Tag: review

REVIEW: 9 Works Theatrical’s revival of ‘Once on this Island’ takes a modern approach to the classic (and outdated) love story

I have been a fan of ‘Once on this Island’ since I first heard the soundtrack sometime in the early 90s. The musical, by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty is an adaptation of the 1985 novel ‘My Love, My Love’ or ‘The Peasant Girl’ by Rosa Guy, which is a reimagining of the fairy tale The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen but set in the Caribbean. The musical has won the Laurence Olivier award at the West End in 1995 and the Tony for Best Revival in 2018. The play, almost completely sung-through, boasts incredible music by a large array of loveable characters and a love story that can be quite problematic in the current time but is very much a throwback to the love story depicted in The Little Mermaid.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

9 Works Theatrical’s production, on the direction of Robbie Guevarra, does an interesting turn on the musical emphasizing the craziness of the dated love story of the play. ‘Once on this Island’ is set in an island in the Caribbean. In the midst of a huge storm, the villagers tell a story about Ti Moune to calm a child. The story goes that Ti Moune was an orphan that the four gods – Asaka, Agwe, Erzulie, and Papa Ge – saved so that she can teach the island a lesson. The island is split into two – the peasants and the Grand Homme – and these two worlds never meet. Except Ti Moune longs for bigger things, having been told that the gods have saved her for something special. She sets her eyes on a Grand Homme, Daniel, who drives through the island in his Mercedes Benz. Having fallen in love with the young man, Ti Moune proclaims that she will marry him, and the gods laugh at her bravado. But Erzulie, the goddess of love, insists that love is stronger than the earth, water, and death, the domain of Asaka, Agwe, and Papa Ge. The gods then decide to use Ti Moune and Daniel to test Erzulie’s proposition: that love is stronger than death.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

The play is Ti Moune’s journey from her village to the land of the Grand Homme to be able to marry Daniel and prove the power of love. Back in the 90s, the very ‘Little Mermaid’-ish storyline was innocent and idealistic. But in today’s sensibiliites it is a little foolish, if not outright mental. Guevarra leans into this, turning Ti Moune’s longing and passion into something rash and delirious. When Ti Moune and Daniel first meet, Daniel crashes his car during the rain and Ti Moune nurses him back to health. She sings a song about her love for him and Guevarra highlights this by doing a pretty neat trick by letting his Daniel appear on another part of the stage to sing their love duet despite the fact that the audience was left to believe that Daniel was on the bed with TI Moune when the scene starts. Guevarra uses his talented ensemble in multiple ways to weave his players in and out of scenes that keeps the energy on stage strong and vibrant.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

He also directs the cast to play up the storytelling aspect of the play. Since the story is told through the villagers, when they perform the scenes of the Ti Moune story, there is a child-like wonder to the performances that keeps the play buoyant despite such themes as death and class division. Coming up to match this direction is its very abled cast with standout performances by Angela Ken (in the show I saw, Thea Astley alternates) as Ti Moune, Lorenz Martinez as Papa Ge, Garret Bolden as Agwe, Lani Ligot as Mama Euralie, Raul Montesa (for the show I saw, Noel Rayos alternate), and Krystal Kane (alternate Shanaia Gomez) as Andrea.

Martinez is always reliable, but his Papa Ge is a lot more human than a previous show I saw 20 years ago and from clips I’ve caught on the internet. It’s not a caricature of a “sly demon” as his intro to the play suggests but a textured portrayal that brings in an air of freshness. Bolden has an impressive stage presence and has a magnificent voice that made his solo song ‘Rain’ a showstopper in the show I caught. For the little Andrea gets to do in the play, Kane was so memorable and was able to add a new layer to Andrea, not pushing her into the level of an antagonist (as some productions do). The scene stealers of the show, though, belong to Ligot and Montesa, who play the parents of Ti Moune. Their singing is imbued with so much heart and passion that they easily served as the show’s emotional anchor.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

Ken is a wonderful discovery. She has spunk and presence and is unafraid to show the deliriousness of Ti Moune’s love for Daniel. The girl can sing, and she can demand for her spotlight on that stage, even when it is completely filled by that cast. I discovered this is still her first lead role and you can see the inexperience, sometimes relying on facial expressions that feel rehearsed or practiced but what she lacks in experience, she makes up for charisma and bravado. She’s an amazing talent and I can’t wait to see her grow.

Mio Infante’s set is both beautifully designed but can also create staging limitations for the production. There are curtains draped right above the center in a circle with strips of fabric falling down making it look like a gorgeous ethereal jellyfish when the lights hit it at a particular way and the stage itself has a thin loop that encircles the center. Actors can jump on the loop that is tilted towards the audience. It’s interesting because it allows the characters to go in and out of the center to direct us to the action, but it can also create an upper and lower level for certain scenes where height and leverage can come into play. Unfortunately, when the action is focused right in the middle, the circle can become limiting and when the whole ensemble is dancing together, it can sometimes feel too cluttered or busy. It makes the play feel smaller than it is.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

But the musical direction of Daniel Bartolome keeps the score intact but adds extra percussion flourishes in certain songs – the dance-oriented ones, specifically – that adds an extra kick to the already-wonderful music of Stephen Flaherty. The singing by this ensemble is exceptional and so if the story isn’t to your liking, you can just enjoy the beautiful music.

Photo Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

There’s a lot to love in this beloved staging of the classic musical ‘Once on this Island.’ I appreciate the modern approaches it takes on some parts of the book that can feel dated, but it also manages to highlight the play’s stronger themes as it tackles class discrimination. This staging also manages to push a message that we make our own choices, regardless of what the gods (or whatever metaphor you decide the gods are representative of) has in store for you. For that alone, it’s reason why we must keep telling this story.

My Rating:

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is running until September 29 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. For ticket details, visit Ticket2Me.

September 12, 2024
REVIEW: The ‘Rings of Power season 2’ is a clumsy meditation on corruption

I was not a fan of the first season of ‘The Rings of Power,’ the Prime Video streaming series based on the appendices of JRR Tolkien’s beloved ‘Lord of the Rings’ books. My biggest gripe was in the depiction of the elves as people who were just as frivolous and emotionally unstable as the humans. I talked about the inevitable comparisons that were going to be made between the show and Peter Jackson’s vision of that world in his ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. But considering the amount of money that Prime Video has thrown at this show, I was curious to see if things would get better on its second round.

The second season is now focused on the forging of the titular Rings of Power. The eight-episode season is focused on Sauron (Charlie Vickers), who has now disguised himself as the elf Annatar manipulates the elvish smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edward) to forge more rings for the dwarves and the race of man. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) must face the consequences of her actions in season one as she is forced to confess of her dealings with Sauron, when he was disguised as the human Halbrand to Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and Elron (Robert Aramayo). The dwarves are in disarray as an earthquake caused by the rise of a volcano in Mordor destroys the sun shafts in Kaza-dum forcing King Durin (Peter Mulan) and his son Durin (Owain Arthus) to navigate their tempestuous relationship. The Harfoots Nori (Markella Kavanagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards) continue to accompany the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) to find the point of the stars while, in later episodes, we discover the chaos that is happening in the realms of men, highlighting the story of Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and Isildur (Maxim Baldry) as the orcs march out of Mordor led by Adar (Sam Hazeldine).

It’s a lot of stories that is happening simultaneously and what is attractive about the show is how the immense budget is reflected in the CGI and the production of each scene. The show looks expensive, and the special effects are convincing enough, giving life to giant spiders, ents, trolls, and even the Barrow-Wights. The world is immersive, with hundreds of extras keeping the world populated and making sure the show doesn’t feel small.

In fact, with all the storylines at play, it’s just a marvel at how much all of this must cost.

There is an enjoyable aspect to the narrative: a classic epic adventure story with multiple protagonists on their own quests to strive towards stopping a great evil. But as we are now into the second season, several characters have yet to interact and some of the storylines have yet to fully intersect, which slows down the pace of the whole show altogether. At eight episodes, the Stranger and his quest for his forgotten memories and his name takes forever and while it continues to strengthen the bond between him and the two Harfoots, his storyline still feels adjunct to the main narrative.

The ones who get the most focus are the elves, and this is still my most sour spot on the whole show. For beings that live for thousands of years, they make the most foolish mistakes and make the most questionable of actions. Galadriel’s insistence of facing Sauron despite the fact that he has fooled her for almost all of the first season should be a cause for self-reflection and instead, it emboldens her to do more acts that feel impulsive and reckless. The same can be said for Elrond and the way by which Celebrimbor is so easily swayed and manipulated by Sauron-as-Annatar does not feel at all seemly for the character of the elves.

The highlights of the show are the moments when it focuses on the Dwarves. Disa is still one of the most realised characters in the show and is performed extremely well by Sophia Nomvete. Their storyline is the one that moves at a proper pace yet still manages to delve into the emotional weight of the issues at hand. Things get even worse when the dwarven rings come into play.

Season 2 grounds itself by exploring the corrupting effect of power and fame and glory. It’s best when it navigates this as best seen in the storyline of the Dwarves or when Elrond argues with Galadriel regarding her ring (though Galadriel’s position, considering her past experience with Sauron, makes for a weak argument) or the way by which Sauron plays with Celebrimbor’s own pride. It would have been interesting to see this play out if the writing was stronger and tighter (which means removing the adjunct stories like The Stranger’s or Isildur’s) but all of this is bogged down by the rest of the storylines that all don’t push towards a clear focus.

And, by the end of the season, there’s still so many storylines left opened – of course, for the eventual third season – but none of which feels even partially resolved. It still feels like the first act of the larger story and that can get quite tedious.

My Rating:

The Lord of the Rings – The Rings of Power is now streaming on Prime Video. Watch it here.

September 8, 2024
REVIEW: A total theatrical experience, ‘Mula sa Buwan’ dazzles with Gab Pangilinan taking center stage

I saw ‘Mula sa Buwan’ a few years ago, straight out of the pandemic, and as well lauded as the show was, I personally found it chaotic despite the fantastic songs and the incredible singers who were cast in that show. I couldn’t quite get into it then but that show alone showed all of Gab Pangilinan’s star power and her capacity to fill a stage with her presence and vocal chops. Coming to see this revival of the show, still at the Samsung Performance Arts Theater, the new direction by Mikko Angeles expands the stage work to include video projections that manages to amplify the narrative and creates a whimsical, almost fairy-tale like quality to the show (and a dark twisted one later in Act 2) and somehow centers the emotional weight on Pangilinan’s Roxane. It was a clever move because Pangilinan has really pushed herself to a level, I’d like to say is equal to “national treasure” because not only can she sing, but she infuses the work with all the emotions of the scene that it fills the whole theater with electricity.

‘Mula sa Buwan’ is a Filipino adaptation of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac.’ Set in Manila, right before World War II, the play follows Cyrano (Myke Salomon), a poetic genius with a comically large nose. He is known about town as a poet, a stern ROTC commander, friendly to the outcasts of society, and seems unafraid to use his wits and skills to best anyone he feels does not live up to his standards for a civilized life. At the show’s beginning, he comes off as a bully, breaking up a theatrical show for not having authenticity and making a fool out of his commanding officer, the son of a general, for his uncouth ways. But Cyrano finds himself in a sticky situation as the love of his life (and childhood best friend) Roxane has fallen in love with the handsome Christian (MC Dela Cruz), who has just come to town and is stationed under Cyrano in ROTC.

Insecure over his appearance, Cyrano accepts Roxane’s request to ensure that Christian is to be kept from trouble and when he discovers that Christian feels the same way as Roxane, he orchestrates a deception to get the two together. The thing is, Christian is not good with words and can be very clumsy, and Roxane has a poet’s heart and is attracted to wit and eloquence. Under the cover of night, Christian serenades Roxane while she’s on her balcony with Cyrano hiding in the darkness feeding him the words.

It’s the classic mistaken identity love story trope that no longer feels as romantic in the midst of 2024 sexual politics. In the current climate, what Christian and Cyrano do is catfishing – no matter how good their intentions may be – and Roxane was made to be a fool. The era nor the poetry of Pat Valera’s script can soften that so what Mikko Angeles does is to play up Cyrano’s and Christian’s selfishness. He doesn’t hide from it but he plays it up. In fact, there’s an old school theatricality to the performances – the line delivery and the blocking – which highlights the naivete of the time. It’s crucial for the emotional shift that happens on Act 2.

Because World War 2 does come and the playful romance and idealism of Act 1 is torn asunder and reality kicks in so when Roxane is forced to face heartache and pain caused by the war, Pangilinan brings all that pain, built up since Act 1, into a powerful solo that brings the house down that even I was in tears. Roxane is the heart of this production and by putting her at the center, played with by the two boys and their affection for her, the sting of the second act hits harder.

It’s not a perfect show, though. There’s a whole section in the play about the ‘Makulay na Kabataan,’ a group of outcasts (queer people and artists) who are fighting for freedom and independence but there’s no real feeling of oppression that pervades the first act. There is talk of independence, but never do we ever really feel the American occupation haunting the scenes. The title song, ‘Mula sa Buwan’ is a call for a place that is more forgiving, a place that is free from oppression but there’s none of the things that they are wishing for is seen in the play. The love story is front and center but the going-ons in the background feel empty and hollow. What are the colorful children protesting against? Why do they need independence when they can put up plays and sing out in the streets? Anything outside of Cyrano, Roxane, and Christian’s love triangle seems more like filler than something that is integral to the show nor does it inform on the love story itself.

With that said, this production of ‘Mula sa Buwan’ is still a total theatrical experience. The set designs by Ohm David are brilliant. It’s a barrage of moving sets with strange perspective that really amplifies the whimsical tone of the show. It’s immersive in a way that it feels that the world is large and wide and deep. The lighting design Meliton Roxas Jr magically illuminates the most important parts of the scene that allows us to follow the story (though I do wish the balcony sequence was just a bit darker to really sell the idea that Roxane can’t see who she is talking to) while the video projections of Joyce Garcia is immensely transformative turning the show into a fairytale. Myke Salomon’s musical score creates urgency and builds emotions. The first song of the second act is absolutely brilliant.

And the performances – Myke Salomon, Gab Pangilinan, MC Dela Cruz, Phi Palmos, Jillian Ita-as, and Jerom Canlas – fantastic singers and dancers and are able to carry the comedy as well as the romance and then the sudden dramatic shift for Act 2. It’s a total theatrical experience that is so inspiring to see on the Philippine stage.

My Rating:

‘MULA SA BUWAN’ is running until September 8 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. For ticket details, visit mulasabuwan.com or purchase your tickets through TICKETWORLD or bit.ly/msb2024tickets.

August 31, 2024
REVIEW: Big Stars and impressive budget propel ‘Red Swan’ through its hazy first two episodes

Two big stars – Kim Ha Neul and Jung Ji Hoon (more popularly known as Rain) – are some of the biggest and most established names in Korean entertainment. Working together is definitely big news, and you can see the Disney+ produced K-Drama has the budget to celebrate this artistic collaboration. ‘Red Swan,’ based on its first two episodes, is poised as an action/romance/thriller as Kim Ha Neul plays Oh Wan Soo, the wife of a chaebol heir whose high-profile global charities has put her in the crosshairs of terrorist groups. While on an important event in Manila, she is attacked and is rescued by a highly trained, former policeman, Seo Do Yoon (Jung Ji Hoon), who ends up joining her security detail. What complicates things is that it seems Do Yoon is following a trail of the murder of his friends which leads him straight into the chaebol family that Oh Wan Soo is married into. Adding fuel to the fire, Wan Soo has had it with her adulterous husband and may be attracted to her brand-new bodyguard.

‘Red Swan,’ written by Choi Yoon Jung and directed by Park Hong-kyun, is fast-paced and glitzy. It prefers to take short cuts in character building and development and is more intent in showing off its cast and its huge budget. It relies on archetypes and tropes to help set up the characters and their place in this world while impressing upon us the high stakes world of this reality. Oh Wan Soo is an impressive woman. Her foundation, The Now Foundation, has done what appears to be immeasurable good for the world. So much so, that she’s being targeted by Isis. She is unfazed, though, but what is more surprising is the way by which her husband’s family reacts.

Her mother-in-law, as early as episode one, is already being poised to take the mantle of the drama’s main antagonist, or one of them, at the very least. She’s an abrasive woman who is fond of shouting and throwing things around. She’s the typical feisty, rich, and sinister mother-in-law who looks down on our protagonist and will definitely get in her way. Oh Wan Soo’s husband, Kim Yong-guk (Jung Gyu-Woon), doesn’t get to show much of any layers other than his dismissive affair that’s revealed by the second episode but there might be more to him than meets the eye.

The break-neck speed by which the story unfolds makes it difficult for the creative team to juggle its storylines. It awkwardly juggles between Oh Wan Soo and Seo Do Yoon, whose storylines begin very far away from each other that when the show jumps from one to the other, it doesn’t quite make sense. Do Yoon is in Manila trying to find clues to the murder of a friend, also from the police force. While searching for it in Manila, he comes across Oh Wan Soo as she is attacked in Makati and the story finally comes together.

There are a lot of issues plaguing the first two episodes of ‘Red Swan.’ The most apparent is the way by which it depicts Manila. Sure, the drone shots that establish location was taken in the city but it’s shots of a commercial space that is meant to be Makati looks either somewhere in McKinley Hill (not a place I’m familiar with) or a completely different location altogether. It doesn’t help that all the crowd extras are primarily white or East Asian looking. It doesn’t look or feel like Makati at all (though it is nice that we are depicted as such a clean, orderly place). The storyline feels rushed to try and set up this world early to try and get the two main characters together and to start the romantic storyline up and running but also amping up the feel of dread and danger. It’s quite a lot to handle and the direction and writing isn’t holding everything up in this regard.

Fortunately, the two lead stars are a completely arresting watch. Kim Ha Neul adds a certain dignity to Oh Wan Soo that makes her a fascinating character study. She’s tired of all the BS and it seems she’s lost all track of what is keeping her moving forward. When Seo Do Yoon comes into her life, she gazes into him trying to decode him and discover what he is about. It’s that look that brings about the passion in this show. Jung Ji Hoon has a gait and a posture of a leading man. He has such a strong presence that even if the scenes play out so typically like any action series I’ve seen before, his swagger hits differently that it doesn’t get boring.

Hopefully, after all the stumbling around and trying to put all the story elements into place, the show will pick up and find its rhythm and pace because its stars can’t carry the whole show solely on their shoulders for the rest of the eight episodes to follow.

My Rating:

Red Swan is now streaming on Disney+. Watch it here.

July 9, 2024
REVIEW: A Matter of Privilege: a review of the new original play ‘Patintero sa Ayala Avenue’

Full disclaimer: I am a founding member of CAST (Company of Actors in Streamlined Theater) and have been a part of their first two seasons before the pandemic. But I have not been an active member since the pandemic and I have no participation whatsoever in this latest season or in their latest production, the new original play ‘Patintero sa Ayala Avenue’ written and directed by Rafael Jimenez and starring Zoe de Ocampo and Teia Contreras. I sat down on the opening night as an audience member and a critic. I may be friends with the producer but had no idea what I was about to witness.

‘Patintero sa Ayala Avenue’ is a play written by Rafael Jimenez, his thesis for his degree in Theater from Mint and it is a powerhouse of emotions, almost entirely a monologue by its lead character, simply known as The Boy, except for a few scenes with The Boy’s 10-year-old sister Nora. The Boy is a high school student in a prestigious boarding school in Manila, but he is failing four out of his five subjects and faces expulsion. It begins pretty much with Zoe de Ocampo talking to someone named Mike. “Dear Mike” he starts, almost like he’s writing a letter. He talks about his current predicament and with a light change, he goes from an internal monologue into a real-world conversation – whether it’s his problematic roommate or the principal of his school – and we discover that The Boy is not in a good place.

Photo courtesy of May Celeste

He shares his observations about the bullies of his school and the effects it has on other students – one extreme case follows that someone tried to take his life – and what’s implied but never spoken out until much later is how he has a lot of issues with his parents, most especially his father, who is a director. It’s so bad that he decides to sneak out of the boarding house (it involves bribery) and walking around Poblacion. He shares his candid views about the red-light district that is Burgos street, mentioning more than once the number of foreigners (white folk) with a Filipina in their arms. He tries to stay the night at the hotel in front of Filling Station but can’t get a room because he’s underage and meets a woman who he tries to flirt with until he discovers she’s a sex worker. We follow The Boy through his traipse around Makati, constantly asking about where the Christmas lighting decor that adorn Ayala Avenue go when the Christmas season is over, while telling Mike about all his angers and frustrations about the world. Very quickly, we discover that The Boy is also unreliable narrator, because even his musings to Mike are also filtered by his own need to look like he’s in the right.

The Boy discusses family relations, memories of a happier, simple past, and his thoughts about suicide or running away to Baguio. We seem date girls and screw that up because he’s kind of misogynistic and overall toxic and what we get is a snapshot of the dark, inner world of the privileged youth.

What makes it hard to bear is while any suffering should be dealt with sympathy and empathy, The Boy is not without options. He’s wealthy. Who else gets to run away and tries to book a room at a hotel so he can spend the night. This is a kid who has run away from home and will book a Grab to go from Ayala Triangle to Glorietta. He complains that all Filipino movies are bad (he uses harsher terms than that) and all because his dad is a film director and he hates his dad. When he is with his guy friends, he takes on the posture of the toxic male and it bleeds into his dealings with the girls that he likes.

Photo courtesy of May Celeste

For one hour, all of the first act, we have to follow this boy’s misadventures and its hard to empathize when he has so many options that are available to him. There’s even a moment when he talks to a pares vendor and The Boy becomes the vendor, all hunched, smoking a cigarette, and talking about how life doesn’t mean anything because it’s all going to end. The vendor is the only other character The Boy interacts with that The Boy inhabits and voices out and this adds an extra layer of privilege that comes from the playwright and not just the character. These vendors who work under the neon lights of Burgos are some of the nicest, friendliest people I’ve come to know because I live in Poblacion. The working class don’t think about the world ending, they live in the moment. They are happy that they can work, that they can provide. They are the first to tell us stories about the things they’ve seen (and they’ve seen plenty) and it’s what I cannot stand about poverty porn because most of the working class, and even lower class know how to have fun, to laugh, and to take each day on its own merits.

Everything comes together by the second act, when the specifics of The Boy’s backstory lay out everything that the first act was just symptoms of his own lashing out. But by that point, I’m no longer on his side, and this play needs us to be on his side. He’s someone who needs a friend, an older figure (definitely parental) but there’s no one there. The audience can become that person, the only one who can care about him, but we don’t. The play didn’t give us that option. So, when we finally see him interact with his sister, Nora, the only person he loves and possibly loves him back, it comes too late for the audience to imbibe the message that the play tries to give.

What makes it a powerful debut, nonetheless, is that it felt very authentic to the milieu and the sensibilities of the character. The references, the use of language: all of these were unapologetically cued in to its zeitgeist and that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s a demanding work for both the audience and its cast. The playwright loves his character and while there’s nothing wrong about writing about privileged people, the writing must open itself up to larger perspectives that can make it inclusive to a larger audience who will not share these experiences.

Photo courtesy of May Celeste

Zoe de Ocampo is a promising powerhouse, who is able to capture and engage the audience all by his lonesome up on that stage. I think what he needs is more experience as the demanding play asks him to immediately shift from internal monologue (his letters to Mike) to the one-man dialogue with characters in the play (who are not present). There are nuances and shifts that need to be more refined because it’s so subtle that the delivery can come across as monotone through the whole play. The way he talks to the sex worker should be different from when he talks to his guy friends, his abusive rommate, or a pares vendor in Burgos. It’s most prominent when he speaks to Nora, played effectively by Teia Contreras. That’s where the shift becomes really clear. With more experience – both on stage and off stage – De Ocampo is going to do very exciting things for Philippine theater.

‘Patinteto sa Ayala Avenue’ is a strong debut, regardless of what I think about its politics, and brings in a fresh new voice in Philippine Theater in English. Most original Filiipno plays I’ve seen are in Filipino and most English plays I’ve caught are revivals of Western work. New voices like these should be heard and these are important steps to their growth. With all the success recent theater productions have been getting, ‘Patintero sa Ayala Avenue’ is proof that Philippine theater is blooming.

My Rating:

‘Patintero sa Ayala Avenue’ last week runs from July 6 to July 7 at The Mirror Studios. Tickets details are found on CAST’s Facebook Page and Instagram.

July 5, 2024
REVIEW: ‘Bar Boys: A New Musical’ is a triumph of a show, no objections

It has been a while since I’ve seen an original Filipino production that really moved me in the magical way that a good theater show really does. That ones that do are usually revivals (so you know that these are new, creative restaging of tried and tested works) or they are new jukebox musicals, in which case, they are hampered down in terms of concept and narrative structure because of the parameters of the existing songs. While based on a film by Kip Oebanda, ‘Bar Boys: A New Musical’ has such vibrant energy that is rooted in its wonderful cast and an excellent book that any of its weaknesses are overshadowed by all the play’s strengths that I found myself laughing loud, crying in certain scenes, and leaving the theater energized and inspired.

Directed by Pat Valera and Mikko Angeles, with book by Pat Valera and all new songs and music by Myke Solomon, ‘Bar Boys: A New Musical’ is an exciting new production that manages to capture the idealism and verve of the youth while also navigating this revolutionary spirit through the harsh realities of the world.

The play is, afterall, about four young friends who enter law school. Erik, Chris, Torran, and Josh come from very different backgrounds, but they all have the best of intentions in becoming lawyers. In fact, right before they enter law school, they are part of rally for their presidential pick – and based on the colors and the sentiments that are ingrained in the song, you know who they are voting for – and we see their hopes and dreams in full view. And then we see it struck down by the realisation that their beliefs are not shared by the rest of the country and the other candidate wins instead. They are now more galvanized than ever to enter law school to change the world.

Bar Boys set | Photo by Kyle Venturillo

The play’s first act then goes through the highs and lows of the four law students as they face various challenges and harsh realities: demanding teachers, fraternities, the demands of law school, and their own interpersonal relationships begin to suffer. Each one is also defined by their own backstory. Erik comes from a humble background, with his single father working as a security guard for a factory. Torran is a legacy child, whose loving mom can be a bit overbearing in her hopes that her son can also become a lawyer and carry the family tradition. Josh is filled with the youthful enthusiasm to change the world – he’s an environmentalist with hopes of using his law degree to make significant changes to the injustice of the world. Chris is the wealthiest of the four, and the most hard-working with the most go-getter attitude of the bunch. But Chris and Torran have secrets that will add another layer of challenges for them to deal with as the play unfolds further.

The first act is both funny and harrowing – detailing the difficult life of law students and how much they have to sacrifice to be able to meet their dreams. The worst part is the cold hard reality of how unjust this world is starts to bear down on them while still in school. It’s just a taste for what’s to come for all these characters.

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The four leads are all terrific actors. Omar Uddin is extremely charismatic as Josh. Uddin keeps Josh from becoming the typical probinsyano stereotype. He incredibly shifts from Bisaya to English to Filipino, code switching when needed, showing off his dynamic skill sets but when reality rears its ugly head, Uddin manages to show Josh’s fragility in such a manner that makes you care for him as well as invest in his sudden transformation. Jerom Canlas is solid as Torran. He’s not as flashy as a performer at the other leads but when Torran’s secret is discovered halfway through Act One, the added nuance to his character allows him to really show off his acting chops. Alex Diaz infuses Chris with so much earnestness that he propels the show forward. It’s Chris’ idealism that serves as the fulcrum that allows the play to really test the limits of justice. Diaz has an innocence that never gets cloying. He makes Chris believable without making him annoying or corny, an incredible feat on his own. But it’s Benedix Ramos who really steals the show. If Alex Diaz fuels the play, Ramos is the show’s beating heart. His Erik is not rich, but he manages to instill such dignity in the character that it becomes the play’s center. All this talk of justice and goodness and righteousness only means something because Ramos has made Erik so symbolic of this and every interaction, he has with Juliene Mendoza (who plays Erik’s dad ‘Paping’) or Shiela Francisco (who plays Justice Hernandez, one of their mentors) the soul of this production.

Alex Diaz plays Chris Carlson, Nor Domingo plays Atty. Maurice Carlson | Photo by Kyle Venturillo

Sheila Francisco plays Justice Hernandez | Photo by Kyle Venturillo

We see the struggles of these kids as they must grow up so quickly in front of our eyes. There’s a wonderful directorial and production design decision that the four years that transpires in act one is marked by the upgrading of the clothes that characters wear. It’s such a small, tiny thing but it helps create the feeling of the passage of time that adds depth to the play’s story.

The four leads are also very fortunate to have an incredible supporting cast to prop them up. Mendoza and Francisco are incredible (both their scenes near the end are the reason why you must bring tissue to this production) as well as Gimbey Dela Cruz, who plays several characters as well as Torran’s mother. Topper Fabregas is excellent as Victor Cruz, an attorney who also ends up teaching the boys in one class. Rounding up the cast are Nor Domingo, Kakki Teodoro, and Carlon Motabato.

Alex Diaz plays Chris Carlson, Jerom Canlas plays Torran Garcia | Photo by Kyle Venturillo

But I’d really like to take this opportunity to point out what an excellent ensemble this show has. Diego Aranda, Joshua Ade Valenzona, Edrei Tan, Jannah Baniasia, Anne Cortez, Uzziel Delamide, and Meg Ruiz form the world that this play exists in. They are a protean bunch who, in one moment are part of the crowd in the rally or help transition scenes from each other by becoming people riding the MRT but they also end up filling up the classrooms of the law school sequences were they play particular students who have their own personalities. For that one or two lines that they have, they take the spotlight and elicit their own reactions from the audience and then they quickly disappear and become part of the crowd all over again. They are singing, dancing, filling up the spaces, and helping this play feel big and believable. It’s one of the best ensembles I’ve seen in a long time.

The play, though, is not perfect. While a lot of the original songs of Myke Solomon are great, there are some songs that don’t end with any finality – so sometimes the audience doesn’t know how to react; do they clap? Is it over? – while others tend to come off a literal or may be better spoken rather than sung. My biggest gripe comes from the choreography which I find a strange mix of contemporary movements and urban, and street movements. The movements don’t feel natural to the play. The play is so bound in reality, and contemporary themes and language and the choreography feels so classical and old school. There’s also so much of it like in one song, early in Act One, Chris sings about what his dreams are – for a place he can call home – and suddenly, the ensemble comes in and starts dancing around them. It felt so intrusive because this was a tender moment for Chris and his friends. A full-on dance number wasn’t needed at this point in time. There are a lot of moments like this when there’s just too much choreography in the show.

Also, the PowerMac Spotlight doesn’t have the best acoustics or technical components when it comes to sound. So the voices of all the actors are distorted by the microphones and speakers of the venue. It’s such a shame because the play is so rooted in that human element.

But it’s a small gripe when you consider the fact that this show manages to tackle so many different important themes without sacrificing any of the fun of a theater show. It’s very funny but it is also very relevant. And when you talk about justice and youthful idealism, I feel that this play can be quite timeless because the issues that are brought out as case studies for the young lawyers-to-be are morality issues that will be discusses over and over again through time.

And as the play talks about the harsh realities of the world and the cracks and loopholes of the justice system, it still manages to keep the stories very human and relatable. This is best shown in a showstopping number when Josh narrates a big song number about waiting for the results of the bar exams. The fantastic ensemble is on stage and Uddin conducts their emotions and it’s such a powerful, stirring scene that even I got goosebumps in this moment. It was so relatable because the whole first act showed us how hard it was for these people to get to that point.

It’s the way that the book of ‘Bar Boys: A New Musical’ is structured that all the emotional payoffs hit all the right notes.

I would love to see this show again and bring more people onboard. I’m so happy it is doing well because this is a show that really is in synch with the Filipino sense of joy and hard work. It speaks about our hopes and dreams and while it does not shy away from the harsh realities of life, it manages to find an answer to the pervasive question of why we should keep fighting when injustice makes it so difficult for the good people to win.

There’s so much more I want to say but I’ll keep it as simple as this. This show needs a re-run. No objections.

My Rating:

Bar Boys: A New Musical is currently running at Power Mac Center Blackbox Theater until May 19. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me (bit.ly/barboystickets) and show buyers.

May 8, 2024
MOVIE REVIEW: It’s Not Just a Fantasy: a review of ‘The Idea of You’

I’m surprised at how utterly relatable ‘The Idea of You’ was for me, and all the screaming gays and women in the cinema I was in when watching the Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine romantic drama/comedy about an older divorced mother of a teenager and her relationship with a 24-year-old pop star. I may not have children, but I do love my idol groups and as someone who has reached middle age and feeling the brunt of adulting in a very difficult and tedious world, the fantasy of getting swept off of my feet by a younger, handsome pop star is a fantasy I didn’t realise was a very real thing that was stirring inside.

And the direction by Michael Showalter and the screenplay by Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt (based on the book by Robinne Lee) really plays into the fantasy of it. Everything within the set-up of this narrative to the way the element of the story plays out is all so fictional and so convenient for this sort of story. Hathaway plays Solene Marchand, who runs an art gallery in Silver Lake. She has a teenage daughter, Izzy (Ella Rubin) and her ex-husband has, of course, cheated on her with a younger workmate. Her ex-husband pays for VIP passes and a meet and greet with Izzy’s favorite band when she was in seventh grade, August Moon, in Coachella and gets Solene to take them there. At Coachella, she accidentally meets Hayes Campbell, a member of August Moon and he is smitten by her. Their love story begins.

Of course, Hayes loves art. The trust issues both have – Solene from her failed marriage while Hayes stems from his stardom and the pitfalls of money and fame – allows them to find some sort of peace and safety with each other. The fact that Solene had a baby at such a young age (it was mentioned that it was unplanned) meant that she never got to really experience the wild and crazy time that we are expected to have in our 20s. Hayes becomes an avenue for her to find out who she truly is as a person outside the choices that she made in her lost her youth.

Everything about the first hour and a half of this film plays so well to the fantasy of this dramatic situation. It’s passionate. It helps that both actors are so ridiculously good-looking and that they do an amazing job of really selling the love story. There’s this youthful longing that Galitzine dips into and throws at Hathaway and there’s a way that Hathaway takes this unbelievable character and makes her so real. It’s as if she understands and makes her character understand that this situation is crazy, and she still runs with it. She has a way to make each facial expression – whether she’s hurt or in the throes of joy or in a state of disbelief – seem so real and natural. Showalter also doesn’t hold back in making their relationship sexual and despite its frequency, it never feels gratuitous or obscene. It’s really rooted in Hayes’ youth and Solene’s desire to reclaim hers.

It’s the last half hour when the film pushes away from the fantasy to try and delve into the real-world issues that comes with the territory. It highlights the double standards that the world has on women dating younger men, and the ways by which the world and society boxes them into certain roles. Of course, there’s no way a global pop star can keep a relationship secret and it shows off how ugly it can all be.

And while the film manages to convey the hurt this “scandal” does to Solene but the film never tries to put judgement on all the delusional people on the internet who makes these sort of judgments to people they do not know, whose business they have no right to comment on or pass judgement. I know it’s not the film’s job to moralize against this, but I felt that it was in the right space to make some sort of statement about the public’s delusion that they have a right to say whatever they want on the lives of people they do not know – even if it’s a pop star who works in the public sphere.

The film feels young without trying too hard. It’s chock full of songs both new (to showcase August Moon with Nicholas Galitzine credited for singing all his parts) and some really nice, older songs like St Vincent and Fiona Apple. ‘The Idea of You’ is a wonderful little fantasy that comes alive on screen. It never really pretends to be serious or realistic, jumping certain narrative beats because it can, and because it does, it’s this lovely little escape that pulls down your guard so that it can explore some really important core issues before coming back and finishing it off in the tone and mood that it began with.

My Rating:

The Idea of You is now streaming on Prime Video, watch it here!

May 2, 2024
REVIEW: Disney+’s ‘American Born Chinese’ is a pleasant surprise that gets better with each episode

I have to admit that the first two episodes of the Disney+ original series ‘American Born Chinese’ was a strange watch. It was a mix of what seemed like a bad wuxia or kung-fu film and a generic coming-of-age high school story. The wire work in the first fight scene in episode one looked a bit awkward and the overall design was a bit strange to me. It felt very American (bright colours, more for effect than for use) when compared to things like ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ or ‘House of Flying Daggers’ or even the 80s kung-fu shows I used to watch (whose title escapes me at the moment and can’t seem to find via Google search).

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

It’s the story of the son of Sun Wukong, the famed Monkey King that is immortalized from the classic novel ‘Journey to the West.’ The son, Wei Chen, finds his way to earth, in a middle school in the US, to find a guide to help guide him to discover a magical fourth scroll. Disguised as an exchange student from China, he is partnered with Jin Wang, a typical Asian-American student with typical dreams. Despite being a big fan of manga, he wants to upgrade his status from being friends with the cosplay group and joining the soccer team. But being saddled with Wei Chen is putting a damper on his attempts at climbing the social ladder.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
BEN WANG, JIM LIU

But, to his own surprise, Wei Chen has identified Jin as his guide and in the 8 episodes of ‘American Born Chinese,’ we are introduced into a world that is as heavy into its mysticism and adventure as it is in its social commentary on race relations in America.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

The first two episodes was really just a set-up for a much more complicated dissection of typical narrative tropes found in American stories about Asia (specifically the Chinese) as well as deconstructing and analyzing the relationships between old and younger Asian Americans in the United States.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

Because while the main story follows Wei Chen and Jin, it also takes it time to focus on the stories of Sun Wukong and his nemesis Niu Mowang, the Bull Demon; the stories of Jin’s parents as their marriage reaches a crossroads; and even side stories of the goddess of compassion, Guanyin, as she interacts with various supernatural beings hiding away in America in efforts to help Wei Chen in his attempt to discover the fourth scroll.

Once ‘American Born Chinese’ manages to settle into all of its various tonal shifts – from coming-of-age comedy, to mystical martial arts adventure, to a biting social commentary – it starts to show off how very much aware the show is of itself and what it is trying to do. The first two episodes looked off because it was off, and it feels it’s done on purpose. This is most evident in episode four when the whole episode is devoted to the history of Sun Wukong and Niu Mowang. Executed in the form of a 70s comedy show, the very tongue-in-cheek, very Americanized way by which they portray the Chinese world of the gods and goddesses, you understand the whole show itself is pushing back against the years of misrepresentation of American media on Asian American stories.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “Hot Stuff” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
KE HUY QUAN

There’s even a magnificent side story about Jamie Yao, a former actor who played a very offensive stereotypical portrayal of a Chinese character in a fictional show called Beyond Repair. The snippets of ’s story intersects wonderfully into the show, as do all the varying subplots, that manages to become completely interconnected by the last two episodes.

What felt like a hodgepodge of different shows with different styles and genres come crashing together to tell a really strong story about a young man (Jin and Wei Cheng) who has to come to terms with the world and what their stake in it is.

Despite its uneven opening, I watched for the very precise performances of all its stars including Michelle Yeoh as Guanyin, Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong, Leonard Wu as Niu Mowang, and even Ke Huy Quan as Jamie Yao. The younger actors like Ben Wang (Jin Wang) and Jimmy Liu (Wei Chen) are still a bit awkward in carrying the whole show but it works so well as their characters are also still getting in tune with their surroundings. They are instantly elevated anyway by their co-stars. A big stand out is Yeo Yann Yann as Jin’s mother.

While the wire work in the first episode looked awkward, in later episodes it gets better, especially when Michelle Yeoh joins the fight. Leonard Wu and Daniel Wu have exceptional fight scenes later on in the show as well. There’s an equal play of English and Chinese, which I appreciated. It never felt like it rallied towards English just to satisfy its American audiences. When scenes needed to be in Chinese, they did so, and very generously.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “A Monkey on a Quest” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

At the same time, there were many instances when I thought they would resort to typical bullying character tropes, especially with Jin and his white soccer friends but it never does. It doesn’t deny that bullying does happen and there’s even a short subplot about it, but by and large, Jin is surrounded by ordinary people with nuanced relationships with race.

Overall, ‘American Born Chinese’ is a very surprising and refreshing show that is light and easy to watch but carries with it some really tough lessons if you dig deep enough. It’s refreshing and doesn’t feel like it’s pandering to its intended audience.

My Rating:

Watch ‘American Born Chinese‘ on Disney+

June 7, 2023