Loving Life: Dani Girl

Before the hype, I read the book "Fault in the Stars". I was crying like a lunatic backstage wallowing in inconsolable pain. This is why I didn't even dare watch the film. I thought it too heart breaking and masochistic. Then I saw an invite in my Facebook and got a first glimpse of Dani Girl. Bald beautiful Rebecca Coates,...... cancer. I am quite honestly a big fan of this actress so I  thought  it couldn't be all that bad. She was smiling in the photo after all.

The ads said it was a musical for the soul. So I came and watched it.  I left the theatre completely in love with the play. They spoke the truth, it was a musical for the soul. No it wasn't a praise the Lord Project. It wasn't  make them all sad for the cancer battles that are just unbelievably difficult. Neither was it a play who made fun of the cancer. I'll tell you what it was. It was actually not a story. It was more of sharing with a couple of hundred people a mental and emotional state of being.  Rebecca Coates took me to a place familiar. With her melodic voice and her youthful acting, she made me see MY life in a different perspective. In the play, her character tries to figure out Cancer. "Why does Cancer exist?". The answer is, it does because it exists as a stepping stone to something of value. You can never really figure out what life lessons something so bad can give you. The fact of the matter is, whether we recognize it or not, the good always measure more than the bad. Dani's cancer gave her a chance to see a whole other world out there. Yes it did put tears in her eyes repeatedly but it did give her an adventure with a friend. Dani's father left her but it was because of this that she felt how it was to be loved. The play made me emotional. They play made me laugh like a hyena. The play made me get mad. But most of all, it made me feel in love with life. I actually don't believe in "YOLO" because I associate it with people doing a bunch of stupid things. I believe in "You only live your life so BE AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU WANT TO BE. BE GRATEFUL AS YOU CAN BE. BE AS POSITIVE AS YOU NEED TO BE".  The play was a beautiful reminder of my own life mantras. Sometimes things get so tough you forget even your own voice. 

Thank you Rebecca Coates for your honesty on stage. Thank you too for the beautiful music which filled my heart with  happiness.

Thank you Reb Atadero for representing all the voices in our heads. Thank you for that memorable latino show. It's like a youtube video that keeps on going on replay in my head. Thank you for making us laugh at you, and at ourselves. 

Thank you Luigi for being a hero. Enough said. 

Congratulations Sandbox Collective. You have transformed my adult self to a weeping 5 year old.  You have erased the sadness acquired from reading Fault in the Stars and replaced it with  hope and love. Thank you and more power. 

Directed by Toff de Venecia

Music by Michael Kooman

Book and Lyrics by Christopher Dimond
Pictures from  Sanbox Collective 

Relearning my Do-Re-Mis

I hate not having time to write because at  a certain point I feel like a shaken up  coca cola just waiting to burst . I guess I can only take in a certain amount of art before I start convulsing and talking about my precious opinion. The “gigil feeling”  was all the more heightened because my opinion is about an all time favourite “Sound of Music” .

I grew up watching the 1965  movie version starring Julie Andrews as Maria and Christopher Plummer  as Capt Von Trapp. I watched that movie and King and I over and over til my eyes hurt . While my classmates performed   “Anak ng Pasig”  by Smokey Mountain for school entertainment, I thought me and my friends should perform “So long Farewell” of Sound of Music (complete with choreography I might add). I wanted to be Liezle . I wanted to be sixteen with a young admirer. I seem to remember I also had an odd crush on the Capt. Needless to say, Sound of Music was a staple in my life. Even in my teenage and adult years it was my   marshmallow with hot chocolate. I popped  in our vhs,  then vcd then  pirated dvd in that player a million times . Now that I’m a mom, my 3 year old kid sings Do-Re-Mi  etc. Imagine my excitement when I was presented the idea of watching it live.

I caught the second to the last show of  Sound of Music in Resorts World      (May 26, 2012 8PM Cast). The cast was led by the legendary Joanna Ampil as Maria  and  pop singer Ariel Rivera as Capt Von Trapp. I waited in bated breath for  the curtains to open.  Much like the original it opened with Maria in hills and the sisters in the abbey . Instead of a stationary backdrop, the scenes were framed by  Led Screen with animated video graphics. At first, I said to myself “At least they tried new technology”. This kind of approach to set design has been  trending in Europe but  has only recently made its way to Philippine theatre. I must say I’ve seen better execution, but as the play progressed Paul Soriano’s animation did its part in painting a beautiful landscape to a beautiful story. Mio Infante’s intricate sets complimented every scene. Most notable was the abbey set that just seems to give the right touch of eeriness and  serenity of a convent. Given the size of the theatre, it was a brilliant idea to have a camera to support the stage activity with close ups  shown on the side screens.

Joanna Ampil was amazing as Maria. She opened the show with so much energy flowing from head to toe.  For a moment there when she sang  “The hills are alive. . . . with the sound of music ...” I forgot all about Julie Andrews. (That’s a compliment indeed) She transitioned to every scene with the same amount of gusto. Every word she uttered was consistently in perfect accent, every   heavenly note sung dripping with emotion. She was uhhh-maaazing. On a screen, usually theatre acting seems a tad too overperformed . But in this case, as my eyes drifted from the stage to  the screen,  she just managed to take me to that place of just feeling how Maria felt.It did not feel excessive nor bland.

My favourite performance among the children was that of Rebecca Coates who played Louisa. This bright eyed girl was always a scene stealer. Even in the quiet moments she stood out. She committed to the role. Did I mention she also had a beautiful voice to match her pretty little face?!  Though the children as a whole gave a sound performance. Individually some of the children, needed a bit more mentoring as I could not hear the solo pieces where I was sitting. There was a do-re-mi- did i hear a FA... SO ....   i definitely did not here a LA. . . . ti do. 

I just must mention that  having veterans like Pinky Amador as Baroness Shraeder , Debraliz Valasote as Frau Shmidt , Pinky Marquez as Mother Abess  and “the” Miguel Faustman as Max Deweiler (not to mention Joanna Ampil) ensured  a success. Each one of them performed  their  character perfectly en pointe.  Pinky Marquez’s voice brought me tears when she sang “Climb Every Mountain” . Debraliz Valasote, ever the comedian had me chuckling and waiting for her next punch line. Pinky Amador was enigmatic yet sensitive, almost to the point of pushing me to whack the Captain in the head for putting tears in her eyes.  I have always been a fan of Miguel Faustman, he can do no wrong in my eyes. He is funny when he needs to be funny, pensive when he needs to be pensive. He consistently is a star.

Though most, including the cute bickering nuns (Carla Guevarra, Pamela Imperial and Jillian Pena) did  a stellar performance, I could not help but be disappointed about Ariel Rivera’s portrayal of Capt Von Trapp. I do believe he is an excellent singer, and a competent TV screen actor. But in that theatre, I did not see MY Capt Von Trapp. I saw Ariel Rivera trying to look and sound like Capt Von Trapp. He lacked confidence and conviction in his delivery. His accent was constantly failing. There were no peaks nor highs and lows in his acting. At times, his lack-luster performance was a downer. Such was the case when Maria and Capt Von Trapp have their first dance  and when she returns from the Abbey. I do believe, he has a place in the theatre, but he must feed from the brilliant people around him . Perhaps he was nervous about his theatre comeback?!

                               Picture Credit from Circuit Magazine

Overall, I must commend director Roxanne Lapus for presenting to the audience a refreshing  take on Sound of Music. Though I missed some of my favourite scenes, I felt that  the show was put together with love for the story and its music. Despite numerous changes and improvements, I really felt that the spirit of the musical remained on that stage. It was authentic, the real deal.

This play brought me back beautiful memories of  my childhood and teenage years. It soothed my soul as the theatre always does. It reminds me of how beautiful life can be with music and dance  embracing you. Til we meet again Von Trapp Family.