A children's musical at the Luce Auditorium tonight at 8 pm.
Showing posts with label the world's a stage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the world's a stage. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Coyiuto Concert
[Got this blurb from the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee Facebook account. ]
Acclaimed pianist Christine Coyiuto comes back to the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium stage, this time with her flutist daughter Caitlin Alisa, for a concert that is the also the inaugural show of the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee’s 47th season.
The concert, which is part of a Visayan tour, is slated on Sunday, 28 June 2009. The show will be preceded with a launch of the CAC’s cultural season’s slate at 6 p.m. at the Luce Auditorium foyer, and the concert will start promptly at 8 p.m.
The duo had wowed Manila audiences previously with a critically lauded concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The Philippine Star’s Rosalindo L. Orosa has written of that event: “Pianist Coyiuto was the epitome of elegance, refinement, sensitivity, and restraint, infusing it with the subtlest nuances. Flutist Caitlin, young though she is, brilliantly rendered, her tones full, firm, assured. Her vibrant performance was an eloquent augury of the brightest future.”
The Coyiutos will be performing Franz Joseph Haydn’s Capriccio in G Major, Hob. VII:I, Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute and Piano, Op. 107, and Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio (with Joi R. Magadia on bass and Jorge F. San Jose on drums).
Tickets for the show are available at P200, P400, and P500.
Tickets and season passes for all other Luce Auditorium shows produced by the CAC are now available at the College of Performing Arts office, the Luce Auditorium office, and at the theater lobby before the show. For inquiries and ticket reservations, please call (035) 422-6002 loc. 520.
__________________________
What a potentially lovely and entertaining evening! I say potentially because I can't watch the concert as my notes and slides for tomorrow's lecture on Membrane Potentials and Action Potentials, is nowhere near completion yet.
_______________________________
The 47th Cultural Season Launches with Pianist Christine Coyiuto and Flurist Caitlin Alisa Coyiuto in Concert
Acclaimed pianist Christine Coyiuto comes back to the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium stage, this time with her flutist daughter Caitlin Alisa, for a concert that is the also the inaugural show of the Silliman University Cultural Affairs Committee’s 47th season.
The concert, which is part of a Visayan tour, is slated on Sunday, 28 June 2009. The show will be preceded with a launch of the CAC’s cultural season’s slate at 6 p.m. at the Luce Auditorium foyer, and the concert will start promptly at 8 p.m.
The duo had wowed Manila audiences previously with a critically lauded concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The Philippine Star’s Rosalindo L. Orosa has written of that event: “Pianist Coyiuto was the epitome of elegance, refinement, sensitivity, and restraint, infusing it with the subtlest nuances. Flutist Caitlin, young though she is, brilliantly rendered, her tones full, firm, assured. Her vibrant performance was an eloquent augury of the brightest future.”
The Coyiutos will be performing Franz Joseph Haydn’s Capriccio in G Major, Hob. VII:I, Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute and Piano, Op. 107, and Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio (with Joi R. Magadia on bass and Jorge F. San Jose on drums).
Tickets for the show are available at P200, P400, and P500.
Tickets and season passes for all other Luce Auditorium shows produced by the CAC are now available at the College of Performing Arts office, the Luce Auditorium office, and at the theater lobby before the show. For inquiries and ticket reservations, please call (035) 422-6002 loc. 520.
__________________________
What a potentially lovely and entertaining evening! I say potentially because I can't watch the concert as my notes and slides for tomorrow's lecture on Membrane Potentials and Action Potentials, is nowhere near completion yet.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Madz Pics
the signature semi-circular seated formation
a light moment with the Madz in their rendition of a Filipino numberImages from the Philippine Madrigal Singers' concert at the Luce Auditorium posted here with permission from the official events photographer Clee Andro Villasor. [Click on the photos to see the rest of the pictures.]
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
light/shadow, joy/sorrow
It's been a week since the Philippine Madrigal Singers charmed Dumaguete with their two concerts, one at the Sofia Soller Sinco Hall in Foundation University and the other at the Luce Auditorium in Silliman. Yet it is only now that I'm writing about it because I've found it difficult to enthuse about marvelous music in one paragraph and then in the next breath lament about a tragedy that befell a family that has become quite close to us of late. This sad story is not mine to tell, suffice it to say that it involved the unexpected and horrible demise of a loved one that has left a deep, deep abyss of anger and confusion in those left behind. And so it was with that frame of mind and spirit that I watched the Madrigal's concert, knowing that I would not be lingering after the show to celebrate with the audience and the performers, because I had a wake to go to, to see the face of a young child who had just learned that his parent would be coming home in "a box with a lock."
It was my first time to watch the Philippine Madrigal Singers, a.k.a. the Madz, so everything was new and a surprise to me. The first surprise was their signature semi-circular formation. I thought singers had to be standing upright for best vocal aerodynamics but the Madz defied that and were seated for most of the two-hour concert. The next surprise was their choirmaster, Mark Anthony Carpio, who was seated with them giving signals with his eyes, head and body instead of with the usual elaborate hand gestures that I have come to associate with choir conductors. I was very impressed with the finesse and uniqueness of their communication. Instead of gesticulating with his hands in the air, Carpio gave eyebrow raises and subtle tilts of his head, shoulders and torso to bring the different voices to crescendo and decrescendo, with his hands staying flat on his lap most of the time. Such control and connection!
That the Madrigal Singers were good singers was not a surprise, it was a well founded expectation and I was not disappointed. In fact, judging by the standing ovation at the end of the concert, nobody was disappointed. At all. What surprised me was the age of the singers. They were all adults, most probably with all the attendant responsibilities of day jobs and families. Yet the quality of their impassioned performance displayed the just rewards of daily practice. I don't think anyone, even the very talented ones, could perform as well without the benefit of rigorous rehearsals.
My friend, Crystal, herself a voice major and currently taking up masteral studies in choir conducting, said, "Ate, listen to their voices. Buong-buo. Very solid na because they are all adults." I wanted to ask Crystal why did we not have a similar choir here in Dumaguete, surely we don't have a dearth of talents here. Then I remembered that we do have. Two in fact. There's Faith Unlimited with Ms. Gina Raakin as director and there's Ating Pamana with choir director Dr. Susan Vista-Suarez. Although these two groups, perhaps, still have some ways to go before they can reach the level of discipline and dedication of the Madz.
Another thing that surprised me about the Madz' performance was the sparsity of movement. I'm a theater aficionado and I've always thought that drama on stage needs big, exaggerated movements, as opposed to film where movements are more subtle and natural. It was a delight to have that preconception debunked and replaced with the realization that drama can be achieved even without big stage movements. In this case it was the exquisite blending of powerful voices that brought all the elegant drama that was needed.
The first part of the programme featured international classics like the William Tell Overture, It was a lover and his lass by Shakespeare, Eres Tu and Loch Lomond. The second part almost brought the audience to our feet, and my heart did swell, I think Filipino music is just so beautiful. Included in their repertoir were Salidumay, Kataka-taka, Dandansoy (this Visayan lullaby reminded me of childhood again), and Yoyoy Villame's Buchiki was one of the songs they did for the encore. At one point, Choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio directed the audience as we sang along with excerpts from Abba's Mamma Mia numbers.
As they say, time flies when you're having fun. It didn't seem like two hours had passed and nobody wanted to budge from Luce Auditorium for the longest time after the show, hoping perhaps for some more songs. There was a lot of handshaking and picture taking in the Luce lobby and there were dining tables set up so there must have been some eating and more fellowship that followed. It was a gala show, after all. As for me, I had to leave and attend to more somber matters. When the Madz return to Dumaguete, in the near future hopefully, I am watching again and dragging everyone else along because I have most definitely become a fan.
It was my first time to watch the Philippine Madrigal Singers, a.k.a. the Madz, so everything was new and a surprise to me. The first surprise was their signature semi-circular formation. I thought singers had to be standing upright for best vocal aerodynamics but the Madz defied that and were seated for most of the two-hour concert. The next surprise was their choirmaster, Mark Anthony Carpio, who was seated with them giving signals with his eyes, head and body instead of with the usual elaborate hand gestures that I have come to associate with choir conductors. I was very impressed with the finesse and uniqueness of their communication. Instead of gesticulating with his hands in the air, Carpio gave eyebrow raises and subtle tilts of his head, shoulders and torso to bring the different voices to crescendo and decrescendo, with his hands staying flat on his lap most of the time. Such control and connection!
That the Madrigal Singers were good singers was not a surprise, it was a well founded expectation and I was not disappointed. In fact, judging by the standing ovation at the end of the concert, nobody was disappointed. At all. What surprised me was the age of the singers. They were all adults, most probably with all the attendant responsibilities of day jobs and families. Yet the quality of their impassioned performance displayed the just rewards of daily practice. I don't think anyone, even the very talented ones, could perform as well without the benefit of rigorous rehearsals.
My friend, Crystal, herself a voice major and currently taking up masteral studies in choir conducting, said, "Ate, listen to their voices. Buong-buo. Very solid na because they are all adults." I wanted to ask Crystal why did we not have a similar choir here in Dumaguete, surely we don't have a dearth of talents here. Then I remembered that we do have. Two in fact. There's Faith Unlimited with Ms. Gina Raakin as director and there's Ating Pamana with choir director Dr. Susan Vista-Suarez. Although these two groups, perhaps, still have some ways to go before they can reach the level of discipline and dedication of the Madz.
Another thing that surprised me about the Madz' performance was the sparsity of movement. I'm a theater aficionado and I've always thought that drama on stage needs big, exaggerated movements, as opposed to film where movements are more subtle and natural. It was a delight to have that preconception debunked and replaced with the realization that drama can be achieved even without big stage movements. In this case it was the exquisite blending of powerful voices that brought all the elegant drama that was needed.
The first part of the programme featured international classics like the William Tell Overture, It was a lover and his lass by Shakespeare, Eres Tu and Loch Lomond. The second part almost brought the audience to our feet, and my heart did swell, I think Filipino music is just so beautiful. Included in their repertoir were Salidumay, Kataka-taka, Dandansoy (this Visayan lullaby reminded me of childhood again), and Yoyoy Villame's Buchiki was one of the songs they did for the encore. At one point, Choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio directed the audience as we sang along with excerpts from Abba's Mamma Mia numbers.
As they say, time flies when you're having fun. It didn't seem like two hours had passed and nobody wanted to budge from Luce Auditorium for the longest time after the show, hoping perhaps for some more songs. There was a lot of handshaking and picture taking in the Luce lobby and there were dining tables set up so there must have been some eating and more fellowship that followed. It was a gala show, after all. As for me, I had to leave and attend to more somber matters. When the Madz return to Dumaguete, in the near future hopefully, I am watching again and dragging everyone else along because I have most definitely become a fan.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The V-Day Vavoom
Once again, the controversial The Vagina Monologues is coming to Dumaguete this March 5, Thursday, 7 pm at the Luce Auditorium. This year's TVM is produced by the SU V-Day College Campaign 2009, the SU Psych Society and the SU Student Government - Gender Studies Executive Committee.
So what is V-Day and what is The Vagina Monologues all about?
V-Day is a worldwide movement began in the late 1990's by author, playwright and activist Eve Ensler who's play, The Vagina Monologues, was staged to raise the public's awareness about violence against women as well as raise funds to benefit female victims of violence and sexual abuse. Valentine's Day has been designated as the official V-Day, a day to celebrate womanhood and renew the fight to end violence against women. TVM is a collection of monologues by several women, all talking about vaginas/sex/abuse/violence in different forms and in different voices.
There have been several modifications and variations to the original TVM. In 2004, a transgender version was presented California and in 2006 the Tagalog version, Usaping Puki, was presented in Dumaguete. My high school classmate, Pam Galvez, our vivacious friend, Sharon Dadang-Rafols, and I were part of the cast of Usaping Puki. We had such a great time with our director, Dessa Quesada-Palm, as well as with the rest of the cast and crew that we were hoping for a rerun. But it was not to be as this year a younger and more energetic generation of women have been tasked to present TVM 2009, subtitled 'Every Vagina has a Story'. I personally know some of the cast and production team members and I know how talented and hard working they are. Thus, my expectations for this year's TVM is quite high.
To be sure, something as controversial as talking about sex and vaginas, to the point of staging a play at the Luce Auditorium about it, is going to meet a lot of criticism, especially in conservative Dumaguete. It has been so for each year TVM has presented. Actually, I find some of the monologues a bit too graphic to the point of being crude. Maybe the crudeness is purposive, intending to be unsettling. Overall, I think it's a wonderful play worth watching. I have my favorite monologues: the one where the persona is a young innocent girl who was molested by her father's friends, then there's the hilarious one talking about orgasm and, of course, that of the lola's who were once made into comfort women by the Japanese during the war.
Find out which stories will make you laugh, cry, cringe or shudder. Be at the Luce Auditorium on Thursday, March 5. Show starts at 7 pm. Tickets at 150, 175 and 200 pesos.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Must Not Miss!
Luce Auditorium events this March:
Prodigy: Kristine Clair Uchi Galano in a Violin Concert
March 6, 2009, Friday, 8 pm
This blurb is from a press release issued by the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam:
"Seven-year old Filipino child prodigy Kristine Clair Uchi Galano drew rave reviews after delivering a flawless performance at the Sheraton Utama Hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam last 19 October 2008. Performing in her fourth solo recital, the young violinist played an array of Malay, Korean, modern and contemporary pieces to the delight of her audience that included members of the diplomatic corps and the expatriate community." read more...
The Philippine Madrigal Singers in Concert
March 9, 2009, Monday, 8 pm
The Philippine Madrigal Singers (the MADZ) is the only choir in the world that has won the Grand Championship TWICE from the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing. The latest competition was held in Arezzo, Italy in August 2007. Composed mostly of students, faculty and alumni from the University of the Philippines, the Madz was founded in 1963 by National Artist for Music, Professor Andrea O. Veneracion.
We, the residents and transients of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental, are so privileged to have this child prodigy and this awesome choir come to our city to perform at the Luce Auditorium. It would be a shame and a waste not to watch these concerts. Tickets range from 200 to 500 pesos.
See you there before 8 pm! March 6 (Friday) and March 9 (Monday).
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Batang Rizal at the Luce
the young Rizal, then called Pepe, and his mother, Teodora Alonzo
(image from the Batang Rizal website)
Playwright: Christine Bellen
Director: Duds Terana
Lyricist, Composer, Musical Director: Vincent de Jesus
Producer: Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA)
Main Cast: Russ Cabico (Pepito) and Abner Delina, Jr. (Pepe)
Synopsis and some more: here
What I liked about the play:
1. The costumes of the characters from the time of Rizal. The use of monochromatic whites and khakis was an elegant and effective way of showing a different period in the past, when Jose Rizal was a young boy, to contrast with the colorful costumes of the modern day characters.
2. Very good actors. And singers, too. Lively music.
3. I love the exquisite characterizations of the minor cast, especially the girl who always cried, the bullies and the nerdy kid.
4. I usually don’t like plays with an obvious message/agenda but this time, I didn’t mind at all that the play was blatantly promoting good values. If I’m going to learn a lesson, that was a most fun way to do it! I think all of us Filipinos need that kind of play. I was wondering why the elementary kids weren’t there. The college students sure had a wonderful time.
5. Modern take on many details: popular tv shows, contemporary cartoon characters and the like incorporated into the script
6. This was supposed to be a children’s play but I found it very entertaining. As I’ve suspected, I’m actually young at heart.
7. It made me cry. First was when Pepe, the young Rizal, recited a poem he wrote for his incarcerated mother. That wrenched my heart. And again towards the end when they said, “You don’t need to have a monument to be a hero. You can be a hero by being faithful to your assigned task.” Isn’t that so true?
8. It made me laugh. It takes very little to make us Filipinos laugh and the playwright, being Filipino, knows just where to tickle us.
9. The playful photos of the cast in the program
10. The avant garde audio-visual projection. I think the design was unique and very creative. And the tilted screen, the perfect touch.
What I didn’t like about the play:
1. Why did Pepito’s shorts need to have a torn crotch? I think that was totally unnecessary.
2. Were the torn flip-flops also necessary? It seemed bothersome to me. It was distracting. I wanted to give him a new pair of slippers in the middle of the play so he could concentrate on his role rather than fiddle with that broken footwear during the entire play.
3. The program was hardly legible. What happened?
What I wished for after the watching the play:
1. That more people could have watched the play, children and adults alike.
2. That more writers and producers could come up with plays like Batang Rizal.
3. That it could be shown again here as well as all over the Philippines.
4. That maybe we could put up a local production of that play. Puede kaya?
5. A more readable program!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Rizal in Dumaguete
We were supposed to walk/jog at the Perdices Coliseum at dawn today but failed to wake up early enough so that by the time I left the house, it was almost daybreak. I thought, why not go to the boulevard and watch the sunrise instead?
The Dumaguete boulevard used to be, and still is, a favorite venue for walking, jogging or just sitting around, because of the soothing seabreeze and refreshing wavesplash. It was a cloudy morning so we couldn't actually see the sun rise although it was obviously up because everything became washed with light. Without the lovely sunrise to take a picture of, I took a picture of this instead:
The inscription says:
The Dumaguete boulevard used to be, and still is, a favorite venue for walking, jogging or just sitting around, because of the soothing seabreeze and refreshing wavesplash. It was a cloudy morning so we couldn't actually see the sun rise although it was obviously up because everything became washed with light. Without the lovely sunrise to take a picture of, I took a picture of this instead:
The inscription says:
The Rizal Boulevard was built in 1916 and extends 780 meters long. It was named after Jose Rizal who was said to while away a few hours on this stretch of beach before the boulevard was constructed. The Rizal Boulevard is considered the show window of the city of Dumaguete.
Hey, I didn't know Jose Rizal was ever in Dumaguete! Why didn't they teach us that in high school? Anyway, I will not fret anymore whether he was here or not more than a century ago because this coming Saturday, February 7, Rizal will indeed be here in Dumaguete! Albeit it is just in a play called Batang Rizal, I am so looking forward to this Saturday because I have been hankering for a Filipino play by Filipinos for some time now.
I don't know what the play is all about but Ian does so I copied this, and the ticket image as well, from his weblog.
Pepe and Pepito are both intelligent young boys, of almost the same height and might even be mistaken for each other physically. Of course, one of them is destined to be a national hero and one is… well, one is hiding the national hero’s statue in a storeroom. Pepito is a Grade 6 student of Rizal Elementary School and he accidentally broke the head of the statue of the young Rizal, given to the school by the City Mayor as a gift for the celebration of the Buwan ng Wika. He has a week to return the statue and when he mournfully goes to the storeroom to check on Rizal, he finds himself in Calamba, the hero’s home and surrounded by the Mercado sisters.
The Philippine Educational Theater Association’s BATANG RIZAL takes the audience from the present to the time when Jose Rizal was a boy and then back again with Pepe in tow as the two boys experience life in each other’s time zone in an adventure of a lifetime, discovering that patriotism and heroism can be found even in an ordinary child’s heart.
Written by Christine Bellen and directed by Dudz Teraña with music by Vincent A. de Jesus, BATANG RIZAL performs at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium on 7 February 2009 with shows at 3 PM (matinee) and 8 PM (gala).
Tickets Available at P150 and P200 for Matinee; P200, P300, and P500 for Gala
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Stage - ART
“ART” is the name of the play that was staged at the Luce Auditorium last Saturday (and red, green and yellow are the colors used in the play's name in the tickets and posters). It was originally written in French by Yasmina Reza and translated to English by Christopher Hampton. The cast of three included Bart Guingona, Audie Gemora and Jaime del Mundo, professional thespians who each have impressive theater resumes.
Bart, Jaime and Audie
And here is my review, in outline form.
A. What I liked about the play:
1. The set, which was very minimalist. Three stark white walls. A sala set covered with white cloth. That’s it! It was zo zen.
2. The actors. They speak so well, so clearly enunciating every word. Even when I closed my eyes at some point (tired from all the wave-jumping and swimming, not to mention the eating, activities of the day), I could hear their strong voices and I was compelled to open my eyes and continue watching. And of course it helped that they were all good looking. I’ve long wanted to see Audie Gemora because I’ve read so much about him and he did not disappoint as truly his acting was superb, it didn't seem like he was acting at all. Let’s just say I loved him in that play. I only wish it was a musical so I could have heard him sing. One day, one day, I’m going to hear him sing on stage.
Is Bart Guingona's character going to desecrate the controversial and very expensive piece of "ART"?
Bart, Jaime and AudieAnd here is my review, in outline form.
A. What I liked about the play:
1. The set, which was very minimalist. Three stark white walls. A sala set covered with white cloth. That’s it! It was zo zen.
2. The actors. They speak so well, so clearly enunciating every word. Even when I closed my eyes at some point (tired from all the wave-jumping and swimming, not to mention the eating, activities of the day), I could hear their strong voices and I was compelled to open my eyes and continue watching. And of course it helped that they were all good looking. I’ve long wanted to see Audie Gemora because I’ve read so much about him and he did not disappoint as truly his acting was superb, it didn't seem like he was acting at all. Let’s just say I loved him in that play. I only wish it was a musical so I could have heard him sing. One day, one day, I’m going to hear him sing on stage.
Obviously, I am biased in favor of Audie. Which is not to say that the other actors were not as good, for they were very much so. Bart always has that intensity whereas Jaime's ability to talk very rapidly for a prolonged period of time is remarkable. I just have this thing about actors crying on stage. If ever an actor has to cry on stage, I'd prefer it to be subtle, not a bawl, which looks put on. In this case, it was a super bawl by Jaime's character.
3. The conversation. Witty at times. Funny at times. The dialogues were hilarious at many points and these successfully kept me from falling asleep.
B. What I didn’t like about the play or, more kindly, what I had difficulty with in the play:
1. The setting. Foreign. So western. It’s my dream to see Europe one day but that night, I wasn’t in the mood for Europe.
2. The costumes. Again because they were European. Again foreign. I don’t know why I was craving for something very Filipino that night. Like, yeah, right. This is an award winning play, of international caliber, even. But I was longing to see a Filipino play by Filipino actors.
3. The plot. I think it’s an absurd plot. It’s about three friends whose friendship suddenly became threatened because one of the friends did something which seemed very stupid, namely to buy a very expensive painting by a renowned painter. This painting could be described as a stark white canvas with two diagonal lines cutting across the middle and one horizontal line at the bottom. All these lines were white. And when the friends couldn’t agree on whether that painting was indeed art worthy of its price, they turned to attacking each other and each others quirks and peculiarities, to such point that they decided to end their many years of friendship because of such silly things.
What kind of friendship is that? I couldn’t help but think of my own friends, of more than thirty years or so, who, all of us, have done some really stupid things at one time or another. Some really grrrrr and lamentable things. Yet the friendships have endured, thanks to such virtues as forgiveness, extra grace and acceptance.
C. Conclusion:
I enjoyed the play and had many laughing moments, thanks to the great actors and the witty conversations. I have a very high regard for true friendship and for art but I was not very moved by how the play tried to explore the intricacies of both.
3. The conversation. Witty at times. Funny at times. The dialogues were hilarious at many points and these successfully kept me from falling asleep.
B. What I didn’t like about the play or, more kindly, what I had difficulty with in the play:
1. The setting. Foreign. So western. It’s my dream to see Europe one day but that night, I wasn’t in the mood for Europe.
2. The costumes. Again because they were European. Again foreign. I don’t know why I was craving for something very Filipino that night. Like, yeah, right. This is an award winning play, of international caliber, even. But I was longing to see a Filipino play by Filipino actors.
3. The plot. I think it’s an absurd plot. It’s about three friends whose friendship suddenly became threatened because one of the friends did something which seemed very stupid, namely to buy a very expensive painting by a renowned painter. This painting could be described as a stark white canvas with two diagonal lines cutting across the middle and one horizontal line at the bottom. All these lines were white. And when the friends couldn’t agree on whether that painting was indeed art worthy of its price, they turned to attacking each other and each others quirks and peculiarities, to such point that they decided to end their many years of friendship because of such silly things.
What kind of friendship is that? I couldn’t help but think of my own friends, of more than thirty years or so, who, all of us, have done some really stupid things at one time or another. Some really grrrrr and lamentable things. Yet the friendships have endured, thanks to such virtues as forgiveness, extra grace and acceptance.
C. Conclusion:
I enjoyed the play and had many laughing moments, thanks to the great actors and the witty conversations. I have a very high regard for true friendship and for art but I was not very moved by how the play tried to explore the intricacies of both.
Is Bart Guingona's character going to desecrate the controversial and very expensive piece of "ART"?_____________________
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Jed Madela was here
Yes, he was. He had a concert at the NegOr Convention Center last Monday, December 15. And now everybody (who saw the concert) is raving about him, a young man with talent to the superlative level.
How super? Check out Wikipedia's entry on him:
In 2005, he bested over 3,000 contestants from 52 countries to win the grand prize in the World Championships of Performing Arts.
There were six categories whereby Jed won the golds. For the pop category, he sang “I’m Your Angel.” For the original song category, meaning a composition from the singer’s home country, he did Martin Nievera’s old hit, “Be My Lady.” For Broadway (“Home”), pop duet (with Risa Navales, they sang “Last Night of the World”), gospel (“Take Me Out of the Dark”), and for the final song that made him grand champion, it’s Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing.”
He also brought home two Champion of the World plaques, one star trophy for the award Grand Champion of the World in the singing division and a huge diamond trophy for the most coveted Grand Champion Performer of the World.
How super? Check out Wikipedia's entry on him:
In 2005, he bested over 3,000 contestants from 52 countries to win the grand prize in the World Championships of Performing Arts.
There were six categories whereby Jed won the golds. For the pop category, he sang “I’m Your Angel.” For the original song category, meaning a composition from the singer’s home country, he did Martin Nievera’s old hit, “Be My Lady.” For Broadway (“Home”), pop duet (with Risa Navales, they sang “Last Night of the World”), gospel (“Take Me Out of the Dark”), and for the final song that made him grand champion, it’s Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing.”
He also brought home two Champion of the World plaques, one star trophy for the award Grand Champion of the World in the singing division and a huge diamond trophy for the most coveted Grand Champion Performer of the World.
Still not convinced? Check out the youtube videos of his concerts. This guy has been all over the world and in a recent trip to Europe he was given a standing ovation by thousands of Filipinos and Europeans alike.
In Edu Manzano's words:
"And then meron pa kaming ginawa, kinuha po namin yong rights, binayaran po namin yong rights, kasi hindi pwedeng ipirata yong kantang yan, kinanta uli po ni Jed Madela doon sa gathering namin with the Filipino community, 25,000 Filipinos po, andun yong mga Mayor ng Rome, mga Conciliary, mga Deputy Mayors, kung sino sino pong mga Italyano, mga security namin puro Italyano. Anyway, dahil nung nabayaran na, pinahirit ko ulit kay Jed Madela. Mga kaibigan 25,000 Filipinos ang nag standing ovation, kasama din po yong mga Italyano para lang sa isang Pilipino."
Jed Madela was here. Yes, he was. And where was I? Not at the concert! For the simple reason that I did not know what an incredible artist this Jed Madela is. I thought he was another of those matinee idols who look good but can't carry a tune, and we've had a lot of these coming here at this time of year in the past. And also because the venue was at the Convention Center instead of at the Luce Auditorium, where I believe all real talents should perform instead of anywhere else here, mainly because of the acoustics and the seats that are really comfortable for the audience.
I did not like my last concert experience at the Convention Center (Bossa Nova featuring Sitti in February 2008) because the people were walking, buying food from the stalls on the side, eating and talking while the concert was going on. So many distractions. And the floor is flat so if you're seated at the back, it's quite difficult for you to see the stage. Unlike at the Luce, which is an auditorium where the seats are gradually elevated towards the back, no matter where you sit you still get an unobstructed view of the stage, although the people are smaller the farther away you are.
As for Jed Madela, the next time he comes to town, I'll be sure to watch his show (hopefully it will be at the Luce). As for you, in case he has a concert near your place in the future, I strongly suggest you get a ticket and see that Filipinos are not only good in boxing (and copying) but in singing, too. But you already knew that, of course.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Loboc children's choir at the Luce auditorium
Last Saturday, December 6, the world renowned Loboc Children's Choir from Bohol was here for a couple of performances at the Luce Auditorium. I am grateful to the SU Cultural Committee for giving Dumaguete the privilege of witnessing such a delightful concert!
colorful, vibrant
patriotic, wonderful singing 
newly upholstered comfy seats at the Luce
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
drama kings and queens
[here are some drama workshop graduation pictures. captions and other photos hopefully to follow later this week or over the weekend.]
the graduates
Friday, October 3, 2008
100 things
...i want to do before i die.
That's what the movie "100" was all about. It's the story of a young woman's journey with her family, friends, her pet, and with herself, after she was diagnosed to have terminal illness. The theme is somewhat similar to “Tuesdays with Morrie”, a play that tackles facing life as one is facing imminent death, but somehow this movie reached me in a way that the play did not.
And how is that?
It’s not because of the actors, for Bart Guingona and Miguel Faustman in the play are definitely better actors than some of the cast in the movie. Maybe there’s the factor of visual appeal as a play is limited by what can be put or conjured on stage whereas a movie’s possibilities are almost endless. For example, as I said before, one of my main complaints about the play is the preachiness. There were several instances when the script gave a mini-lecture to the audience on how one should live and what are the things in life that really matter. The movie is able to avoid the lecture but instead the viewers are brought on a tag-along trip as the main character lives her life, the remaining days, that is, to the utmost that she dreams of. It made me think, yes, if I were in a similar situation, I would do what she did, too.
And I think Mylene Dizon’s physique is just perfect for that role. Gaunt and willowy, she is grace and composure all throughout. No melodramas for her, only subtleness and quiet talking. That is the nice thing about movies, when the character needs to whisper, he/she really can whisper and the camera will capture it. A whisper on a stage play has to be just that, a stage whisper.
Another major difference between the plots of “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “100” is the context of the setting. “Tuesdays” is very American while “100” is very Filipino. I almost had goosebumps thinking, wow, a Filipino wrote this, galing. I think the screenplay was able to capture very accurately how Filipinos respond when a family member is diagnosed with cancer. I have seen those exact same responses (i.e. some amount of hysteria, getting second and third opinions, Chinese medicine, a desperate return to religiosity, pilgrimage to this and that shrine, faith healing, pray overs, and the like) in my own relatives and patients. And I’m glad an oncologist was on board in the making of this movie. It makes me wince when the production people do not bother to check if their medical data is accurate and they end up showing medical bloopers on film. Thankfully, not so for this film.
I also like the spic and span look of the movie, so in keeping with the main character’s personality, which is clearly obsessive compulsive as depicted by her very neat apartment and the no-nonsense handwriting on her perfectly-lined-up- yellow-post-its, and so in contrast with the malignant cells growing maniacally inside her body.
There are two scenes in the movie that stand out in my mind when all the other images have begun to fade. First is when the woman was serially drawing the curtains in her apartment. Her apartment was painted cream or was it white? The curtains were of the same color. The film showed her at one window drawing the curtain then she would fade and then she would be at the next window drawing the curtain and then she would fade and so on and so forth until all the windows had curtains drawn. The next shot showed everything in reverse. She was opening windows this time.
The other scene was the death scene. It was very subtle and suggestive. Very artistic. Before the death scene, we could see how her health was deteriorating and how she was finishing up her list of 100 things to do before the day. So towards the end, most of the shots were focused on activity around her bed, as those closest to her visited and spent time with her. Her high school crush/boyfriend, who was now a priest, came and gave her the sacrament of extreme unction. The next scene showed these people that she loved in the terrace and in the living room of her apartment, talking and doing the things of daily living, bathed in bright sunlight. From the shadows of her room a figure approaches the other people, the figure doesn’t go near the people but only looks upon the beloved ones one last time, a long time. The light and shadows were very suggestive. She was too weak to stand or walk in the last scene so it couldn’t possibly be her physical body that walked there.
After the long last look, the figure turns and crosses the front of the screen slowly and deliberately. It was quite eerie, that play of light and shadow and the figure crossing across.
Whew. At that point, I was actually closing my eyes, because I’m talawan when it comes to death scenes. But each time I opened my eyes to see if the scene was finished, the figure was still there, crossing ever so slowly, so now that scene is embedded in my memory.
The things I like least about the movie would be the bawling crying scenes of Marife, her secretary, as well as the scenes involving her pathetic married lover. I think they could have done better as supporting actors? Note: I remember the names Marife (the secretary), Ruby (her best friend), Emil (her ex-crush/BF?), Mae-an (her mom’s alalay) but I can’t remember Her name in the movie! -_-
Here are the 100 things she wanted to do before she died:
1. tell her mom
2. resign from her job
3. choose her coffin and wake music
4. overnight picnic at the beach
5. go skinny dipping
6. eat daing and kamatis
7. eat ice cream. lots of it.
8. break up an adulterous relationship
9. give away her material possessions
10. cook her favorite foods
11. find a new human for her cat
12. go to Hongkong
13. go to Disneyland
14. go to Europe (virtual only, via computer)
15. sing karaoke in a Malate bar
16. drive very, very fast
17. organize her photo albums
18. spend time with her brother
19. visit her old high school
20.spend time with her high school crush who had become a priest
21. plus eighty more things
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet in this longish movie review, is that the movie gave me a good laugh and a good cry as well. It was funny and poignant at the same time. Eugene Domingo and Tessie Tomas are comediennes actually as well as serious actors. That’s why their funny scenes looked so natural. Really so laugh out loud hilarious. As for the crying, well, it was for many things. For a well written script, that made me so glad. More movies like this and I’ll become a movie fan all over again. When I was a kid my fervent dream was to become a moviehouse owner so I could watch all the movies all the time. For superb acting. For laudable indie filmmaking. For fine artistry. For the beautiful Luce Auditorium. For the idea of making my own list of 100 things to do…
How about you? You wanna make one, too?
That's what the movie "100" was all about. It's the story of a young woman's journey with her family, friends, her pet, and with herself, after she was diagnosed to have terminal illness. The theme is somewhat similar to “Tuesdays with Morrie”, a play that tackles facing life as one is facing imminent death, but somehow this movie reached me in a way that the play did not.
And how is that?
It’s not because of the actors, for Bart Guingona and Miguel Faustman in the play are definitely better actors than some of the cast in the movie. Maybe there’s the factor of visual appeal as a play is limited by what can be put or conjured on stage whereas a movie’s possibilities are almost endless. For example, as I said before, one of my main complaints about the play is the preachiness. There were several instances when the script gave a mini-lecture to the audience on how one should live and what are the things in life that really matter. The movie is able to avoid the lecture but instead the viewers are brought on a tag-along trip as the main character lives her life, the remaining days, that is, to the utmost that she dreams of. It made me think, yes, if I were in a similar situation, I would do what she did, too.
And I think Mylene Dizon’s physique is just perfect for that role. Gaunt and willowy, she is grace and composure all throughout. No melodramas for her, only subtleness and quiet talking. That is the nice thing about movies, when the character needs to whisper, he/she really can whisper and the camera will capture it. A whisper on a stage play has to be just that, a stage whisper.
Another major difference between the plots of “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “100” is the context of the setting. “Tuesdays” is very American while “100” is very Filipino. I almost had goosebumps thinking, wow, a Filipino wrote this, galing. I think the screenplay was able to capture very accurately how Filipinos respond when a family member is diagnosed with cancer. I have seen those exact same responses (i.e. some amount of hysteria, getting second and third opinions, Chinese medicine, a desperate return to religiosity, pilgrimage to this and that shrine, faith healing, pray overs, and the like) in my own relatives and patients. And I’m glad an oncologist was on board in the making of this movie. It makes me wince when the production people do not bother to check if their medical data is accurate and they end up showing medical bloopers on film. Thankfully, not so for this film.
I also like the spic and span look of the movie, so in keeping with the main character’s personality, which is clearly obsessive compulsive as depicted by her very neat apartment and the no-nonsense handwriting on her perfectly-lined-up- yellow-post-its, and so in contrast with the malignant cells growing maniacally inside her body.
There are two scenes in the movie that stand out in my mind when all the other images have begun to fade. First is when the woman was serially drawing the curtains in her apartment. Her apartment was painted cream or was it white? The curtains were of the same color. The film showed her at one window drawing the curtain then she would fade and then she would be at the next window drawing the curtain and then she would fade and so on and so forth until all the windows had curtains drawn. The next shot showed everything in reverse. She was opening windows this time.
The other scene was the death scene. It was very subtle and suggestive. Very artistic. Before the death scene, we could see how her health was deteriorating and how she was finishing up her list of 100 things to do before the day. So towards the end, most of the shots were focused on activity around her bed, as those closest to her visited and spent time with her. Her high school crush/boyfriend, who was now a priest, came and gave her the sacrament of extreme unction. The next scene showed these people that she loved in the terrace and in the living room of her apartment, talking and doing the things of daily living, bathed in bright sunlight. From the shadows of her room a figure approaches the other people, the figure doesn’t go near the people but only looks upon the beloved ones one last time, a long time. The light and shadows were very suggestive. She was too weak to stand or walk in the last scene so it couldn’t possibly be her physical body that walked there.
After the long last look, the figure turns and crosses the front of the screen slowly and deliberately. It was quite eerie, that play of light and shadow and the figure crossing across.
Whew. At that point, I was actually closing my eyes, because I’m talawan when it comes to death scenes. But each time I opened my eyes to see if the scene was finished, the figure was still there, crossing ever so slowly, so now that scene is embedded in my memory.
The things I like least about the movie would be the bawling crying scenes of Marife, her secretary, as well as the scenes involving her pathetic married lover. I think they could have done better as supporting actors? Note: I remember the names Marife (the secretary), Ruby (her best friend), Emil (her ex-crush/BF?), Mae-an (her mom’s alalay) but I can’t remember Her name in the movie! -_-
Here are the 100 things she wanted to do before she died:
1. tell her mom
2. resign from her job
3. choose her coffin and wake music
4. overnight picnic at the beach
5. go skinny dipping
6. eat daing and kamatis
7. eat ice cream. lots of it.
8. break up an adulterous relationship
9. give away her material possessions
10. cook her favorite foods
11. find a new human for her cat
12. go to Hongkong
13. go to Disneyland
14. go to Europe (virtual only, via computer)
15. sing karaoke in a Malate bar
16. drive very, very fast
17. organize her photo albums
18. spend time with her brother
19. visit her old high school
20.spend time with her high school crush who had become a priest
21. plus eighty more things
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet in this longish movie review, is that the movie gave me a good laugh and a good cry as well. It was funny and poignant at the same time. Eugene Domingo and Tessie Tomas are comediennes actually as well as serious actors. That’s why their funny scenes looked so natural. Really so laugh out loud hilarious. As for the crying, well, it was for many things. For a well written script, that made me so glad. More movies like this and I’ll become a movie fan all over again. When I was a kid my fervent dream was to become a moviehouse owner so I could watch all the movies all the time. For superb acting. For laudable indie filmmaking. For fine artistry. For the beautiful Luce Auditorium. For the idea of making my own list of 100 things to do…
How about you? You wanna make one, too?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
tuesdays with morrie
My heart went into a peculiar tippity-thump-thump tonight as I sat on the comfy seats of the newly renovated Luce Auditorium to watch a play called Tuesdays with Morrie, directed by Baby Barredo of Repertory Philippines. The reason for the arrhythmia being that theater has a special place in my heart. I love it!
Not everybody will understand this, but those who do will fully agree, theater thrills. Be it on stage, backstage, rehearsing, or sitting as part of the audience, there is an exhilaration and satisfaction about live theater that is quite different from movie or television art.
Even a community theater of amateurs is charming and entertaining. How much more so when the play is done by professional thespians and like Miguel Faustman and Bart Guingona. They are ones I like best about the play. They speak so well! And they've memorized their long, long dialogues and made the lines their own.
The next thing I like about the play is how the director creatively and effectively used the simple set to transition from one Tuesday to the next. There were a lot of Tuesdays in the play, which by the way is about a former mentee, now in his forties, visiting his terminally ill former mentor every Tuesday.
The thing that scared me about the play, was the deathbed scene. I didn't think Miguel Faustman would actually stop breathing as he played dead. But he sure seemed to do so as the ghouly bright light cast shadows on his face.
The thing that I liked least about the play is perhaps the script. (Isn't this just so preposterous of me? ) I had lots of ear to ear smiling and laughing out loud moments thanks to the witty script writing. The part I didn't like is that several times during the play, the actors would revert to preaching instead of just telling a captivating story.
I am curious, though, why the play did not move me to tears. Could it be because the actor was crying and I'm one who would rather have a dry eyed actor but a teary audience? Although I must say Bart did the crying part so elegantly, so man-ly, no slapstick mush. Or maybe because I'm a doctor and when it comes to illness, physicians sort of instinctively stiffen inwardly and condition ourselves, this is not a time to get emotional but a time to think straight. So, I don't know.
Overall rating: two thumbs up.
Not everybody will understand this, but those who do will fully agree, theater thrills. Be it on stage, backstage, rehearsing, or sitting as part of the audience, there is an exhilaration and satisfaction about live theater that is quite different from movie or television art.
Even a community theater of amateurs is charming and entertaining. How much more so when the play is done by professional thespians and like Miguel Faustman and Bart Guingona. They are ones I like best about the play. They speak so well! And they've memorized their long, long dialogues and made the lines their own.
The next thing I like about the play is how the director creatively and effectively used the simple set to transition from one Tuesday to the next. There were a lot of Tuesdays in the play, which by the way is about a former mentee, now in his forties, visiting his terminally ill former mentor every Tuesday.
The thing that scared me about the play, was the deathbed scene. I didn't think Miguel Faustman would actually stop breathing as he played dead. But he sure seemed to do so as the ghouly bright light cast shadows on his face.
The thing that I liked least about the play is perhaps the script. (Isn't this just so preposterous of me? ) I had lots of ear to ear smiling and laughing out loud moments thanks to the witty script writing. The part I didn't like is that several times during the play, the actors would revert to preaching instead of just telling a captivating story.
I am curious, though, why the play did not move me to tears. Could it be because the actor was crying and I'm one who would rather have a dry eyed actor but a teary audience? Although I must say Bart did the crying part so elegantly, so man-ly, no slapstick mush. Or maybe because I'm a doctor and when it comes to illness, physicians sort of instinctively stiffen inwardly and condition ourselves, this is not a time to get emotional but a time to think straight. So, I don't know.
Overall rating: two thumbs up.
Friday, July 11, 2008
take the plunge
Look at these arms.
Would you trust them with your life? Or with your body at least? Which is equivalent to your life, actually, being that, if you fall, it might well be the... er... end of your life. -_-
Here comes AJ. Falling like a feather. Nothing to it.
And here's Banban's perfect free fall. Suabe.
Even Ate didn't intimidate the bravearms. Kaya natin 'to. Focus...focus...focus...
And like Rexona, they didn't let Ate down. Go sa catch.
So there should be no problem with Nino's backward plunge, right?
Wrong!
Oooppss...! Hehehe. Jowk lang daw. Notice how green shirted Direk Kuya JR, the lead emoter in things comedic and dramatic, is quick to do a mock cardiac massage.
And the moral of the exercise is...
teamwork is about trusting the other members of the team. It is about being trustworthy yourself. And if all else fail, it is about being there to resuscitate, to hold a hand, to laugh with and to cry with.
Monday, July 7, 2008
the story of jack and jill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
