Spine-tingling, Goose bumps Moments in Cats (Manila)

The Overture & The Prologue
Well, of course I loved all the performances. Everything that involved The Company was kickass. But the overture and the prologue were specifically memorable to me because they magically transported me into the world of Cats. I've seen Cats a lot of times on video but it wasn't until I saw the show on stage that I realized how much energy and vibrancy from the entire cast I'd been missing! The first few minutes of the dance musical was a total shock-and-awe moment.

Memory in Filipino
When Sillabub, the cutest and sweetest kitten in the bunch, sang the first verse of Memory with her ethereal voice... in Filipino, it sent shivers down my spine. It was very beautiful.

Dance Numbers
By golly, ballet + jazz sprinkled with tap dancing!?!? Need I say more?

Mr. Mistoffelees
24 fouettés en tournant!! My jaw dropped.

Whenever Rum Tum Tugger started singing "And we all say 'Oh! Well I never was there ever a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffeles'", it brought warmth in my heart. Beautiful. The incidental music was perfect and very moving as well.

Lea Salonga's Memory
Ah! Fangirl or no fangirl, I believe that she gave one of the best solo performances in the show. Her voice, which was so strong, so full of passion, and hauntingly beautiful reverberated across the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. It was exquisite. Her last rendering of Memory brought tears to my eyes. Wow. It was THAT haunting.

The Group Performances
The musical score, the chorus, the dance numbers were staggering.


xox

Exquisite and Romantic: Floy Quintos' Atang

"Atang is a play of memory, simple and accessible. And the staging is evocative of the feeling." I copied that straight from the Director's Notes in the souvenir program.

What is Atang? Who is Atang?

I bet that 60-70% of my online contacts here in Multiply do not know her. I have to admit though that I didn't know Atang (1902-1991) until, well, tonight. Atang de la Rama is a national artist described as "reyna ng kundiman, ang paraluman ng mga makata, ang panguna at nag-iisang tala ng Dulaang Tagalog sa Pilipinas..." She is the queen of Philippine kundiman and zarzuela.

As early as 12 years old, she had already been considered a veteran Filipino artist. You can just imagine how prestigious that is given the time period when mass media wasn't even around in the country.

Anyway, you'll never really appreciate the information I just typed there unless you've seen the play by Floy Quintos.

...

I got in Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater without any expectation of sort; I didn't even know that the play was in Filipino. But since I've always loved plays, theater, and Broadway musicals, I knew that I was still going to enjoy the experience.

And I was right.

Filipino talents never cease to amaze me. When Ayen hit the first note in "Nabasag ang Banga," I was in awe. It is semi-operatic and in Filipino; and the song is a kundiman. Goosebumps. I have seen Cinderella and West Side Story and they both startled me; but, Atang definitely made a much different impact. It brought me to a rather different sphere. Seeing Atang kindled the proud Filipino spirit in me in a rather new and unexpected way, through Balagtasan, Dula, and Kundimans.

The music was exquisite. The poems were remarkably romantic. Most of the time though I got lost in words like "lugasin", "huwaring", "samyuin", etc.; and although there were moments when I just couldn't understand an entire phrase or two, surprisingly enough, I was still moved by them. Because somehow I knew the puissant of passion behind every word and every phrase recited. I didn't realize how beautiful and romantic Filipino words can be. I've never been so proud of our own: language, culture, theater.

The play definitely appeals to the Filipina spirit and womanhood: dedicated, sacrificing, romantic, daring, and mysterious.

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If you plan to see the show (which runs until Feb 08, 2009), watch out for:
(1) Kitang Dalawa
(2) Ang Bayan Ko
(3) Nasaan ka Irog
(4) Pakiusap
I especially loved these parts of the production.


Bituin was part of the cast, too. She's superb in Mamang Gusting.

For pictures, check out Franco Laurel's gallery @:
http://fjlaurel.multiply.com/photos/album/67/Atang_-_Isang_Dulang_May_Musika#
http://fjlaurel.multiply.com/photos/album/65/Atang_-_The_Pictorial

I Just Met a Girl Named "Maria"

I'm not gonna discuss here the storyline because I assume that you already know it. I'm just going to write a really short critique of the play specifically focusing on what I think of the actors/actresses.

I didn't expect it to be world-class level but it certainly was. It's not like I've seen a lot of Broadways, hehe, it's actually just my second. But, I can confidently say it was world-class. Eighty percent of the cast were Filipinos (unlike in Cinderella where it seemed like only around 2-3 actors were Filipinos including Lea), and yet I felt like I was elsewhere, in London perhaps?

Their dialogues were impressive with unmistakable American and Puertorican accents, which makes you think twice about their nationalities. I've seen the Broadway musical on dvd more than five times already and I can confidently say that the live performance was comparable to the one on film.

I loved Joanna Ampil. Yes, I was lucky to catch her play Maria's part last Saturday with Mom. She's so much like Lea in a sense that she sings clearly, passionately and wonderfully without even trying or at least without showing any signs of difficulty in doing her craft. Every note she sang was perfect. She was beautiful on stage.

I was also amazed with Pam G., the one who characterized Anita. Wow! She was very graceful and strong at the same time with a superb dancing prowess. Her Puertorican accent was perfetissimo, just like Joanna's. Her presence on stage was very dominant.

Jeff Singson who played Bernardino was also impressive. I read in the WSS InsideStory that it was his first performance on stage in big supporting roles. It didn't seem like it though. Gian Magdangal who played Riff in the musical, on the other hand, was equally outstanding.

Christian Bautista was amazing in his songs but he was a little below par from his co-stars when it came to dancing and dialoguing, he didn't have that American accent that they had.

The stage backdrops were alright. That's actually good considering that I've just seen the Cinderella musical.

It was such a lovely experience that I had with my mom and the cast of West Side Story. Grabe, ang galing ng mga Pinoy sa theater. :)

Cinderella: A Musical

So, so excited! :) I'mma watchin wit mi bro.