Again, we're late! Haaay.. I sure hope we'll do better tomorrow. I want to put a blame on the cab driver, but we really were not able to leave the house on time, so, I guess, no one is really left to blame but myself.
So, on to the second day of Virgin Labfest 2010. There are a lot more people today than yesterday, and I saw a couple of celebrities watching. Well, to me at least. Floy Quintos and Cherryl Ramos were there on the audience, as well as those who performed yesterday like Kat Castillo and Jonathan Tadioan.
So, as soon as we arrived in CCP, we rushed towards the entrance of Huseng Batute (well, after a quick stop in the wash room since I badly needed to pee). As we held out our thinner-than-ordinary-paper passes to the usher, she said that we should get the replacement passes over at the cashier because it's much more sturdy now. But of course we were already late and our priority was to get in, I told her that, "We're already late right? And the show is already starting. Maybe we could do that afterwards, right?" Well, she agreed and let us in.
Indeed, Higit pa Dito was already starting. And there were two very familiar faces on the stage: Cris Pasturan who is known for his Coke commercial (the thin guy with the afro hair) and Maria Angeles Kanapi, who I think I have already seen or watched somewhere, but I just could not remember. Being able to see the last 10 - 15 minutes of the show, I already loved their acting. How much more if I was able to see the whole thing? They were superb and their facial reactions and the emotions in their faces are really amazing.
It's a story about a mother and a son. At first I thought the mother was moving out and her son was helping her pack. Then, in the course of their conversation, I figured out that they wer unpacking. So, they were already in the mom's new place. Unfortunately, I can't really figure out why. I thought there was a twist that it's really a psychiatric ward for the mom or any other rehabilitation house.
We were seated on the right side of the stage, so I was not able to see the whole set. However, it would be hard not to notice that there's a piano on stage. I thought it was just props. That's why I was extra amazed when it's part of the story. Even more when Kanapi played it, and she was good! And I was more amazed (should have been impossible), when during the open forum session that the the inspiration of the play according to Allan Lopez, the playwright, came from a picture or was it a painting of a woman playing the piano.
They discussed more of their life as mother and son, looking back in the past, and not wanting to do so as well. I sure hope I could get another chance of seeing the whole thing again. I'll try.
Next was Collectors Item. The play began very simillar to how Boy-Gel Ang Boyfriend ni Mommy, one of the VLF5 plays, did. It was like photographs of the play that is about to unfold.
It's a story of two friends, Santiago, a geeky nerdy serious toy collector played by Lorenz Martinez, and Carlos, a happy-go-lucky has-a-lot-of-girls type of guy played by George de Jesus. They met at Santiago's posh condo unit to celebrate his birthday. They haven't seen each other for a long time, but it seem that nothing changed much over the years. They were like the same people they knew before. They call each other best friends. However, as they reminisce on their days together and even their current lifestyles, they get on each other's nerves but would just end up saying, "Joke!" Just to escape the tension and get away from the awkward situation. But then, emotions are strong and feelings got hurt, that it would be difficult not to react on those situations and even resort to violence.
Martinez and de Jesus was able to bring the characters into life. It's like they really were the characters.
The last one was the one I was waiting for: Ondoy. Simply because of Jojit Lorenzo, who plays the role of Obet.
As the name suggests, it's about the storm Ondoy who devastated the Philippines last year. The play is specially focused on a couple, Obet and Mercy, played by Cai Cortez, who sought refuge on the top of their roof because the flood is already so high. And Mercy is pregnant and seems that she could give birth anytime soon!
As they try to survive the storm, they also try to survive their own problems, as a family, as a couple and as individuals. Unfortunately, they could not run away from each other because they are stranded on their rooftop with flood water all around them.
The parts wherein they are trying to get rescued was fun, and the things that are happenning around them. It really seemed they were talking to someone. Where their eyes focus are well rehearsed. While they were setting up the stage, I can't help but remember PETA's Noli at Fili: Dekada 2000 (dos mil). Especially the first part, wherein water was really pouring down on the actors. Huseng Batute would be too small to accommodate such theatrics. And besides, if your actors are too great, they can make the audience feel that it's raining or that there is a storm at hand.
I really could not say anything about the acting of Lorenzo and Cortez. They were great. Their energy was the one that filled the whole theater. I looove it!
I also like how they used oil in the actors' bodies to be able to give the impression that they are wet the whole time. Of course, water would dry up in the span of 30 - 45 minutes. I even think water would make them sick. I also love it when Lorenzo said, "Aegis!", then played the song Ulan by Aegis. Heheheheh!
Pas de Deux stands for "a dance for two" in French. I have very poor French vocabulary, so I don't really know. Then, we easily got what the common denominator of this set is; there are only two actors in each play and it revolves around the relationship of the two.
Before we go out, I took a picture of our thinner-than-paper festival pass because we know it would be replaced with a new one. I'm sorry, I still would not be able to post it in this entry. I'll do it in the next one. And then, we were laughing when we received the newly-improved festival pass! Because it was exactly the same thing, but laminated! Bwahahahahaha! Well, that's A for effort! Hahaha! Besides, they would be wasting paper if they would just throw away the ones they have already created. Hihihihih!
And for my favorite for this set: Ondoy, written by Remi Karen Velasco and directed by Ed Lacson Jr. Congratulations and job well done! Ü
You can still catch SET B: Pas de Deux on the following dates and times:
July 3, 8:00 PM
July 4, 3:00 PM
at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute in CCP
You may check http://www.culturalcenter.gov.ph/ for the complete festival schedule.
Tomorrow would be SET C: Pecado Mortal at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
Click here for my jagged review of SET A: Pariah Paraiso.
Have you seen any of the Virgin Labfest 6 plays? What's your favorite so far? If you haven't yet, which of these plays tickled your thoughts?
give me 5! :) Share
So, on to the second day of Virgin Labfest 2010. There are a lot more people today than yesterday, and I saw a couple of celebrities watching. Well, to me at least. Floy Quintos and Cherryl Ramos were there on the audience, as well as those who performed yesterday like Kat Castillo and Jonathan Tadioan.
So, as soon as we arrived in CCP, we rushed towards the entrance of Huseng Batute (well, after a quick stop in the wash room since I badly needed to pee). As we held out our thinner-than-ordinary-paper passes to the usher, she said that we should get the replacement passes over at the cashier because it's much more sturdy now. But of course we were already late and our priority was to get in, I told her that, "We're already late right? And the show is already starting. Maybe we could do that afterwards, right?" Well, she agreed and let us in.
Indeed, Higit pa Dito was already starting. And there were two very familiar faces on the stage: Cris Pasturan who is known for his Coke commercial (the thin guy with the afro hair) and Maria Angeles Kanapi, who I think I have already seen or watched somewhere, but I just could not remember. Being able to see the last 10 - 15 minutes of the show, I already loved their acting. How much more if I was able to see the whole thing? They were superb and their facial reactions and the emotions in their faces are really amazing.
It's a story about a mother and a son. At first I thought the mother was moving out and her son was helping her pack. Then, in the course of their conversation, I figured out that they wer unpacking. So, they were already in the mom's new place. Unfortunately, I can't really figure out why. I thought there was a twist that it's really a psychiatric ward for the mom or any other rehabilitation house.
We were seated on the right side of the stage, so I was not able to see the whole set. However, it would be hard not to notice that there's a piano on stage. I thought it was just props. That's why I was extra amazed when it's part of the story. Even more when Kanapi played it, and she was good! And I was more amazed (should have been impossible), when during the open forum session that the the inspiration of the play according to Allan Lopez, the playwright, came from a picture or was it a painting of a woman playing the piano.
They discussed more of their life as mother and son, looking back in the past, and not wanting to do so as well. I sure hope I could get another chance of seeing the whole thing again. I'll try.
Next was Collectors Item. The play began very simillar to how Boy-Gel Ang Boyfriend ni Mommy, one of the VLF5 plays, did. It was like photographs of the play that is about to unfold.
It's a story of two friends, Santiago, a geeky nerdy serious toy collector played by Lorenz Martinez, and Carlos, a happy-go-lucky has-a-lot-of-girls type of guy played by George de Jesus. They met at Santiago's posh condo unit to celebrate his birthday. They haven't seen each other for a long time, but it seem that nothing changed much over the years. They were like the same people they knew before. They call each other best friends. However, as they reminisce on their days together and even their current lifestyles, they get on each other's nerves but would just end up saying, "Joke!" Just to escape the tension and get away from the awkward situation. But then, emotions are strong and feelings got hurt, that it would be difficult not to react on those situations and even resort to violence.
Martinez and de Jesus was able to bring the characters into life. It's like they really were the characters.
The last one was the one I was waiting for: Ondoy. Simply because of Jojit Lorenzo, who plays the role of Obet.
As the name suggests, it's about the storm Ondoy who devastated the Philippines last year. The play is specially focused on a couple, Obet and Mercy, played by Cai Cortez, who sought refuge on the top of their roof because the flood is already so high. And Mercy is pregnant and seems that she could give birth anytime soon!
As they try to survive the storm, they also try to survive their own problems, as a family, as a couple and as individuals. Unfortunately, they could not run away from each other because they are stranded on their rooftop with flood water all around them.
The parts wherein they are trying to get rescued was fun, and the things that are happenning around them. It really seemed they were talking to someone. Where their eyes focus are well rehearsed. While they were setting up the stage, I can't help but remember PETA's Noli at Fili: Dekada 2000 (dos mil). Especially the first part, wherein water was really pouring down on the actors. Huseng Batute would be too small to accommodate such theatrics. And besides, if your actors are too great, they can make the audience feel that it's raining or that there is a storm at hand.
I really could not say anything about the acting of Lorenzo and Cortez. They were great. Their energy was the one that filled the whole theater. I looove it!
I also like how they used oil in the actors' bodies to be able to give the impression that they are wet the whole time. Of course, water would dry up in the span of 30 - 45 minutes. I even think water would make them sick. I also love it when Lorenzo said, "Aegis!", then played the song Ulan by Aegis. Heheheheh!
Pas de Deux stands for "a dance for two" in French. I have very poor French vocabulary, so I don't really know. Then, we easily got what the common denominator of this set is; there are only two actors in each play and it revolves around the relationship of the two.
Before we go out, I took a picture of our thinner-than-paper festival pass because we know it would be replaced with a new one. I'm sorry, I still would not be able to post it in this entry. I'll do it in the next one. And then, we were laughing when we received the newly-improved festival pass! Because it was exactly the same thing, but laminated! Bwahahahahaha! Well, that's A for effort! Hahaha! Besides, they would be wasting paper if they would just throw away the ones they have already created. Hihihihih!
And for my favorite for this set: Ondoy, written by Remi Karen Velasco and directed by Ed Lacson Jr. Congratulations and job well done! Ü
You can still catch SET B: Pas de Deux on the following dates and times:
July 3, 8:00 PM
July 4, 3:00 PM
at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute in CCP
You may check http://www.culturalcenter.gov.ph/ for the complete festival schedule.
Tomorrow would be SET C: Pecado Mortal at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
Click here for my jagged review of SET A: Pariah Paraiso.
Have you seen any of the Virgin Labfest 6 plays? What's your favorite so far? If you haven't yet, which of these plays tickled your thoughts?
give me 5! :) Share
Higit Pa Dito (this made me cry!) and Collector's Item are two of my favorites this year. Cra-mazing scripts and actors!!! Gusto ko ulitin!
ReplyDeleteBUT Ondoy was such a disappointment. (Sorry) I hate the script!!! I think it's suppose to be a satirical play but the lines (AAGGGHH!!!) lack wit! Parang nakakabastos sa mga naging biktima ng Ondoy. Slapstick... We watched the 8pm show that same day and the lead actress wasn't in character. She kept forgetting her lines and was really monotonous (sing-song). I don't really know if it was bad acting or the script was just really bad. Basta! I hate Ondoy!
Maswerte ka Ate Barn at napanood mo ang Ondoy na maayos.
at last, marco! thanks for the comment.. :)
ReplyDeletebtw, i'll make a post about the cinemalaya movies, sometime today.. make sure to comment.. no spoilers that you don't already know. heheheheheh!