It's out! Annoying that they postponed the release (it still says "this year"), but exciting nonetheless.
Love the start with the cave scene! And they showed the new scene Jo approved: the attack on the Burrow. It's burning!!! Also, it's always interesting how David Yates finds the humor in the darker HP books. The end of the trailer is really funny.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal returns-- Nood na! [reposted from Gibbs Cadiz]
Wrote about this a few months ago. Along with Floy Quintos's Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna, this was one of the best plays in this year's Labfest.
The promo from Gibbs Cadiz:
“Rogelio Braga’s Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte, directed by Nick Olanka, offered sharp and witty dialogue in a tightly packed and slick conversation. Repartee zipped merrily along between actors Joey Paras and Arnold Reyes, as they played an odd couple who offered enlightening and insightful points on the many guises of discrimination: political, geographical, religious, workplace-related, gender or otherwise.
"Hilarious and never preachy, Ang Bayot deserves a run that should be as long as, or longer than, its title. Hopefully, itinerant actor Paras will stay in Manila long enough to be recast in order to preserve the great timing he and Reyes share.”
Those were Walter Ang's words in his Inquirer review of last July's Virgin Labfest 4, where Ang Bayot was one of 15 new plays showcased.
Walter--and many others, I imagine (need I say I'm one of them?)--would be happy to know that Ang Bayot will be restaged on Wednesday, Oct. 29 (8 p.m.) and Thursday, Oct. 30 (4 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the CCP's Tanghalang Huseng Batute, again under Nick Olanka's direction.
Easily the best-reviewed play in the festival (more here, here and here) along with Floy Quintos' Ang Kalungkutan ng Mga Reyna (which eventually got Palanca-ed), Ang Bayot will form one-half of a twinbill of Ogie Braga plays, the other half being Ang Mga Mananahi, directed by Elmer Rufo. [UPDATE: Paul Santiago, not Elmer Rufo.] Mananahi was also featured in the Labfest, but in a staged reading format.
The UP Repertory Company is mounting the special run for the benefit of internally displaced people mostly in North Cotabato and other conflict areas in Mindanao. Proceeds will go to the Sinag '87 Foundation, a Davao-based organization that helps internal communities in Sitik, Manaulanan, Punol and Paidu Pulangi. The front desk will also accept donations in cash and in kind on the performance dates. (More details in Ogie Braga's blog.)
And, yes, the two acclaimed actors of Ang Bayot, Arnold Reyes and Joey Paras, will be back to reprise their roles. However, since Arnold can't make it on all the showdates, Joel Molina (fresh from Dulaang UP's Isang Panaginip na Fili) will alternate with him.
Tickets (P250 each) are available at the CCP Box Office, UP Repertory Company (Z 0915-5881782, Gelene 0916-6125404, Ogie 0918-7797982 or 0926-8122336), Young Moro Professional Network (G108 Jocfer Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue QC. c/o Aradelria Belleng 0920-6529066), UP Office of the Student Regent (Vinzon's Hall Basement, UP Diliman, c/o Shan) and UP Muslim Student Association (Vinzon's Hall, UP Diliman c/o Tani Basman).
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The promo from Gibbs Cadiz:
“Rogelio Braga’s Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte, directed by Nick Olanka, offered sharp and witty dialogue in a tightly packed and slick conversation. Repartee zipped merrily along between actors Joey Paras and Arnold Reyes, as they played an odd couple who offered enlightening and insightful points on the many guises of discrimination: political, geographical, religious, workplace-related, gender or otherwise.
"Hilarious and never preachy, Ang Bayot deserves a run that should be as long as, or longer than, its title. Hopefully, itinerant actor Paras will stay in Manila long enough to be recast in order to preserve the great timing he and Reyes share.”
Those were Walter Ang's words in his Inquirer review of last July's Virgin Labfest 4, where Ang Bayot was one of 15 new plays showcased.
Walter--and many others, I imagine (need I say I'm one of them?)--would be happy to know that Ang Bayot will be restaged on Wednesday, Oct. 29 (8 p.m.) and Thursday, Oct. 30 (4 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the CCP's Tanghalang Huseng Batute, again under Nick Olanka's direction.
Easily the best-reviewed play in the festival (more here, here and here) along with Floy Quintos' Ang Kalungkutan ng Mga Reyna (which eventually got Palanca-ed), Ang Bayot will form one-half of a twinbill of Ogie Braga plays, the other half being Ang Mga Mananahi, directed by Elmer Rufo. [UPDATE: Paul Santiago, not Elmer Rufo.] Mananahi was also featured in the Labfest, but in a staged reading format.
The UP Repertory Company is mounting the special run for the benefit of internally displaced people mostly in North Cotabato and other conflict areas in Mindanao. Proceeds will go to the Sinag '87 Foundation, a Davao-based organization that helps internal communities in Sitik, Manaulanan, Punol and Paidu Pulangi. The front desk will also accept donations in cash and in kind on the performance dates. (More details in Ogie Braga's blog.)
And, yes, the two acclaimed actors of Ang Bayot, Arnold Reyes and Joey Paras, will be back to reprise their roles. However, since Arnold can't make it on all the showdates, Joel Molina (fresh from Dulaang UP's Isang Panaginip na Fili) will alternate with him.
Tickets (P250 each) are available at the CCP Box Office, UP Repertory Company (Z 0915-5881782, Gelene 0916-6125404, Ogie 0918-7797982 or 0926-8122336), Young Moro Professional Network (G108 Jocfer Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue QC. c/o Aradelria Belleng 0920-6529066), UP Office of the Student Regent (Vinzon's Hall Basement, UP Diliman, c/o Shan) and UP Muslim Student Association (Vinzon's Hall, UP Diliman c/o Tani Basman).
Ang Magis na Wedding Proposal: Boyet and Bernice
Showbiz talaga! Hehe. Hanggang dito, leader na leader si Boyet. Syempre, mas maayos pa suot niya sa magiging fiance niya. :-)
Marami nang umiyak sa panonood ng video na ito-- kahit mga hindi sila kakilala.
Congrats again, Boyet and Bernice!
Marami nang umiyak sa panonood ng video na ito-- kahit mga hindi sila kakilala.
Congrats again, Boyet and Bernice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muWGM3uQtw8
Learning From a Diva [Master Class, POC]
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“The theater isn’t made for trying. People don’t leave their homes to watch us try,” says Maria Callas in the play Master Class. And yet yesterday, a bunch of bloggers, myself included, braved Makati traffic to go to the RCBC theater to do just that: watch a full rehearsal of the aforementioned play staged by the Philippine Opera Company. What we saw, though, was as good as the real thing. It wasn’t Cherie Gil trying to be Maria Callas. She was La Divina.
Master Class is a Tony and Drama Desk-winning play by Terrence McNally about renowned dramatic soprano Maria Callas. It is set in the latter part of her career, where she teaches a series of master classes at the Juilliard School.
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For me, the charm of the play is in the way it breaks the fourth wall: the audience becomes her students and the theater, the auditorium for her class. Callas refers to the crowd intermittently as she trains students who want to make it big in the world of opera. The play features some well-known arias, but the diva-antics of Callas are what are to look forward to.
Interestingly, the instructional nature of the material brings the play closer to the audience and makes it even more enjoyable. An expressive audience can, in a way, complete the show. The feel is indeed like a magisterial class with Professor Callas’s grip on us never slackening.
Although the material can be heavy towards the end, Cherie Gil handles the rich text exquisitely. Upon leaving the theater, my friend and I felt that we did learn a lot. More than the juicy details of the soprano’s life, it is her treatise on art and the discipline it entails that ultimately hits home. We couldn’t stop thinking of how commanding someone can be onstage.
Alongside her tips to the students (“You need to have a 'look'!” and “Always bring a pencil!”), Callas interjects past experiences. Gil’s deliveries of the asides are simply authentic and humorous. And then there are extended moments of sharing from the larger-than-life character, which feels like hearing showbiz gossip from an insider. We learn of her feelings towards other artists and, in finely written moments, her failed relationship with Aristotle Onassis. How her interactions with Onassis are played out are scenes one shouldn’t miss.
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Fitting in perfectly with Callas’s exposition of art and drama, the play is filled with references to her history, particularly her romantic life. Going in with knowledge of her history with Onassis is a plus. The message of an aria sung, the characters Callas remembers, small comments on the plight of women and their strength— all echo a woman scorned. When she shares, “You will, in time, know how much suffering is in store for a woman,” we sense the pain masked by what she claims as German Mut- courage and audacity.
The play teems with quotes apt for the diva. Callas states an imeldific, “Art is beauty and you should be paid for it” and reminds us to “Never miss an opportunity to theatricalize.” That statement probably best summarizes Callas and the experience of seeing her brought to life by Gil.
“A performance is a struggle. You HAVE to win. The audience is the enemy- dominate them. Art is domination… For that moment in time… there’s only one voice— yours.”
Cherie Gil is something else in this production and definitely won this round.
Il Divina
Congratulations to the Philippine Opera Company and to director Michael Williams in advance for this staging. Thanks to Lorna (TheBachelorGirl) and Ms. Karla Gutierrez for the invite again.
Make sure you don’t miss Ms. Cherie Gil in what she deems as her most challenging role yet. Playing the students in her master class are Jack Salud as Anthony Candolino, Florence Aguilar as Sophie de Palma, Deeda Barreto as Sharon Graham, Ceejay Javier as the pianist Manny and Michael Williams in a cameo role as the stage manager.
MASTERCLASS will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, RCBC Plaza on October 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
For block ticket sales please call Philippine Opera Company at 892-8786 and TicketWorld at 891-9999 or log on to www.philippineoperacompany.com
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Larger than life
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If you want to learn more about Maria Callas and this production, check out these posts by Karla Guiterrez and Pablo Tariman:Maria Callas Chronology (Gutierrez)
Cherie Gil in her most challenging role… (Gutierrez)
My Obsession with Maria Callas and Why the Internet Generation Should Watch Master Class (Tariman)
More Master Class Pics
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Buy the box set of excerpts from the actual Master Classes from Amazon: Maria Callas at Juilliard.
or just listen for free at YouTube
Watch Cherie Gil in POC's Master Class
Reposted from Ms. Karla Gutierrez of the Philippine Opera Company with some pictures from the October 16 rehearsal.
Maria Callas was a Greek-American soprano and perhaps the best-known opera singer of the post-World War II period to the present. She combined an impeccable bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts, making her the most famous singing actress of the era.
Greatly admired by many opera fans, disliked by others, Callas was a controversial artist. Her supporters called her "La Divina" and raved about the dramatic intensity and ravishing portrayals she brought to the opera stage. Callas' detractors believed that she regularly pushed her voice beyond its natural limits, achieving her dramatic effect at the expense of beauty of tone.
Born Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in Brooklyn, New York, she moved with her mother to Athens, Greece at the age of 13. There she received her musical education and became a pupil of the well-known soprano Elvira de Hidalgo at the Athens Conservatory. After a few appearances as a student and in secondary roles, she made her professional debut at the Athens Opera on July 4, 1941, as La Tosca, going on to sing Santuzza and Leonora during the next three years. In 1947, Callas made her Italian debut at the Verona Arena in La Gioconda under the baton of Tullio Serafin. Together with Serafin, Callas subsequently recorded and performed many bel canto operas, contributing greatly to the bel canto revival of the 1950s.
Throughout the 1950s, Callas made numerous appearances at the world's great houses: La Scala Milan, Opera Garnier Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. By the mid 1950s, strain on her voice started to become apparent; by 1958 it reached a point where she was no longer suitable for many roles. Her later stereo recordings evidence masterly musical interpretations with an increasingly unstable higher register that wobbled uncontrollably at times.
In 1969 the Italian filmaker Pasolini cast Callas in her only non-operatic acting role, playing the legendary greek sorceress Medea. Unfortunately the film was not a success in any commercial sense, but is nevertheless as cinematically interesting as any Pasolini film. Callas' only film appearance offers clear evidence of her legendary and charismatic stage presence: her ability to hold an audience's attention while standing still, revealing an economy of gesture and movement that makes her stand apart from most other opera performers.
From October 1971 to March 1972, Callas gave a series of master classes at the Juilliard School in New York before a full house of students and spectators. (These classes later formed the basis of Terrence McNally's 1995 play Master Class).
Philippine Opera Company is proud to present the Tony Award-winning play, MASTERCLASS, about the legendary opera diva Maria Callas.
Terrence McNally's Master Class was first produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Company in March 1995; it opened at the Golden Theatre in New York City in November of the same year. The play is based on a series of master classes given by the renowned opera singer Maria Callas at the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1971 and 1972. Callas (1923–77), was the greatest dramatic soprano of her generation and also a controversial figure. Her restless and tempestuous personality often led her into disputes with opera managements and feuds with rival singers. However, she was adored by her fans and was the subject of constant media attention, including gossip about her jet-set life with the wealthy Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis.
Although Master Class does delve into the triumphs and tragedies of Callas's life, its primary focus is the art of dramatic singing. As McNally's fictional version of Callas teaches her class, she explains to her students, two sopranos and a tenor, just what it takes to invest the music with real feeling, revealing as she does so how demanding the profession of opera singing is. She also reveals her own contradictory personality—proud and egotistical yet also vulnerable and self-pitying. In spite of all the flaws of its main character, however, Master Class, written by a man who has been a Callas fan since he was a teenager in high school, is a tribute to the dedication of a great singer and actress to her chosen art.
Although the play touches on many of the main events of Maria Callas' life, it is not in essence a biographical portrait. Rather, it is an exploration of the nature of artistic creation, as applied to operatic singing and acting. Maria makes clear that art is serious business that cannot be done by half measures; it demands total commitment on the part of the singer/actress. Being an opera singer can never be an easy career; the singer must give everything to the demands of her craft. This means intense discipline over a lifetime.
Witness one of Philippine cinema's living legends CHERIE GIL in a very rare performance as the opera icon Maria Callas.
Asked what made her agree to portray a very difficult role? "I read the script over and over and constantly ask myself what I got myself into? Maria Callas is larger than life and always known to be the epitome of discipline, having an intense passion and love for her art. I was compelled to get to know her though II knew it would be a very difficult show to fill.. To be able to acquire even just an iota of her essence would be a gift. Perhaps, I personally was looking into seeing my own art through her eyes and finding a fresh start to loving my craft all over again." says Cherrie.
Playing the students in her master class are Jack Salud as Anthony Candolino, Florence Aguilar as Sophie de Palma, Deeda Barreto as Sharon Graham, Ceejay Javier as the pianist Manny and Michael Williams in a cameo role as the stage manager.
MASTERCLASS will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, RCBC Plaza on October 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
Master Class is presented by the Yuchengco Group of Companies, Lyric Piano, Power Mac Center, Frederick Peralta, Flowers and Foliage, Brooklyn Pizza, Raymund Isaac, Make Up Forever, 92.3 XFM.
For block ticket sales please call Philippine Opera Company at 892-8786 and TicketWorld at 891-9999 or log on to www.philippineoperacompany.com
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Maria Callas was a Greek-American soprano and perhaps the best-known opera singer of the post-World War II period to the present. She combined an impeccable bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts, making her the most famous singing actress of the era.
Greatly admired by many opera fans, disliked by others, Callas was a controversial artist. Her supporters called her "La Divina" and raved about the dramatic intensity and ravishing portrayals she brought to the opera stage. Callas' detractors believed that she regularly pushed her voice beyond its natural limits, achieving her dramatic effect at the expense of beauty of tone.
Born Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in Brooklyn, New York, she moved with her mother to Athens, Greece at the age of 13. There she received her musical education and became a pupil of the well-known soprano Elvira de Hidalgo at the Athens Conservatory. After a few appearances as a student and in secondary roles, she made her professional debut at the Athens Opera on July 4, 1941, as La Tosca, going on to sing Santuzza and Leonora during the next three years. In 1947, Callas made her Italian debut at the Verona Arena in La Gioconda under the baton of Tullio Serafin. Together with Serafin, Callas subsequently recorded and performed many bel canto operas, contributing greatly to the bel canto revival of the 1950s.
 |
Throughout the 1950s, Callas made numerous appearances at the world's great houses: La Scala Milan, Opera Garnier Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. By the mid 1950s, strain on her voice started to become apparent; by 1958 it reached a point where she was no longer suitable for many roles. Her later stereo recordings evidence masterly musical interpretations with an increasingly unstable higher register that wobbled uncontrollably at times.
In 1969 the Italian filmaker Pasolini cast Callas in her only non-operatic acting role, playing the legendary greek sorceress Medea. Unfortunately the film was not a success in any commercial sense, but is nevertheless as cinematically interesting as any Pasolini film. Callas' only film appearance offers clear evidence of her legendary and charismatic stage presence: her ability to hold an audience's attention while standing still, revealing an economy of gesture and movement that makes her stand apart from most other opera performers.
 |
From October 1971 to March 1972, Callas gave a series of master classes at the Juilliard School in New York before a full house of students and spectators. (These classes later formed the basis of Terrence McNally's 1995 play Master Class).
Philippine Opera Company is proud to present the Tony Award-winning play, MASTERCLASS, about the legendary opera diva Maria Callas.
Terrence McNally's Master Class was first produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Company in March 1995; it opened at the Golden Theatre in New York City in November of the same year. The play is based on a series of master classes given by the renowned opera singer Maria Callas at the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1971 and 1972. Callas (1923–77), was the greatest dramatic soprano of her generation and also a controversial figure. Her restless and tempestuous personality often led her into disputes with opera managements and feuds with rival singers. However, she was adored by her fans and was the subject of constant media attention, including gossip about her jet-set life with the wealthy Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis.
Although Master Class does delve into the triumphs and tragedies of Callas's life, its primary focus is the art of dramatic singing. As McNally's fictional version of Callas teaches her class, she explains to her students, two sopranos and a tenor, just what it takes to invest the music with real feeling, revealing as she does so how demanding the profession of opera singing is. She also reveals her own contradictory personality—proud and egotistical yet also vulnerable and self-pitying. In spite of all the flaws of its main character, however, Master Class, written by a man who has been a Callas fan since he was a teenager in high school, is a tribute to the dedication of a great singer and actress to her chosen art.
Although the play touches on many of the main events of Maria Callas' life, it is not in essence a biographical portrait. Rather, it is an exploration of the nature of artistic creation, as applied to operatic singing and acting. Maria makes clear that art is serious business that cannot be done by half measures; it demands total commitment on the part of the singer/actress. Being an opera singer can never be an easy career; the singer must give everything to the demands of her craft. This means intense discipline over a lifetime.
Witness one of Philippine cinema's living legends CHERIE GIL in a very rare performance as the opera icon Maria Callas.
Asked what made her agree to portray a very difficult role? "I read the script over and over and constantly ask myself what I got myself into? Maria Callas is larger than life and always known to be the epitome of discipline, having an intense passion and love for her art. I was compelled to get to know her though II knew it would be a very difficult show to fill.. To be able to acquire even just an iota of her essence would be a gift. Perhaps, I personally was looking into seeing my own art through her eyes and finding a fresh start to loving my craft all over again." says Cherrie.
 |
Playing the students in her master class are Jack Salud as Anthony Candolino, Florence Aguilar as Sophie de Palma, Deeda Barreto as Sharon Graham, Ceejay Javier as the pianist Manny and Michael Williams in a cameo role as the stage manager.
MASTERCLASS will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, RCBC Plaza on October 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
Master Class is presented by the Yuchengco Group of Companies, Lyric Piano, Power Mac Center, Frederick Peralta, Flowers and Foliage, Brooklyn Pizza, Raymund Isaac, Make Up Forever, 92.3 XFM.
For block ticket sales please call Philippine Opera Company at 892-8786 and TicketWorld at 891-9999 or log on to www.philippineoperacompany.com
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Tuesday, October 7, 2008
La Boheme at the CCP Videos (Quando Me'n Vo and Death Scene)
Scenes from Puccini's La Boheme as restaged by the Philippine Opera Company at the CCP.
Footage taken from the two dress rehearsals. (Pardon the shaky hands.)
Take note: REHEARSALS kaya babangon mula sa pagkamatay si Mimi sa first video. Still, they're great, right?! And NO microphones were used! Their voices just soared over the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Helen Quach) to fill the Main Theater.
1 October 2008
Rodolfo- Gary del Rosario
Mimi- Jennifer Uy
Musetta- Ana Feleo
Marcello- Lawrence Jatayna
Colline- Joseleo Logdat
Schaunard- John Campos
Alcindoro- Nomer Son
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2 October 2008
Rodolfo- Dondi Ong
Mimi- Maribel Miguel
Musetta- Elaine Lee
Marcello- Jesus Baang
Colline- Joseleo Logdat
Schaunard- John Campos
Alcindoro- Nomer Son
Footage taken from the two dress rehearsals. (Pardon the shaky hands.)
Take note: REHEARSALS kaya babangon mula sa pagkamatay si Mimi sa first video. Still, they're great, right?! And NO microphones were used! Their voices just soared over the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Helen Quach) to fill the Main Theater.
Mimi's Death Scene (Act IV)
1 October 2008
Rodolfo- Gary del Rosario
Mimi- Jennifer Uy
Musetta- Ana Feleo
Marcello- Lawrence Jatayna
Colline- Joseleo Logdat
Schaunard- John Campos
Alcindoro- Nomer Son
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Quando Me'n Vo (Musetta's Waltz, Act II)
2 October 2008
Rodolfo- Dondi Ong
Mimi- Maribel Miguel
Musetta- Elaine Lee
Marcello- Jesus Baang
Colline- Joseleo Logdat
Schaunard- John Campos
Alcindoro- Nomer Son
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The La Boheme and RENT connection (part 3 of 3)
In the late 1980's, playwright Billy Aronson fell in love with opera, particularly Puccini's La Boheme. He gets the idea of creating a modern musical adaptation. He writes, "The similarity between these artists and their poverty in New York in the late '80's struck me. The numbers of homeless people were shooting up and people were dying around us. There was AIDS and lack of government support for the arts. I wanted to rework the plot of the opera..."
In 1989, Aronson found a composer to collaborate with- Jonathan Larson. Larson was perfect for Aronson. He thought his music was expressive, which could make the project so similar to La Boheme. But the two faced difficulties and started to get busy with other projects so the collaboration was stalled.
In 1987, a close friend confided in Jonathan that he was HIV-positive. Jonathan eventually learned that more of his friends were diagnosed with AIDS. The disease had suddenly become a concern in his life and so he returned to working on what would eventually become the phenomenon that is RENT.
In 1989, Aronson found a composer to collaborate with- Jonathan Larson. Larson was perfect for Aronson. He thought his music was expressive, which could make the project so similar to La Boheme. But the two faced difficulties and started to get busy with other projects so the collaboration was stalled.
In 1987, a close friend confided in Jonathan that he was HIV-positive. Jonathan eventually learned that more of his friends were diagnosed with AIDS. The disease had suddenly become a concern in his life and so he returned to working on what would eventually become the phenomenon that is RENT.
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The following is a direct lift from the RENT Book (Interviews and Text by Evelyn McDonnell and Katherine Silberger. New York: Melcher Media, 1997, p.25)
The following is a direct lift from the RENT Book (Interviews and Text by Evelyn McDonnell and Katherine Silberger. New York: Melcher Media, 1997, p.25)
By the time Giacomo Puccini wrote La Bohème, in 1895, he was already a leader of Italy’s younger musical generation. His fourth and most celebrated opera was based on Henri Murger’s Scenes de Ia Vie de Bohéme, a loosely linked series of autobiographical episodes published in 1848.
La Bohème depicts a group of artists, composers and their friends who live lives of romanticized poverty, searching for love and connection despite jealousy and hardship. This was a highly unorthodox choice of operatic subject for that time. Bohemian life existed in northern Italy (in the 1860s, a group of Milanese writers, composers and painters called themselves the Scapigliatura, or “Disorderly Ones”). But most popular operas traded in stylized artificiality, with larger-than- life characters and happy endings.
Jonathan Larson liberally adapted Puccini’s opera. Paris’ Latin Quarter of the 1830’s became the present-day Lower East Side. Rodolfo, the dramatist driven by jealousy, became Roger, a musician recovering from heroin addiction who is paralyzed by fear. Colline the philosopher became Tom Collins, a New York University philosophy professor who falls for a transvestite named Angel.
In Puccini’s version, Mimi is a sweet, tubercular seamstress; Larson’s Mimi is a sassy, HIV-positive dancer at an S&M club. Musetta, the coquette who takes advantage of the rich, elderly Alcindoro, becomes ditsy diva Maureen, who dumps Mark for Joanne, a lawyer from a socially prominent family.
Larson also took license with Puccini’s plot twists. In La Bohème, Colline pawns his overcoat in the fourth act to pay for doctor for Mimi; in the first act of Rent, Tom Collins loses his muggers. Puccini’s bohemians gather at Momus Tavern at the rue d’Enfer; the New York crew gathers at the Life Cafe in the Last Village.
Although Larson borrowed loosely from Puccini, Rent reflects his own struggles, as well as those of his contemporaries. Poverty unites the characters in La Boheme; in Rent, they also struggle for their art and with HIV. But Larson’s and Puccini’s bohemians have more in common than hardship: they share spirit, youth, hope. delight in one another’s companionship and above all, a willingness to fight for love.
La Bohème depicts a group of artists, composers and their friends who live lives of romanticized poverty, searching for love and connection despite jealousy and hardship. This was a highly unorthodox choice of operatic subject for that time. Bohemian life existed in northern Italy (in the 1860s, a group of Milanese writers, composers and painters called themselves the Scapigliatura, or “Disorderly Ones”). But most popular operas traded in stylized artificiality, with larger-than- life characters and happy endings.
Jonathan Larson liberally adapted Puccini’s opera. Paris’ Latin Quarter of the 1830’s became the present-day Lower East Side. Rodolfo, the dramatist driven by jealousy, became Roger, a musician recovering from heroin addiction who is paralyzed by fear. Colline the philosopher became Tom Collins, a New York University philosophy professor who falls for a transvestite named Angel.
In Puccini’s version, Mimi is a sweet, tubercular seamstress; Larson’s Mimi is a sassy, HIV-positive dancer at an S&M club. Musetta, the coquette who takes advantage of the rich, elderly Alcindoro, becomes ditsy diva Maureen, who dumps Mark for Joanne, a lawyer from a socially prominent family.
Larson also took license with Puccini’s plot twists. In La Bohème, Colline pawns his overcoat in the fourth act to pay for doctor for Mimi; in the first act of Rent, Tom Collins loses his muggers. Puccini’s bohemians gather at Momus Tavern at the rue d’Enfer; the New York crew gathers at the Life Cafe in the Last Village.
Although Larson borrowed loosely from Puccini, Rent reflects his own struggles, as well as those of his contemporaries. Poverty unites the characters in La Boheme; in Rent, they also struggle for their art and with HIV. But Larson’s and Puccini’s bohemians have more in common than hardship: they share spirit, youth, hope. delight in one another’s companionship and above all, a willingness to fight for love.
Larson's Inspiration image of La Boheme
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The following images are from the Oct.2-3 Dress Rehearsals of the Philippine Opera Company's adaptation of La Boheme, the RENT book, the film version of RENT, and Broadway stagings.
Rodolfo is a poet, Marcello is a painter.
Roger is a musician, Mark is a film maker.
Rodolfo and Marcello burn furniture and poetry for heat
Roger and Mark burn posters and screenplays
Schaunard the musician arrives with food for the starving artists. He later takes them to Cafe Momus to celebrate his new job.
Collins brings food for Roger and Mark. Later, Angel Schunard pays for their celebration at the Life Cafe.
Benoit/Benny arrives to collect their RENT. They don't pay.
Colline the philosopher and Schaunard the musician are friends.
Tom Collins the philosopher and Angel Schunard are lovers.
Mimi arrives asking for a light.
"Would you light my candle?"
Mimi drops her keys and Roger helps to find them.
Mimi drops her stash of drugs and Roger helps to find them.
"They say I have the best ass below 14th street. Is it true? -Mimi of RENT."
"Sì, mi chiamano Mimì"
"They call me Mimi."
At the Cafe Momus (1910 Berlin Production and CCP Production)
At the Life Cafe
Chaos at Cafe Momus
"La vie Boheme!"
Musetta: Alcindoro or Marcello?
Tango Maureen: Joanne or Mark?
"Quando me'n vo. La gente sosta e mira. - Musetta's waltz"
"Every single day I walk down the street... everybody stares at me. Boys, girls, I can't help it baby. - Maureen, Take me or leave me."
Mimi loves Rodolfo/Roger
Mimi overhears Rodolfo telling Marcello his reasons for leaving her. Rodolfo and Mimi decide to stay together only until spring.
Roger and Mimi break up after Mimi hears Roger's fears.
"Goodbye love. -Mimi of RENT"
Rodolfo and Marcello long for their lovers. The artists dream of a better life.
"Do you know a way to Santa Fe?"
Musetta/Maureen finds a sick Mimi and brings her to Rodolfo/Roger.
The friends care for Mimi in her final moments.
Colline pawns his coat to get more money for Mimi.
Tom Collins loses his to muggers at the start. Angel buys back his coat later on.
Singing songs of love for one another.
Mimi dies.
Mimi lives. "No day but today."
The following images are from the Oct.2-3 Dress Rehearsals of the Philippine Opera Company's adaptation of La Boheme, the RENT book, the film version of RENT, and Broadway stagings.
Rodolfo is a poet, Marcello is a painter.
Roger is a musician, Mark is a film maker.
 |
Rodolfo and Marcello burn furniture and poetry for heat
Roger and Mark burn posters and screenplays
 |
Schaunard the musician arrives with food for the starving artists. He later takes them to Cafe Momus to celebrate his new job.
Collins brings food for Roger and Mark. Later, Angel Schunard pays for their celebration at the Life Cafe.
 |
Benoit/Benny arrives to collect their RENT. They don't pay.
 |
Colline the philosopher and Schaunard the musician are friends.
Tom Collins the philosopher and Angel Schunard are lovers.
 |
Mimi arrives asking for a light.
"Would you light my candle?"
 |
Mimi drops her keys and Roger helps to find them.
Mimi drops her stash of drugs and Roger helps to find them.
"They say I have the best ass below 14th street. Is it true? -Mimi of RENT."
 |
"Sì, mi chiamano Mimì"
"They call me Mimi."
 |
At the Cafe Momus (1910 Berlin Production and CCP Production)
At the Life Cafe
 |
Chaos at Cafe Momus
"La vie Boheme!"
 |
Musetta: Alcindoro or Marcello?
Tango Maureen: Joanne or Mark?
 |
"Quando me'n vo. La gente sosta e mira. - Musetta's waltz"
"Every single day I walk down the street... everybody stares at me. Boys, girls, I can't help it baby. - Maureen, Take me or leave me."
 |
Mimi loves Rodolfo/Roger
 |
Mimi overhears Rodolfo telling Marcello his reasons for leaving her. Rodolfo and Mimi decide to stay together only until spring.
Roger and Mimi break up after Mimi hears Roger's fears.
"Goodbye love. -Mimi of RENT"
 |
Rodolfo and Marcello long for their lovers. The artists dream of a better life.
"Do you know a way to Santa Fe?"
 |
Musetta/Maureen finds a sick Mimi and brings her to Rodolfo/Roger.
 |
The friends care for Mimi in her final moments.
 |
Colline pawns his coat to get more money for Mimi.
Tom Collins loses his to muggers at the start. Angel buys back his coat later on.
 |
Singing songs of love for one another.
 |
Mimi dies.
Mimi lives. "No day but today."
 |
 |
Friday, October 3, 2008
My La Boheme experience (part 2 of 3)
My friend Karen and I were a bit disappointed when realized that we arrived late for the rehearsals of La Boheme last Wednesday. Thanks to the ever-gracious and accommodating Direk Floy Quintos, we were invited to return last night to the nonstop technical dress rehearsal, where we got to catch the rest of the alternates. Though the performance began with a caveat that what we were about to see was just a TDR, the production was already smooth and ready to go. I knew this was something more people should see.It was interesting that Karen had never gone to see a full opera before that evening, even calling herself an “opera virgin”. I told her of some the early pieces I saw, especially a modern English opera that just left me dumbfounded at the singers’ efforts in memorizing lines so atonal they left me with a headache. At least we were ensured of a totally melodic production— the genius Puccini assured us that.
Many say that La Boheme is the best opera for beginners or those not attuned to the nuances of an operatic performance like we were. They were not mistaken.
To begin with, this Philippine production was shown in its original Italian without supertitles. Though those unfamiliar with the plot may not understand the small details: Mimi’s muff and cold hands, the importance of Colline’s coat, the reasons why Mimi and Rodolfo separated in the first place. Even the delight of the language may escape us- we won’t have the pleasure of laughing at the puns or the witticism of characters.
And yet surprisingly, even without all these, the opera was as clear as it could be and left us completely satisfied. Even Karen, who was totally unfamiliar with the plot and knew only a little Italian got it.
Opera neophytes truly need not worry since the music and the actors carried the emotions so eloquently. The perfect illustration of this for me was the second act, when Musetta comes out with her elderly lover, Alcindoro. From her movements and the stress on certain lines, it was clear to us that she was just with Alcindoro for the money. As she sings her famous waltz, Quando me n’vo (a musical theme familiar especially to RENT fans), we see her flirtatiousness and her devious plan of sending Alcindoro away just to be with Marcello, her true love.
Filipinos who are fond of telenovelas and those Star Cinema romantic comedies will especially enjoy this production. Forget the image of the opera with Vikings, fair maidens, and dragons. Puccini was ahead of his time in creating an opera about the common folk: artists just like him who fall in love.
Puccini’s early audiences abhorred the production. It’s understandable in his time as who would want to go to the opera house to see starving artists duping the rich and dying from tuberculosis? His audience also probably wondered, “What’s up with the tragicomedy?” In one scene friends are playing around and partying, and in the next, couples are about to separate.
But Signor Puccini was a genius ahead of his time. Like the television networks nowadays, he understood that reality sells. La Boheme has gone on to become his most famous opera since. Indeed, like what Karen said in her review, “Poverty is timeless. So is love. So is lust. So is death.”
As with most current restagings of operas, this La Boheme has been adapted for the modern times. In the original staging, a group of friends live in a shabby Parisian garret. They are struggling, starving artists who can’t even pay the rent: Rodolfo the poet, Marcello the painter, Schaunard the musician, and Colline the philosopher. Rodolfo meets Mimi, a tuberculosis-stricken seamstress, and they fall in love. Musetta, Marcello’s ex, has taken on an older lover, but still lusts after Marcello. The simple love stories of these two couples unfold as the artists go through their uneventful lives. In the end, Mimi dies of the disease.
Baz Luhrmann’s 1990 (Australia) and 2002 (Broadway) restaging was set in 1957, a time he believed matched the economic background of 1840 Paris. With monochromatic and clean 50’s pictures as his visual pegs, he totally modernized the production, down to its translation, and won a Tony for Best Director of a Musical in 2002.
Director Floy Quintos does an equally noble attempt at modernizing the timeless opera. He sets it this time in modern-day Manila. The artists share a room in the slum area, albeit with a balcony reaching above the shanties and a view that resembles the Makati skyline. (The backdrop for all scenes is a video screen that pulls off its own tricks: moving clouds, house and building lights going on and off, fireworks. Really a great complement to the set.)
The famous Café Momus scene in the second act is transformed to a café in an open tiangge reminiscent of those originally in the Baywalk area. Even Puccini’s most complex scene is made accessible and clear in this new adaptation. Like in Luhrmann’s adaptation and the RENT film’s Tango Maureen, Musetta comes out in a seductive red dress amidst the chaotic and almost monochromatic crowd scene.
The third act, originally a scene at the Parisian tollgate, is now a rundown perya. We immediately feel that the gaiety has passed and the lovers have moved on to rough patches of their lives. Direk confesses that this is his favorite act: the music rich and haunting and the imagery rife with symbolism.
Here we see two couples. The first can’t stand each other but oozes with passion and physical attraction. The other pair has a true and deep love but is on the verge of separating due to a mix of fear and practicality. “It is the longest goodbye,” direk Floy says, and he pulls out all the stops to achieve the melodrama including what he can only describe as “the Lorna T. moment” (What this is exacty, you have to see for yourself.)
The death scene in the fourth act reverts back to the apartment. For this, direk Floy says that the audience will just need an extra helping of suspension of disbelief. Indeed, how can a “healthy” seamstress living in the Metro Manila die from the cold and Tuberculosis in these times? Karen and I were joking that Mimi didn’t take the medication given by her barangay health center, so it was her fault. Kidding aside, the scene was executed well and wasn’t in any way laughable.
We feel for Rodolfo as he realizes he has lost his true love. He climbs up their loft and begins to see Mimi’s face in the billboards of Manila.
We were fortunate to catch all the alternates in the two rehearsal dates that we watched. These young singers should be lauded for their commitment and excellence in their craft. Even Direk Floy is amazed at their talent and humility. These actors and actresses work for four months and are completely satisfied even just to perform it once at the CCP— that’s dedication.
Seattle Opera based Gary del Rosario , Juan Alberto Gaerlan, and Dondi Ong alternate as Rodolfo. Sopranos Jennifer Uy and Maribel Miguel make their debut as Mimì. Sopranos Ana Feleo and Elaine Lee play Musetta. Baritones Lawrence Jatayna and Jesus Baang plays Marcello, Joseleo Logdat and John Campos plays Colline and Schaunard respectively.
Congratulations in advance to everyone involved in the production.
Do watch La Boheme at the CCP this weekend: October 3-4 at 8pm and October 5 at 3pm. You won’t regret it.
NEXT: I’ll update this post with more pics and post a third entry- The La Boheme and RENT Connection (More pictures and clips!!!)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Watch La Boheme this weekend! [Philippine Opera Company] 1 of 2
Thanks to Lorna (The Bachelor Girl) and to Ms. Karla Gutierrez for allowing us to sit through the first full rehearsal of La Boheme at the CCP last night. Thanks too to Direk Floy Quintos for entertaining our questions.
Even just based on the incomplete production we saw yesterday, the opera is a must-see!
I'll have a lengthier post (with more pics and videos) up by tomorrow morning. I just want to catch the full rehearsal/preview tonight since we just caught Acts III and IV yesterday. Hopefully (if we heard the stage manager correctly), tonight's run will be nonstop.
Support theater in the Philippines and watch La Boheme! Shows are at 8pm on October 3 (FRI) and October 4 (SAT), According to Ticketworld, however, the last show (Oct.5, 3pm) is already sold out. Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet has a comprehensive post about the production and has the ticket prices as well. According to his entry, students get a 50% discount for Balcony I and II seats, so nood na!
Here are some pics to excite the Rentheads out there.
Mimi and Rodolfo: The original Goodbye Love
Remember Your Eyes?
*Music playing is Quando me n'vo (Musetta's Waltz) and Mimi's death scene from the 1948 NY Metropolitan Opera House staging, and the end of Your Eyes from the RENT OBC Recording.
Even just based on the incomplete production we saw yesterday, the opera is a must-see!
I'll have a lengthier post (with more pics and videos) up by tomorrow morning. I just want to catch the full rehearsal/preview tonight since we just caught Acts III and IV yesterday. Hopefully (if we heard the stage manager correctly), tonight's run will be nonstop.
Support theater in the Philippines and watch La Boheme! Shows are at 8pm on October 3 (FRI) and October 4 (SAT), According to Ticketworld, however, the last show (Oct.5, 3pm) is already sold out. Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet has a comprehensive post about the production and has the ticket prices as well. According to his entry, students get a 50% discount for Balcony I and II seats, so nood na!
Here are some pics to excite the Rentheads out there.
Mimi and Rodolfo: The original Goodbye LoveRemember Your Eyes?But one Mimi lives and the other dies.
*Music playing is Quando me n'vo (Musetta's Waltz) and Mimi's death scene from the 1948 NY Metropolitan Opera House staging, and the end of Your Eyes from the RENT OBC Recording.
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