Iloilo City is sweaty and dirty today with the Dinagyang Festival. I used to run around those streets as a kid, to relish that freedom from cars afforded us once a year. Back then, the city was still shaping up to be an up-and-comer, there was still an authentic rusticity in the air. Not now, when buildings are sprouting everywhere, glass and steel fast replacing stone and Spanish architecture in every corner. My father complains that what the city lacks is a skyline - he compares it too much to Manila's. But maybe that's just what we need for the time being. Hang on to that old-school feel for a little while longer before this journey of no-return into the realm of full-fledged urbanity.
* * * * *
Friday night, I received what is possibly the most exciting piece of theater-related news for me this year. They are finally staging John Logan's "Red" here. Four shows only, starring Bart Guingona (superb in Rep's "Next Fall" a year ago) and Joaquin Valdes - leading man of my first ever Broadway show (in Manila). Valdes, to note, will be playing the role that won Eddie Redmayne (yes, he of recent "Les Miserables" fame) his Tony and Olivier awards.
* * * * *
I have officially set a personal record: I've seen eight of the nine Oscar nominees for Best Picture - and the SAG Awards haven't even come to pass yet. What's taking so long for the decent screeners of "Amour" and "The Master" to get leaked? The theme for this weekend, it must be said, is boob exposure: Helen Hunt in "The Sessions," Marion Cotillard in "Rust and Bone," Naomi Watts in "The Impossible." I think it's time for me to start studying for Wednesday's Neuro exam.
When I last wrote here, 2012 was almost over. Now, it's three weeks into the new year, or nine weeks to the end of second year of med school. Within the first ten minutes of 2013, our neighbor attempted to match nearby pyrotechnic displays by playing the notorious "Gangnam Style" four times in full volume. Meanwhile, my nuclear family celebrated by tending to patients at the hospital, going on night duty at the pharmacy, and sleeping at eleven. I find this sort of domestication an occasional source of pride.
Sometimes, it seems quite hard to believe this most academically challenging stage of med school will soon be finished. We'll be starting neurology tomorrow for three weeks, then a week each of psychiatry, ophthalmology, and ORL, two weeks on orthopedics and rheumatology, and finally, one week of dermatology. At the end of it all, we'll attempt to look back and realize it's an outrageous amount of knowledge to wrap one's head around. Trust me, when a med student has his moments of contemplation, he is not spared that thought. But, we make do with what we're given - and in that sense, we are more than blessed.
Now on to the main agenda. I have to confess - and I know I'll be making this "confession" again when it all ends - this is probably my most favorite Oscars season since I started following the Oscars. The pundits call it a freak year; I call it excitement. Only Daniel Day-Lewis is a lock to win in the major categories (it's basically give him the trophy or sacrifice your organization's credibility). Okay, fine, to some extent, Anne Hathaway is, too. Wait, what, Anne who?
Now on to the main agenda (this is not a typo). Friday night, after almost a year of waiting, we finally saw "Les Miserables." And wow, is this film quite the local phenomenon. Suddenly, the least theatrical people are humming "I Dreamed a Dream" or "On My Own" while having lunch. Thirty minutes before our 6:50PM screening, the ticket counter area was packed with people - and surprise, the screening was almost sold out. But here's the greatest part of the story: The moment the screen turned black at the end, the audience applauded. I've never experienced anything like that before in a normal mall cinema screening.
* * * * * *
1. Tom Hooper really likes his eccentric camera angles. Sometimes, the close-ups can get annoying ("What Have I Done?"). Sometimes, the cinematography is questionable. The long shots, such as those of the bishop's mountainous aerie, are gorgeous.
2. Favorite sequences: At the End of the Day-Lovely Ladies-I Dreamed a Dream-Fantine's Arrest, Master of the House-Thenardier's Waltz, In My Life-A Heart Full of Love-Attack on Rue Plumet-On My Own.
3. Favorite extras: Plump "At the End of the Day" female worker and Santa in "Master of the House".
4. Russell Crowe has the ominous authority and unbreakable presence required of an actor to play Javert. And then he starts singing.
5. I don't know which is worse: "Stars"/ Javert's entire track as sung by Crowe, or "Bring Him Home." Dear Hugh Jackman, one does not simply belt out "Bring Him Home" - or do you really pray at the top of your voice?
6. The world is unfair. Eddie Redmayne (Marius) and Samantha Barks (Eponine) deserve just as much awards attention as Anne Hathaway (Fantine). Their characters' solos are clearly the three highlights of the film. Eponine has never been this pathetic, and Fantine, stuck in earth-hell.
7. Look everybody, it's Gabriel Goodman!
8. Ensemble? Oh, you mean the West End.
9. It's confirmed: I'm heartless. Most others shed some tears at one point or another.
10. "Les Miserables" is far from flawless. But it's way more love than hate, that's for sure.
Last night, we were told via Facebook that the research presentation originally scheduled for January 4 has been moved to a later date, owing to a unanimous decision by the group leaders and the activity head. Wow. Just wow. See, this is the kind of disrespect the College of Medicine showers upon its students who come from provinces that require a 10-hour bus ride or a plane ride to get to.Behold, even the best medical school in the country can have f*cked up principles.
I had a mini-French film festival yesterday, with "The Intouchables," France's submission to the foreign language film category of the upcoming Oscars, and "Holy Motors," which the English-language critics have showered with overflowing love. The former is a touching two-man drama involving down-on-his-luck black guy and rich tetraplegic white guy, and how they change each other's lives. The latter, about a man who works as a... performance artist (?), complete with (fake) dick exposure from Denis Lavant, is insane. Ah, you gotta love the French.
Thursday afternoon, I visited grandma. She fed me kiwi and grapes and chiffon cake and a brownie. Also, we ended up watching a TLC show where Americans attempted to make (and lo, they succeeded) a 31-patty burger oozing with commercialized cheese. And another show where they replicated life during 19th-century America. I learned how skimmed milk comes about.
Wednesday morning, I saw "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Allow me to shamelessly admit that I sort of welled up in the end. I think I'm gonna watch this again before Christmas break ends.
Christmas Day, we watched "Sossy Problems" - one of two GMA entries to this year's MMFF. What a fun movie. Different narrators for the beginning and the end. Also, as the end credits rolled, we couldn't quite figure out what we'd just watched. The verdict: It's so, so, so terrible, it's funny. Watch this, I dare you, if you have the guts. Just remember, movies like this exist to remind us that there are worse things in life. "Don't panic, it's organic!"
On Christmas Eve mass, the commentator forgot to ask everyone to rise during the processional, even as the cross was already halfway down the aisle. An excommunication is called for.
Nasty little joke, those Mayans pulled on us. Now roll in your Mexican-earth graves. Nostradamus is so 20th century. But preparing an underground hideout in the case of an apocalypse wasn't what prevented me from writing. Renal happened, TRP happened - soon, I found myself on a plane bound for Iloilo, in dire need of wintry escape. The weather here's pleasantly chilly; the house, with the windows opened, feels like it's on centralized air-conditioning.
The King and I (November 30, 7PM)
This Resorts World Manila production directed by Freddie Santoswas recently named Best Musical by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. No surprise there - this and Repertory Philippines' Jekyll and Hyde were undoubtedly the two best English-language musical productions of the year. Monique Wilson looked frail, barely nailed "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?"; overall, a tired but well-acted Anna Leonowens. Leo
Valdez as The King and Gina Respall as Lady Thiang delivered solid work (Respall, in particular, with a haunting "Something Wonderful"), but in our opinion, it
was Tanya Manalang who turned in the most captivating performance. Crystal-voiced and gregariously poised, Manalang shimmered in the role of Burmese slave Tuptim, a bravura "My Lord and Master" transforming the ballad into a blazing display of soaring artistry. By then, all doubts were effortlessly wiped out: Miss Saigon West End 2014 has found a legit Kim. The technical aspect of the production
is various elements of regal spectacle come together - at its pinnacle,
the life-sized elephant discreetly giving The Phantom of the Opera the finger. We can't wait to see this again next year with Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Anna.
Say hello to my first ever illegal show photo. As posted in Instagram, "The white silhouettes are Leo Valdez (in bed) and Monique Wilson in Resorts World's 'The King and I' - highly entertaining, spectacularly designed."
Aladdin (December 1, 2PM)
What a mess of a book (Poor K-La Rivera had to make do with a vastly underdeveloped Jasmine)! Despite that - and some questionable choices in choreography (too much going on in the Act I opener "Arabian Nights"; too little for a supposedly grand parade in Act II's "Prince Ali") - this Atlantis Productions season ender proved quite entertaining and a more cohesive show than last year's The Little Mermaid. Thanks, no less, to an almost perfect cast (Jimmy Marquez's Iago - what exactly was he, to put it vaguely?) and overflowing technical inventiveness - lush costumes, Ceejay Javier's golden musical direction. Tom Rodriguez was quite the theatrical revelation in the title role, while Aiza Seguerra as Genie virtually lit up the stage whenever she romped on it. The cherry on top, of course, was "A Whole New World" - a poignant rendition that freewheeled across uncharted borders of 21st-century theater, no doubt flooding the unsuspecting audience, as the song goes, with indescribable feelings. In true Disney fashion, magical.
This photo (from Playbill.com) - one of those theatrical moments we'll remember for quite some time.
The UP Medicine Class of 2016 Theater Club, feat. (L-R) yours truly, Crissy the Kafka-esque, Tricia the Ninja, and Jenn the eternally gorgeous new member. Marky of Loveland, Terence of Hong Kong, and Carmela of Hillsborough were missed.
SEE ALSO: Our review of Resorts World's The Sound of Music and Atlantis' The Little Mermaid.
The von Trapp Children (December 5, 8PM)
Four young singing sensations in the Newport Performing Arts Theater (that cavernous space too damn wide to be proper enough for a real-deal Broadway show). The concert didn't sell out, but whatever. Never mind, as well, that the singing occasionally trod on ground far breathier than desirable. The von Trapp Singers - once a traveling family choir, now reduced to a youthful quartet - proved that they are indeed the musical family. Pristine, clear tones all around! Highlights of the 1.5-hour concert included the Appalachian song "Down to the River to Pray," the Rwandan national anthem "Rwanda Nziza," and the beloved title tune and "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music.
L-R: Melanie, Justin, and Amanda von Trapp, with their prominent Muon-tien-na accents.
TRP 39 (December 13, 7PM)
Earlier this year, I was elected the UP Meridian TRP head. As a refresher, UP Meridian is the UP College of Medicine's Filipino-Chinese organization (for all students of Asian descent, I must emphasize); TRP - Tao Rin Pala - is the college's annual cultural celebration featuring performances from the various classes, organizations, and departments. Our color-theme for this year was blue-peace. So, to a medley of tunes from the film Memoirs of a Geisha, I staged a full-blown production number depicting an Asian farming village visited by a sort-of-goddess. We had farmers, market vendors, sash and fan dancers, flag men. Best part of all: The stage was awash with confetti and metallic paper by the end. Definitely one of my proudest moments in med school.
Snapshot of UP Meridian's performance. Still too lazy to transfer the full video.
Books and Films
Oscars season is heating up! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, at almost three hours, will prove quite the cinematic challenge to anyone who enters the theater not 100% invested in watching it. Otherwise, we really don't get all the hate -this is a triumphant, fulfilled work layered with lush visuals and a richness in story-telling. The Deep Blue Sea at times feels forced as a film translation of the play, but the luminous Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, and especially Simon Russell Beale (with expert command of language and thespian sensibilities) make this worth a second watch. Ted, to echo Ebert, has the funniest film character of the year in its vulgar titular bear. End of Watch is a sensitive, unabashed depiction of police work and the consequences it entails and is sure to make our Oscarthon's top ten list - not a choice most American critics have made. Safety Not Guaranteed won the Indiana Film Journalists Association's best film citation for the season - and we're having slight trouble seeing why.
David Mitchell's "Cloud Atlas" - definitely one of the best reading experiences of my life. As I said in Twitter, "a work of breathtaking literary ambition."
The F*cking Radio Commentator (December 21, Lunchtime)
A mother was found to have murdered her kids in their home in the distant municipality of Badiangan, Iloilo. Reporters were swarming over her like flies by noon. The following is a non-verbatim transcript in English.
Commentator (C): So mother, why did you kill your children?
Mother (M): I heard a voice in my head telling me to kill them.
C: A voice in your head that only you could hear?
M: Yes.
C: And other than that voice in your head, you are pretty much healthy?
M: That appears to be the case.
C: (addressing the listeners and his fellow commentator) So here we have a woman who distinctly heard a voice ordering her to slay her own kids. She's quite healthy - this can't possibly be a sort of mental illness now. If you ask me, ladies and gentlemen, I'd say it's the work of a demon.
WHERE WERE THE NEUROLOGISTS AND PSYCH TEAM?!
UPMedicine Class of 2016 performs "Para Sa Mag-aaral ng Medisina" - winning the Best Performance Award for TRP 39 Chorale Competition, and 1st runner-up overall (as 50% of the score was for the contest piece, prejudged by a separate panel).
Miss Universe 2012
My grandmother is a
Miss Universe genius. She can correctly predict the winner with only the
Top 16's swimsuit competition. While everyone else was going gaga over
Miss Philippines, she was seated composed on her throne, across her face
a knowing smile that said, "No, my offspring, not this year." My
predictions were almost five-for-five. Brazil (who curiously looks way,
way older) and Australia (champion of obese people, enemy of
endocrinologists, dieticians, and gym trainers) were the easy ones. Had
Venezuela - for me, easily the most beautiful of the five -
answered in her native tongue instead of that rambling ode to surfing,
she'd have won. And so we have two: In retrospect, the timeliness of
USA's answer (and how natural she appeared and sounded) flew the crown straight
to her head and - dare I utter this heresy - made Miss Philippines sound
generic. I think the LadyMed committee ought to make me judge in next year's pageant.
We saw Rise of the Guardians yesterday. If it wins over Wreck-It Ralph for Best Animated Feature in the Oscars next year, I won't be jumping up and down.
1. This film must be a headache to watch in 3D, what with the too-intricate gliding and flying sequences.
2. Jack Frost looks like some anime teenager, only fluent in English.
3. The scenery is marvelous. Shanghai, Moscow, Manhattan - you rarely see these places in animated films, much less portrayed as how they are in real life.
4. Worse things could have happened. Pitch could have raped the tooth fairy, who is such a flirt-in-denial.
5. We initially thought Jamie's pet dog is a goat.
6. Why is the Easter bunny so busy?! I'm pretty sure not all Christians go snooping around the neighborhood park for hidden eggs during Easter.
7. The message of this film is that American kids nowadays are so - have incredibly colorful imaginations, most of them believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, sandman, and Easter bunny as much as they believe in the existence of the sun.
8. The ending is just plain terrible. Like, that was it?
Overall, this film is loads of fun, makes deliciously outstanding use of animation (the colors are just glorious, the attention to shape and form impeccable). But I'm still for Wreck-It Ralph.
The sandman channels Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince.
* * * * *
... Still pissed off about Life of Pi being pushed back to Januarynext year.
... We're finally done with endocrinology. The next two weeks (last two for the year) will be devoted to nephrology. Here comes urine.
... Did you hear? I finally got published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Oh happy days.
... Every time I hear Jose Mari Chan's Perfect Christmas, I feel like tearing up.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer has started a stand-alone theater section, which comes out every Saturday. The Gibbs Cadiz is now the editor and has invited me to be part of his pool of writers. My first piece (originally a simple blog entry) comes out this Saturday: omnibus reviews of "Stageshow" and "William" - the shows I saw during the 4th National Theater Festival at the CCP. [UPDATE: Online version of my article here]
* * * * *
'William' and 'Stageshow'--rerun please
"Stageshow" by Mario O'Hara is first and foremost a Broadway show for the Filipino. Yet, during its initial run last month, it had the misfortune of competing with "The Phantom of the Opera," which played to packed houses night after night right above it.
How fate bitchily makes use of its metaphors. For had the audience of "Phantom" also paid as much attention to this player at the CCP Little Theater, they would have been treated to a dazzlingly coherent act of acts, a melange of overflowing artistry that all the more made sense as a whole.
There's straight drama, melancholy and flashy musical numbers, dance
routines, even a radio drama (utilized to enchanting effect). One can very well call this O'Hara's farewell gift to local theater.
Shamaine Buencamino left not a single emotion untapped in her virtuoso turn as Ester (in some distant way, it might as well be her "Sophie's Choice"), but an even more fiery star burned in husband Nonie Buencamino, who flirted, tap-danced, philandered, and died his way to dizzying actorly heights, culminating in an explosive redefinition of "performance" in "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die."
Charmer
"William," meanwhile, a play that makes adroit use of rap to tackle Shakespeare in the public school classroom, was a charmer from start to finish. In transposing Shakespeare's stratospheric English to commonplace Filipino, to the tongue of the ordinary Manila pedestrian, the sidewalk hagglers, the manangs who run the market stalls, the play successfully delivered the Bard and his works to the plate of its hormonal teenagers in fresher, less complicated fashion.
The ingenious set: Chairs. They become school lockers, other forms of furniture, even entrance/exit archways. A student enters, the teacher says to him: "Ay wala nang upuan. Sige, pitas ka na lang diyan." If money can't grow on trees, at least chairs can.
Five central performances, each personality as distinct as the color-coded costumes, anchored by Meann Espinosa's teacher - an insanely brilliant ball of comic sensibility - and Jojo Atienza's shape-shifting turn as the four fathers. Plus, a delightful lesbian in Happy Constantino's Strawberry Shortcake ("'Beh, for short").
For these two productions - rerun please!
Future doctors from the UP College of Medicine with the indefatigable Meann Espinosa. From my Instagram (username: vincengyu).
* * * * * *
#chill_mode
Friday night, we watched Revolution - De La Salle Innersoul's 15th anniversary concert. Well, I was actually required to watch - it was our friend Rika's final concert with the org (she graduated last month). It must be said that alumni of this org include Gian Magdangal (who was one of the night's special guests), Fredison Lo, and Johann dela Fuente - stars of 9 Works' recent staging of Rent (my review).
I'd say the concert was somewhere between Maroon 5 (where people are shouting and jumping and singing along) and Lea Salonga (prim and proper, one-woman theatrical show). Songs included the Aria winner "You're the Voice" (originally recorded by John Farnham), "Sowing the Seeds of Love" (Tears for Fears), and "Love Is a Battlefield," which was Rika's solo. One definite downer, however, was the sound system. I don't know how to describe the mechanisms or whatever, except that it was inappropriately, annoyingly (in the technical sense)... LOUD.
The Yuchengco Auditorium is now the most beautiful venue fit for a theatrical production in Manila that I've stepped foot on. Big but not cavernous, with excellent sightlines. They might as well make this the next Meralco Theater (which really needs major fixing).
The ubiquity of microphones... is something you'll never see in UP.
Lastly, I finally met the La Sallian Iloilo-Bacolod circle. Went home at two in the morning.
Rika's photo (and abs), borrowed from Facebook without her knowledge.
* * * * * *
#bitch_mode
The older version of "Cafe Comforts" is one of nineteen poems published in this year's Waywaya, the literary folio of the Manila Collegian, released within the past couple of weeks.
For the record, this is an unsatisfactorily edited folio. There's - yet again - a 't' in my name. Really now, I don't know where editors get the idea that a contributor misspells his or her name. In this modern age, a responsible editor can surely spare some time to query the writer through whatever electronic means. But the (overlooked) errors extend beyond authorship. Take this, from "Curtains and Tales," for example:
movies never to be enjoyed,
fowers never to be given
Given that it took a ridiculously long time to release this folio (deadline of submissions was late March)... I rest my case. After all, part of our tuition goes to the publication, does it not? In my final year in high school, we worked on and released our publication's premiere literary folio in just three months - with a core working group of less than ten people. Just saying.
1. A wedding took place. It involved lanterns ala Tangled. But most of them just ended up unlit on the outdoor hotel pool (the lighting took place in the surrounding area). One actually made brief contact with a female guest's hair, but it was nothing (spectacularly) serious.
It was rather entertaining watching the lanterns rise and fall.
2. Comelec registration was hell. Next year's national elections will see me voting for the first time. But I repeat, Comelec registration was hell. Let me say that a thousand times, add an expletive or two - or two thousand.
3. Halloween (or the Eve of All Hallows - what most of us know as All Saint's Day), I again went to the cousins' subdivision for their annual celebration. One of the kids dressed up as Captain America. Sexy Red Riding Hood (formerly Alice in Wonderland) was now transfigured into Cheerleader. And a cousin was Minnie Mouse, which, in my humble opinion, should have won Costume of the Night or something. Then we went to see A Secret Affair, which raised two important issues: One, the dubbing was terrible, so terrible that whoever did it should be banned from film work; two, with the ubiquity of English language dialogue, it might as well have been a One Tree Hill episode.
For Halloween, I walked around with a lightning scar on my forehead.
4. Books I finished: 2. I'm an embarrassment to the literary world. Anne Enright's The Gathering shouldn't even qualify because I started it way before the break began. So that leaves me with McEwan's On Chesil Beach - five chapters on the sexual turmoils of a newlywed couple, plus some stuff on Mozart and writing history books. Now reading: Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
5. Movies I saw: 15. That does not include multiple screenings (Looper and Argo) and those 'incompletely seen' (Paranormal Activity 3, Insidious - unexpectedly wicked ending, LOTR: The Return of the King, etc.). Pitch Perfect, Looper, Argo, Skyfall, Wreck-It Ralph plus The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - I suppose this makes up for my shortcoming in the reading front.
6. Harry Potter withdrawal. Marathoned the eight-part film series. Incredibly funny. Scenes revealing themselves, line readings taking new turns. Three of the most influential beings of my nine-to-nineteen-hood. I cried at the very end, and I'm proud to say so. (This is incoherent, so I shall save this for the future or when I'm ready.) Now addicted to hpcompanion.com.
An A380 from Down Under greeted me upon my arrival this morning for the new semester. No big deal.
**Note: As in the previous post, an iPad 2 took the photos.
My classmates Terence, Jim (who follows this blog with his fat heart - hello there), Jereel, and Jer came to pay me a royal visit, Oct 22-27. Here, in fifteen photos (because I'm too lazy to follow the original plan), we remember that glorious week. The original plan, you ask? One post per day. Nope, didn't happen. Not happening.
The belfry of Jaro Cathedral, but alas, it has not lore of a monstrous man ringing its bells.
Maridel's, the dessert place-to-be in Iloilo City. The Frozen Lemon Meringue (top right) is a must - take this local's word for it.
The Lizares Mansion, Instagrammed. These days, though, the building is more known to locals as the representative image of Angelicum School of Iloilo.
The view from the peak of Balaan Bukid, Guimaras Island. Iloilo City and the rest of Panay across the strait. A lonely boat passing by.
"I'd rather be sailing, yes I would. On an open sea."
-from A New Brain.
A fiery Guimaras sunset, tricycle giving chase.
The Lacson Mansion, or The Ruins, just outside Bacolod City. In the final months of World War II, the Americans ordered all possible hiding places of the Japanese be burned, and so behold the fruit of Uncle Sam's labor.
The storm came. We were stranded in Bacolod. So we bought matching underwear and watched Argo.
Fifteen cakes in 36 hours. One must never miss Calea when in Bacolod. The cheesecake, the one with the red sauce-like side on the bottom, is heaven-sent.
Fish in formation in the famous Lagoon fronting the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol, Bacolod City.
The facade of Miag-ao Church, one of the four Baroque churches in the Philippines classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Experimenting with light gives you the most wondrous results - a UFO over Miag-ao Church, in this case.
"Greatness inspires envy, envy engender spite, spite spawns lies." -Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The Oblation at the University of the Philippines, Miag-ao campus.
Only after 100+ steps down the hill can one arrive with an intact traveler's dignity on the beach of UP Miag-ao.
The Iloilo River Esplanade by night. "All the lights are misty in the river," so the Les Miserables song goes.
It’s out! My poem “Café Comforts” is
part of Issue 15 (Autumn 2012) of Diverse Voices Quarterly, an American
literary e-zine. The entire issue (which includes my somewhat self-indulgent
author’s bio–sorry, am not yet used to capsule-writing about myself) can be downloaded for free through
the link below.
The swirling of steam as it spirals to
the ceiling
like a ballerina twirling in numberless
pirouettes
gives life to the cup growing cold
in your bare rugged hands.
You whisper in the simmer,
through alternating sips and silence,
the stories pervading the cursory
pathways
crafted on your skin.
In this meager setup,
you regale, I remember; you imply, I
imagine;
and our cities of sorrow, callow shores,
sunsets,
country sides, stars, communal settings
–
rise with the smoke to the overhead
chandelier.
Over the prancing and brazen glancing
of customers and cats on the sidewalk,
you become the idea and I,
your mural of childhood caricatures –
bursting with color beneath layers of
dust.
But once more, the door opens to welcome
the newest buyer, and your eyes betray
a hunger for hours of solitude, for song
and symphonies and speech,
and so you slither back to your cheap
comforts
and coffee.
*****
Sembreak is finally here! I can feel it in
the water, I can feel it in the air (channeling Galadriel here). Also, the
other day, I finally received word from the editors of Philippine Speculative
Fiction 8. End of story. But hey, that’s an email from the Alfars (which can
mean nothing to someone else). As they say, you win some, you lose some–but you
never stop writing.
1. Last Friday, friends and I watched Atlantis Productions' staging of Kopit and Yeston's Nine (which closed yesterday) at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. How I got to the theater is already an epic in itself. In the spirit of good vibes, I shall not disclose my amazing journey here. In psychology, they call it repression. Sad to say, I missed the first one-and-a-half lines of the musical. And that Friday traffic will forever be a curse of Manila.
ii. The Musical
2. Probably the most elaborate set design the Romulo Auditorium will ever have. David Gallo is indisputably a master of his craft. Jay Aranda's lights only made it all the more impossible not to fall in love with the technicals of the show.
3. The singing was impeccable. "Lalalalalala..." is still stuck in my mind. The inconsistency in the accents of the cast, that was disturbing. Why weren't they able to settle on just one?
4. Cherie Gil as Liliane. Carla Guevara-Laforteza as Carla. These two gorgeous women inhabiting their roles with so much passion and dedication won't be leaving my memory anytime soon (or ever).
5. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, you are the definition of clarity. Can you do no wrong onstage? And a shout-out to Reg Claravall as the best gondolier in town.
6. Eula Valdes was a stunning demi-goddess as Claudia - she could have been goddess, were it not for the imperfect top notes in Unusual Way.
7. What to make, then, of a Nine whose weakest link is ultimately its Guido Contini? The role is one of the toughest in the gamut of musical theater leads, no doubt. But it still pains me to say that Jett Pangan's Guido was nowhere near his best (which was seen and should be seen again in Next to Normal - a heartbreaking turn as Dan Goodman). Where was genuine desperation? Where was internal destruction? In the end, the singing was soaring, the character, a caricature. (Bobby in Company, that's what Mr. Pangan ought to do next. Theater gods, hear this prayer.)
8. Did I enjoy Nine? Yes, though watching with friends probably had much to do with that.
UP Med 2016 at Nine.
iii. The Stage Door
9. The only time I've "stagedoored" was during Cats with Lea Salonga. But Reg is a friend of one of us, so there. Never knew this could be so much fun, ambushing the actors.
10. Menchu, on whether she'll finally do Gypsy next year: "I want to!!!" (Grabs my shoulders and shakes me.)
11. Cherie Gil, on the possibility of ever doing Doubt again: "I don't know if that's possible, but I'd like to do another role. I'm doing The Graudate next year."
12. Ima Castro (Sarraghina), upon finding out we're from UP Med: "UP Med?! My gosh, UP Med!"
13. Jay Glorioso (Guido's mother) is the gentlest person ever.
iv. The Aftermath
14. We went to Mercato. Rafael Rosell was there. I intentionally passed by him, just so I can claim to have passed by him. Marina is still the 2nd best Filipino television soap for me (after Tayong Dalawa). This is not a discussion on local television soaps, so leave out the criticism.
v. The Next Day
15. Went to UP Diliman for the final English performance of Dulaang UP's The Seagull (by Anton Chekhov). Now where did I read (online) that the Guerrero Theater is in Palma Hall Annex? And to the woman in PhAn who compassionately told me to take an ikot to get to the theater, did you even hear which theater I was asking about?
16. There are so many things that could have gone right with this take on The Seagull. Focus was something the production could have given more work on.
17. Ana Abad Santos as Irina stole the entire show. They should have renamed this The Seagull, or the Ana Abad Santos show, featuring Jeremy Domingo. Mr. Domingo played Trigorin. Leo Rialp (Dorn), Stella Canete Balucas (Polina), Jaime Yambao (Shamraev), and Jacques Borlaza (Sorin) round out the list of six performers who actually delivered and gave justice to their roles. This is all the praise I have for the entire company of actors.
18. I just have to get this out of my system: The actor who played Konstantin was a warbling mess.
vi. The Publication
19. I'm finally getting published! "Cafe Comforts" will appear in
the Fall issue of Diverse Voices Quarterly, an American online literary
magazine. As the High School Musical tune goes, "It's the start of something new..."
