PDI Feature: Theater cancellations amid COVID-19

Fucking pandemic. The website version here.

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Cancellation notices simply heartbreaking

How does one even begin to take stock of unprecedented loss--much less learn how, or what, exactly to feel?

It's a thought worth pondering these days of the Luzon quarantine, which shuttered nine theater productions and led to either the postponement or cancellation of 18 more, including eight slated to open the week the quarantine was announced.

Make no mistake, this was a necessary move. We still know very little about the enemy--and we're not even being dramatic in calling COVID-19 "the enemy"--though we know for certain it thrives in close quarters. Logic only followed that the theater, an art form that breathes through human proximity and intimacy, should close immediately.

A necessary move, no doubt. But it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking. Unlike Broadway or the London's West End, whose marquees dimmed all at once following organized edicts from above, the Manila theater industry instead endured day after day of pounding uncertainty.

"The show must go on" has always been a powerful adage, fueling productions even in times of man-made disasters or natural calamities, and fuel productions it did in the weeks leading to the quarantine announcement.

State of limbo

At first, it was just Tanghalang Pilipino's (TP) "Batang Mujahideen" preemptively canceling performances, its show buyers--mostly schools--withdrawing their participation, given the pandemic's looming threat.

Then with the initial suspension of classes in Metro Manila from March 10 to March 14, the university productions were sent into what could have only been a harrowing state of limbo. (Do they make up for canceled performances? Extend the run? Close altogether?)

Even on the night of the quarantine announcement itself, two productions--Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group's (ATEG) "The Band's Visit" and Repertory Philippines' (Rep) "Anna in the Tropics"--were more than ready to open, should they have been allowed to do so, while the international tour of "Matilda the Musical" carried on at The Theatre at Solaire.

Now, only drawn curtains and heartbreak magnified. When the theater has become so integral to your life, as it has been to the writers of this section--when your weekends are plotted according to the varying runs of productions, and chasing after shows across the region's scattered stages has become a way of life--the sight of these productions posting closing or cancellation notices one after another can be a most gut-wrenching experience.

Perched distantly as surveyors of the scene, we cannot even claim to imagine how much more difficult a time it has become for the artists themselves--the writers, directors, performers, designers, musicians, publicists, crew members, who actually keep our stages running and burning bright.

Economic impact

The economic impact of this pandemic will be brutal. Perhaps it may be too early for a thorough assessment of the damage that these closures and cancellations have brought upon Philippine theater, but already we are seeing just how fragile the fabric of an industry we have touted to be "booming" all these years remains.

What of our freelancers? What of our practitioners who are also breadwinners? What of those for whom theater and the performing arts are, clichés be damned, truly the world--financially, as much as artistically?

So it has been heartening, to say the least, seeing our theater artists themselves take up the cudgels, in the many ways they know how. Some have brought their craft online, through storytelling sessions and concerts on Facebook Live, or even streamed yoga and dance sessions.

Others have started advocacy and awareness campaigns against the pandemic through song.

Most important, #CreativeAidPH, led by JK Anicoche, Laura Cabochan, Jopie Sanchez, Komunidad, Sipat Lawin and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, has launched an online platform to gather concrete data from individuals on the economic and financial damage the pandemic has so far caused--which is exactly the kind of moving-forward step the industry needs.

The next time you use the word "resilient," theater practitioners better be at the top of your mind.

So--for now--take your virtual bows:

"Anna in the Tropics" and "Carousel" (Rep); "The Band's Visit" and "Oliver!" (ATEG); "Bogus Pokus" (Harlequin Theatre Guild); "Dekada '70" (Black Box Productions); "Enrico IV" (TP); "Every Brilliant Thing" and "Lungs" (The Sandbox Collective); "In the Heights" (Broadway Theatre Troupe of Ateneo); "Juan Tamban" (Dulaang ROC); "Kublihan," "Kung Paano Maghiwalay" and "Swipe Right, Siz" (College of St. Benilde Theater Arts); "Macli-ing" (Ateneo Entablado); "Matilda the Musical" (GMG Productions); "Nana Rosa" (Dulaang UP); "Next to Normal" (Ateneo Blue Repertory); "Once a Panahon" (Juliene Mendoza/9th Studios Creative Hub); "Ang Pangahas na si Pepe Rodriguez" (Teatro Tomasino); "Rashomon" (ViARE); "The Revolutionists" (Cast); "Tabing Ilog the Musical" (Star Hunt/ABS-CBN); Tamdula 3 (FEU Theater Guild); "Top Girls" (Tanghalang Ateneo); "Under My Skin" (Peta); and "Walang Damit ang Hari ng La Mancha sa Mata ng Hangal" (Dulaang Sipat Lawin).

We'll see you in the theater when this pandemic is over. The day our curtains rise again is the day we look forward to the most.

PDI Review: 'The Band's Visit' by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group

This was the last production I saw before the Metro Manila quarantine was enacted. The website version here. The original Broadway cast recording has been a go-to mental-health break for days now.

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'The Band's Visit' was simply perfect

Years from now, we will talk of Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group's "The Band's Visit" and remember how it was forced to close even before it could open.

The irony will not be lost on us: how a musical about human connection had to dim its lights prematurely because of a pandemic that spread, among other means, through human contact.

Fatalists might even claim the musical's book set it up for that irony. "You probably didn't hear about it. It wasn't very important," goes the opening supertitles, referring to the story of a fictional Egyptian police orchestra that winds up not just in the wrong town, but also in the wrong country.

Overnight, the musicians are adopted by the Israeli townspeople--allowed into their homes, and for that brief span, into their "bleak" and "boring" lives.

Anything but boring

This Atlantis production was anything but bleak or boring. It was, in fact, one of the finest musical productions to have graced our stages in at least the last decade.

As directed by Bobby Garcia, we saw and understood exactly why this show--written by Itamar Moses and scored by David Yazbek--deserved its Tony Award for Best Musical.

"The Band's Visit" is a true-blue "book musical," the kind of song-and-dance theater that favors sound storytelling over spectacle; where the singing and dancing aid the narrative, instead of the narrative merely interspersed between musical numbers.

The New York Times called it "an honest-to-goodness musical for adults," and that assessment is just about right. Very little, in terms of incident, may seem to happen in this 90-minute show, but my, does it open up human worlds and histories as evocatively and eloquently as it illuminates the ordinary and seemingly inconsequential in the lives of its characters.

That, and more, we gleaned from Garcia's production, its compact yet measured pacing reflective of the wisdom and insight that went into its making. And it wasn't just Garcia's direction--everyone involved in this production did topnotch work.

Farley Asuncion's musical direction was remarkable for its clarity, as for its illusion of simplicity.

Faust Peneyra's set was of a piece with Adam Honoré's lights. The deceptively barren walls and sparingly outfitted performance space could have revealed its tricks only through the genius lighting design.

Seamless

Odelon Simpao's costumes and Justin Stasiw's sound design were essential to the seamless creation of the world of this musical, and GA Fallarme's projections heightened effectively the parts of the show where they were needed.

And that cast? Not a false note: Reb Atadero's girl-baffled Papi; the easy-to-miss groundedness of Bibo Reyes' Itzik and Steven Conde's Simon; Mark Bautista delivering a performance of composed suavity as Haled; even Maronne Cruz's brief but realized turns as Julia and a bus station clerk, to name a few.

The star pairing of Rody Vera (as orchestra conductor Tewfiq) and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (as café owner Dina) was of an entirely different level--two lead performances that glimmered with that rare sort of intelligence, when an actor knows exactly how much to give or withhold in every single scene, and in the process, expand the world of the musical way beyond its perceived limits.

If it isn't clear enough, yes, if there were such a thing as a perfect production, "The Band's Visit" was just about it. Very few saw it during its invitational technical dress rehearsals. It was beautiful. It was important. And it should visit us again the moment we get past this pandemic--hopefully soon. 

PDI Review: 'Next to Normal' by Ateneo Blue Repertory

Manila theater is officially shut down. It has been heartbreaking, to say the least. This one, in particular, is a huge loss. The website version here.

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'Next to Normal': 2020's best local musical you'll miss due to Covid-19

The COVID-19 (new coronavirus) outbreak in Metro Manila this past week virtually crippled what had promised to be a bustling month for theater, with as many as 13 canceled productions for this weekend alone.

Among the casualties is "Next to Normal"--and it's especially hard not to feel dejected over this one: This new staging by Ateneo Blue Repertory (BlueRep) may well be the year's best local musical production.

It's easy to say that BlueRep had a straight path to victory. The material, after all, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, and masterpieces are harder to bungle. But it is precisely how this "Next to Normal" highlights what a masterpiece the musical is that makes the production an unmissable work.

Emotionally lacerating

Once again codirecting with Darrell Uy (after last year's ravishing "Spring Awakening"), Missy Maramara helms this production--and again, sidesteps the temptation to yield to the material's rock-musical roots. The result is "Next to Normal" with its insides fully exposed--an emotionally lacerating, meat-of-the-matter treatment that only brings to light the airtight, organic quality of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's writing and music-making.

Another way to put it: Maramara's production visibly makes sense of the material--of the lyrics, and of the story itself. The plunge into the unraveling lives of the fictional Goodman family (consisting of Diana, who has bipolar disorder, her husband Dan and daughter Natalie) never once feels rote or dishonest. Every element in this production, both human and nonhuman, is intertwined.

This "Next to Normal" becomes an even more outsized accomplishment when one considers the physical space it is given: Ateneo de Manila University's Gonzaga Fine Arts Theater, a cramped box of a room that the affluent school has somehow passed off as an actual "theater." Why this place is home to this show is topic for lengthier talk, but one thing's clear: This place does not deserve this masterpiece and the tremendous talent it employs.

Overcoming limits of space

Yet somehow we should also thank this venue, if only for the chance to witness the topnotch skill involved in this production, how it has overcome the limits of space through intelligent direction and design.

Tata Tuviera's set reflects the fragile state of the Goodman family, especially Diana's state of mind, and effectively evokes the story's needed spaces, working hand in hand with Franco Ramos' efficient movement design, Miyo Sta. Maria's strategic lighting and Cholo Ledesma's crystal-clear sound design. And Tuviera's costumes, take note, are fine specimens of what one might label "no-costumes costumes."

Main draw

The main draw of any "Next to Normal" would be rightfully its Diana--a Herculean part requiring any actress to wander stoutheartedly what the lyrics call the "manic, magic days and [dark], depressing nights." But guided by Maramara, and on the strength of its actors, this production becomes at once the individual and converging stories of Diana, Dan and Natalie.

Cris Villonco is, simply put, heartbreaking as Diana, but equally so is Jef Flores as Dan; they are breathing, singing, open wounds, and we'd be heaven-blessed to come across a more magnificent pair of leading performances this year. As Natalie, Nikki Bengzon (alternating with Jam Binay) is a vision of clarity, in every sense of the word, and one of the most exciting newcomers to the scene we've seen of late.

In fact, so thoughtfully staged is this production that it even makes you care about the Goodmans' son Gabe (Tim Pavino, affecting and in wondrous voice, alternating with Adrian Lindayag), Natalie's boyfriend Henry (Carlos de Guzman, immensely likable, alternating with Davy Narciso), and Diana's doctors (Jobim Javier, alternating with Jason Tan Liwag, who is "authoritative as a man of science," notes former Theater editor Gibbs Cadiz).

In the program, Maramara writes: "The hope of art is to sublimate human experiences [into] a form that allows for manageable confrontation." On that account alone, this "Next to Normal" is a success. It is also a musical triumph (the musical direction by Ejay Yatco), and a powerfully moving time at the theater. It is the real deal.

PDI Review: 'Dekada '70' by Black Box Productions

I like this show less now than when I first saw it two years ago, but it's still an important, must-see piece. The website version of this review here.

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'Dekada '70': The revolution is alive in this musical

Pat Valera addressing the audience post-show two years ago. The production has returned to the same venue this year.

Plays set in or centered on the Marcos dictatorship (these days, interchangeable in certain ways with the Duterte administration) all come to us with that singular, oft-intoned message: Never forget. Pat Valera's musical adaptation of the Lualhati Bautista novel "Dekada '70" tells its audience exactly that, but in all capital letters.

There is no denying the revolution, in its myriad forms, is alive in this musical, which has been enjoying a sold-out rerun at Ateneo de Manila University. That can only be for the best.

One can argue that the resistance taking the form of song and dance is, in effect, preaching to an echo chamber--the sort of people willing to shell out money for an obviously anti-Marcos (and by extension, anti-Duterte) piece of theater are in all likelihood long on the same page as the play itself--but lest we forget, today's high school kids weren't even born during the second Edsa Revolution, and their K-12 curriculum has made a joke out of Philippine History as a subject.

In that sense, "Dekada '70" should stick around this notoriously amnesiac nation for as long as it can, hopefully packing every performance not just with theatergoers who are there on their own dime, but more importantly with scores of students, their parents and teachers.

Far from perfect, but...

Never mind that both the play and its current iteration under Black Box Productions are far from perfect.

"Dekada '70" examines literally a decade of life under martial law through the eyes of the comfortably middle-class Bartolome family. The stage version actually feels like watching a decade unfold.

There are two--not just one, but two!--plays-within-the-play, on top of drawn-out song numbers that bleed into each other and scenes that either repeat previous points or gratingly spell the point out for the audience.

Throughout this production, the volume, both auditory and emotional, is set to maximum; the action is always an approximation of fear and confusion; the moments of silence become literal breaths of fresh air, you would think this show might one day outlaw the mere act of breathing. And, by the way, the exhausting pace that this production insists on actually shows, most visibly taking its toll on the performers toward the end of both acts.

It's still an excellent cast, though, and taken on its own, the score by Valera and Matthew Chang gives us some genuinely heart-stopping anthems.

Stella Cañete-Mendoza's performance alone is still worth the price of admission; the narrative journey she brings the audience along, her transformation from subdued matriarch to empowered woman, remains a most accomplished creation of the stage.

Note, as well, that her real-life husband Juliene is playing her onstage husband--and that we can probably make notebooks of notes out of studying their masterful pairing.

When Cañete-Mendoza's Amanda finally asserts her personhood--"My God, Julian, it's a woman's world, too!" she tells her husband--it's as perfect a moment as any for applause. Fast-forward to a few minutes later, and husband and wife reconcile, earning a tender moment between themselves. Then, the play launches into song--in itself, a terrific piece of music, but in the context of the production, like rubbing the script on the viewer's nose.

That's "Dekada '70" in a nutshell.

PDI Review: 'Batang Mujahideen' by Tanghalang Pilipino

Between this and PETA's "Under My Skin," it's shaping up to be a great year for the original Filipino play. The website version of this review here.

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'Batang Mujahideen': Magnificent drama told through facts

Curtain call during the closing performance of "Batang Mujahideen."

A puppet figures in Tanghalang Pilipino's (TP) premiere of Malou Jacob's "Batang Mujahideen." It is the character of Fatima, who witnesses her father's death at the hands of a Christian extremist, and is later transplanted to an Abu Sayyaf training camp. We see her learn to use a gun, take necessary steps to become the title character--child jihadist--in the definition that militants have reduced "jihad" to.

Fatima is only a piece of the puzzle. The larger world of the play is set in March 2000, when the Abu Sayyaf raided two schools in the island-province of Basilan and abducted over 50 individuals, including students, teachers and a Roman Catholic priest. Fatima learns to hate; the kidnapping victims learn the taste of fear.

How these two narrative strands intertwine is but one of the many strengths of this play, which, though written by Jacob, is also devised--developed and written further--by director Guelan Luarca and the TP Actors Company (AC) that comprise the cast, with dramaturgical input from Dominique La Victoria.

The end point is something we already know: Violence begets violence. An entire school coming under a terrorist attack may not be of the same contextual scale as a father being brutally murdered before his child's eyes, but the seed of fear, and more importantly, of hate, is planted all the same.

No cop-outs

The play acknowledges that as a fact of life; it serves us drama through facts, and not cop-outs. But more importantly, the play recognizes that the path to a violent end is preceded by a constant push and pull between fighting for peace and giving in to the temptation for revenge. This inward interrogation is ever present in the play, in the way it structures its plot points and in the words of its characters: The cycle of violence may often prevail, but its path to victory isn't easy. Everywhere there are people who still believe in goodness, and who will stand by goodness, despite the odds.

Luarca captures all that and more. His production flows with an assured rhythm, like a cogent debate, brimming with ironic calm and intellectual rigor. He lets his actors shift between playing narrators and characters in the story at a brisk pace that never sacrifices clarity. There are arresting scenes of violence, even some coups de theatre, but these are interspersed between lengthy moments of quiet, the play somehow insisting on storytelling and conversation--the power of words!--as salvation.

Flawless

The design of this production is fundamentally flawless. Marco Viaña and Paw Castillo, in addition to designing the costumes, have created a set that resembles a classroom jungle, with flexible blocks and staircases to conjure different worlds and timelines. D Cortezano (lights) and Arvy Dimaculangan (sound) are reliable as always, turning in topnotch work; their contributions are most essential in materializing violence onstage, complementing Jomelle Era's movement design.

Among the cast, Manok Nellas and Jonathan Tadioan are forceful presences in their multiple characters, but the standout is longtime AC member Lhorvie Nuevo. Hewing to the prologue's promise to disregard age and gender, Nuevo plays fallen Abu Sayyaf head Khadaffy Janjalani with an acute understanding of the combined power of kindness and silence. Marlon Brando in "Apocalypse Now" and Joe Pesci in "The Irishman" both knew this: Sometimes, the softest voice in the room is the most frightening of all. Amid the theatrical carnage, you can't help looking at, and for, Nuevo.

There are faults in this production, of course--graphics that come up short in a logistical sense, performances that are either far less commanding than a role demands or hammy to a degree, lines of dialogue that are distractingly on-the-nose polemical.

No matter, "Batang Mujahideen" is still magnificent, astutely crafted theater. It runs for less than 90 minutes, which is nothing if not intelligent use of such brief stage time. It has five remaining performances (no thanks to COVID-19!), but deserves to run for plenty more. 

PDI Review: 'Under My Skin' by PETA

My review of the first production I really liked this year--the website version here.

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A must-see: 'Under My Skin' is Peta's return to form

Curtain call during media night of "Under My Skin."

First things first: "Under My Skin" is indisputably a return to form for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta). As a theatrical piece, it hits the mark; as an advocacy play, it is a triumph.

In the last decade, Peta has alternated between straightforward dramas and well-intended advocacies: Anton Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard" and Marsha Norman's "'night, Mother" vis à vis original work such as "William," "A Game of Trolls" and "Charot!" The results, especially for the originals, haven't always been unqualified successes.

"Under My Skin," written by Rody Vera, tackles the HIV-AIDS crisis in the Philippines, where the current daily average of people being diagnosed with the virus is now at a distressing 36. Comparisons to such landmark plays as Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart," or even Tony Kushner's "Angels in America," are thus inevitable.

But "Under My Skin" does its forebears one better: It has a keen awareness of its dramatic potential, but practices remarkable restraint in fulfilling that potential.

How HIV works

This play knows exactly how HIV works--how it exists in the casual grind of everyday life, in the silences and pauses that fill our day-to-day activities; how, despite scientific advancement and giant leaps in humanitarian action, it still exists; how, no matter the tears shed or words imparted, it will continue to exist.

A line from a key character is most essential to the point this play so intelligently, thoughtfully drives home: It is pointless to dwell on the drama. In "Under My Skin," the impact of the virus takes not the form of grand, tear-filled moments or scenes where characters scream and shout their emotions to the heavens. There is crying and shouting, sure, but it is all done at a decibel level that is recognizably real--a reminder that the "h" in HIV stands for "human," after all.

In positioning his play on an all-too-human plane, Vera has written what may be his most accomplished original theatrical piece in years--one that deals with the science of the story with the same superlative skill employed in its critique of the 21st-century gay community, all while weaving in and out of multiple plot lines, the characters intersecting in scenes, facts flowing alongside and even bleeding into the fiction. 

Ilustrative

And the science here, take note, is handled with such expert skill, it's honestly breathtaking and a breath of fresh air. What Vera does in this play is the kind of pedestrian translation that most of the medical and scientific community is simply incapable of doing--the breaking down of mind-numbing facts and jargon into language at once understandable and illustrative. Witnessing Vera explain the intricate pathophysiology of HIV-AIDS--through more-than-justified breaking down of the fourth wall, no less--makes you realize what a better, and clearer, world we'd be living in right now if only our scientists were also potent communicators.

Vera is greatly aided by Steven Tansiongco's video projections--the most effective use of the medium we've seen since projections started to be in vogue in local theater--and Teresa Barrozo's sound design and instrumentals, in their best moments elevating the story to the level of thriller, or late-night stand-up, or heartfelt drama. At this point, it may seem a tad greedy to ask for more--tighter direction from Melvin Lee (for the moments that feel either too loose, or too heavy-handed with the drama) or a more uniform level of performance from the ensemble (though there are standouts in Roselyn Perez, Gio Gahol, Anthony Falcon, and even Dudz Teraña, providing a "nonintermission intermission" that could have been a solo drag performance in itself).

As it is, the premiere of "Under My Skin" is still, pardon the cliché, a must-see. It aspires to a vision of a healthier world, along the way tearing down barriers both social and intellectual, while never once losing sight of the reality we're grappling with now.

Listen only to the subtle oohs and aahs from the audience during the play's educational portions: That right there is the sound of impactful, meaningful theater. That right there is why we keep going to the theater.

If I had an Academy Award ballot, 2020...

Oscars' eve, Philippine time. Here are my choices! Note that my "should have been nominated" picks are based on how well the films fared during precursor season. (I make an Excel file every year for fun, but also to put some science into this whole crazy business, and the science actually makes sense!)

BEST PICTURE

Winner: "PARASITE"
Alternate: "LITTLE WOMEN"

On a customized preferential ballot, this is how I would rank the Best Picture nominees:

1. "Parasite"
2. "Little Women"
3. "Marriage Story"

[gap]

4. "1917
5. "The Irishman"
6. "Jojo Rabbit"
7. "Ford v Ferrari"

[gap]

8. "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

[gap]
[gap]

[a million more gaps]

9. "Joker"

"Parasite" is far and away the deserving winner, but "Little Women" can win over it and I would be perfectly happy. Among the Best Picture contenders during precursor season, "Knives Out" would be my third placer, ahead of "Marriage Story." "1917" has extremely dumb situations as major plot points. The third act of "The Irishman" is the film I would have wanted to see more of. "Jojo Rabbit" is cute, but never really transcends its cuteness. "Ford" is fun during the racing scenes. "Once..." was an exasperatingly alienating viewing experience. And "Joker" got this year's trash nominee slot, akin to "Bohemian Rhapsody" last year.

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: BONG JOON-HO, "PARASITE"
Should Have Been Nominated: Greta Gerwig, "Little Women"; Céline Sciamma, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

No alternates. The floor is now open for questions, but I will not be taking any. Greta should be in Todd Phillips' slot, and Céline, in Quentin Tarantino's (yes, fight me). That should have solved the "no women" complaint.

BEST ACTOR

Winner: ADAM DRIVER, "MARRIAGE STORY"
Alternate: Antonio Banderas, "Pain and Glory"; maybe Jonathan Pryce, "The Two Popes"
Should Have Been Nominated: Brad Pitt, "Ad Astra"

Joaquin Phoenix has been sweeping the precursors and is going to win for a bad movie. (He was great in "The Master," but there was obviously no beating Daniel Day-Lewis' Abraham Lincoln; he was also great in "Her," a movie I initially adored but now find kind of blech.) Driver clearly deserves to win this year. Banderas would be my alternative vote. Pryce is my far third; I'm not a fan of "The Two Popes" (ordering a cake and getting a muffin). Leonardo DiCaprio, whose Oscar should have been for "The Wolf of Wall Street"--no one was better that year--is nominated this year for a movie I do not care about at all. I would take out either Leo or Joaquin (coin toss; I couldn't care less about the result) and write in Brad Pitt in "Ad Astra." How am I faring so far as "brutally honest Oscars voter"?

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: SAOIRSE RONAN, "LITTLE WOMEN"
Alternate: Renée Zellweger, "Judy"
Should Have Been Nominated: Lupita Nyong'o, "Us"; Florence Pugh, "Midsommar"

This should be Lupita's second Oscar. But oh, she's not even nominated. So Renée has also been sweeping the precursors and is going to win for a movie that does not deserve her performance. I am fine with her winning. If we go by the actual lineup, Saoirse would get my vote in a heartbeat. Scarlett and Renée both stay. Charlize Theron and Cynthia Erivo both shouldn't even be here; their nominations should have gone to Lupita and Florence Pugh in "Midsommar." Pugh and Pitt should both be double acting nominees this year. Also, the irony that Lupita, who won an Oscar for playing a slave, isn't this year's token Black woman in the lineup; instead, it's Erivo, who's up for Best Actress for--guess what--also playing a slave. Let it be known: What Lupita does in "Us" is the stuff that legends are made of.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner: BRAD PITT, "ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD"
Alternate: Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Should Have Been Nominated: Song Kang-ho, "Parasite"; Choi Woo-shik, "Parasite"; Wesley Snipes, "Dolemite Is My Name"; Timothée Chalamet, "Little Women"

This will be a well-deserved acting win for Brad Pitt. If Joe Pesci pulls off an impossible upset, I will cheer for him. Al Pacino, Tom Hanks and Anthony Hopkins can all go. Pacino is doing classic loud Pacino here. I don't care for Hanks as a stilted Mr. Rogers; I think the film is loads of bull, and Hanks should have been nominated for "Captain Phillips" or even "Sully." Hopkins did what he could with the role. Two actors from "Parasite" are so much more deserving of nominations. Also, Wesley Snipes in "Dolemite"--when camp succeeds, you just know it. If not Snipes, then Chalamet in "Little Women"--nobody has been talking about this performance (maybe it's Chalamet fatigue), which is a shame, because it is terrific in its subtlety.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: LAURA DERN, "MARRIAGE STORY"
Alternate: Florence Pugh, "Little Women"
Should Have Been Nominated: Jennifer Lopez, "Hustlers"; Cho Yeo-jeong, "Parasite"

I am fine with Laura Dern winning; she is dynamite in this film. Florence Pugh can also win it for that scene alone in the drawing room with Timmy. Kathy Bates can stay in the lineup for her work in "Richard Jewell." ScarJo's "Jojo Rabbit" turn and Margot Robbie in "Bombshell" have to go; in a just world, this should really be Jennifer Lopez's Oscar. Cho Yeo-jeong would be my fifth nominee; her vacuous character is my favorite performance in "Parasite."

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Winner: BONG JOON-HO & HAN JIN-WON, "PARASITE"
Alternate: Rian Johnson, "Knives Out"
Should Have Been Nominated: Lulu Wang, "The Farewell"; Céline Sciamma, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

Noah Baumbach's script for "Marriage Story" is my third placer. Quentin and "1917" out, Wang and Sciamma in--now there's a solid original screenplay lineup.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Winner: GRETA GERWIG, "LITTLE WOMEN"

No alternates. This is clearly Gerwig's Oscar. To take on a classic novel and somehow reinvent it as your own? "Jojo Rabbit" could never.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Winner: ROGER DEAKINS, "1917"
Alternate: Jarin Blaschke, "The Lighthouse"
Should Have Been Nominated: Claire Mathon, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

What is "Joker" doing here again? That should have been Claire Mathon's nomination--and win. But I'm perfectly fine with Roger winning his second; the cinematography, after all, is one of the strongest elements of "1917." I thought "The Lighthouse" was just okay as a whole.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Winner: "PARASITE"
Alternate: "1917"

BEST EDITING

Winner: YANG JIN-MO, "PARASITE"
Alternate: Andrew Buckland & Michael McCusker, "Ford v Ferrari"
Should Have Been Nominated: Todd Douglas Miller, "Apollo 11"

I am by no means a fan of "Apollo 11"--I was awed by its technical accomplishment of having woven all those photographs, footages, and recordings into a narrative, but I found the whole just okay. There were certainly more engrossing documentaries this year (see below). But this is the one category that "Apollo 11" deserved a nomination; again, what is "Joker" doing here?

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Winner: ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, "LITTLE WOMEN"
Alternate: Hildur Guonadóttir, "Joker"

This is the only "Joker" win I would support (it's gonna happen).

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Winner: "FOR SAMA"

I am not a fan of "Honeyland." Thirty minutes into it, I was like, what the fuck am I watching? At the end of last year, I was totally fine with "American Factory" winning this. But an "American Factory" win would only be further proof of Hollywood elitism, of just how insular these awards are. People are dying in Syria, Brenda. Doctors are risking their lives to save lives! But oh, sure, let's vote for the movie about how other cultures are taking jobs away from Americans. I jest a little. "American Factory" is a terrific film. But my heart belongs to "For Sama"; I found "The Cave" too produced, its polish getting in the way of authenticity. "For Sama" would be a worthy winner; it would be a great winner.

P.S. I haven't seen "The Edge of Democracy."

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Winner: "KLAUS"

What a terribly weak field. "Toy Story" was good, but is the weakest of the "Toy Story" films. "I Lost My Body" is a glorified story about a creep. "How to Train Your Dragon 3" is the weakest of the trilogy. And I've yet to see "Missing Link."

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Duh.

PDI Feature: Repertory Philippines' 'Stage Kiss' on their first kiss

It's already Valentine's month! I thought I'd do something different with an advancer this time. The website version here. "Stage Kiss" runs from Feb. 7-Mar. 1 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

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'As if time had stopped'--the first kiss

In 2017, Manila saw two plays by the American playwright Sarah Ruhl--"Eurydice," mounted by Tanghalang Pilipino using a Filipino translation by Guelan Luarca, and "In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)" by Repertory Philippines (Rep).

Next week, Rep returns to Ruhl with its 83rd season opener: "Stage Kiss," a backstage farce in which two ex-lovers suddenly find themselves playing the romantic leads of the play within the play. Carlitos Siguion-Reyna directs, with Missy Maramara (Best Director of Inquirer Lifestyle's 2019 theater roundup) and Tarek El Tayech (Theatre Titas' "Macbeth," "BuyBust") as ex-lovers.

Ahead of the Feb. 7 opening night--and just in time to usher in Valentine's season--we asked the cast and crew of "Stage Kiss" to tell us all about their first kisses, either onstage or in real life.

Here are excerpts from our email exchanges:

My mom always said that when I was in preschool, I kissed this cute boy in my class. So I grew up thinking my first kiss was gone. The first kiss that mattered, though, was right after high school, with a boy from another school who was very good in math. He watched all my plays even if he wasn't into theater. I really liked him, even if I was also terribly infatuated with my scene partner in our school play. (Said partner was also super cute, and most everyone had a huge crush on him, too.)

Onstage, it was with Jenny Jamora in New Voice Company's "Stop Kiss" in 2003. That was when I learned how stage kissing is such a delicate component of theater--and nothing like real kissing. Onstage kissing should let the audience be the ones to "feel," and the actors have to be careful not to get lost in the act. It involves a different kind of discipline and trusting relationship. 

--Missy Maramara, "She"

I have a theory that my kisses make people famous. I had to kiss JC Santos and JM de Guzman in "Isang Panaginip na Fili," and today they're both movie stars. Who wants to be my next leading man?

--Mica Pineda, "Laurie"/"Millicent"

I was around 10. My older sister's classmate would always grab me every time she saw me, and kiss me on the lips. All I remember is liking it. My first onstage kiss: in a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" eons ago, where I played Claudio! Me as a romantic lead. Awkward.

--Robbie Guevara, "The Husband"

I've played romantic roles, the third party and even an abusive man, but I've had only three onstage kisses, all very chaste, and all in Shakespeare: with Shiela Valderrama-Martinez and Issa Litton in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and Niccolo Manahan in the all-male "The Taming of the Shrew." I wonder when I will be cast in a role that will allow me to go to town. Any takers?

--PJ Rebullida, choreographer

It was an innocent peck; I was playing doctor with this girl. It was before puberty hit.

--Tarek El Tayech, "He"

I had a make-out scene in "Burles" (Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, 1978, written by Rene Villanueva, directed by Jonas Sebastian) where I had to kiss the cheeks and neck of my scene partner. During the first weekend run, she asked me why I wasn't really kissing her and, instead, was just pretending to do so by brushing my lips against her skin. I had thought that the 15-year-old me was trying not to take advantage of her. After that, my kisses during the second weekend became more realistic.

--Dennis Marasigan, lighting designer

It was early in high school. She was an exchange student, with surfer blonde hair and a great smile. We kissed in the field at school after class, with the sun getting lower on the horizon. We were walking hand in hand, and I sensed that we could both feel the moment approaching. We stopped walking and faced each other, and then something changed in her eyes, as I am sure something in mine did. It did seem as if time had stopped, and the rest of the world--the noise of children playing, a football game in progress, even the rustling of the leaves--had faded away.

That magical first kiss had everything in it: awkwardness, excitement, expectations, fear and nervousness, and the feeling that even if we both knew she was leaving, maybe this could somehow be a reprieve. When we had parted, and opened our eyes, and finally caught our breaths, we smiled.

She was perfect in the afternoon sun. And then the smiles disappeared, and our eyes closed as we leaned in to kiss again, and in my eagerness, I bumped her teeth. We laughed, then stepped closer to try again,

--Jamie Wilson, "The Director"

My family and I moved to Ho Chi Minh City when I was in middle school, and that was peak teen--"truth or dare" and "spin the bottle" parties galore. Long story short, I was dared to kiss some dude, when I really wanted to kiss my crush, who was right next to him. My best friend ended up kissing my crush instead, so you can only imagine how a 14-year-old would react!

--Justine Narciso, "Angela"/"The Maid"

None--or shall I say, none yet? But either in real life or onstage, it will probably be full of sweetness and excitement, knowing how warm and soft, or how cold and hard, the other must be. Shall I keep my eyes closed? How do I even prepare for that? Perhaps I am scared of the intimacy that will certainly go beyond a mere peck on the cheek or a gentle touch on the forehead, but just the thought of a little kiss is thrilling.

--Nick Nañgit, pianist

I was crushing on this girl from a baseball movie that I watched growing up. I was so infatuated with her that one day, with no one around, I walked up to the TV, pressed the pause button, and gave her a big kiss on the screen. 

--Andres Borromeo, "Kevin"/"The Understudy"

PDI Feature: 2020 theater calendar--so far

I made a friggin' listicle in today's paper!

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10 things to look forward to in 2020 theater season

"Dekada '70" at Ateneo de Manila University, September 2018.

We're not here to deal with what Lin-Manuel Miranda calls "crazy hypotheticals." For instance, from the grapevine: The stage adaptation of the 1992 Whitney Houston vehicle "The Bodyguard"? No formal announcement yet.

On the other hand, our 2020 theater calendar already has 24 items all firmed up. What are we looking forward to the most? Here's a list of 10 to start things off:

1. Menchu onstage--again

Why yes, we mean the one and only Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. She's long been referred to as Philippine musical theater's first lady, and for good reason.

Who else in this lifetime can claim to have played both The Witch and The Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods," Johanna and Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd," Joanne--twice!--in "Company," Fantine in "Les Miserables" (and Cosette in a concert version), Cathy in "The Last Five Years," Eva Perón in "Evita," Luisa in "Nine" and Fosca in "Passion"?

In March, Lauchengco-Yulo reunites with Bobby Garcia and Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group for "The Band's Visit." The last time she was in an Atlantis production, she brought the house down as the fanatical Margaret White in "Carrie."

This time, she plays café owner Dina--which won Katrina Lenk the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

2. BlueRep's 'Next to Normal'

"Ballsy" is the word that came to mind at the news of Ateneo Blue Repertory (BlueRep) closing its 28th season with Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's masterwork, not least because the upcoming production has mammoth shoes to fill.

The rock musical's Manila premiere nine years ago, directed by Garcia for Atlantis and starring Lauchengco-Yulo as the bipolar protagonist Diana, recently made our list of the Best Theater of the Decade.

For BlueRep, Missy Maramara directs (she also helmed last year's "Spring Awakening," which we named 2019's Best Musical--Non-Filipino Material). Six-time Gawad Buhay winner Cris Villonco plays Diana; two-time Gawad Buhay winner Jef Flores plays her husband Dan. Our tissues are on standby, while we swoon at how hip and sexy this millennial pairing looks on poster.

3. A pair of classics

We're getting the British musical about orphans that gave us the immortal line "Please, Sir, I want some more," and the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, the immortal "If I Loved You" and "You'll Never Walk Alone," within a month of each other.

"Oliver!" opens in June as Atlantis' second show for the season. "Carousel" opens in May, marking the Repertory Philippines (Rep) debuts of director Toff de Venecia, and Gian Magdangal (as Billy Bigelow) and Nikki Gil (as Julie Jordan). When was the last time Manila saw a piece of theater that predates the Tony Awards?

4. 'Rep Unplugged'

Slated for June, another surprise up Rep's sleeve: an "out-of-the-box," "unconventional," "alternative" theatrical piece, titled--quite simply--"Rep Unplugged," with Ed Lacson Jr. directing.

What's it about, exactly? Your guess is as good as ours, but we're all buckled up for Liesl Batucan's first year as Rep's artistic director.

5. New blood at Virgin Labfest

This annual festival of "untried, untested, unstaged" one-act plays at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is also getting a new director--JK Anicoche, whose past works include "Battalia Royale" (Inquirer Lifestyle's Best Play--Original Filipino Material for 2012) and Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" in five versions for Tanghalang Ateneo (TA). 

The Labfest's 16th edition also received a record 290 submissions--a 43-percent increase from last year's "measly" 207--and will be playing June 10-28. The lineup will be announced within the next three months.

6. A new CCP theater

At long last, Manila's premier arts center will be getting a new (black box) theater: the 300-seat Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, right across the Philippine International Convention Center. Hopefully, this is where we'll be watching the Labfest already.

7. Four CAST readings

The Company of Actors in Streamlined Theatre gave us some of our most memorable theatrical outings last year.

Lauren Gunderson's "The Revolutionists" was a "spectacular first offering... invigorating mentally and emotionally," wrote Arturo Hilado. Directors Nelsito Gomez and Wanggo Gallaga turned Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" into "painfully provocative Philippine drama," noted Cora Llamas. And James Goldman's "The Lion in Winter" featured 2019's first great performance in Jaime del Mundo's Henry II.

What do we know of this season? Only that the venue is still Pineapple Lab in Poblacion, Makati City, and that the theme is "When Music Plays." Per company custom, the title of each play is revealed only at the start of the reading itself (each play gets only a matinee and an evening show, so seats are extremely limited).

The first reading is Jan. 12.

8. More university productions

2019 was a terrific year for campus theater. Three of our picks for the year's best productions were either thesis plays or by university companies. The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman's lineup of student theses alone included August Strindberg's "Miss Julie," Peter Weiss' "Marat/Sade" and Beckett's "Happy Days."

Already announced for 2020: Liza Magtoto's take on Caryl Churchill's "Top Girls" for TA; the return of Far Eastern University Theater Guild's "Ang Pinakamakisig sa Mga Nalunod sa Buong Daigdig" (Risa Jopson's adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez's short story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World"); and UP Dulaang Laboratoryo's adaptation of Nick Joaquin's "The Summer Solstice."

9. Another jukebox musical

In June, Resorts World Manila will present "Bongga Ka 'Day," a jukebox musical that features the songs of Hotdog, the band that defined the "Manila Sound." The musical's creative team includes Magtoto, Maribel Legarda and Myke Salomon--the brains behind the megahit "Rak of Aegis."

10. 'Lagárì' season

In show-biz parlance, lagárì (the Filipino term for "saw") connotes being swamped in so many commitments, one's body might as well be sawn off to get to all the places it needs to be.

Slated between mid-February to early April are Tanghalang Pilipino's "Batang Mujahideen," Trumpets' "Joseph the Dreamer," the international tour of "Matilda, The Musical," Rep's "Stage Kiss" and "Anna in the Tropics," Black Box Productions' "Dekada '70," Dulaang UP's returning "Nana Rosa," etc.

Are we ready--yet again--for the first-quarter lagárì season? You bet.  

The Decade in Film (2010-2019)

As of today, I have seen 844 films released in the last 10 years. Yes, I do in fact keep a list, thank you for asking. Is that a good enough number? I came to the local festival circuit pretty late (2015, to be exact--the year of "Sleepless" in QCinema). I spent two years during the latter half of the decade based in Iloilo City, which meant time away from the Manila-exclusive film festivals, where many of our local titles have lived and continue to live their ephemeral lives. Why did "The King's Speech," a movie that is just okay at best (albeit starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter in top form), win the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director over the masterpiece that is "The Social Network"? That is a question I still ponder every now and then. Below, I've made a 20-before-20, though in the process of making the collage, I realized I needed to choose a top 10, hence the picture. Lemme know what you think!

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MY TOP 10 FILMS OF THE DECADE (in alphabetical order):

1. Arrival (2016; dir. Dennis Villeneuve)

A masterclass in thrilling storytelling through and through. This New Yorker review by Anthony Lane sums up my sentiments precisely.

2. Frances Ha (2012; dir. Noah Baumbach)

By far, the best work of the director who has also given us "The Squid and the Whale," "Mistress America," "The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)" and "Marriage Story." 

3. Happy as Lazzaro (2018; dir. Alice Rohrwacher)

Starts out as neorealism, then morphs into something between magic and myth. An utterly beguiling cinematic gift.  

4. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013; dirs. Joel & Ethan Coen)

The Coen Brothers' finest work this decade is a rumination on success and sadness by way of a folk musical. Who would have thought?

5. Lady Bird (2017; dir. Greta Gerwig)

Love takes limitless form--for parent, lover, friend, place, time--in this sublime reinvention of the American bildungsroman.

6. Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (2013; dir. Lav Diaz)

This "astonishing study of madness and its accompanying instruments" topped CNN Philippines' rundown of the best Filipino films of the decade. Nobody disagrees.

7. Parasite (2019; dir. Bong Joon-ho)

The perfect moviegoing experience. I caught an early-afternoon screening with maybe 10 senior citizens in the theater--and let me tell you, dear reader, the energy in that room was wild, wild, wild.

8. A Separation (2011; dir. Asghar Farhadi)

"A trenchant emotional thriller that you watch in dread, awe and amazing aggravation," wrote Wesley Morris for The Boston Globe. That 99% critics' score (based on 173 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes sounds just about right.

9. The Social Network (2010; dir. David Fincher)

Hell (and heaven for us viewers) in the form of fragile male egos stabbing each other with words. If I had to pick only one film to represent the decade, this might be it.

10. Weekend (2011; dir. Andrew Haigh)

Even "the defining LGBTQ film of the decade" feels like an inadequate encapsulation of this airtight masterwork.

MY NEXT 10 FILMS OF THE DECADE (in alphabetical order):

11. Apocalypse Child (2015; dir. Mario Cornejo)

Drama with a capital D, that moves with a believably human brain, and knows which wounds to poke and sores to reopen on your puny mortal soul.

12. Certified Copy (2010; dir. Abbas Kiarostami)

The late Roger Ebert spent almost nine paragraphs of his review trying to figure out this mesmerizing, mind-tickling two-hander, before admitting that "perhaps it was wrong of me to even try"--and I am nodding in agreement.

13. Edward (2019; dir. Thop Nazareno)

Maybe it's just my biases as a doctor at play. Maybe it's really the best Filipino film of 2019. Take your pick. 

14. An Elephant Sitting Still (2018; dir. Hu Bo)

A sweeping triumph of portraiture, both macro (the fucked-up 21st-century Chinese society at large) and micro (the lost and lonely inhabitants of this modern-day epic). 

15. Gone Girl (2014; dir. David Fincher)

If you can survive watching "Gone Girl" get shut out of every category (save for Best Actress) on Oscars nominations day, then you can survive anything.

16. Looper (2012; dir. Rian Johnson)

Where does one even begin with this film? The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress that year did not go to Emily Blunt (she wasn't even nominated), and we are mad as hell.

17. The Master (2012; dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor that year did not go to Philip Seymour Hoffman, and we are also mad as hell. Also probably as good a time as any to share that, for one shining moment, I did consider joining Lancaster Dodd's cult (the power of PTA, yea!).

18. Oda sa Wala (2018; dir. Dwein Baltazar)

If you're not yet a Dwein Baltazar stan, then you're not doing drag. 

19. Spotlight (2015; dir. Tom McCarthy)

This is why journalism--the truth and its telling--matters.

20. 20th Century Women (2016; dir. Mike Mills)

Transcends the specificity of its non-Developing World narrative to capture the universal pains and pleasures, confusions and convolutions of coming of age.

PLUS--*30* more titles (in alphabetical order) to make 50:

Boyhood (2014; dir. Richard Linklater); Bridesmaids (2011; dir. Paul Feig); Call Me by Your Name (2017; dir. Luca Guadagnino); Child's Pose (2013; dir. Calin Peter Netzer); Cleaners (2019; dir. Glenn Barit); Cloud Atlas (2012; dirs. Tom Tykwer, & Andy & Lana Wachowski); The Favourite (2018; dir. Yorgos Lanthimos); Honor Thy Father (2015; dir. Erik Matti); Inception (2010; dir. Christopher Nolan); Kiko Boksingero (2017; dir. Thop Nazareno); La La Land (2016; dir. Damien Chazelle); Mad Max: Fury Road (2015; dir. George Miller); Maps to the Stars (2014; dir. David Cronenberg); Margaret (2011; dir. Kenneth Lonergan); Neighboring Sounds (2012; dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho); Nightcrawler (2014; dir. Dan Gilroy); Pamilya Ordinaryo (2016; dir. Eduardo Roy Jr.); Phantom Thread (2017; dir. Paul Thomas Anderson); Roma (2018; dir. Alfonso Cuarón); Shame (2011; dir. Steve McQueen); Shoplifters (2018; dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda); Take Shelter (2011; dir. Jeff Nichols); Tangerine (2015; dir. Sean Baker); Three Identical Strangers (2018; dir. Tim Wardle); A Touch of Sin (2013; dir. Jia Zhangke); Violator (2014; dir. Eduardo Dayao); Wild Tales (2014; dir. Damián Szifron); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013; dir. Martin Scorsese); Zero Dark Thirty (2012; dir. Kathryn Bigelow); and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2 (2010, 2011; dir. David Yates) because die-hard Potterhead here.

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SEE ALSO:
The Year in Film and TV (2019)
The Year in Film (2018)

The Year in Film (2017)

The Year in Film (2016)

The Year in Film (2015)

The Year in Film (2014)