bethgstories

This post is long overdue - I saw Dekada '70 Musical with Kim on March 1st. We barely got the tickets as it was selling like popsicles in the summer. I had no idea what I was going to see in the slightest, as I can barely remember the movie adaptation and I finished reading the book just last night (yes, shame on me but better late than never). But just like the other musicals I've seen in the past, this hit me hard, so hard that I was in tears by the end of it - it was a magnificent portrayal of what life was like in the Philippines during the '70s - under the atrocious hands of the dictatorship. What is it about? Dekada '70 is about the upper-middle-class Bartolome family, written from Amanda's (the mom) point of view. Amanda has five kids, all boys, and is married to the classic patriarchal Julian who doesn't know anything but his pride and his responsibility as a father that begins and ends with providing the financial needs of his children. The story happen

There's not much that I know about the Himala film of 1982, except for one, the main lead was Nora Aunor; two, it was written by Ricky Lee; and three, the film is constantly played in local TV stations during the Holy Week. When I saw the poster of the musical I got thrilled, and told myself that I should see it after 2 musicals slipped off me. Plus it's a Ricky Lee classic. So I got myself a ticket to one of the shows during the opening week. Turns out, it's going to be one of the best things I forced myself into.  The venue isn't that huge - I suppose the PowerMac Center Spotlight can hold not more than 500 people. The audience surrounded the stage, kinda like what they did in Si Saldang, Si Marvin at ang Halimaw ng Gabi that reminded me of the classroom-held plays back in high school. The performers didn't require lapels and microphones, and there was only a single piano that accompanied their powerful theatrical voices. They didn't have makeup (m

Noli Me Tangere is my all-time favorite literary masterpiece after we dissected El Filibusterismo (its sequel) in senior high school. I guess that's how superb my Filipino teacher was in my junior year. I even went wholeheartedly, when she required the class to see the musical which, she would say after, had a lot of inaccuracies it was such a waste. Last Sunday, I came to see Noli Me Tangere The Opera, and it was such an experience to see Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara come to life in the form of opera singers. I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a musical, which I am a fan of. I would very much love to hear how the actors would deliver the romantic dialogues in Ang Suyuan Sa Isang Azo tea in non-operatic voices . I'd love to hear Salome's voice come to life when she said, "Tell me how you passed the day... hearing it from your lips will please me so much as though I have been with you," to Elias (but of course this migh

I didn’t have plans of watching it again – Mula sa Buwan broke my heart the first time I saw it, though I should say it threw the pieces in the right places. But I loved everything about it, from the songs ( Tinig sa Dilim for the win!) to the actors, as well as the experience and the feelings it gave me in all life aspects. Talk about being attacked on a personal level. And I must say this play has left me with a bittersweet memory I’d never forget in my lifetime. So when I saw their Facebook announcement that they are going to do one final run on December 1st, I took it as a sign that I must see it one last time. I told my friends that the 2018 version was better than that of the 2017. Though now I’ve thought it through, I could no longer decide whether it was true or it’s just that, the experience was better this time around. What I saw last weekend was the same Cyrano – Nicco Manalo couldn’t have done it more perfectly than he did. The Christians I saw were different,

Cheaters have no right to be happy. I'm not bitter, okay? I'm just triggered by the cliche yet mainstream storyline Sa Wakas presented. This Pinoy rock musical was actually shown last year, and I could no longer remember the reason why I missed it. Thankfully, there's a farewell run this year where I finally took the opportunity to see it and decide whether it was really worth raving about. The show I've seen had Vic Robinson instead of Pepe Herrera. Both actors are equally great, I think. They played the role of Topher (did I spell it right?) the great, cheating scum. The music is great, no questions asked. Sugarfree is one of the OPM bands whose music conquered the FM stations across the country, and it heavily reminded me of my graveyard shift nights when I'd listen to the radio on the bus and in cabs. There were songs I didn't even know were sung by them. No, I didn't necessarily have them on my playlist since my playlist consists of hits fr

What if your dreams can betray you and turn its back on you in the end? Are you still going to continue working for it? Si Saldang, Si Marvin at ang Halimaw ng Gabi is the first theater play I’ve seen this year, and I couldn’t be more impressed. When I saw it on Facebook, I immediately told Kim we need to watch it, but of course I didn’t tell her about Gio Gahol and Fred Lo as part of my many reasons for wanting to see it. I know I don’t need to go over the fact that The PARC Foundation where the play was held isn’t the easiest place to locate if you’re not familiar with the area. I won’t tell you anymore how the actors delivered in the most excellent way possible, especially Gio who appeared to have brought the first part of the show by himself and Fred who portrayed the different kinds of evening monsters. I don’t want to bore you of fact that it was an intimate presentation, kinda like the classroom plays I did in college. The poster told me what the story was, an EJ