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Nagkatotoo nga! Great news- more people can now see it. News and images are from the Orosman at Zafira website (orosmanatzafira.multiply.com). Make sure you visit it.
I first took notice of Altar Boyz when I was searching for soundtrack CD's to buy from Amazon three years ago. The premise seemed interesting, but it didn’t drive me to buy the CD then. Thanks to multiply and music sharing, I eventually got hold of a copy of the songs. After the first listen, I was hooked. The soundtrack was just hilarious and filled with some catchy tunes. With lyrics like “Jesus called me on my cellphone,” “Girl, you make me wanna wait,” and “I am Catholic, hear me roar!”, what Catholic won’t grin?
To those unfamiliar with the show, it debuted in 2004’s New York Musical Theatre Festival and opened off-Broadway a few months later. It quickly gained a cult following (The Altarholics, with their own fan website) and won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. It was also nominated for seven Drama Desk Awards that year. The production even drew international attention and bore a Korean and Hungarian version. (Yes, with full translations of songs!)
What makes the production so amusing is the simple premise: What if there were an openly-Catholic boyband? The show is played in real time as a concert of the “Altar Boyz” composed of Matthew (the leader), Mark (the sensitive one), Luke (the converted bad boy), Juan (the Latin lover), and Abraham (the only Jewish member). The goal of the concert is to reduce the number of “burdened souls” in the audience through their song and dance numbers.
I wonder how Filipinos, being mostly Catholic, will take the religious references in the production? I guess we have an audience mature enough to handle the satire. Sana naman hindi na ito patulan ng mga opisyal pagdating ng araw. In the end, anyway, its take home message is to have faith.
Thanks to YouTube, you can watch countless AltarBoyz videos and get a sense of its comedy. The Original NY and Chicago casts you’ll see in the following videos are so passionate in their performances as the boy band.
Let’s hope the guys making up the group in Repertory Philippines’ version this April really wow us all. Can’t wait to see that when April comes. (visit the Repertory Philippines site for the detailed show info.)
----------------- Altar Boyz NY and Chicago promo videos:
Original Off-Broadway Cast
DRAMA DESK AWARD PERFORMANCE
Chicago Cast Performances
GOD PUT THE RHYTHM IN ME
EPIPHANY (Brian Crum)
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU (Adam Zelasko)
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Lyrics (From stlyrics.com)
WE ARE THE ALTARBOYZ There's a brand new sound, that's going 'round the world It's deep in the heart, of every boy and girl But it's not so new, it's primitive and tribal... If you look you can find it, in Gideon's Bible To the ends of the earth, we're trying hard to reach, Every chance that we get, we always like to preach
And we feel so good, it never fails to please us When we spread the word of the one and only Jesus
Now we don't believe in hurtin' or in hatin' 'Cause that's the kind of stuff that leads to satan We believe in showing lots of love 'Cause that's the way to get to, heaven above
We are the Altar Boyz You know we're coming to your town We are the Altar Boyz We're gonna knock the devil down We are the Altar Boyz We're going to sing to you today We are the Altar Boyz We always kneel when we pray We are the Altar Boyz You know we love to dance and rhyme We are the Altar Boyz We quote the scriptures all the time We are the Altar Boyz And I think you'll find... We're gonna alter your mind, your mind, your mind, your mind
You know who's in the house? Who who who? God is in the house Yeah yeah yeah! Everybody make some noise! Hallelujah Hallelujah x2 Everybody's making some, making some noise x2 Jesus is here, and he loves us all x2 Jesus Christ is here x2
Introductions! Matthew! Mark! Luke Juan Abraham He's Jewish!
Father (Father), Son (Son), the Holy Ghost!
Now some people think, we're really kind of odd when we sing about how we love the Lamb of God Yeah they like to fight! They heckle and dispute us But we don't care! Even if they persecute us! Even if they persecute us!
We are the Altar Boyz We know that God is where it's at We are the Altar Boyz Because we think he's real phat We are the Altar Boyz You know we don't get no complaints We are the Altar Boyz And we can even name the saints! We are the Altar Boyz We think that church is super fine We are the Altar Boyz We love the wafers and the wine We are the Altar Boyz And I think You'll find..... We're gonna alter your mind!
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU
When I met you girl I knew you were the one I’d be with all my life And I knew that I’d be making you my wife
So I hope you’ll understand my love When I sing you this refrain I believe in God, and so I must abstain
REFRAIN And I know that there is something about you, baby Something I can’t even say what it is But there’s something about you, baby Girl, you make me want to wait
When I hold you’re body next to mine It feels so good And feels so right And it also makes my Levi’s feel real tight
All my friends they think I’ve lost my mind And they tell me I’m a fool But I’m doing what I learned in Sunday school
Refrain
I mean it from my heart When I say I love you so So please believe when I just say no
Spoken: Girl, whenever we get this frisky, I know it’s hard to put on the brakes, baby, I know. But something’s making behave responsibly tonight. It’s your special blend of charisma and spunk. Crunk, I guess you’d call it. But whatever it is, you got it all up in you girl. You got crunk.
And I think you understand my choice, And I know you see it’s true. When I tell you that this hurts me more than you.
Refrain
At least until our wedding date So till then, I’ll master My own faith
EPIPHANY
I look into your eyes and I see the pain you hold inside Aren't you tired of the lies you tell so you can hide
What if my friends don't accept me I know What if my parents reject me I know
But you won't truly be "you" Until you can say.... I... am.... a Catholic That's me, I believe in the Holy Trinity Shout it out and make them hear your voice Your posse might not think it's dope To confess your sins, and like the Pope But this is who you are, it's not a choice
You say you're sleeping in When you're going out, to mass You cut school on Ash Wednesday So nobody will ask Your rosary’s hid in your sock drawer You sneak into church through the back door
Time to break out and break free And finally say, I am Catholic And I'm proud Sing it strong, sing it loud I won't deny who God meant me to be Every night you kneel and pray Stand up and be counting today Out of the cloisters, and into the streets
We are your teachers And you doctors And your Burger King cashiers We're your receptionists And your interns And your Amtrack engineers We are your lawyers And your tour guides And don't forget your actors on TV We are your parents And your brothers And your children
And me! I am a Catholic Yes I am! Long live the Vatican God doesn't make mistakes and he made me Ohhh, let out what you've trapped inside Come on and show your Catholic pride That's how you were meant to be
I am Catholic, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I'm not gonna hold back no more No you won't, you won't deny C-A-T-H-L-I-C, Catholic with a capital C That's how it was meant That's how you were meant That's how I was meant to be
Every once and a while, you come across a production that just blows your mind away. Even though it’s still early in the year, I feel Dulaang UP’s Orosman at Zafira’s is going to be THE production of 2008 for me.
After Martin and I saw last Sunday’s production, we just couldn’t stop talking and thinking about it on the ride home. We anticipated the show since December of last year and were completely satisfied upon seeing it last weekend. The show was so intense, you could feel the actors’ and the audience’s “high” afterwards from the intense applause to how the spectators welcomed the cast members who came out to meet the viewers. And remember, this was an original Balagtas (Francisco Baltazar) text!
If I remember my Filipino 14 correctly (Don’t kill me if I get this wrong, Sir Je), Orosman and Zafira was classified as a komedya, a dramatic form popular in the Spanish era of the Philippines. In Ma. Guererro Arnadis’ January 27 article in the PDI (Is the ‘komedya’ politically incorrect?), she presents a quote from National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario: “The komedya is national theater as we know it, it’s what the Kabuki and Noh are to Japan.” A form of the komeyda probably more familiar to some is the “moro-moro”, which would normally showcase a Muslim group and a Christian group encountering a struggle of some sort, with the Christian rising triumphant in the end. I remember Sir Jerry Respeto describing the traditional production, that started with a parade of colors/characters. The presentation and character sterotypes would be so evident in the costumes and movements (eg. marches) that even before the play starts, people would already have an idea of who sides with whom and who the heroes and villains were.
Orosman at Zafira, however, breaks the mold of the traditional komedya. To begin with, there is no clear Christian group or propaganda visible in the material. If anything, it shows the strength, courage, and familial ties in Muslim tradition. It is the struggle of three warring Muslim kingdoms that is followed and not a war between ideologies. If Hamlet covered a single troubled kingdom and Macbeth dealt with struggles between two groups, then O+Z topped Shakespeare with the complex interaction of the three kingdoms. Added to that, the plot not only dealt with power plays, but also threw in there at least two love stories. To top it all off, the piece had a strong feminist feel, with scorned women, Gulnara and Zafira, taking the lead even in war. Remember that all this was written in the 1850’s. Now that’s revolutionary.
Staging of Philippine theater/literary canon need not be boring and traditional and this was clearly demonstrated by DUP’s Orosman at Zafira. If the Japanese can modernize their Noh and Kabuki, why not Filipinos with our Komedya? This makes UP’s First National Komedya Festival, of which O+Z is part, truly noteworthy. The material, modern enough for its time, is brought even closer to the current audience. First, most of the lines in O+Z are wonderfully sung or chanted. Backing this up is a live band: think native gamelan amped up with some heavy drums and electric guitars. The musical lines are reminiscent of fusion or world music— of Pinikikan, Grace Nono, Bayang Barrios, and Joey Ayala’s styles. The accompaniment ranges from traditional to intense rock, yet all bearing a distinct Filipino flavor. The use of Zelima as narrator also works to introduce the scenes’ emotions and events.
The ensemble’s movement by director and choreographer extraordinaire Dexter Santos is simply breathtaking. There were moments (eg. the war scenes) where I would get goosebumps just watching them. The three kingdoms were introduced at the start via musical backgrounds and very specific tribal movements. Their dances would characterize them further along the play and once all three share the stage in the battle scenes, one can just watch in awe.
The set was interesting for the way it accommodated the varied scenes. With a few arrangements of the movable “walis-tingting hedges” there would be garden scenes, battlefields, pond edges, mazes leading into dungeons, and forests. Bungkakas, rainmakers, and kubings would serve as swords, cudgels, and daggers providing additional sounds and rhythms making the battles even more intense. Leaves blowing through the battle scenes added to the movement and chaos. The staging may have been small, but the visuals were still stunning.
The cast, from the leads to the chorus, looked so immersed in their roles. The passion they brought into the scenes was palpable. There were some stand-out performances, of course. For me, JC Santos’ Zelim was fierce and compelling. To be able to sing, dance, and do acrobatics like he did was just a feat. Of course, I was so excited in seeing Maita Ponce as Zafira. Her intensity here is just leagues away from earlier performances as Sinta or as any of the Broadway/musical characters she’s assayed before. I personally haven’t seen her like this before and just seeing my old philo classmate’s amazing performance makes me well up in praise of her craft. Like what Martin said, we’re so proud of you, Maits! We can’t wait to see OZ again before it closes.
The final message of the play hits close to home with the current occurrences in our nation. Orosman at Zafira presents, foremost, a power struggle. The love story of Orosman and Zafira serves as a perfect foil to the pain of death and destruction in war. It shows us the troubles a pursuit of power can bring. Even the way the play was ended was filled with uncertainty and warning. Despite being victorious, Zafira weeps for all their losses. There is a sense of foreboding that there is no end to the struggle for the throne.
I’ve recommended other plays before, but DUP’s OZ is a must-see this year. If you can, go see Maita’s shows as she is terrific:
The other shows have Cris Villonco as Zafira and I expect she’ll also be good (based on her performances in Rep’s Fiddler on the Roof and Hamlet). Orosman at Zafira runs until March 2 only, so make sure you catch it! I think they have evening shows Thursday to Saturday and 10am & 3pm shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be reserved via Ms. Luz de Luna (09176206224). If you want to watch with Martin and me, let me know via text and we can coordinate.
I first got excited about this production a few months ago when I received an unexpected personal message for my Himala blog entry from none other than Ms. Isay Alvarez. Though it was a short message, it was surreal reading it, especially for a theater-fan like myself. Knowing she’d be in the PETA prod already got me interested. My expectations just kept on rising upon learning it was to be penned and partly scored by Vince de Jesus, whose work some friends and I have followed ever since the original Zsazsa Zaturnnah ze Muzikal. Then came Jojit Lorenzo’s stunning photographs that just teased us more with what the production had to offer.
When you go to see a PETA production, you feel there has to be a take-home message of some sort. They are, after all, at the forefront of educational theater. Viewers need not worry about a preachy production since the staging is a riot and the focus of the production is completely accessible: Beauty.
In SKIN DEEP, world-renowned cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Beau Batoctol (Rem Zamora in our show) opens a one-stop beauty resort: the Skin Deep Beauty Sanctuary. For his opening promo, he provides seven texters a month’s stay in the health resort with all the treatments and procedures they want for free. The “Lucky Makeover Seven” consist of Marikit- an obese call center agent (Mary Ann Espinosa), Chonggo- a promdi model wannabe (Red Anderson), Isah and Siso- a couple whose marriage is on the rocks (Isay Alvarez Sena and Enrique Victor Bisa), Happy- an abused housewife (Diana Malahay), Pipay- an aging florist (Phil Noble), and Amor- the reigning Ms. Artificial Beauty who’s in her sixties, but looks like a lady in her twenties (May Bayot). These seven start off with lists of what they want to change about themselves and dreams of better lives after.
One by one, they undergo different procedures with the hope that their makeovers will bring them happiness: a healthier figure for Marikit, confidence and composure for Chonggo, rekindled love for Isah and Siso, a regained life for Happy, true and lasting love for Pipay, and acceptance for Amor. Early on, friendships begin to be formed, but as they learn about one another’s pasts and explore their reasons for staying, the seven personalities start to clash. They continue undergoing the treatments and become more beautiful on the outside, but start to face more troubles and uncertainty on the inside. As changes begin to occur physically and emotionally, requests become more and more drastic leading to a shocking request by one of the patients and a final confrontation with the doctor who gave them the beauty they desired.
As a comedy, Skin Deep does not disappoint. Vince de Jesus is not just a talented musician but a highly-entertaining dramaturg as well. Give or take a few failsafe funny lines, the jabs his characters throw at one another are sharp and witty. Most notable are the scenes involving the youthful-looking lola, Amor de Sangre. May Bayot, draws riotous laughter with her aged insights and the way she delivers her lines with a punch (in full Cebuana accent, of course). The characters’ different “activity groupings” introduce them to us systematically and open up venues for funny interactions. It would be unfair to compare Skin Deep to Zsazsa Zaturnnah in terms of comedy since, after all, a major purpose of the prod is to educate. Nevertheless, it definitely has its laugh-out-loud moments. Though some of the characters’ pasts, dilemmas, and changes could have been explored more (eg. Marikit and Happy’s changes, Pipay’s life), everyone has his/her moment and endears him/herself to the audience as the show progresses.
A personal fan of Art Deco, I was fascinated by Leo Abaya’s production design. The look fit in perfectly with the play’s statement as Mr. Abaya states in his notes in the programme: “The linear, sharp, flat, hard-edged, contrived, and reconstructed quality of its designs inspired from nature and the machine sit well with the forms of the tropes of cosmetic science such as scalpel blades, syringes, lenses, apertures, and objects related to the quest and preservation of physical beauty.”
Musically, there was no immediate and prominent theme like Himala’s kundiman, Zsazsa’s gospel-pop, and Silent Soprano’s Cantopop. Still, the score by de jesus and Lucien Letaba complemented the scenes well. There were some stand-out numbers like the fun and rousing “Ayusin Natin” and “Touch Me, Doc”, both suggesting the wonders of Dr.Beau’s cosmetic surgery. Conversely, Isay Alvarez’ “Iba Yata” and May Bayot’s “Alam Kong Kaya Mo,” are intense and heartbreaking. The latter even reminded my friend and I (both in terms of sound and intensity) of May’s unforgettable Himala performance.
What then of the take-home message? The play, through inserts by Dr. Beau Batoctol, presents a bevy of historical and literary quotes on beauty. By the end of the play, the viewer is dealt an intense wallop on the dangers of the pursuit of beauty and happiness. Beau’s final quote sums the play perfectly: “To think that happiness can have a share in beauty is too good a thing.”
Pisikal na kagandahan ang binabalaan ng dula, subalit ano naman ang masasabi natin sa mas malaking larawan ng kagandahan? Marahil, ang kagandahan naman sa ganang sarili nito ay walang samang maidudulot. Wika nga ng iba, may katotohanan sa kagandahan. Sa mata ng sinaunang Griyego, mabuti at natural ang pagkilos tungo sa Kosmos, sa Sangkagandahan. May kasiyahan din naman sigurong makukuha rito. Ang kailangang mag-ingat ay ang siyang nag-aakalang saya lamang ang maaaring idulot ng kagandahan, o na ito ang magdudulot ng rurok ng kaganapan ng isang tao.
Kahit naman ako, naghahanap at nagnanais magbabad sa maganda: ang pagnanais sa masiglang pangangatawan, sa mabuting hitsura, sa kaakit-akit na tanawin, sa mahuhusay na palabas, sa natatanging akdang-sining at literatura. Gayunman, kahit sinong sanay sa kagandahan ay may pag-unawa sa posibleng karupukan nito: kumukulubot tayo sa pagtanda, natatapos ang mga palabas, naluluma ang mga larawan, nagwawakas ang mga akda. Maraming kalidad pang higit na tumatagal sa mundo at hangal ang siyang hahabol sa tanging panlabas na kagandahan para sa ganap na kaligayahan.
Skin Deep runs at the PETA Theater Center (Just behind QC Sports Club) until March 9. Fri shows at 730pm, Sat and Sun shows at 10am and 3pm. Very enjoyable, so nood na! Then let me know what you think. ☺
You have to love academe for its relatively flexible schedule and the free shows you get into every now and then. I have a full academic load, but it’s nice to have time to relax and do what I love best. This kind of stuff just balances out my hectic academic life as a teacher and graduate student in the sciences! Here’s to a full year of theater-hopping!
Some productions I’ve seen this Jan to mid-Feb 2008.
KUDETA (Tanghalang Pilipino) -Wrote about this in a separate blog entry already. Mario O’ Hara is the best!
PAKIKIPAGSAPALARAN NI PILANDOK (BFA-TA Senior Thesis) -Nice material for a children’s play. Hope they stage an improved prod for lots of kids so they can appreciate Filipino folklore and theater at an early age.
CHILDREN OF THE SEA (BFA-TA Senior Thesis) -Award-winning play by Glenn Mas. Wonderful production design by JJ Ignacio and intense performance by Trency Caga-anan. The movement during “sea scenes” was intense and well-crafed too. Enjoyed this simple show.
LAST ORDER SA PENGUIN (Teatro Kolehiyo ng Miriam) -I first saw this play back in 2003 when Teatro Tomasino brought it to ADMU. I enjoyed it more the second time around. Panahon talaga namin yung ilang cultural references and situations. Siguro mas nag-enjoy rin ako ngayon dahil tumatanda na at mas malapit na ang concerns ng characters sa akin. Haha. Napabili tuloy ako ng kopya ng UP-published book pagkatapos. A genuinely fun production to see, especially for the great ensemble of actors. Runs until the 16th.
HAMLET (Repertory Philippines) -Rep’s new take on Hamlet is visually stunning. Great production design, costumes, and music. I find it a bit hard to reconcile the over-all look with the characters’ emotions and some of the situations, though. I’ll be looking forward to seeing Cris Villonco (Ophelia) in future productions. Niccolo Manahan (Hamlet) gave clear deliveries of the famous lines and soliloquies, but there was something lacking. Litaw talaga na pinag-isipan ang kilos niya bilang prinsipe— kabaliwan na maskara lamang. Nagustuan ko iyon, pero parang may lalim pa rin na hindi ko maramdaman na nakita ko sa ibang Hamlet na napanood ko dati. Gibbs Cadiz explains it best in his article, so go see his site! (gibbscadiz.blogspot.com) Plays until the 17th.
WAYSIDE CAFÉ (ADMU School of Humanities) -First staging of an old Tony Perez play. It was great seeing Dr. Ricardo Abad act! Simple and short (only 30 minutes), but interesting. Packed with the messages of the uncertainty of life and letting go in just a short span of time. I loved how they converted the Ateneo Art Gallery into an intimate performance space.
HAKBANG SA HAKBANG(Tanghalang Ateneo) -Filipino translation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure by Mr. Ron Capinding (my high school Filipino teacher). I’ve always found Shakespeare in Filipino to be interesting. May ibang dating at pag-unawa talaga tuwing sa sariling wika mo napapanood ang mga klasikong akda niya. Liked the disco feel and the translated material. I wonder how Ser Ron thought of using the look and movement of the disco era? My friends were thinking that it may have to do with the Marcos-era. Since the play was about justice, law, and transparency in thought and actions, perhaps the era just fit in: partying is allowed, but it is monitored, controlled, and tempered by the law and those in charge. One actress stood out for us: the girl playing Isabella (we saw the show Feb.7,2008.) She really delivered her lines well and had a powerful presence onstage. My friend and I were reminded of a younger Diane Laserna when we watched her. We hope to see her with leads in more prods. The play runs until the 16th.
SOME PRODUCTIONS I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS:
Skin Deep (PETA) Orosman at Zafira (DUP) Tanikalang Ginto (ENTABLADO) EJ (TANGHALANG PILIPINO)
