura Deva, a Miss Saigon alumna. Worth noting: Lea Salonga herself had her debut on stage as one of the royal children in Repertory Philippines' 1977 production of this musical! And in 1992, she'd sing Tuptim herself, in a studio cast recording that had Julie Andrews as Anna, Ben Kingsley as the King and Peabo Bryson as Lun Tha.

Back to LLana: While critical of the show as a whole, the NYTimes theater critic Vincent Canby only had praise for the Fil-Am actor and his Tuptim, the Korean-American soprano Joohee Choi--“Both singers have beautifully trained voices, well suited to the demands of what should be their heartbreaking duets,” he wrote.

Wondering how they sound together? Wonder no more. Here, from the 1996 original cast recording of The King and I:

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Weekend theater roundup

Closing tomorrow, Sunday

‘Joy Luck Club’ at Onstage, Greenbelt 1

Repertory Philippines’ “The Joy Luck Club,” directed by Anton Juan based on the Amy Tan novel; closing performance tomorrow, Feb. 20, 3:30 p.m., at Onstage Theater, 2/F, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati. Stars Ana Abad Santos, Pinky Marquez, Cris Villonco, Jenny Jamora, Jay Glorioso, Frances-Makil Ignacio. Call 5716926 and 5714941, e-mail info@repertory-philippines.com; or call Ticketworld 8919999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.

‘Cyrano: Isang Sarsuwela’ at GSIS Theater

Edmond Rostand's “Cyrano de Bergerac” adapted into a “rock-sarsuwela” by Pat Valera and transposed to 1940s Manila, for Dulaang ROC and Talinhaga theater group; original music by William Manzano, musical arrangements by the Happy Days Ahead band. Closing performances tomorrow, 3-8 p.m., at GSIS Theater, GSIS Bldg. Pasay City. Call 0906-5777921.

Ongoing

‘Orosman at Zafira’ at MOA CenterStage

Francisco Balagtas’ “Orosman at Zafira,” directed by Dexter Santos for Dulaang UP, starring Maita Ponce, Jay Gonzaga, Delphine Buencamino, Jean-Judith Javier, Red Concepcion; ongoing until February 26 at the SM Mall of Asia CenterStage. Call 0917-8327946 (Darwin Mariano), 0917-8322756/0917-8427346/0922-8427346 (Carlo Francia) or e-mail darwin.mariano@gmail.com or cmaafrancia@gmail.com.

‘ZsaZsa Zaturnnah’ musical at CCP

Tanghalang Pilipino’s “ZsaZsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal... Vack With A Vengeance!,” starring Eula Valdez, Pinky Amador and Gabe Mercado, directed by Chris Millado; ongoing until March 13 at CCP Little Theater. Call 8323704, 8323661, 8321125 local 1620/1621 or 8919999.

‘Amphitryon’ at Guerrero Theater, UP Diliman

Dulaang UP’s “Amphitryon,” directed by Jose Estrella, ongoing until March 6 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2/F, Palma Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Starring Neil Ryan Sese, Paolo O'Hara, Diana Malahay, Wenah Nagales, George de Jesus, Lex Marcos. Call 0917-7500107, 9261349, 9818500 local 2449 or 4337840.

‘Care Divas’ at PETA Theater Center

PETA’s “Care Divas,” directed by Maribel Legarda, with music and lyrics by Vince De Jesus, script by Liza Magtoto. Stars Melvin Lee, Ricci Chan, Vince de Jesus, Myke Salomon; Ongoing at the PETA Theater Center until March 13. Call 7256244, 4100821 or 0917-5644233, e-mail petatheater@gmail.com.

‘Rent’ at RCBC Theater

The 9 Works Theatrical rerun of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent,” ongoing until March 6 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Corner Sen. Gil Puyat Avenues, Makati City; starring Gian Magdangal, Sheree, Ciara Sotto, OJ Mariano, Fredison Lo; directed by Robbie Guevara. Call 5575860, 5867105, 0917-5545560 or 8919999, or visit www.9workstheatrical.com.

Nicolas Pichay to conduct 3-N-1/10-10-10 writing workshop for stage, TV, film

NICOLAS B. PICHAY, writer, lawyer, recipient of the Palanca Hall of Fame for having won at least five First Prizes in the yearly literary contest, and newly-arrived from New York where he spent six months on a Theater Grant provided by the Asian Cultural Council, announces the “3-n-1/ 10-10-10: Writing-on-Site Workshop for Stage, TV and Film.”

He is inviting 10 writers to take an exciting writing journey with him for 10 consecutive Saturdays, learning, re-discovering, re-enforcing and discussing dramatic writing for stage, TV and film.

The registration fee is--you guessed it--P10,000.

Unlike other technical writing workshops that are heavy on theoreticals, “3-N-1/ 10-10-10” is process- and technique-oriented. The syllabus is designed to tap into the creative aspect of the writer’s subconscious as well as to develop the formal skills needed to improve one’s command of the dramatic narrative structure. The workshop is designed to impart core skills to effectively write and pitch scripts for stage, TV or film.

Each participant will be challenged to write a scene at every meeting with the expectation that he or she will complete a dramatic work at the end of the workshop. The workshop will also give out practical advice on how a script can be produced.

Tentative workshop dates and time are the 10 Saturdays from April 30 to July 2, 2011; 2-6 p.m. Venue of the workshop will be at the Origin8 offices along Araullo Street, San Juan, Metro Manila.

This workshop has limited available slots. Interested parties are requested to immediately submit a letter of intent to marcelohdelpilar@yahoo.com (Re: 3-N-1/ 10-10-10). Only for purposes of diagnostics, each participant is encouraged to submit with the letter a soft copy of a previously written stage, TV or film script (not necessarily produced).

For inquiries, call 7824454.

PLUS: A harvest of Pichay--slambook-style. Money quote: “I'm a lawyer by orientation and a playwright by imperative.”

The 39 Steps, stage adaptation of a Hitchcock classic, next up from Rep

“The 39 Steps,” a comic theatrical adaptation by Patrick Barlow of the 1915 World War I espionage novel by Scottish author John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock, is the second offering of Repertory Philippines for its 2011 season.

The show runs March 4-20 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

Directed by Ana Abad Santos, “The 39 Steps” features a quartet of ace actors: Michael Williams, Lisa Infante (back on the Philippine stage after having lived in London for 10 years), Rem Zamora and Juliene Mendoza. They play over 140 characters in an inventive and gripping comedy thriller done at breakneck speed, requiring great dexterity and versatility from its performers.

The 2008 Roundabout Broadway production of “The 39 Steps” won the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Lighting Design. It also won two Tony Awards for Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design and was also nominated for four other categories--Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Costume Design of a Play. The London production won an Olivier Award in 2007 for Best Comedy Play.

The artistic and creative team of “The 39 Steps” includes Baby Barredo (artistic director), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (associate artistic director), Ana Abad Santos (director), Trineth Villasis (assistant director), John Batalla (lighting designer), Denis Lagdameo (set designer), Jethro Joaquin (sound designer), Raven Ong (costume designer), Denis Lagdameo and Gianina Ocampo (puppet animation).

Show dates are March 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays, 3:30 p.m. All performances are at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City .

For tickets, inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines 5716926 and 5714941 or email info@repertory.ph. Tickets also available at Ticketworld 8919999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, add “Rep Phils” in Facebook.

Mi Ultimo Adios, now and then

Now: The recent CCP Pasinaya 2011 promised that, for its finale, a “1,000-voice choir that includes the Madrigal Singeres will be accompanied by the UST Symphony Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Rizal’s poem 'Mi Ultimo Adios' (My Last Farewell),” with music and choral arrangement by Ryan Cayabyab.

From where I sat, which was at the stratospheric second balcony of the CCP Main Theater (it was a full house--every seat was taken!), the gathered big choir onstage didn't look like it numbered a thousand members. But the sound it produced was still a mighty blast--Mi Ultimo Adios not as a sad farewell, but appropriately as a martyr's ringing call for his countrymen to rise to the full measure of his supreme sacrifice.

My only quibble: I'm familiar with the poem in its original Spanish, but even I couldn't make out what the choir was singing. I see this often enough in trained voices--gorgeous sound at the expense of clear enunciation. Here--watch. What do you think?



Then: I studied Spanish for three years in high school, and didn't learn a thing. Nada. Our minor seminary curriculum had all the DECS-mandated subjects, along with Latin and Spanish. Latin I took a liking to because, at its most basic, it helped me understand the origin and meaning of many words in the English language. And for a young boy already in thrall with writing, that supposedly dead language was like a key to new ways of thinking and expressing ideas.

Spanish? It was a bore. Even if it was an offshoot of Latin, I never got the hang of it. I would retain enough of the daily lessons for the recitation the next class, and then the mind was back to zero. Perhaps it was because we never had the environment to help the language take deeper root; we never used it outside of the classroom, and inside the attempts were often of the halting, hilariously pidgin kind.

In our junior year, our Spanish class teacher, Msgr. Palces, told us to memorize Mi Ultimo Adios--all 14 stanzas of it. We'd have to recite it individually in front of him as part of our final exams. Mamo Palces, as we called him, was then in his 60's, a small, gnome-like man with spectacles the thickness of magnifying glass, which somehow italicized both his brilliant mind and ornery disposition. He was known to fall asleep--or at least appear to--during mass or even in the middle of class, when one of us couldn't get his conjugations right.

Come finals day, we had to go to his room, sit in front of his big, glass-topped narra table, and recite Rizal's poem. As it happened, by the third stanza, Mamo Palces was already in dreamland. One by one, as soon as he shut his eyes, we would open our notes, placed strategically on our lap so he wouldn't see them from his end, and recite the poem off the page--of course, with a pause here and a stammer there to make it sound as if we were retrieving the lines from memory.

We passed the exams. In truth, I had managed to memorize the poem's first six stanzas, but, since everyone had been inducted into the charade, I took part in it as well, gleefully. Mamo Palces went to sleep for good a few years ago--a much-loved priest in our small diocese; I'm guessing he never found out how we aced his Spanish class. Decades later and I regret not having taken the subject seriously. What a thrill it would be to converse in the language spoken by Cervantes, Picasso, Neruda, Garcia Lorca, Almodovar--by Rizal himself, and by nearly a third of humanity today.

Don't ask me now to recite Mi Ultimo Adios--only the first few lines squiggle in my head. But, where before they were only a vexation, now they are, vividly and irreplaceably, a wellspring of happy memories: Adios, Patria adorada/ region del sol querida/ Perla del Mar de Oriente/ nuestro perdido Eden...

PLUS: The combined choirs sang another number after Mi Ultimo Adios, with young actor Cheeno Macaraig doing the solo part. Conducting the PPO-UST orchestras was Hermie Ranera. The finale program was directed by Tanghalang Pilipino Actors' Company member Riki Benedicto. Watch until the end for the crowd's effusive response to the close of CCP's whole-day patikim activity.

3rd International Rondalla Festival this February, in Tagum, Davao del Norte

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts, through the Musicological Society of the Philippines and the City of Tagum Tourism Council, in cooperation with the City government of Tagum and the UP College of Music, stages the Third International Rondalla Festival from February 12 to 19, 2011 at Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

Billed as “Cuerdas ng Pagkakaysa (Strings of Unity),” the week-long event gathers over 500 artists from some of the best rondalla and plucked string groups in the Philippines and other countries such as Russia, China, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Iran, India, Indonesia and Taiwan.

It features concerts, an exhibition, outreach performances, international conference, seminars, workshops and other special related activities. Likewise, the festival features indigenous groups from Mindanao participating in every concert, as well as performances in other municipalities in and outside the province of Davao del Norte as well as in Metro Manila .

The 3rd International Rondalla Festival will also be mounted in Manila (for the first time) on Feb. 21-24, 2011 in partnership with UP Diliman. A performance will be held on Feb. 22 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater.

The Third International Rondalla Festival “has drawn the participation of more foreign and local participants than in the past rondalla festivals in 2004 and 2007,” according to Dr. Ramon Santos, project director of Cuerdas. He mentioned that the conference component of the festival features more foreign plucked string experts such as those from Germany, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Brazil, and that the UNESCO International Music Council is present to witness the festival.

Dr. Santos also said the festival organizers hope to present through the festival the other face of Mindanao, a venue of beauty and peace, a fitting stage for an international music festival.

For more details about “Cuerdas ng Pagkakaysa (Strings of Unity),” please call (02) 9260028; 0920-9266387; email cuerdasphil@yahoo.com, or visit www.cuerdasfestival.com.

[Photo: Tagum City National Comprehensive High School Rondalla]

Give us a frackin' break, Father

“I mourn his passing because he was a bright man, a true soldier and a faithful public servant... As for the ersatz whistle-blower who was budget officer or something in the Armed Forces and made the pabaon claims, he can sniffle and sound sorry all he likes, mourning, he claims, General Angie’s death, to score yet more points with a gullible audience. He has only my scorn and spite.” -- Catholic priest Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, on Gen. Angelo Reyes

Scorn and spite? You know, Father, the words of kindness would have been enough. Your paying tribute to the good qualities of Gen. Reyes would have sufficed. You are his friend--nobody would begrudge you your desire to highlight the better angels of his nature, and thereby remember him in the most positive light.

But you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? You couldn't trust your simple words of charity to do their work. You also had to play judge, attempting to exonerate Gen. Reyes of the charges leveled against him not by an appeal to facts or hard evidence, but by assaulting the character of the person whose testimony led to your friend's sorry circumstances.

You are a Catholic priest. Your loyalty, I would reckon, has to be to something higher than friendship--the truth, for instance. Instead of lashing out against Lt. Col. Rabusa, might it not have been more helpful if you had called for a speedy resolution of the questions raised against Gen. Reyes? If you believed your friend was innocent, surely you would want the truth to come out, too, once and for all.

Why didn't you call for the investigation to continue--not only to persevere in uncovering more of the anomalies that have come to light, but, more importantly, to be fair, thorough and unrelenting in its work? Because, if Gen. Reyes were indeed the object of unjust accusations, only the truth would cleanse him of that taint.

Where was the call for the truth? Where was the call for the guilty to be punished--not in Gen. Reyes' death, which, it must be said, was his choice alone, but in the system and environment whose all-consuming corruption had led him to this tragic pass?

By your words, you would like the public to believe that Gen. Reyes couldn't have been capable of the transgressions attributed to him. You paint him in broad strokes--“a bright man, a true soldier and a faithful public servant.”. He might well have been all of that, and God bless him. But you'd honor your friend more if you were to acknowledge that he was also more complex, more human, than how you would allow yourself, and the nation, to remember him.

Here, for instance, were among the last words Gen. Reyes wrote, reportedly for an upcoming interview before his death:

“I did not invent corruption. I walked into it. Perhaps my first fault was in having accepted aspects of it as a fact of life... Tinyente pa ako, ganyan na ang sistema (i.e., 'conversion' system, etc.)... I can perhaps be faulted for presuming regularity in a grossly imperfect system."

Even Gen. Reyes was forthright enough to admit he wasn't lily-white. That he was, indeed, privy to the long-term rot of the institution he would devote his life to. He could accept that, if there was anything that could be flung at him, it was that he accepted the way things were, and didn't do much to change them. At the minimum, by helping perpetuate iniquity with his indifference or inaction, he was, in the Catholic Church's formulation, guilty of the sin of omission. Not as grave perhaps, as the active, conscious commission of wrongdoing, but still a big enough sin. Right, Father Aquino?

In fact, if I remember my catechism right, omission could, in cases, be the greater sin. Because, by such acquiescence, by such timid acceptance of wrongdoing, one only enables crookedness to thrive and do greater harm. If Angelo Reyes had had the boldness to stand up to the widespread misconduct in the organization he said he loved with all his being, had he openly damned the system for the grievous compromises it imposed on the character and consciences of the people working in it--had he said “Enough is enough!,” and then used all the power and influence of his lofty office to make sure change did happen--would we even need to be reminded now that he was, indeed, “a bright man, a true soldier and a faithful public servant?”

I would think, Father, that the best way to respect the memory of Gen. Reyes is to make sure his legacy is a more honest, more upright, more professional Armed Forces of the Philippines. He himself would have no quarrel with that, correct? And that means, at the very least, supporting any attempt to shine a light on the organization, to remind it forcefully of its moral and legal obligations to the nation--to search for the truth in all the lies, wherever it may lead and whoever it might implicate.

In place of all of that, however, you dismiss Gen. Reyes' accuser as an “ersatz whistle-blower” (you must have felt very clever using that word--ersatz). He was merely a “budget officer or something.” You mock him for his sniffles--an attempt, you say, “to score yet more points with a gullible audience.”

Father Aquino, I am part of the audience that's been paying close attention to this controversy. You insult me, and I believe the rest of the nation, when you call us gullible. We are not gullible. We may not know all the facts at this point (who does--except the stonewalling generals themselves?), but we can pretty much think for ourselves. We're not even guessing--the pitiless glare of TV cameras does the work for us.

If you have been watching the proceedings, as most of us have been, and you are of sound faculties, you would know by now who are probably telling the truth and who, through their weaselly words and sheepish dispositions, are shamelessly spinning lies; which testimony is more plausible, and which one deserves ridicule.

Unlike you, we're invested in more than loyalty to certain people here. Quite simply, we would like to know the truth. We are sick and tired of the unending corruption in high places, and we want to know how our money is spent. Yes, in case it has escaped your mind--the millions of pesos of misappropriated funds they're talking about? That is OUR money. Those are from the taxes that people like me pay month in and month out, without question--only to be misused, it is apparent now, in shopping trips by generals' wives for houses and properties in the US, and hefty pabaon to retiring generals.

I repeat: That is our money. That is the people's money. And to treat them in this fashion--as the personal petty cash of people who otherwise insist on honor and integrity as the very threads of their spiffy, bemedalled uniforms--is plain stealing. Now why should we not find that outrageous and enraging? Why presume, Father, that the enormous public interest in these proceedings could only be explained by the fact that people are “gullible,” unthinking?

You are a priest. You are supposed to know better. Or maybe that's where we've been gullible enough--believing that somebody like you is capable of fidelity to something higher--wisdom, in a word. Scorn and spite? Frankly, your words are a disgrace to you, your cassock and your calling.

Given the uncharitable, intemperate nature of your remarks, I'll offer my own. You and your ilk don't EVER pay taxes. Maybe that's why you can't even feign interest in this matter. A request then: on occasions like this when the country has a rare opportunity to rid itself of so-called public servants who rob us blind of our hard-earned money, do spare us the misguided, pompous bloviation and just shut up. You never share in the pot, anyway.

Azkals in da house!

What an outrage. I wasn't around when they dropped by the office a few days ago! Whywhywhy wasn't I informed they were coming? This was late afternoon, I'd have abandoned the pretense at the gym and gone to meet real jocks. Explain, underlings, in essay form, 5,000 characters without ever using “I!” Choz.

That's the Azkals team making bulabog the Inquirer office--the first photo with Inquirer president Sandy Prieto, the second with future stalkers, er, I mean fans. Full disclosure: I know zip about the game, have never seen the team play in full (even on TV--only snatches from the office monitors), and am not interested in meeting anyone of them since we'd have nothing to talk about and they'd probably find me a dummy. (Homoygowd, who's the hottie in red shirt, extreme left!? Hello, I lurv footbaaawll!)

P.S. Jacques, if you're reading this--Woot! to your team manager brother Dan!

Invitation to a different Valentine

From Migs: Couples or friendly friends who want to have “A Different Valentine” now have an intimate and safe place to celebrate V-Day away from the prying eyes of the straight world. Do you want to have a date away from the center of metro’s traffic during Valentine’s evening? Do you want to have a place where you feel safe and among kindred souls? Where food is good, music is just right, and the ambiance cheerful and gay?

You are invited to Happynings, the house of renowned production designer and hobbyist chef Bobot Lota, which will be welcoming gay and lesbian couples, friendly gay friends, and dates on Valentine’s evening, Monday, February 14, 2011. Bobot’s old but lovely house will be converted into a quaint little restaurant especially to cater to us, gay and lesbian couples and friends, on that day only. Dinner is at Php 500 per head. Limited seats available thus reservation is required. If interested, please email me at manilagayguy@gmail.com, or send me a message on Facebook.

PLUS: Two fondly remembered Valentine blog entries--And now for something really personal and Red-letter dinner.

Anton Juan's Screen: Macbeth for UP School of Drama to merge live performance and film

The UP School of Drama and Comparative Literature, in celebration of its centennial year, collaborate with Dr. Anton Juan's World Theater Project to stage Dr. Judy Celine Ick's dramaturgy of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” on Feb. 28-March 6 at the Media Center, Broadcast Communication Building, UP Diliman.

Now called “Screen: Macbeth,” with concept and direction by the internationally renowned Juan Jr. (on sabbatical from University of Notre Dame du Lac), the play merges live performance with film--the real world being the characters moving on the real plane, and the supernatural and the liminal realms seen onscreen.

The ensemble of witches is treated like a diverse chorus of people of everyday life, establishing the panorama against which existing social corruption and political intrigue fester. The production seeks to articulate the conflict between corruption and conscience, between the dark spaces of abjection and the will triggered by desire and greed.

The play features sterling actors Teroy Guzman, Judy Ick, Ricky Abad, Chiqui Burgos, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Romnick Sarmenta, Earl Ignacio, Ron Capinding, Jaime Wilson, Ian Lomongo, William Manzano and Mary Jane Alejo. The witches will be played by surprise guest actors, all of them former actors and students of mentor-director Juan and who now are actors in the theater, television and film worlds both here and abroad.

“Screen: Macbeth” has dramaturgy by Judy Ick, assistant direction by Pat Valera and Katte Sabate, sound design by Jethro Joaquin, set design by Ohm David, technical direction and lights design by Meliton Roxas, costume design by Lhenvil Paneda and weapon design by Paul Gaerlan.

Performances are Feb. 28-March 4, 7 p.m., and March 5-6, 3 p.m./7 p.m., at the Media Center, Broadcast Communication Building, College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

For inquiries, call Katte Sabate at 0927-7491842, e-mail kattesabate@gmail.com or call the DECL office 9263496.

PLUS:
1. From the costumes shown so far in the promo materials, I'm guessing Screen: Macbeth will lean considerably on Throne of Blood, Akira Kurosawa's transposition of the play to medieval-era Japan, for its references/juxtapositions. Though it doesn't use the language, it's certainly one of the best Shakespearean film adaptations out there, brilliantly streamlined and featuring a chilling performance by the Japanese actress Isuzu Yamada in the Lady Macbeth role. The celebrated “death by arrows” scene is not on YouTube, so here, instead, is the trailer of the movie:



2. And since Screen: Macbeth is making a big to-do about its witches, here, too, is the unforgettable opening scene of Roman Polanski's 1971 Macbeth, featuring the classic three hags (Throne of Blood only had one). In barely five minutes, what they do onscreen sets the bleak, mordant, frankly sexual texture of the rest of the film. Or as a commenter on YouTube put it succinctly: F*ck Twilight and all that shit, this is REAL filmmaking! They don't make them the way they used to.

Podcast: The Fabcasters’ Favorite Fab Blogs of 2010

My own choices included Jessica Zafra, Cecile Zamora aka Chuvaness, The Professional Heckler and Misterhubs (though he doesn't blog anymore, not at his old URL, anyway--so consider this a shoutout that we miss your writing, Misterhubs!). But while the rest I've not managed to follow from post to post, I'm familiar enough with most of them to say they, too, have my thumbs-up.

Por que? Wala lang--I'll let Migs explain: In January 2011, the Fabcasters put together a list of 15 blogs they call their favorites--not top, not necessarily the best, just those they love reading. We invite you to read them too because we think they are super duper fabulous like you and me!

The complete list and two-part podcast below. Join na the huntahan-hagikhikan galore!

1. Back in the Closet (http://backinthecloset.blogspot.com)
2. Baklang Maton (http://baklangmaton.blogspot.com)
3. Chuvaness (http://chuvaness.com)
4. City Buoy (http://citybuoy.blogspot.com)
5. Discreet Manila (http://discreetmanilablog.blogspot.com)
6. Hot Men in the Philippines (http://rddantes.com)
7. I am Fickle Cattle (http://ficklecattle.blogspot.com)
8. Jessica Rules the Universe (http://www.jessicarulestheuniverse.com)
9. Lexuality (http://lexuality.com)
10. Mandaya Moore (http://mandayamoore-orlis.blogspot.com)
11. Misterhubs (http://misterhubs.blogspot.com)
12. The Bakla Review (http://thebaklareview.blogspot.com)
13. The Professional Heckler (http://professionalheckler.wordpress.com)
14. Tiggah’s Life in Random (http://tiggahslife.com)
15. Tristan Tales (http://tristantales.com)

Part 1

Download this fabcast (right click and save)

Part 2

Download this fabcast (right click and save)

Kayo--which blogs would make it to your list? Share!

'Pay what you can, see all you can' at CCP Pasinaya 2011 tomorrow, Feb. 6

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is once again opening its doors this Sunday for Pasinaya 2011, the institution’s Open House Festival.

More than 120 preview shows in dance, music, theater, visual arts, literature, and cinema will be presented by around 3,000 artists led by CCP’s resident companies-- the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), the University of Santo Tomas Symphony Orchestra, the Philippine Madrigal Singers (Madz), Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Ballet Philippines, Philippine Ballet Theater and the winners of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists.

All possible venues in CCP will be used as performance spaces. Theaters, lobbies, hallways, promenade areas, and the alley beside the Production Design Center will be “zoned” according to artistic genres.

Under a “See all you can, Pay what you can” scheme (the CCP suggests a donation of P20), the public can watch previews of shows such as TP’s “Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal: Vack with a Vengeance,” which opens later this month, or participate in crash workshops (“Learning How to Sing in 15 Minutes” with the Madrigal Singers, for example).

More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which has activities geared towards all types of audiences. There are child-friendly activities, multimedia exhibits and stalls selling “artistic knickknacks.”

The CCP will also offer 50-percent discounts to selected shows, among them the Monodrama Manila Festival, PPO Series, “Don Quixote” and “Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.”

Pasinaya 2011’s highlights include a People’s Gala celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, National Hero and author of “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.” A 1,000-voice choir that includes the Madz will be accompanied by the UST Symphony and the PPO during a performance of Ryan Cayabyab’s choral arrangement of Rizal’s poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” (My Last Farewell).

Actors Tommy Abuel, Joel Torre and Pen Medina (who have all played the National Hero) will lead the reading of the said poem in Filipino.

The Paspass or Fast Pass, available for P100, ensures that a guest skips to the front of the line and gets the best seats in the house.

For more information, call the Performing Arts Department 8321125 loc. 1600-1607 and 1611. A complete schedule is available at http://www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.

'When the moon is in the Seventh House...'--Ateneo Blue Repertory presents Hair

“I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy, snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty, greasy, oily, fleecy, shining and gleaming...”

Who knew then that around 50 years ago, people used their hair not to flirt nor to attract, but to protest against vicious wars and fight authoritarian societies?

This is the story of “Hair,” the first-ever great rock musical, created long before “Rent.” “Hair” will be presented by the Ateneo Blue Repertory on February 9-19 at the Rizal Mini Theater, Ateneo de Manila University, as its 19th season finale.

With book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music Galt MacDermot, “Hair” is about a group of friends in the counterculture era of the 1960s who choose to speak out and sing of love, life and freedom. These flower children and hippies protest against the authority of the society they live in through the most organic and dramatic visible element they can find: by growing their hair long, in defiance of regulations.

The production is directed by Jake Macapagal (Repertory Philippines’ “The Fantasticks,” Stages’ “West Side Story” and the Germany and UK runs of “Miss Saigon”). The creative team also includes assistant director Francis Matheu (9Works Theatrical’s “The Wedding Singer”), choreographer Deo dela Cruz (Dulaang UP’s “Orosman at Zafira”), musical director Laura Cabochan (Tanghalang Ateneo’s “Walang Sugat”), and lights designer Joseph Matheu (Eat Bulaga).

Blue Repertory's “Hair” runs February 9-19 at the Rizal Mini Theater, Ateneo de Manila University. For more information, visit the Facebook page (BlueRepertory’s Hair), twitter (twitter.com/HAIR_bluerep) and tumblr (hairbluerep.tumblr.com).

For tickets, call Luis Marcelo 09175025847.

PLUS: The dawning of the Age of Aquarius, and that opening number choreographed by Twyla Tharp, from the 1979 movie version of Hair, directed by Milos Forman--



And the cast of the recent smash Broadway revival performing the musical's two most well-known numbers--

What to do when approached by a big bad blogger and/or big bad PR firm

I'm sure you're up to your gills with the furious back-and-forth over the Big Bad Blogger brouhaha.

Let those who feel they've been slimed, slighted and tarred by the ambiguity of the charges continue to squawk for redress over their hurt feelings. Personally, I feel anybody who's not a food blogger--who doesn't in any way conform to the very narrow specifications mentioned in the article--and yet feels aggrieved enough about his or her allegedly sullied blogging reputation is being overdramatic, if not hungry for a piece of shared victimhood. The clues, sparse as they are, should leave out most everyone, right? Because just how many important, recognized, consequential Pinoy food bloggers are out there to merit the "big bad" pejorative?

In other words, if you've never blogged about restaurants, if all you've written about in your page are your clothes and trinkets and hobbies and lovelife and emo moments, what's with the faux outrage? Chill, dude. If you're not Big Bad Blogger, then you're not.

May I just say at this point, as both a blogger and a journalist (a member of the suddenly-suspect "traditional media" out to smear the so-called blogging community, according to some hyperactive minds)--and, more importantly, as someone who deals with the effluvia of PR machinery day in and day out in my job: I believe businesses are not helpless against the blogging horde, or the unscrupulous PR firms that try to use them as a battering ram for shakedowns. On the contrary, stopping them in their tracks can be quite easy.

1. If a PR firm comes up to you with an offer to round up a gaggle of bloggers to write about your business, ask yourself first: Do you really need the promised enhanced exposure online? You might be doing well on your own--offline, that is, through good word-of-mouth, through regular advertising and promotions, etc. An Internet presence is obviously necessary these days, but a "neutral" way of doing it could be less risky for your business.

Are you listed in online directories or portals (ClicktheCity, E-YellowPages and the like)? Is your website accessible, easily navigable and up-to-date, especially its contact information? That might be all you need. Blogs, on the other hand, involve a great deal of subjectivity and reliance on the good faith of people you have no connection with, or worse, might not be up to writing competently about your product. Worth the risk? Your call.

2. Call the PR firm's bluff by asking for a complete list of the bloggers it intends to invite. Then, on your own, visit each and every blog on the list and see how substantial the blogs are. Would you want your business to be associated with this blogger and his or her site? Does the blog content assure you that the person behind it is worth taking seriously? Also, is the list a good reflection of the PR firm's capability to gather responsible, respectable, independent-thinking bloggers who can give your product/service a fair appraisal?

I know a number of PR agencies who think they're doing their various clients a premium service by inviting over the same group of bloggers to whatever event they're holding--irrespective of the nature of the client's business, or the bloggers' capability to write with insight and intelligence about the occasion they've been enticed to. Each establishment has individual needs, and might need a more specialized group of people to write about its services. If the PR agency's response is to jam the same bunch of bloggers to every single event every single time, it's being lazy at best, and disingenuous at worst. Beware.

And, if all you see in the blogs pitched by the PR firm are cut-and-pasted press releases, unaltered down to the last grammatical boo-boo; or entries that are dull, incoherent, or make no rhyme or reason from a reasonable standpoint; or, conversely, are full of breathless, exclamation point-riddled hardsell propositions about this or that product--prepare to flee. That's not the kind of blog you'd want your business to be featured in.

3. Finding out which blogs are reputable and which are not isn't hard, so take the trouble to do so. Hello, Google. Use your smarts--read, compare, sift through the blog's content, check out its associations. Do old-fashioned sleuthing. The next time a PR agency purports to speak on behalf of this or that "powerful" blogger, why--get in touch with the blogger yourself, with or without the PR firm's permission (you don't need its blessing, anyway).

A reputable blog, even if it operates under a pseudonym or an artful title, would be upfront about its e-mail and other contact details. The blogger behind it should welcome your attempt at independent verification, because--really, who has heard of blogs in these parts big enough to require third-party representation for its transactions? What, bloggers are starlets and rockstars now that they'd need an entire agency to make deals for them? There's another red flag for you.

The Big Bad Blogger article actually touched on this point. Nowhere in Margaux Salcedo's piece was it made clear that the blogger himself was aware the PR firm was dropping his name indiscriminately. Did he give permission for the agency to speak on his behalf? That wasn't clear-cut at all--that's why I've always had the suspicion the one with greater culpability in this mess was the PR firm. The blogger himself might have been used unwittingly in the mulcting attempt. But, as usual, a big part of the feeding frenzy that followed centered on (unfairly) pointing fingers at one or two bloggers as the likely culprits. Yeah, the very same community decrying the alleged assault on its collective integrity then gangs up on members it had decided, without firm evidence, as guilty.

4. Put up a blog of your own. That's right--seize the upper hand by using the very tool some sleazy PR firm and its supposed minions are threatening to wield against you. It's an easy, inexpensive and rewarding move. Add a blogging page to your business site and regularly update it with entries, back stories, outtakes that would help humanize, make your business more accessible. For instance, technology sites have blogs that have their engineers and technical staff interacting with customers in a friendly, informal way. If yours is a service establishment, something similar could serve as a new value-added feature that would lend your establishment not only a hip, of-the-moment vibe, but also customer relations of a more personalized kind.

In the end, if your customers are happy enough about your goods/services--and are given the opportunity to voice out their pleasure on your website or blog (those comments and testimonies could be invaluable)--that should be enough ammunition to counter the outlier of a negative write-up by a big bad blogger denied his or her freeloading ways, and/or a big bad PR firm rebuffed for its fleecing habits.

Extorters and cheapskates are everywhere--yes, in blogging as well as in "traditional" media. The trick, I think, is to learn how to separate them from the good guys.

From Viva Hot Babe to Mimi--Sheree tries the musical stage in Rent

Don't laugh--the former Viva Hot Babe played Mimi in Rent's second run, and was surprisingly more than adequate in it--tender and fragile and authentically sexy. If she goes for it, she can have a future on the musical stage.

That's me doing my year-end anointing-prognosticating bit here. I don't mind admitting that, when I first heard about Sheree getting cast as Mimi in 9 Works Theatrical's limited rerun of Rent at Rockwell last December 2010, my brain waves automatically registered “stunt casting”--another theater concession to showbiz pull. Sure she looked the part and brought celebrity buzz, but could she ace the arduous singing-dancing-emoting required by the role?

Count me among those pleasantly surprised that she could. It wasn't a spectacular or definitive turn, but for a musical-theater debut, it showed her off convincingly. Better yet, squaring off with real-life partner Gian Magdangal as (a much-improved) Roger made for scenes charged with chemistry and vibrancy--delight on Sheree's part at performing opposite someone she's extremely comfortable with, a felt solicitousness on Gian's part at seeing his wife step up to the challenge in her first stab at musical theater. That, I think, accounted for the extra tenderness, the palpable connection, in their scenes together.

Luck holding, more theatergoers will be able to see that pairing now that Rent is back for another run at the RCBC Theater, from Feb. 12 to March 6. Sheree is alternating as Mimi with another showbiz celebrity, Ciara Sotto. If Sheree seems bent on moving away from her celluloid sexpot image with her appearance in this most legit of Broadway behemoths, Ciara appears headed for the opposite direction: By taking on Mimi, she's discarding the prim persona and opting for a bolder, more edgy image. (They're doing full-on pole dancing in this production, by the way.)

The sad fortune of many a local theater production, as Lea Salonga once noted, is that, given the sparse time and resources for rehearsals, tryouts, previews and the like (unlike Broadway productions that enjoy the luxury of extensive fine-tuning before opening night), shows here can only truly begin trying to find their footing at the start of the run. By the time they've reached their best, most cohesive bend, it's the last weekend and the curtain's ringing down.

9 Works Theatrical's first attempt at Rent early last year left me quite disappointed--as were many others, judging from the chatter online. So it was a relief to find out from the December Rockwell rerun that the show had come together and was now a more compelling experience. Here's hoping the show is able to replicate that, stay on that pitch in its third outing.

Oh wait, Sheree... At the presscon yesterday, she sang Light My Candle with Gian (vid below), then made light of her transition from sexy movies to the stage by squealing during the Q&A, “Uy, theater actress na ako! Pak!” If she works hard enough at it, yes, why not?



"Rent's" show dates are February 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, March 4, 5 and 6. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4:30 p.m., Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Corner Sen. Gil Puyat Avenues, Makati City. For tickets, call 5575860, 5867105, or 0917-5545560, or visit www.9workstheatrical.com, or call TicketWorld 8919999.

PLUS: Class picture--the February 2011 cast of 9 Works Theatrical's Rent (not in photo are Alys Serdenia and Al Gatmaitan, the latter understudying Gian Magdangal's Roger).

Anton Juan, on directing Rep's The Joy Luck Club

Anton Juan, internationally recognized for theater work that often challenges convention, directs Repertory Philippines’ “The Joy Luck Club,” which runs Feb.4-20, 2011 at Onstage Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

Juan was Director-General of Dulaang UP, University of the Philippines, where he has taught for 33 years. He is currently on leave from his post at University of Notre Dame du Lac, USA, where he is Senior Professor of Directing and Playwriting/Theatre as well as the Social Concerns Artistic Director of the university’s New Playwrights Workshop.

Juan had acted in “Mother Courage” and directed “Our Town” for Rep. He also directed Rep’s founder Zenaida “Bibot” Amador in the titular role of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” for his own theater company.

“This is a homecoming of sorts for Anton since he was part of Rep in its early days,” says Rep associate artistic director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. “He is multi-awarded and has worked with theater groups all over the world. He also has a doctorate in semiotics, the study of symbols and meanings, from the Kapodistrian and Panhellenic University of Athens. With his staging, he will be sure to give audiences new ways of looking at ‘The Joy Luck Club.’”

Juan says, “I am [staying] within the realm of the physicalized expression of essence. It is this way that I wish to articulate ‘Joy Luck Club.’ The four chairs around the mah-jong table are not chairs, they are the disembodied spaces of the stories that occupied them--of friends and their relationships and the characters that have crossed their lives in arranged or disarranged order. This triggers my breaking and re-arrangement of the lines and scenes into cubistic presences that flow into one another and merge poly-vocally.”

“I give homage to the remembrance of the simple pan de sal and the kape Bibot and I shared during rehearsals of Lear,” he adds. “As I direct in memory, I am doing what she would have wanted me to do now in Rep: share what I know and what I have learned.”

“The Joy Luck Club,” adapted by Susan Kim from the best-selling novel by Amy Tan, is about four Chinese immigrant women and their four American-born daughters. The mothers create a mahjong group called the Joy Luck Club, and audiences witness the stories of the club’s members.

“Funny, touching and heart-wrenching, the play showcases the rich complexity of love between mothers and daughters that transcends age and cultural gaps,” says Yulo.

The novel was also made into a movie directed by Wayne Wang and starring Ming Na Wen, the voice of Disney’s “Mulan.” Rep has staged Disney’s “Mulan Jr.” for its children’s theater series.

The powerhouse cast includes Rebecca Chuaunsu, Jay Glorioso, Frances Makil Ignacio and Pinky Marquez as the mothers; and Ana Abad Santos, Lily Chu, Jenny Jamora and Cris Villonco as the daughters.

Costume design is by Eric Pineda, set design by Ohm David and lighting design by John Ilao Batalla.

“The Joy Luck Club” runs Feb. 4-20, 2011 at Onstage Theater, 2nd floor, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City. For ticket inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines 5716926 and 5714941 or email info@repertory-philippines.com. Tickets also available at Ticketworld at 8919999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

All Rep productions are available for showbuying and block ticket sales for individuals or organizations for earning extra income or raising funds. All productions are also available for sponsors who wish to reach Rep’s audiences.

Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, add “Rep Phils” on Facebook.