(1) She started with a set of pop songs in a pretty/casual black outfit.  I was thinking, “O-oh, please don’t have a mostly pop repertoire.” Lea as a pop singer to me is a great singer, but she doesn’t shine with those. It’s when she hit those theatrical tunes that her clarity and technique become no-one-else-can-sound-like-that amazing.

(2) Song: Rehab! Gee, mommy can dance.

(3) She had to give the stage to those urban pop/hip hop youngsters. They were good, but the number felt out of place. They were shouting and jumping all over the place, urging the unimpressed audience “If you’re a Pinoy, when I say Oh, you say Yo!” (No reaction). When they finally bowed, I can almost hear a collective, “Thank you but go away now.”

(4) Song: Poker Face. Ahh, so that song has lyrics pala! Nice.

(5) Most of the earlier songs featured Lea’s lower-register voice. I didn’t mind.

(6) Jet Pangan! Song: Salamat. Last time I saw him was on “Spring Awakening”. He didn’t have a singing number there. The other (balladeer Richard Poon) guest was OK.

(7) Lea says, “I’m a huuuge techie. Girlie things don’t impress me.” At least I have that in common with her. But I can’t afford her most cherished possessions yet- her iPhone and her Mac book.

(8) My, my, Ai Ai! It was a R-I-O-T! Essentially, she was there to poke fun on Lea’s “sosyal” concert being held in a “sosyal” venue, where she only sings “sosyal” songs. Their Aegis’ “pang-Japan” duet was the highlight.

(9) Songs: Broadway medley – I Dreamed a Dream/On My Own/Memory/Defying Gravity (with all-green lighting that makes it all the more “Wicked-y”). If this were tennis, then that is her money shot. Lea is the quintessential Broadway star; what she isn’t is a belter. I love “Wicked” so much, and I’ll put my money on anything Lea, but I’m still convinced she shouldn’t do Wicked as Elphaba.

(10) Overall it was a great night. PICC is such a lovely place. The only thing that marred my excitement was having to wait for a cab for so long, but, sure, that was forgettable, compared to the one before that. I’d vow that I’m going to watch every Lea Salonga concert from here on, as long as it’s geographically possible. Or maybe someday I’ll get to go to the States to visit Disneyland and stay at orlando condos and she’ll have a show there at the same time; two birds in one stone.

Unlike in the old times, at least from what we see in the movies where only the privileged few – those who can dress up formally and wear Couture Jewelry – watch theater plays, these days there is a more casual atmosphere among theatergoers. Jeans and shirts will do, unless you really prefer to be a little more formal.

The Philippine musical theater scene is going to be exciting from next month, starting with Repertory Philippines’ Sweeney Todd and Atlantis Production’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, up until December next year. Already lined up events are Rent, Cats (with Lea Salonga and the West-End cast), Legally Blonde, and Xanadu.

The hit musical Spring Awakening will be staged in Manila starting on September. Details are not yet available as of post time.

I’ve already set a “date” with a couple of friends and have been trying to convince others to join us. I realized, however, that besides trying to convince a few non-theater-inclined people that this one deserves a viewing, I was also compelled to justify the theme of the play. More on that later.

I cannot decide if I love the upbeat score (by Duncan Shiek) or the profound lyrics (by Steven Sater) more. The music is heavily infused with alternative/folk rock variations and I just love the string and percussion work in the original cast recording. The lyrics, on the other hand, is something I am particularly fond of.
Some examples of lines from the play:

Flip on a switch and everything’s fine
No more lips, no more tongue, no more ears, no more eyes
The naked blue angel, who peers through the blinds
Disappears in the gloom of the mirror-blue night [Mirror Blue Night]

So maybe
I should be some kind of laundry line.
Hang their things on me
And I will swing ‘em dry.
You’re just wavin’ the sun
Through the afternoon
And then see
They come to set you free
Beneath the rising moon [Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind]

Let me teach you how to handle
All the sadness in your soul
Oh, we’ll work that silver magic
Then we’ll aim it at the wall”
She said: “Love may make you blind kid-
But I wouldn’t mind at all.”  [The Bitch of Living]

Now about the theme: In an interview with lyricist Steven Sater, he said that “There was grave concern it would push the mainstream audience out of their seats.” Simply put, the play is about the discovery of teenage sexuality. Conservative viewers may be offended (or, at the very least, shocked) by some scenes/songs, but I say don’t see it for the shock factor. I’m not sure about the age restrictions that will be imposed but I would guess that this is something older audiences will appreciate more just because it will bring them back to that time in their lives when rage (yes, raging hormones, too), impulsiveness, confusion, and self-loathing are rampant. Watch it for the raw emotions translated into songs. Watch it for the art, no matter how cliche that last pitch sounds.

Here’s something so insanely great I have to blabber about it again even if I’ve already featured this in my other blog. 

If you haven’t heard of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog by now, then let me introduce the lovelorn videoblogger and aspiring supervillain with a Ph.D. in “horribleness”:

“Any dolt with half a brain can see that humankind has gone insane” -Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris)

It’s #15 in TIME‘s Best Inventions of 2008 and listed among Washington Post‘s Best Viral Videos of ’08.

Apparently, the webisodes were created during the writer’s strike in America. Quoting the WP, “the video was enough to make us consider the types of things we might all be watching when we’re no longer watching TV.” And here’s something from the master himself:

The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first. – Joss Whedon

So, it’s a musical about a guy whose grand ambition is not to have a high-profile job, wearing nice suits or silk ties, but to become a supervillain who will rule the world with his “evilness.” With the girl of his dreams, Penny, and his arch nemesis, Captain Hammer (a “smarmy superhero who thinks he’s all that”), they are featured in a 43-minute, three-act Internet phenomenon that is refreshing both for its silliness and awesome music. Keeping Sondheim songs in his iPod really did wonders for Joss Whedon.

Keira Knightley reportedly auditioned for the upcoming remake of My Fair Lady, in the presence of the great Cameron Mackintosh himself (producer of such gargantuan productions as Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, and Phantom of the Opera, among others). She is said to have “impressed” but is not yet confirmed for the role.

I think she’ll look good as Eliza Doolittle. If anything, she shares with Audrey Hepburn that uber-thin frame and ethereal beauty. I’m not sure about the singing, though, and she had said that she would definitely want to push her limits and try to hit the high notes herself if she’ll land the role. I can believe that she got drunk before she auditioned. I will, too, if I was her. I can already imagine her nailing that Cockney accent and screaming like a madwoman as Eliza often does. Any young woman who acts like that now would go straight to a drug rehabilitation center!

It’ll be a lovely (or loverly, as Eliza would say) role. I wouldn’t want to see any other non-singer, Hollywood starlet take the role, anyway (although I’ll take someone unknown but with a gorgeous voice like Julie Andrews’), especially one who is too busy going to one drug rehab after another to have been familiar with this classic Cinderella story. Keira’s wholesome image, and the fact that she seems to be at her best element in period films, would work just fine.

I just discovered that the singer who dubbed Natalie Wood’s singing voice in West Side Story is the same singer who dubbed Audrey Hepburn’s singing voice in My Fair Lady. A quick Wiki research will reveal that Marni Nixon is the singing voice behind many very well known Hollywood movies such as An Affair to Remember (for Deborah Kerr), Joan of Arc (for Ingrid Bergman), Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s The King & I (for Deborah Kerr), and others, in addition to the two movies mentioned earlier.

I love My Fair Lady – The story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney (working class Londoner) flower girl who took speech lessons from one Professor Henry Higgins so that she can pass as a lady. I’m just rediscovering Audrey Hepburn (and Julie Andrews, for that matter). I found several treasures at YouTube showing the clips featuring the real singing voice of Hepburn and some other original renditions by Andrews (with rare theater production pictures) and they were all marvelous in their own individual way.

I have also recently watched the original TV production of Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Julie Andrews and was pleasantly surprised to realize that the recent Manila production (starring Lea Salonga) didn’t deviate much from the material. Lea’s Cinderella is just a little bit more spunky compared with Julie’s prim and proper lady but I love both versions.

I think I want to rewatch The Sound of Music next.

So long as I’m preoccupied with musicals these days, this is one video everybody should see.

Lea Salonga at Bryant Park, New York, August 2, 2007.

I Dreamed a Dream (Les Miserables)

Last night at the Meralco Theater, Stages’ West Side Story had its full dress and technical rehearsal and we had the luck to get to watch it. Its almost like the real thing; almost because there were a few flubs, as to be expected, with the biggest one happening right at the dramatic finale.

I was scouting for tickets online last week when a friend mentioned that Meralco employees (which include her husband) are invited to fill the Meralco theater for the event. I literally forced her to bring me along! What, free preview, free ride, great seat (we’re a few rows from the stage; Thanks again, Carlo & Rizza)!

I might watch the actual performance again later just to see how they’ll improve on it. It took me a while to settle and enjoy the show. For the first few minutes, I entertained myself by watching (the back of) Gerard Salonga conducting FilHarmonika. Coming from watching Cinderella a few weeks earlier, I was missing the technical precision of the performers. I had to remind myself that it would be unfair to compare, being this cast made up of young, up-and-coming local theater actors. Even Christian Bautista, whose billing could rightly have been shared by Joanna Ampil (who played Maria last night) and Karylle, is new to the theater, and it showed. Maria, however, is another story. Audie Gemora, the executive producer, reportedly said that ” having Joanna adds up a certain level of polish to the entire ensemble.” I have to agree 100%. She’s a West End (London) performer, after all. I probably should save the assessments after the regular show starts playing but let me just mention that Rowena Vilar was almost perfect as Anita and Gian Magdangal as Riff was a good fit.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad night. Now, if they can only hold all the other musicals at the Meralco Theater…

Of the seemingly impossible things that could happen on the days since I learned about Broadway Asia’s Cinderella, at the very top of that list is that I’ll fail to reserve good seats in time. Those who know me will not be surprised given my proverbial lateness; that despite the fact that very early on, I visited Ticketworld.com virtually everyday to watch for ticket availability. I failed in that respect, but in an awesome twist of fate that would make the Fairy Godmother proud, I did watch the play today, sitting on the exact same seat I had planned to get all along. Now, the significance of this story only lies in my realization, one that I’m very much embarrassed about, that I underestimated the Filipino theatergoer’s enthusiasm to watch a musical that has both material and premise working against it. This may be an unpopular opinion but I’ve gone from inviting people to go watch and received replies such as “It’s a bit too childish (I think I enjoyed the show a lot more that the small kids in the theater),” “I already know the story (but the music?), “ Too expensive (well, this is relative; but if you profess to love musicals, it’s just not a valid excuse),” and, my least favorite, “I’m not familiar with the songs (don’t you want to be?).”

Impossible things are happening everyday. It’s a rather oxymoronic catchphrase that I lapped up just because I am your average, old-fashioned, hopeless romantic. Which is exactly the reason why I don’t mind that this new production of Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella felt and sounded like its age. There’s no getting around the fact that despite the universal appeal of the “kitchen slave-turned-princess” story, the score was written in the tone and sensibility of the (happy) olden days. Fifty years may not be such a long time but how can I fail to mention how I thought the prince was lame for not knowing why he so suddenly turned from tragically unhappy to deeply in love (and have the gall to ask the girl if she knows)? Nevertheless, the musical, specifically this Manila production, has its heart in the right place. I wouldn’t go so far as analyze the technicalities of the presentation; the experts have already done that. All I can say is that if you didn’t attend the Manila run, I wouldn’t call it “too much” if you’ll try to catch it in other parts of Asia these coming months. Why is that not too much, again? Because of Lea Salonga, that’s why.

Phenomenal talent is called that because it’s not something you’ll find in just about every corner of the world. In my mind, you never squander a chance to be in the presence of greatness. There’s a great amount of inspiration you can take away from watching a master perform his or her craft. In Cinderella, there’s no shortage of competence, excellence even. From Peter Saide’s Prince Christopher; Charlie Parker’s Fairy Godmother; Julia Cook, Jen Bechter, and Brandy Zarle’s stepmother and stepsisters, respectively; to the Ensemble and the two charming “mice,” everyone, at the helm of our very own Bobby Garcia, delivered perfectly. And what of the reason people came in droves – why there was not an empty seat in the house, so to speak? Lea Salonga is irrefutably the star of the show. When the Overture started playing and then Cinderella, in her rag clothes, and the Fairy Godmother, in her sparkly purple gown, were revealed on stage, I had goose bumps that didn’t go away until the Finale. When Lea sings, it’s the sweetest sound you’ll hear. I can only imagine the level of energy and dedication she has to play the part of the “silly goose” who dreamed with child-like wonder and innocence. That Lea was so effective as Cinderella – a far cry from her Kim, Eponine, and Fantine, those tragically fated ladies who were kept in their own little corner and never got to the Prince’s ball – is a testament to her caliber as a performer.

And the moral of the story? Ah, you know it already. But Broadway Asia’s Cinderella is such a pleasant and light-hearted treat that if you still have a chance to watch it, then, please, do yourself a favor and go. If it didn’t make me forget about the harsh realities of life to truly believe in the impossible, the little warmth in the heart it gave me is enough to somehow hope for that again.

I signed up for regular newsletters from Jason Robert Brown’s official site and got an update last night. Scanning through his new blog entry on “The Perils of an Online Life,” I found this bit:

Within a couple of months, though, it seemed that everyone on Friendster was actually from the Philippines. Also, whenever I told anyone I was on Friendster, they said, “Dude, Friendster sucks, you have to get a MySpace page!” So I looked at MySpace. MySpace gave me a total friggin’ headache. I hated it then, I still hate it now. I especially hate how nobody has a real name, it’s all PattiFan and imatosser and BwAyFaCe, like we’re all living in a comic book. I made my decision and I felt comfortable with it: I didn’t want to present myself online in that particular forum. Too messy, too weird, too insidious. So no MySpace. And Friendster was increasingly expecting me to speak Tagalog. It seemed my social networking phase had ended.

…

All of which is to say: if you’re a Friend of mine on Facebook and your last name is somewhere near the beginning of the alphabet, it’s been a really fun ride and I hope we’ll figure out how to connect again soon. Or, as they say on Friendster: pasalamatan ka dahil sa ay sinusulat akin kaibigan.

Funny. But I also noticed that Friendster is Filipino haven. But, hey, JRB, some Filipinos with Friendster accounts, such as myself, are ardent admirers of your works. By the way, if you’ll need a Tagalog translator, I’ll be more than glad to help.

On a related note, I received this SMS from a friend, something that I think I can really look forward to :

Sprint Productions and 9 Works, Inc., invites you to watch SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, an Off-Broadway musical by Jason Robert Brown featuring your favorite theater actors: Carla Guevarra-Laforteza, Caisa Borromeo, Felix Rivera, Anna Santamaria, and Harold Cruz, directed by Robbie Guevarra. August 24, Sunday, 8 pm, at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. Please contact 0906-3315961 for details.

I’ve written about this musical revue on my other blog.