A plea, a challenge, a pledge

“Nasaan ang kabataang naglalaan ng magagandang sandali, ng kanilang mga pangarap at kasiglahan alang-alang sa ikabubuti ng kanilang bayan? Saan naroon ang handang magpakamatay upang hugasan ng dugo ang napakaraming pagkakasala? Upang karapatdapat ang pagpapakasakit ito’y kailangang malinis at busilak. Nasaan ang kabataang may lakas na tumanan na sa aming mga ugat, ng kalinisan ng diwa na narumihan na sa amin, ng apoy ng sigla na patay na sa aming puso? O kabataan, kayo’y aming hinihintay!” -- Padre Florentino, in Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo

On Rizal Day, and for the coming New Year, two songs we ought to hear more often--and sing, with every word a stab in the heart.

Tanghalang Pilipino restages four Virgin Labfest plays in Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater

Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), concludes its 25th Theater Season with “Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater,” opening on Jan. 13, 2012 and running for four weekends until Feb. 12, 2012 at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater).

This production features four of the best plays from the Virgin Labfest, the yearly festival of new works for the theater. The select plays deal with the theme, “Searching” and tackle people's search for love, for lost family bonds, for noble ideals, for closure, and for missing loved ones.

The plays will be shown as two sets of twinbills. Set A includes Carlo Pacolor Garcia’s hilarious “Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas,” directed by Riki Benedicto, which tells the story of a man and a woman who decide to meet at the Philcoa Overpass after months of flirting online. The cast of this riotous play includes TP Actors Company members Jonathan Tadioan, Jelson Bay, Martha Comia, Marco Viaña and Gino Ramirez; and guest artists Pam Hundana and Carmina Capile.

In “Doc Resureccion: Gagamutin ang Bayan” by Layeta Bucoy (directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio), a well-meaning doctor runs for Mayor only to find out that the community he so wants to help desires a different path for itself. This intriguing work features the performances of Riki Benedicto, Jonathan Tadioan, Rayna Reyes and Sherry Lara.

Jonathan Tadioan, Crispin Pineda and Riki Benedicto in in the 2009 VL production of Layeta Bucoy's “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan,” directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio

Set B is composed of plays directed by the exceptional director Chris Millado. In Reuel Molina Aguila’s “Maliw,” five years after the forced disappearance of her eldest daughter, a mother confronts the question: How does one close a chapter still to be written? The play is set after her family celebrates her eldest daughter’s 30th birthday. This bittersweet play showcases brilliant acting by Sherry Lara, Spanky Manikan and TP Actors Company scholar Regina de Vera.

Bembol Roco and Gigi Escalante in the 2009 VL production of Reuel Molina Aguila’s “Maliw,”
directed by Edna Vida Froilan

“Isang Araw sa Karnabal” is Nick Pichay’s funny but poignant play about two former activists, both with missing loved ones, meeting again after a long time and attempting to mend broken ties. Sheenly Gener leads the cast, which includes Marco Viaña and Martha Comia.

The creative team includes Eric Cruz for the new set designs, Katsch Catoy for the lighting design, and TJ Ramos for the soundscape.

Regular ticket price is P600, with student and senior citizen discounts. For ticket reservation, booking of special performances and other information, call the TP office 8323661, 0920-9535381 or 0928-5518645. Contact the CCP Box Office at 8323704 and Ticketworld at 8919999 for ticket inquiries.

Defending the Caveman returns, part of proceeds to go to Sendong relief

"Defending The Caveman" will have a fourth rerun on Jan. 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15, 2012, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:30 p.m., at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, fourth floor, RCBC Plaza, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue cor. Ayala Avenue, Makati.

Joel Trinidad is glad to be back for this, his first foray into solo comedy. "Defending the Caveman," written by American standup comedian Rob Becker, is the longest running solo one-man show in Broadway history. It is a hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate, with couples said to roar with laughter and nudge each other as they recognize themselves being described in the play.

Directed by the tandem of Michael Williams and Cathy Azanza-Dy, "Defending the Caveman" is presented by CTE Productions and Theater Mogul, in cooperation with the San Miguel 632-BEER (2337) Home Delivery Service, with the special participation of Upstart Productions.

Part of the proceeds of the show will go to Typhoon Sendong relief efforts.

Tickets are at P1,200 for orchestra center, P1,000 for orchestra side and lodge, and P500 for balcony. Call Ticketworld at 8919999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. SMS 0917-5378313, call 2150788, or e-mail cteshows@gmail.com to order tickets.

Visit CTE Productions on Facebook and follow @cteshows on twitter for updates.

Tidings--musical tidings--of comfort and joy

Theater + Manila + Christmas = this, a video clip I uploaded a couple of years ago that vanished when my original YouTube account got canned, and now back online. Merry Christmas, everyone!



Dec 24, 2000--Lea Salonga leads cast of 'Miss Saigon-Manila' in serenading the audience on Christmas Eve. (with Leo Valdez as The Engineer, Will Chase as Chris, Isay Alvarez as Gigi, Robert Sena as Thuy).

Theater 2011: Fresh faces and (re)discoveries

The advent of bright new talents--and being there to witness their rise--is always a thrilling moment, and a hopeful one. So here's to the newbies who tantalized us with their promise this year, and to the practiced hands who finally got their moment in the spotlight and proved how ripe they were for it. To use an earlier explanation-caveat: These are my personal favorites--those that reached out to me, grabbed me from across the footlights with their truth, power, honesty, wit, style. They're singular to me, in other words--preferences borne out of the unique mindset, disposition and belief system I had brought to that very moment in the dark when these performances were playing out before my eyes. They're the ones that connected the most with me, sometimes despite the inadequacies of the material.

[In alphabetical order]:

• Via Antonio. A Dulaang UP product, she was one-half of the most appealing pairing in this year's Virgin Labfest--that of the struggling young couple in Kinaumagahan, in which she and Noel Escondo struck a sexy, sparkling chemistry.

• Mark Bautista. Already an established pop star, he took on his first theater role as Ibarra in Tanghalang Pilipino's Noli Me Tangere: The Musical and ran away with it, singing the taxing score lustily and, as we recalled it, being “uncannily right for the part--compact, dusky, intense.”

• Jelson Bay. Short, fat, bald, Bay is a walking punchline--and one of the TP Actors's Company's strongest new members, adept at both drama and comedy as evidenced by his parts this year in Kawala, Bombita and the Ondoy restaging.

• Fitz Bitaña. First time for us to see this UP Theater Arts student in a lead role--as the lonely barrio boy discovering the wonders of the elemental world around him in Dulaang UP's Umaaraw, Umuulan, Kinakasal ang Tikbalang--and he gave it his charming, hardworking all.

• Meann Espinosa. She's been in many a PETA play, but in William, hers was the central riot of a performance as the teacher who drags her students kicking and screaming into the world of Shakespeare, edifying them eventually through life lessons from the Bard.

• Rachel Ann Go. As Ariel in Atlantis Productions' Disney's The Little Mermaid, Go let loose one of the most beautiful voices to have graced the local musical stage this year. And, for a tyro thespian crossing over from the pop world, her acting was more than adequate, too.

• Frederick Hipol. With his robust baritone, hunky frame and natural presence, he made for a striking Elias in Dulaang UP's Noli Me Tangere: The Opera--also his first foray into theater, by the way.

• Yanah Laurel. An elegant, gorgeous apparition in Dulaang UP's Rizal X, with a vibrant voice to boot and a marked onstage ease that should, if she works for it, lead to more good parts for her.

• Kris Lawrence. The TV host/R&B singer proved he had it in him with a surprisingly nimble musical-theater debut as the nebbish leading man Oscar Lindquist in 9 Works Theatrical's Sweet Charity.

• Anna Luna. Only 17, she showed amazing poise and dead-on comic instincts in William, as the vacuous jologs girl who discovers she's capable of much more than what campus stereotypes have pigeonholed her into.

• Kuya Manzano. In his first lead role on a local stage, this Spanish-Filipino actor's Iberian features rendered an Ibarra more Caucasian-looking than usual in Noli Me Tangere: The Opera, but his ringing tenor, well-honed from years of performing all over Europe, commanded attention.

• John Emmanoel Moran. As the requisite gay character in the student menagerie of William, he essayed adolescence with a sure touch, combining zany, bulldog-like brashness with an awkward, touching vulnerability.

• Ivan Niccolo Nery. With his physical heft, he was another unusual choice for an alternate Ibarra in the Noli opera. When he sang, however, his dramatic tenor fleshed out Felipe Tolentino's music with power and authority.

• K-La Rivera. A luminous, star-making debut in Atlantis' In the Heights. She is, without question, big-leagues material--comely, self-assured, vocally gifted. May she be a staple in many more musicals.

• Ross Pesigan. Much of the resonance of the loss-of-innocence story at the heart of Floy Quintos' Fake was courtesy of the ideal casting of Pesigan, who embodied our best memories of childhood curiosity and early heartbreak.

• Tina Ramos. You haven't heard of her yet--but this girl rocked the house as the carnivorous plant Audrey II in Ateneo Blue Repertory's production of Little Shop of Horrors, recalling a young Bituin Escalante with her sass and soulful voice.

• Tippy Dos Santos. As Wendy in Repertory Philippines' Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure, this angelic-looking TV star knocked out her musical moments with clarion singing, and gave her character a winningly sharp, no-nonsense edge.

• Markki Stroem. According to Lea Salonga herself, writing about Atlantis Productions' Next to Normal: “Newcomer Markki Stroem had a lovely singing voice and great stage presence as Henry.” Amen.

• Brian Sy. In Sintang Dalisay, the required “unity of expressive dance and articulate verse-acting was achieved most impressively” by this young Tanghalang Ateneo actor, we wrote in August this year.

• Dudz Teraña. A long-time PETA actor, he had few lines and not one solo song in Care Divas, but by God, everything about her ditzy caregiver-drag queen Thalia, from deadpan line reading to lascivious poses, generated the loudest peals of laughter in the house.

• Marco Viaña. Uniformly fine turns in a trio of plays this year--Kawala, Bombita, and especially Kafatiran, where he was both hilarious and poignant as a young man in Katipunan-era Philippines awakening to the heaving world inside and outside of him.

Did I forget anyone? Feel free to remind me. Your turn--who were the fresh faces in theater that made you sit up last year?

BRAVO! BEST OF THEATER 2011: The year the Theater Artist cried ‘Ouch!’

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12.19.2011

IN A YEAR THAT WAS LARGELY more of the same--that is, like last year, ruled by musicals, the plays barely making comparable buzz--the biggest and most significant developments in local theater happened mostly offstage.

Two titans orphaned the theater scene this year: Jose Mari Avellana in June; and National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal in October.

Avellana, 70, an eminent actor-director-producer, was the scion of two National Artists for Theater--Lamberto Avellana and Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana (at 94 this year, one of the last remaining links to the dawn of modern Philippine theater in the 1930s). His last production was the 2009 Repertory Philippines revival of Nick Joaquin’s “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino,” which he directed.

Bernal left local theater an indelible legacy with his trailblazing, decades-long body of work on scenery and costumes for plays, musicals and ballet performances. This year, he designed the costumes for Tanghalang Ateneo’s “Sintang Dalisay” and was working on the design of PETA’s planned “King Lear” before he succumbed to cardiac arrest. He was 66.

News of these two important departures, however, couldn’t hold a candle to the one issue that generated the most spleen and controversy not only among theater folk, but also among everyone else equipped with a modem and a Facebook or Twitter account.

It took the clumsy joke of a tyro indie filmmaker, about the desirability of hiring theater actors for indie film projects because “you can feed them cat food,” for theater practitioners of all stripes to rouse themselves into a state of indignation unlike anything that had been seen before by a country quite oblivious to the challenges and hardships of an art form and industry largely marginalized by the pop mainstream.

The too-close-to-home remark did have a positive effect. It spurred a group of theater practitioners to gather with their peers and form their own guild, something that had been absent all these years when theater groups and their respective stables of actors and creative talents largely went about on their own.

With those old barriers gone, a new generation of talents has begun cross-pollinating each other’s stages, charging venerable companies such as PETA, Rep and Tanghalang Pilipino with new blood and new energies. The newly established Theater Actors Guild, if it plays its cards right, will have a big role to play in further upgrading, professionalizing and growing the local performing-arts scene.

Musical-theater artists were still the busiest this year, as most of the big productions were in the song-and-dance mold. Pedigrees and budgets could only go so far, though, as quality remained touch-and-go.

Atlantis Productions alone had the distinction of staging one the year’s most exceptional (“Next to Normal”) followed by certainly the most dismal (“Aida”).

Resorts World’s “The Sound of Music,” its run now extended until February 2012, is one clunky, cumbersome show, ironically despite its reliance on much-vaunted, state-of-the-art scenic technology (eg, Paul Soriano’s cartoon-y LED visuals).

Rizal and Shakespeare hovered over many of the productions.

“Noli Me Tangere” enjoyed two musical iterations; “Rizal X” appraised the National Hero via a musical revue; and “Junto Al Pasig” became yet another youth rock musical. (We failed to catch Gantimpala Theater’s “Sino Ka Ba, José Rizal”--its non-inclusion here not a judgment on its merits.)

The Bard animated seven productions--two campus stagings of “Titus Andronicus,” a touring production of “Much Ado About Nothing”; Anton Juan’s take on “Macbeth”; two riffs on the man and his work--Rep’s comedy “Shakespeare in Hollywood” and PETA’s “William”--and Tanghalang Ateneo’s “Sintang Dalisay,” which transposed “Romeo and Juliet” to a Badjao-Muslim environment.

The acclaimed tandem of playwright Layeta Bucoy and director Tuxqs Rutaquio, incidentally, had a rare misfire with their strained, etiolated adaptation of “Titus Andronicus” for Dulaang UP.

A full-length operatic work (“Noli Me Tangere: The Opera”) joined the crush of Broadway-style musicals late in the year, though staged more like a chamber musical than the grand opera it was originally envisioned as.

While its vocal and artistic requirements are quite different--for purposes of this yearend roundup, and following the Tony Awards’ example which considered Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of “La Boheme” in 2003 as part of that year’s awards--the Dulaang UP production is included here.

Of some 68 shows big and small (some we watched multiple times to catch the alternate casts), here are what we consider the best of Manila theater in 2011:

Best Play (One-Act)
“Kafatiran” (Dingdong Novenario; JK Anicoche, director). As we wrote in July this year: “A dazzling feat of historical revisionism... In its sheer impudence, appeal to plausibility and bravura staging, ‘Kafatiran’ came closest to the Labfest’s spirit of fresh, thought-provoking, taboo-breaking theater.” And from a debuting playwright yet!

Honorable mentions: “Kawala” (Rae Red; Paolo O’ Hara, director); “Evening at the Opera” (Floy Quintos; Jomari José, director); “Kinaumagahan” (Rachelle Rodriguez and Wennielyn Fajilan; Riki Benedicto, director); “Streetlight Manifesto” (Mixcaela Villalon; Ed Lacson Jr., director); “Bombita” (Tony Perez; Dennis Marasigan, director); “Umaaraw, Umuulan, Kinakasal ang Tikbalang” (Rody Vera, adapted from Gilda Cordero-Fernando’s children’s story “The Magic Circle”; Jose Estrella, director)

Best Play (Full-Length)
“William” (Ron Capinding; Maribel Legarda, director). What sounded like a long shot on paper--Shakespeare made accessible to younger audiences by transposing his verses and stories to the era of rap--turned out to be a winningly hip, ennobling show, with outstanding turns from a youthful cast and a joyous, unforced vibe that made the best case for contemporary pedagogical theater.

Honorable mentions: “Hedda Gabler” (Henrik Ibsen; Bart Guingona, director); “Fake” (Floy Quintos; Tony Mabesa, director); “The Joy Luck Club” (Susan Kim, based on the Amy Tan novel; Anton Juan Jr., dir.); “Sintang Dalisay” (William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” translated into Filipino by Rolando Tinio, and GD Roke’s awit “Ang Sintang Dalisay ni Julieta at Romeo”; Ricky Abad, director)

Best Actor-Play
Joel Lamangan (“Fake”). Ferocious acting that, at its most searing moments, took one’s breath away. Playing a master forger with a sincere, even patriotic belief in the benefits of his truth-bending, myth-making exertions, Lamangan offered a harrowing figure of shabby grandeur and sympathetic deviousness.

Honorable mentions: Teroy Guzman (“Screen: Macbeth); Leo Rialp (“Fake”); Cris Pasturan (“Kawala”); Siegfried Sepulveda (“The Valley Mission Care”); Ross Pesigan (“Fake”); Noel Escondo (“Kinaumagahan”); Ian Segarra and John Emmanoel Moran (“William”); Joel Trinidad (“Defending the Caveman”); Marco Viaña (“Kafatiran”); Jonathan Tadioan (“Evening at the Opera”)

Best Actress-Play
Lara Fabregas (“Hedda Gabler”). The ascetic realism of Ibsen’s most lacerating play found its ideal vehicle in Fabregas’ fearless, unadorned but rivetingly intense performance. Gracing nearly every scene of a production that largely eschewed overt sound design for the tension of unquiet silences, she held everything together admirably.

Honorable mentions: Ana Abad Santos (“Evening at the Opera”); Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino (“Titus Andronicus”); Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino (“Fake”); Via Antonio (“Kinaumagahan”); Anna Luna (“William”)

Best Featured Actor-Play
Leo Rialp (“Hedda Gabler”). As Judge Brack, Rialp fielded his avuncular, cosmopolitan charms to first-rate effect, rendering his character’s shaded transformation from courtly gent to one more crude, common imposition on Hedda’s fast-crumbling world all the more unnerving.

Honorable mentions: Paul Holme (“Fake”); Brian Sy (“Sintang Dalisay”); Jamie Wilson (“Screen: Macbeth”); Jelson Bay (“Bombita”); Paolo O’Hara (“Hedda Gabler”)

Best Featured Actress-Play
Meann Espinosa (“William”). Here’s one featured performance--the “terror” English teacher who goads her students into appreciating and learning from Shakespeare--without which the buoyancy of “William” would have missed its cue. Espinosa milked her role to comic heights, yet with an ever-sensible core that nudged at the mind and heart.

Honorable mentions: Frances Makil-Ignacio (“Evening at the Opera”); Kalila Aguilos (“Hedda Gabler”); Skyzx Labastilla and Karenina Haniel (“Umaaraw, Umuulan, Kinakasal ang Tikbalang”); Skyzx Labastilla (“Titus Andronicus”)

Best Musical
“Care Divas” (Liza Magtoto, with music and lyrics by Vince de Jesus; Maribel Legarda, director). A brand-new musical that, sans the refining gauntlet of any tryout or workshop, emerged tight, potent, full-bodied, brimming with sensational performances, canny melodies and an uncontainably Pinoy sense of humor, humanism and poignancy. Not perfect--its politics sometimes got long-winded--but, all in all, a work that deserves a long, fond foothold in memory.

Honorable mentions: “Next to Normal” (music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey; Bobby Garcia, director); “Noli Me Tangere: The Musical” (music by Ryan Cayabyab, libretto by Bienvenido Lumbera; Audie Gemora, director); “Sweet Charity” (book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Field; Robbie Guevara, director); “Rizal X” (music and lyrics by William Elvin Manzano; conceptualized, choreographed and directed by Dexter Santos); “Noli Me Tangere: The Opera” (music by Felipe de Leon, libretto by Guillermo Tolentino; Alexander Cortez, director)

Best Actor-Musical
Jett Pangan (“Next to Normal”). In one-half of the most powerful musical pairing of the year, Pangan roamed the psychological highs and lows of “Next to Normal” with both extraordinary vocal strength and moving emotive facility. A high-water mark in this rock star-turned-musical-theater stalwart’s resume.

Honorable mentions: Melvin Lee, Vince de Jesus and Jerald Napoles (“Care Divas”); Gian Magdangal and Mark Bautista (“Noli Me Tangere: The Musical”); Reb Atadero (“Little Shop of Horrors”); Sam Concepcion (“Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure”); Ivan Nery (“Noli Me Tangere: The Opera”); Reb Atadero (“Rizal X”)

Best Actress-Musical
Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (“Next to Normal”). An amazing performance by any measure, galvanizing and purifying at the same time. Lauchengco-Yulo’s gravitas, intelligence and consummate maturity at this point in her (over-30-year) career in musical theater were a cinch for the arduous dramatic and musical demands of the bipolar character she brought to life onstage. From beginning to end, she was a stunner.

Honorable mentions: Cris Villonco (“Noli Me Tangere: The Musical”); K-La Rivera (“In the Heights”); Rachel Ann Go (“Disney’s The Little Mermaid”); Nikki Gil (“Sweet Charity”); Cris Villonco (“The Sound of Music”)

Best Featured Actor-Musical
Michael Williams (“Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure”). The musical itself was often chatty and listless. But whenever Williams as Captain Hook staggered into view, he energized the proceedings with his unerring comic and musical chops. Sam Concepcion was a grown-up, appealingly dark Peter Pan, but this Captain Hook was the true star of the show.

Honorable mentions: Frederick Hipol and Jonathan Velasco (“Noli Me Tangere: The Opera”); Al Gatmaitan (“Noli Me Tangere: The Musical”); Myke Salomon and Dudz Teraña (“Care Divas”); OJ Mariano (“Sweet Charity”); Bibo Reyes (“In the Heights”); Kris Lawrence (“Sweet Charity”)

Best Featured Actress-Musical
Jean Judith Javier (“Noli Me Tangere: The Opera”). Unquestionably the high point of the rather meandering De Leon-Tolentino opera, Javier’s rendition of “Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa” was a mesmerizing piece of theater, a rapturous 11-o’clock number that, along with the Pangan-Lauchengco Yulo tandem in “Next to Normal,” stands as the year’s most thrilling moment on the musical stage.

Honorable mentions: Tex Ordoñez and Jay Glorioso (“In the Heights”); Bea Garcia (“Next to Normal”); Jinky Llamanzares (“Disney’s The Little Mermaid”); Sheila Francisco (“The Sound of Music”); Pinky Amador (“Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah”); Tina Ramos (“Little Shop of Horrors”); Yanah Laurel (“Rizal X”); Emy Alcid-Trinidad (“Breakups and Breakdowns”); Bituin Escalante (“Seussical”); Tippy Dos Santos (“Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure”)

Best Director
Maribel Legarda (“Care Divas” and “William”). For two major works in one year that married entertainment and instruction into vital theatrical wholes. Both easily sentimentalized material, they triumphed through Legarda’s shrewd directorial care and a light, almost groovy touch, allowing for a vibrant exploration of homegrown story-telling and creative stagecraft.

Honorable Mentions: Bobby Garcia (“Next to Normal”); Audie Gemora (“Noli Me Tangere: The Musical”); Bart Guingona (“Hedda Gabler”); Anton Juan Jr. (“The Joy Luck Club”); José Estrella (“Umaaraw, Umuulan, Kinakasal ang Tikbalang”); Ricky Abad (“Sintang Dalisay”); JK Anicoche (“Kafatiran”); Paolo O’Hara (“Kawala”)

Artistic and technical standouts
Joseph Tolentino’s musical direction and orchestration for “Sweet Charity” (the savviest live sound heard in the theater this year); Mio Infante’s grand set for “The Sound of Music”; Lex Marcos’ scenery, Jay Aranda’s lights, Ceejay Javier’s musical direction and Mountain Rock Productions and Sam Fuentes’ enchanting puppet design and work for “Disney’s The Little Mermaid”; Lex Marcos’ set and lights, Don Salubayba’s visual design and Leeroy New’s astounding costumes for “Umaaraw, Umuulan, Kinakasal ang Tikbalang”; Salvador Bernal’s costumes for “Sintang Dalisay”; Winter David’s video design and Gino Gonzales’ bamboo set and resourceful abel Iloko costumes for “Noli Me Tangere: The Opera”; and Ohm David’s evocative scenery for “The Joy Luck Club.”


[PHOTO CREDITS. Photo 2: wheninmanila.com; Photo 5: wickermoss.blogspot.com; Photo 6: theinvisibleblog]

Mamma Mia! Christmas vouchers now available; show extended until Feb. 12

Avail of the "Mamma Mia!" Christmas vouchers and your friends and family are sure to get the best and most personalized gift this season. Simply visit the TicketWorld website and avail of the Mamma Mia Christmas Vouchers--get to choose the amount and put your special Christmas message in the voucher.

The international tour of "Mamma Mia!" will be staged at the CCP Main Theater starting January 24, 2012. The show has been extended until February 12.

The production features 22 Of Abba’s hits, including: "Chiquitita," "Dancing Queen," "I Have A Dream," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "The Winner Takes It All," "Super Trouper," "Take A Chance On Me" and "Voulez-Vous."

With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, "Mamma Mia!" is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

The international tour is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, Stage Entertainment and NGM.

Visit the "Mamma MIa!" website for more information: www.mamma-mia.com, or the Manila season Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/MammaMiaManila

Weekday rates are priced at P750, P1500, P3000, P4000, P5000, and P6000; including shows on Sundays, 8 p.m. Weekend matinee rates are P1000, P2000, P3500, P5000, P6000, and P7000.

Family Package: Groups of 20 or more can also get a 10-percent discount. Senior citizens also enjoy a 20-percent off. For special promos, visit www.ticketworld.com.ph or call Ticketworld 8919999.

Next Fall, Rep's first production for 2012, opens Jan. 13

After producing more than 900 plays and musicals through 74 seasons, Repertory Philippines ushers its 45th year this 2012 with its first production, “Next Fall.”

Written by playwright Geoffrey Nauffts, “Next Fall” is a moving story of Luke and Adam, a gay couple agonizing over differences in their religious faiths. The play portrays the ups and downs of this unlikely couple’s five-year relationship with sharp humor and unflinching honesty.

“Next Fall” paints a beautiful and funny portrait of modern romance, asking the hard questions about commitment and faith. But ultimately, simply, it is about the transformative power of love.

The play won the 2010 John Gassner Award for Geoffrey Nauffts. In the same year, the play was also nominated for the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Play; at the Tony Awards, for Best Play; and the Outer Critics Circle Awards, for Outstanding New Broadway Play.

The cast features Bart Guingona as Adam, a committed cynic, atheist and hypochondriac, while David Bianco plays the role of Luke, Adam’s boyfriend, a born-again Christian and aspiring actor. David hails from Michigan and this is his first foray into the local theater scene.

Liesl Batucan essays the role of Holly, Adam’s fag hag best friend and owner of the candle shop where both Adam and Luke work. Niccolo Manahan plays Brandon, Luke’s friend, a property manager. Like Luke, he is both gay and a born-again Christian. Juno Henares plays Arlene, Luke’s mother, a former wild child who has since settled in to middle aged eccentricity. Miguel Faustmann is Butch, Luke’s father and Arlene’s ex-husband, a deeply religious man.

Veteran actor-director Audie Gemora directs the play.

“Next Fall” runs January 13-February 5, 2012, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. All performances are at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

The artistic and creative team of “Next Fall” is led by Baby Barredo (Artistic Director), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Associate Artistic Director), John Batalla (Lighting Designer) and Denis Lagdameo (Set Designer).

For tickets, inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines at 571-6926 or 571-4941 or email info@repertory.ph. Tickets are also available thru Ticketworld at 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

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

“Next Fall” is presented by special arrangement with Creative Artists Agency.

Love yourself. Get tested. Make it this Sunday.

Reposting from Migs--because this is important to us.

Have you been thinking of getting tested? Perhaps you are not ready yet for testing but you want to talk to someone about it? Here’s the event for you. First, you will find here friendly, professional, and well-trained HIV educators and counselors. And, secondly, the event is scheduled on a Sunday! And very importantly, it will be held in a private (not in a government clinic) and discreet location, for your own privacy and convenience.

What: HIV Confidential Counseling and Testing – it’s FREE! No charge!
When: Sunday, 11 December 2011 (10am to 4pm)
Where: Playroom – 35 West Avenue, Quezon City [Map here]

SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):

1. I am afraid to go for testing, I think I’m not ready yet. Can I still go and just talk to someone without getting myself tested?

Absolutely. There will be trained HIV educators and counselors there that you can talk to. They will respect your feelings, and if you feel you are not ready to go for your HIV testing, that’s okay. There is value in just talking things out, so come.

2. How much does it cost if I go to this event?

The HIV counseling is free of charge. The HIV testing is also free of charge. You do not need to pay for anything. Love Yourself is subsidizing the conduct of this event, and if you want to help by donating, you are free to do so. Otherwise, everything is free.

3. What should I bring?

You are not required to bring anything. You will not be asked for an ID.

4. Since it will be a blood test, should I not eat anything before? Is there fasting involved?

It is a blood test, yes, but there are no prerequisites such as fasting or no-alcohol diet, etc. The test will look for HIV antibodies in your blood, and eating food or drinking anything will not affect the results.

5. This is my first HIV test. I do not know what will happen during the test. How will the HIV testing process go?

Congratulations for making the brave decision to take the test. Read the following: What to expect during your HIV test.

6. I’m a girl. May I go?

Of course. This event is open to all.

Other questions? Email help@loveyourself.ph

Original play on Teodora Alonzo, on the occasion of her death centenary

In observance of Teodora Alonso’s death centenary (1911-2011), the United Artists for Cultural Conservation and Development, Philippines Inc., in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and SM City Sta. Rosa, present the Youth Performance Council in the original play “Ang Kasaysayan ni Teodora: Isang Ina” written by Katte Sabate and Raymond Vergara.

[From WikiPilipinas: Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos (b. 9 November 1827 - d. 16 August 1911) was the mother of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, and a native of Sta. Cruz, Manila. She was known for being a disciplinarian as well as a dedicated, courteous and hard-working mother. As the young Rizal's first teacher, she had a profound influence on his development and was his inspiration in taking up medicine... After Rizal was declared the national hero of the Philippines, the legislature offered her a lifetime pension as a token of gratitude. She politely refused, saying, "My family has never been patriotic for the money. If the government has plenty of funds and does not know what to do with them, it's better to reduce the taxes."]

UACCD-YPC artistic director BJ Borja directs the play. Joining Borja in the artistic team are: Carlo Pagunaling, production design; Loren Rivera, lights design; Jules dela Paz, sound design; Kiro Borja, graphics design; and Dr. Bimbo Sta. Maria, dramaturgy.

Schedule of performance is on December 12, 2011 (Monday) at The Event Center, SM City Sta. Rosa, Laguna with 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows. Free admission; the play is open for all.

For inquiries, contact 0917-8472476 or e-mail uaccd.binan@gmail.com

Auditions for Dulaang UP's Forsaken House, to be directed by Tony Mabesa

In celebration of National Artist for Theater Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero’s centennial, Dulaang UP presents one of his most celebrated works, "Forsaken House," under the direction of multi-awarded Tony Mabesa.

The show will run February 15–March 4, 2011, at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, 2nd Floor, Palma Hall, UP Diliman.

Auditions will be held on December 8, 6-9 p.m., and December 10, 3-6 p.m., at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater. Please prepare an English monologue not exceeding 2 minutes. Be prepared to be asked to read lines on the spot. Bring recent photo.

For inquiries, please contact Emman Feliciano 0927-8378507.

FORSAKEN HOUSE:Synopsis

Early 1940s. The Philippines is starting to gain more independence to determine its own direction. Opening its doors to new ideas, its culture and traditions are on the cusp of change.

But not in Don Ramon’s household.

While many Filipino families of the time embrace change, Don Ramon maintains a strict hold on his family, especially his children. He forbids them from meeting friends outside yet does not welcome the idea of entertaining visitors at home, distrusts his sons and daughter’s peers and dictates what they can and cannot do in life. He believes he is only doing what is right, but all the people around him worry that the children are headed toward an uncertain fate.

Don Ramon ignores the growing anger and pain inside the hearts of his children, until one by one, they all ‘leave’ him, in different forms, in different ways. The patriarch refuses to accept that it's his fault, but when all seems too late to save his fading brood, he makes one last step to try to redeem the little that is left.

Goodbye, RJ. Feel the love tonight.

The sad news here.

The first time I posted this video online, in May 2009, my US-based friend Victor commented: whatever happened to rj rosales? he of the deep dark eyes like a pair of almonds floating on a crystal-clear moonlit pool, jaws as chiseled as the grand canyon, dimples as deep as the Bee Gees song and teeth as white as Zadie Smith's novel? my metaphors mix.

By the time he asked, RJ Rosales did seem to have faded from view. He had come to the Philippines already an accomplished young theater actor abroad, having been part of the Australian production of Miss Saigon and having headlined the original English-language musical Chang and Eng in Singapore, along with another Filipino theater actor, Roy Rolloda.

Good-looking, polished and evidently talented, RJ seemed destined for matinee-idol fame; but Philippine pop entertainment didn't quite seem to know what to do with him. He was an ABS-CBN contract star for a while, singing in variety shows, lending his voice to telenovela theme songs, acting here and there. But he never achieved the white-hot stardom enjoyed by others in the network. Sadly, he also didn't get to do any meaningful stage work in Manila.

His only theater appearance was a featured role in All About Men 2... Penis Talks Reloaded, Joel Lamangan and Ricky Lee's peep show-musical revue in 2005 where this gifted actor--whose theater credits by then already included, as his Wikipedia entry ticks off, leading roles in foreign productions such as, aside from Chang and Eng: the Musical, The Student Prince, Man of Letters, Cabaret and Forbidden City, plus numerous Singapore TV appearances that included Spin and Style Doctors--was reduced to cavorting onstage in the skimpiest of undies, at one point urging the audience to scream out--supposedly as a blow against sexual prudery--“Titi!”

But that came later, with the crudery and compromises that came with the business. In the video clip below, excerpted from the ABS-CBN and Ayala Foundation concert The Music of Dreams in 2001, RJ is all dashing, fresh-faced but self-assured hopeful (the concert was, in fact, his first major hosting stint in town at that time; co-host Pops Fernandez had to ask a bit about his background to introduce him to the audience). This is how I'd like to remember him--a beautiful young man, singing beautifully.

The 2011 Pride Fabcast [cue the revelry!]

If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work: 'Hello. Can't work today, still queer.'--Robin Tyler

Straight dude-best friend: Pa'no kung one day magising ka na straight ka na?
Me: Matutulog ulit ako.

PART 1:

Download part 1 (right click and save)

PART 2:

Download part 2 (right click and save)

PLUS: A behind-the-scenes story by McVie--

Let me tell you an interesting side story regarding this particular recording.

Before we began recording for that evening, Migs realized that he had forgotten to charge the rechargeable batteries of his digital recorder. So while he was charging them, he asked CC for an extra pair of disposable AAA batteries; those were what we used to record the “Departures” and “Prude” Fabcasts. Unfortunately the disposable batteries were from CC’s TV remote; he warned us that the batteries were kinda old and may not last until the end of the recording. (If you can recall, in part one there was a pause and then you’d hear me—which was then echoed by Migs—ask out loud, “Teh? Na-re-record ba?” That was us checking to see if CC’s batteries had died in the middle of recording.)

We continued to record, segueing seamlessly into the “Prude” fabcast. When we finished with that, we decided to proceed and record the “Pride” Fabcast. At this point Migs took out the disposable batteries and replaced them with the partially charged disposable batteries of his. He figured that, given the number of minutes they were charged, the batteries could last for at least one more recording session.

Cut to near the end of the recording: Migs, as a joke, asked AJ out loud, “AJ, are you proud of being gay?” And I, along with several others, immediately chanted the by-now classic lines of Roderick Paulate from the movie, Zombadings: “Charoterang isprikitik, umappear ka vahkler. Magpa-feel, magpasense, ditey sa baler. Witiz shokoley ang udangchi ditey. Sa fezlaboom mo marz na super kalerkey!”

I remember laughing out loud afterwards and continuing the discussion when suddenly Migs stopped us and announced that he saw the battery indicator light of his recorder blink out. “Naubos na ang battery!” he exclaimed. And when we checked at which part the disposable batteries died, it was right after he asked AJ his question. We managed to record “Charoterang isprikitik, umapp—” and then silence. We had to borrow another pair of disposable batteries from CC to finish the recording.

I guess for this recording, the Fabcasters were all present.

Additional shows for Dulaang UP's Noli Me Tangere: The Opera

"Noli Me Tangere: The Opera," Dulaang UP's staging of Felipe De Leon's opus with libretto by Guillermo Tolentino, will have four shows this weekend--December 3-4 (Saturday-Sunday), 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.--and two additional shows on December 5-6 (Monday-Tuesday), 7 p.m.

"Noli Me Tangere: The Opera," performed by some of the country's best classically trained young singers, is directed by Alexander Cortez, with vocal coaching and music supervision by Camille Lopez Molina and Pablo Mariano Molina. It runs at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, Palma Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman.

The opera is being staged as part of UP Diliman's year-long celebration of Rizal's birth sesquicentenary, and has been made possible through the generous grant given by the Office of Sen. Edgardo Angara, Maynilad, and Manila Waterworks. Others who have also so generously given their support are UP Office of the President, UP Diliman Office of the Chancellor, UP Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, UP Office of the Dean College of Arts and Letters, Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Dr. Joven Cuanang, NCCA Chairman Jun de Leon, Day by Day Christian Ministries, CASAF Alumni Foundation, and Irene Marcos Araneta.

For ticket inquiries, contact Cherry Bong Edralin 0917-7500107 or the DUP Office 9261349.

Gantimpala Theater's holiday fare--Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs

Gantimpala Theater gives cheer and love this holiday season with “Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs,” now adapted into “Si Snow White at ang Pitong Dwarfs.”

With book and libretto by J. Dennis C. Teodosio, music by Frederic John Ferraz and under the direction of Tony Espejo, “Si Snow White at ang Pitong Dwarfs” is a modern take on the life of this fairy-tale princess, filled with adventure, musical numbers and romance.

The cast includes Rita Iringan (Snow White), Ivan Dorschner (Prinsipe Oswald), Ma. Melissa Gigante (Reyna Ines), Michael De Vera (Mara), Elizabeth Barquin (Tootsie), J Young (Herminigildo) and Bham Sumooc (Badong, the talking pet dog).

The seven dwarfs are played by Morris Sevilla, Marvin Mendoza, Darby Dizon), Mark Tulipat, Carlos Niño Percil, Vian Serranila and Julius Davis.

Helping director Espejo realize the fairy tale world of Snow White are Gean Allain de Leon (associate director), Joseph Matheu (lights designer), Jose Jeffrey Camañag (set designer), Albert Figueras (costume designer), Carlos Niño Percil (choreographer), Raymond Talavera (production manager), and Paulo Nino Dimacali (stage manager).

Remaining performances are on December 10, (9 a.m., 12nn and 3 p.m.), SM Southmall, Las Piñas); December 17, (8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and December 18 (8 a.m.), Expo Pampanga.

For tickets and inquiries, call 8995911, 8966503 or 9985622, or visit www.gantimpalatheater.multiply.com or www.facebook/gantimpala.