Category: theater

– Saw UP Samaskom’s L.I.V.E AIDS for the first time. The thing with watching a first show (we watched the matinee on Saturday) is you can be sure there will be mistakes. This shouldn’t be the case, but it happens. It’s the first show of a run, people are giddy/nervous/crazy, and the audience is basically a guinea pig. The second show will be tweaked and perhaps will end up better, with no dying microphones, people who forget their cues, etc.

purple stage

 

There were errors. Yeah. The pre-show felt like it was done on the fly, although I did laugh at the Mara/Clara gag: “Anong gagawin ko, Clara?” “E di mag-aral ka, bitch!” In the show itself, some jokes fell flat, and the ending feels rushed, but I still found myself laughing at certain segments (Shalami is HILARIOUS). But it could have been better. It should have been better, damn, it’s Live Aids. They decided to put up a musical, but the music isn’t extraordinary, and the story arc (based on the Wizard of Oz) actually restricted the comedy. We don’t need a story, Samaskom, we just want to laugh.Give me one skit after another, and I’ll be a happy clam.

I heard last year’s show was better, so now I’m having second thoughts. Should I watch again next year?

– Jaykie and I tried Wicked Kitchen. I’ll recommend everything we had: buffalo tenders, chunky cheese sticks, chicken kebab, fish and chips, drunken seafood platter, and this big-ass cookie (Gluttony, cookie with ice cream – to share). They have good food.

– We weren’t able to exercise this weekend because we weren’t feeling well, but next week! I need a month to burn this m*therf*ckin cookie!

telling the story

I told you I’ll watch this. :)

I love musicals, especially this one, with no set, very minimal props (one of the actors held two flashlights to show that he’s “driving”) – just the actors and their dance and their songs.

Here’s Part 1 of the reunion show of the original Broadway cast.

WOMAN
Asaka, grow me a garden

MAN
Please Agwe, don’t flood my garden

TWO YOUNG WOMEN
Erzulie, who will my love be?

ALL
Papa Ge don’t come around me.

WOMAN(spoken)
Ah, such powerful, such temperamental gods
rule our island.

ASAKA
Asaka, Mother of the Earth.

AGWE
Agwe, God of Water.

ERZULIE
Erzulie, beautiful Goddess of Love.

PAPA GE
And Papa Ge, sly Demon of Death.

…

WOMEN
We dance

MEN
We dance

ALL
To the music of the gods
The music of the breezes through
The green plantain
The murmur of the river and
The roar of rain
And if the Gods decide to
Send a hurricane

WOMEN
We dance

MEN
We dance

ALL
To their ever-changing moods

WOMAN (ASAKA)
We know the gods are happy
When the green things grow

MAN (AGWE)
They’re angry when the river
Starts to overflow

ALL
And since we never know
Which way the winds will blow
We dance to the earth
We dance to the water
The Gods awake and we take no chance
Our hearts hear the song
Our feet move along
And to the music of the Gods
We dance

(Lyrics to “We Dance” from Allmusicals.com)

and so

Riding on the high brought by having just seen Into The Woods in its entirety, I’m wishing everyone a very merry Christmas. I don’t know where you are, but here the night of December 24 is crucial. I’ll be home for the countdown to midnight. :)

This year’s coming to a close, the speed of everything surprising as always. Wishes for 2009: more songs, more stories (yesterday I received word from Free Press that they’re going to publish my short story next week, hooraaaay) (and I finally found the time to read Richard Price’s Clockers) – who would wish for sad times? But if they do come, I hope they’re not too destructive. I hope they’re malleable, and gentle – of the kind that can leave you with enough energy to turn them into something beautiful.

Here’s Part 1 of the Prologue of Into the Woods. Next: Once On This Island. :D Haha.