Monday Nights New Voices: The Music of Vince de Jesus
Held at Mag:Net Bonifacio High Street last May 12. Had a blast at this event I wrote about some time ago. The five Voices (Nicolas Atienza, Amos Francia, Pamela Imperial, Cinderella Mayo and Monica Reynoso) were really good. They sang some Broadway staples during the first set. The second set featured the music of Vince de Jesus and was more enjoyable, in my opinion.
In the second half, you really see the five Voices having a great time singing Vince’s wonderful music. Since the music and medley arrangements were original, the talents were able to show what they can really do without worrying about being compared to Broadway originals.
Rem Zamora and Bituin Escalante hosted the show and were a riot, especially in introducing and lambasting (only in friendly jest, of course) Vince’s work. Mag:Net was packed (SRO!) with theater personalities. You could see mini-delegations here and there: PETA, TP, Blue Rep, DUP, REP PHIL. Even Cynthia Culig-Guico, a favorite of mine since Himala, and CB Garucho of PETA were there. Of course, Gibbs was there. (He was described by Rem and Bituin as a theater luminary, alongside Ms. Garrucho. Grabe, luminary ka na pala. Hindi na lang “professional kibitzer”. Hehe.)
I’ll look forward to the next MNNV come June. Watch out for their announcements too.
Congrats to Mahar, Laura, Vince, and the five New Voices for a memorable event.
(Images: Vince de Jesus' site)
May Day Eve (Tanghalang Ateneo)
Got to catch the English show last Saturday. It’s Alberto J. Florentino’s stage adaptation of the Nick Joaquin classic. For those unfamiliar with the original text, May Day Eve tells the love story of Badoy and Agueda. The backdrop of their story is the superstition about seeing one’s loved one through an antique mirror in the mysterious time of May. Does the mirror’s promise of love follow through, or did the young Agueda see something else that magical night?
The adaptation uses a non-chronological narrative device that really works well for the story. Bodjie Pascua (yes, Kuya Bodgie of Batibot fame) plays the older Badoy, while Gelo Brillantes acts out the part of the young Badoy. Nadi Xavier (Mrs. Xavier, the Ateneo Boys Choir’s pianist!) plays the older Agueda while Ysabel Yuzon handles the role of the young Agueda. Naty Crame Rogers does a cameo appearance as Anastacia, the nanny who shares the supersition with young Agueda.
The play just runs for a little over an hour: short and sweet. Pascua’s performance as Badoy is something to look forward to. I loved the moments when he accompanies himself on the baby grand and sings while recalling his youth. You can feel the pain and regret his character bears.
May Day Eve still has shows in Filipino (translated by Dr. Jerry Respeto) tonight at 6:30, and Saturday at 3:00 and 6:30 pm. Tickets at P150 only.
Marisol (UP Dept. of Speech and Communication and PAEF)
Held at Mag:Net Bonifacio High Street last May 12. Had a blast at this event I wrote about some time ago. The five Voices (Nicolas Atienza, Amos Francia, Pamela Imperial, Cinderella Mayo and Monica Reynoso) were really good. They sang some Broadway staples during the first set. The second set featured the music of Vince de Jesus and was more enjoyable, in my opinion.
In the second half, you really see the five Voices having a great time singing Vince’s wonderful music. Since the music and medley arrangements were original, the talents were able to show what they can really do without worrying about being compared to Broadway originals.
Rem Zamora and Bituin Escalante hosted the show and were a riot, especially in introducing and lambasting (only in friendly jest, of course) Vince’s work. Mag:Net was packed (SRO!) with theater personalities. You could see mini-delegations here and there: PETA, TP, Blue Rep, DUP, REP PHIL. Even Cynthia Culig-Guico, a favorite of mine since Himala, and CB Garucho of PETA were there. Of course, Gibbs was there. (He was described by Rem and Bituin as a theater luminary, alongside Ms. Garrucho. Grabe, luminary ka na pala. Hindi na lang “professional kibitzer”. Hehe.)
I’ll look forward to the next MNNV come June. Watch out for their announcements too.
Congrats to Mahar, Laura, Vince, and the five New Voices for a memorable event.
(Images: Vince de Jesus' site)
May Day Eve (Tanghalang Ateneo)
Got to catch the English show last Saturday. It’s Alberto J. Florentino’s stage adaptation of the Nick Joaquin classic. For those unfamiliar with the original text, May Day Eve tells the love story of Badoy and Agueda. The backdrop of their story is the superstition about seeing one’s loved one through an antique mirror in the mysterious time of May. Does the mirror’s promise of love follow through, or did the young Agueda see something else that magical night?
The adaptation uses a non-chronological narrative device that really works well for the story. Bodjie Pascua (yes, Kuya Bodgie of Batibot fame) plays the older Badoy, while Gelo Brillantes acts out the part of the young Badoy. Nadi Xavier (Mrs. Xavier, the Ateneo Boys Choir’s pianist!) plays the older Agueda while Ysabel Yuzon handles the role of the young Agueda. Naty Crame Rogers does a cameo appearance as Anastacia, the nanny who shares the supersition with young Agueda.
The play just runs for a little over an hour: short and sweet. Pascua’s performance as Badoy is something to look forward to. I loved the moments when he accompanies himself on the baby grand and sings while recalling his youth. You can feel the pain and regret his character bears.
May Day Eve still has shows in Filipino (translated by Dr. Jerry Respeto) tonight at 6:30, and Saturday at 3:00 and 6:30 pm. Tickets at P150 only.
Marisol (UP Dept. of Speech and Communication and PAEF)
Production in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Fullbright program in the Philippines. Rody Vera’s Filipino adaptation of Jose Rivera’s 1991 play of the same name.
Originally set in Manhattan, the production is changed to portray an apocalyptic Manila. Society is collapsing from extreme poverty, violence, corruption, and environmental decay. People live in confusion in this new Manila. Original playwright Rivera “imagined a world falling apart, disintegrating from a terrible fear and loss of faith: a poverty both of economics and spirit.” (fr. programme)
Marisol is at the center of this world and the action starts when her guardian angel decides to leave her to rebel against the weakening god. (The initial plot is highly similar to Paradise Lost and His Dark Materials Trilogy.) According to her, it is the decay of this god that is bringing chaos and death to the world. It is only by setting a new hevenly order that a new world order is to survive. Marisol is left to fend for herself in the dangerous world, now “dragged down by systems and beliefs that held it up for so long.” Now, “change, truth, and power lie with those who are voiceless: the poor.”
The first act was very engaging and fast-paced. By the second act, the “war” was in progress, but I started getting restless. The scenes where Marisol struggled to survive in a world where time and space were losing meaning started to get lost on me. Then the scenes turned weirder, and, finally, better leading into a climactic end. The play was ripe with recurring symbols I can’t even process at the moment so just watch it for yourself. I think I still need to digest everything right now.
Mailes Kanapi, another of my fave actresses, was amazing as Marisol. Sabs said it seems that whenever we saw her, she always assayed a character, complex and oozing with sexuality, in stressful conditions. (We last saw her in Goethe’s production of “Slipped Disc” and last year’s in Insiang) The performances of Sigrid Bernardo and Nicco Manalo are also something to look forward too. Loved the set design by Lex Marcos (last seen as Abdalap in DUP’s Orosman at Zafira) The minor characters were good too. These guys doubled as the stage crew as well- fixing the scenes while always in character, even during intermission!
Make sure you catch Marisol this weekend. Last two shows this Friday and Saturday. Admission is free, so sulit talaga. Just come early so you get good seats. Shows at Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, Faculty Center, UP Diliman.. Show starts at 7pm and runs for almost two hours.
Originally set in Manhattan, the production is changed to portray an apocalyptic Manila. Society is collapsing from extreme poverty, violence, corruption, and environmental decay. People live in confusion in this new Manila. Original playwright Rivera “imagined a world falling apart, disintegrating from a terrible fear and loss of faith: a poverty both of economics and spirit.” (fr. programme)
Marisol is at the center of this world and the action starts when her guardian angel decides to leave her to rebel against the weakening god. (The initial plot is highly similar to Paradise Lost and His Dark Materials Trilogy.) According to her, it is the decay of this god that is bringing chaos and death to the world. It is only by setting a new hevenly order that a new world order is to survive. Marisol is left to fend for herself in the dangerous world, now “dragged down by systems and beliefs that held it up for so long.” Now, “change, truth, and power lie with those who are voiceless: the poor.”
The first act was very engaging and fast-paced. By the second act, the “war” was in progress, but I started getting restless. The scenes where Marisol struggled to survive in a world where time and space were losing meaning started to get lost on me. Then the scenes turned weirder, and, finally, better leading into a climactic end. The play was ripe with recurring symbols I can’t even process at the moment so just watch it for yourself. I think I still need to digest everything right now.
Mailes Kanapi, another of my fave actresses, was amazing as Marisol. Sabs said it seems that whenever we saw her, she always assayed a character, complex and oozing with sexuality, in stressful conditions. (We last saw her in Goethe’s production of “Slipped Disc” and last year’s in Insiang) The performances of Sigrid Bernardo and Nicco Manalo are also something to look forward too. Loved the set design by Lex Marcos (last seen as Abdalap in DUP’s Orosman at Zafira) The minor characters were good too. These guys doubled as the stage crew as well- fixing the scenes while always in character, even during intermission!
Make sure you catch Marisol this weekend. Last two shows this Friday and Saturday. Admission is free, so sulit talaga. Just come early so you get good seats. Shows at Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, Faculty Center, UP Diliman.. Show starts at 7pm and runs for almost two hours.
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