No, that isn't my boyfriend. He is, however, a friend, and a cast member of that uber-fun and uber-exciting musical production called Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal. In this installment of the show the main cast was composed of:

K Brosas as Zsazsa Zaturnnah
Kalila Aguilos as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux
Tuxqs Rutaquio as Ada
Arnold Reyes as Dodong
Nar Cabico as Didi

My Personal Assessment of the actors
If you've never seen Eula perform the role, you will be content with K Brosas. She gives a different flavor to the role (definitely!) and has an interesting delivery certain scenes. Maybe because this is her first time to play the role, but often I felt that she would lose momentum or power on some of her lines or would anticipate the next thing that will happen so she ends up looking in that direction before it happens.

K is taller than Tuxqs and has a more masculine voice, so, in effect, although she has the female body in the persona, she actually became more masculine, hehehe. I really enjoyed the portion where ZZZ does this sexy dance --- in Eula's version she does a pole dancer routine. In K's version she becomes a macho dancer --- which actually made more sense! I mean, between a gay bar and a regular strip joint, which one would Ada most likely have seen dancing --- a man or a woman, right?

K still falters but I think that with repetition she will finally get the role down pat. Not to worry, she still has 10 more shows to do, so she is getting all the practice she needs.

Kalila, Kalila, Kalila ... stellar as always! You have a voice that belies your size, hehehe. Love the accents you adopted for this run. And your french was fluid.

Tuxqs was lovely as always! He has this role down to a tee I bet he does it in his sleep! The new blockings and scenes were hilarious! I loved the scene where he threw clothes at Didi and told him to get out. It was so ... afternoon soap opera-ish! hehehe. More challenging dance sequences, too!

Arnold, m'boy, you've been working out more! Those cuts, those bulging muscles ... someone's been paying attention to what the girls and gays like! hehehe. I hear that nowadays you are more ripped than Lauren. I didn't think that was possible but I guess Lauren must have been told not to pump too much 'cause, King Kong that he is, he is already big enough even without the Bodyshot Noodles. Great acting and your singing is much improved. Hurrah! As for the kiss ... more, more, more!

Nar was a breath of fresh air. I've seen him before in the cast and he seems to be a quiet and shy guy --- and now I see him as Didi. *shocker!* He had big shoes to fill! First Ricci Chan's, then Joey Paras', and guess what? The shoes fit! Maybe because Nar is younger he transformed Didi into a more acrobatic and super "kitikiti" character than he was originally portrayed. He also got the comicbook poses right.

Singing ... he doesn't have the range of Ricci, or the licks of Joey, but he definitely owned the role. He brought in some Ricci flavor, and some Joey flavor, plus bucketsful of Nar flavor. He was able to inject quite a few interesting curls and licks of his own.

All in all, it was fun and definitely a show worth repeating, and repeating, and repeating.

Warning! There is one cast member I actually did NOT like. I don't know his name but every time he comes out on stage I make a special effort to look somewhere else because he rubs me the wrong way. You'll spot him easily enough. He's chubby, wears glasses, has tinted hair, and acts like he's on speed. We all know that acting on stage and on film is different. On stage you have to overact so that the audience in the nosebleed section could still see the emotion you are trying to portray. This guy, though, seems to have taken it to heart, and OVERACTS even more than the most overacting cast member ... and THAT, folks, says a LOT!

Ooh! Eye candy! What's your flavor, mate? Do you like your Dodong:

• Fair skinned, confident, seasoned, and ripped?
• Tall, dark, and handsome probinsiyanong boy-next-door, and ripped?
• Tall, slit-eyed, shy, young, and ripped?

Arnold and Lauren alternated in the role from the 1st to the 3rd run. And Janvier took Lauren's spot in the 4th run. On this fifth and (supposed) final run, Zsazsa Zaturnnah will have 15 shows ... enough to give each Dodong an equal number of appearances.

Either of the three is guaranteed to cause palpitations among the women and gay members of the audience. Whichever one you choose, one thing is for sure ... you will definitely enjoy the show.


Watch out for their show schedule which I will be posting at the link provided.

For tickets to the shows I am helping push, click HERE.

I finally got the opportunity to watch Tanghalang Ateneo's rendition of The Glass Menagerie. I remember reading the book as a school requirement many, many years ago. And I recall an 80's film on it starring John Malkovich but not until I watched the play again did the story come back to me. It is a beautiful yet depressing story --- full of symbolism --- that also aptly described the difficulty of living in the 30's.

Tom's dissatisfaction with his life is not something uncommon with young men who dream of adventure. Even today in the 21st century we will find a lot of people working at jobs they hate just to put food on the table or have cash to buy things they need but wish they were doing something else ... something more. In this particular show the role of Tom Wingfield is played by Ronan Capinding, an Ateneo alum and seasoned stage actor. His stage voice was definitely impressive ... deep, carrying, and (when he narrated) commanding ... and yet there were some things that I thought could've been done (or executed) differently. Not that his rendition was bad at all, really. It's just a matter of personal taste, I guess. In his portrayal, Tom appeared to be a hunchbacked, sloppy, chain-smoking, childish man. Maybe to Ron (Capinding) that was his way of portraying the amount of angst that burdened Tom. Seeing Ron after the show, though, it turns out that the hunchbacked part was not acting. Don't get me wrong, he isn't Quasimodo or anything like that. He just has really bad posture and had a tendency to hunch his shoulders. Watching him onstage actually brought to mind a tv and movie actor/comedian, named Leo Martinez.

Tom had issues with his controlling mother and as a mother it irritated me to no end that he would throw tantrums at the dinner table,stamp his feet, answer back, etc. His posture when sitting, standing, walking .. it clearly displayed "sullen boy" and I wanted to just go onstage and smack him! --- as well as pull his body straight, fix his clothes, and comb his hair, hehehe. And to abandon his family just like that? With neither his mom nor his sister having a job? How does he expect them to survive? This just proves how effective an actor he is, 'cause he pissed me off!

Laurice Guillien played the role of the domineering mom, Amanda Wingfield. She is great as always but ... two things bothered me.

1. She was the only actor that used a lapel mic. Why is that? Is it difficult for her to project her voice now? Don't get me wrong, she still sounds great. It just stood out (to me) 'cause no one else had a mic on.
2. For some reason she couldn't remove her Filipino accent. She is supposed to be a southern belle from St. Louis. Her actions and words portray the role, yet the accent says "Pinoy!" very strongly. Call centers nowadays employ trainors to teach their employees how to adapt a neutral American accent. I think she would have benefited from some quick pointers.

She is still a phenomenal actress, though. One last comment, though. I didn't realize she was so ... tiny. From where I was sitting it looked like she was barely 5 feet tall. Which makes it amazing that such a big voice could come out of such a tiny package.

Arnold Reyes plays the role of Jim O'Connor (the gentleman caller). From the way they described the role he seemed to epitomize the "all-American boy" --- the most popular kid in school, voted "most likely to succeed", etc., who strives to improves his lot in life and does not allow life's setbacks to get him down. He was the one man that Laura found herself attracted to in high school and meeting again after so long brought on a lot of high school memories for both of them.

This was the first time I heard Arnold speaking in English. I finally understood what Zee was talking about. He did pretty well, actually. When he came in for his first scene he was spoke a trifle fast and it was difficult to understand what he was saying. It must have been a case of nerves. After a minute or two, though, he was able to relax and fell into the character beautifully. One thing I can say about this guy, he sure knows how to kiss. I wouldn't mind being on the receiving end of one of those, hehehe. It's been so long I don't know if my lips still know how to "assume the position". I would say he rated a 10 in stage kissing. He definitely does that pretty well.

Best of the bunch (in my opinion) was the portrayal of Laura by Ina Feleo. She was able to portray the vulnerability and fragility of the character very well. A big plus in my book was that she could project her voice and emotion with ease AND maintain a neutral accent. Come to think of it, she was the only one who sounded American in the cast.

The Glass Menagerie is not a light play. Although it did have it’s comedic moments, these were incidental to the story. The play (and the book) is very emotional and is riddled with attacks on social issues and living conditions of the 30’s. From my readings it appears that this, more than any work of Tenessee Williams, seemed to be more of an autobiography ... mimicking people and events that happened in his life growing up.

I was able to watch the Dulaang UP presentation of Hamlet Redux last night (November 21, 2006 at 7pm) at the Palma Hall, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater. Arnold Reyes plays the title role of Hamlet in the Filipino rendition.

This version of Hamlet directed by Tony Mabesa is modernized, but only to a point. The costumes are still period pieces but not as far back as the tights and flounces. All the lords are in (trench) coats and the ladies in long gowns.

Hamlet is not an easy play to watch. There is a lot of sex and violence in it, even in the original version. The opening act of the play made my eyes pop (because I have this thing about attention to detail, hehehe) 'cause the two ghouls strapped to each other (back to back) had on 12-inch strap-on dildos and were tumbling and humping every female in site. Then there is all the kissing and touching going on between Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude, and between Laertes and his sister Ophelia. When I say kissing I'm not talking about a little smack on the lips. I'm talking about at least a 3-second lip-touching kiss. Hamlet and Gertrude had even longer kisses ... in a public setting at that! From a Filipino context it is shocking, but from a European context it is normal, since kissing kin and friend on the lips (whether opposite or same gender) is nothing more than a sign of affection and not necessarily a sign of any sexual intent. But then, there has been speculation all this time about the actual relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude. There are many whispers of incest and this version of the play certainly seems to suggest it.

Kudos to the set designer, lights and sounds director, special effects, and video director. Their contributions to the play gave the performance more depth and set up the scenes beautifully.

THE LANGUAGE
I watched the tagalog version so I found myself trying hard to keep up with the prose until I finally decided to just take it all in and figure it out later. Good thing I was already familiar with the play. It made it easier for me to follow what was going on.

General actors' performances
A few lines were flubbed, but that is to be expected, especially since the version I watched was in the vernacular. However, they were able to recover beautifully and only the more discerning will even notice.

Notable performances:

• Arnold Reyes as the insane Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, was credible in his performance and smooth in his delivery. He lines flow out of his mouth smoothly with no apparent difficulty with the big Tagalog words. His many stage performances have honed him to the point were he appears quite comfortable on stage.
• Angeli Bayani plays the role of Gertrudes, Hamlet's coke-using mother and Queen of Denmark. Angeli's queenly demeanor makes her perfect for the role. She and Arnold have been together in several plays over the years and their chemistry shows and make the scenes work.
• Dante Balboa as Claudio made me go yum, yum, yum, yum! Great actor, he delivers his lines with ease. However I must admit that in the scene where he comes out in nothing but a loincloth and a robe, I wasn't paying too much attention to his lines.
• Cherry Mae Cantos plays Ofelia and her face and demeanor shouts naive and innocent. I don't know about the rest of the audience but I was shocked for her when Hamlet suddenly dove his face into her lap in court. 1) it's not something you normally do to someone you love (in public!) and 2) she didn't look like she was old enough to have had sexual relations with anyone. But then again, in those days people were getting married at 13 so ..
• Faust Peneyra and Arkel Mendoza play the roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern respectively. I don't know how Shakespeare meant for the roles to be played but to me they were very Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum. Comical ipod toting metrosexuals that dressed alike and did everything exactly the same way. In effect these two roles were the scene stealers of the show.

The high points of the play for me:

• The royal wedding. I loved the tango that Van Manalo choreographed.
• Hamlet's soliloquy (in the vernacular) of to be or not to be ... It sounded really good in the vernacular.
• Hamlet's conversation with the grave digger. That was a priceless piece of work. I enjoyed the wordplay.
• Hamlet and Gertrude's intense (some would even say sexually charged) conversation in her bedroom where Hamlet ends up accidentally killing Polonius who was hiding behind the curtain.
• Fight scene between Hamlet and Laertes. In the book it is a sword fight. In the play it is a martial arts fight with daggers. Hamlet and Laertes come out in gis and when the fighting starts the lights are killed except for black lights which then made them glow in the dark. They then proceed to do a fight scene reminiscent of Chinese movie fighting style (translation: there are incredible tumbles and aerial fights) done with the aid of the dancers all dressed in black.

Hamlet Redux is performed on stage at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater at the Palma Hall (AS) in UP Diliman, QC. Here are the performance dates:

• November 22, 23, 24, 29, and 30, 2006 - 7pm
• November 25, and 26, 2006 - 10am and 3pm
• December 1, 6, 7, and 8, 2006 - 7pm
• December 2, 3, 9, and 10, 2006 - 10am and 3pm

For inquiries you may call 926-1349 or 981-8500 local 2449 or 2450 and look for Peejay Eufemio. You can also call 0927-2464946. Remember, the play is performed in English and Filipino. Make sure to get tickets for the show in the language you want to hear. The cast for the shows is as follows:

English	Role	Filipino
Jeremy Domingo	Hamlet	Arnold Reyes
Richard Cunanan	Claudius/Claudio Voice of the ghost	Dante Balboa
Adriana Agcaoili	Gertrude/Gertrudes	Angeli Bayani
Jacques Borlaza	Polonius/Polonio Grave digger 1/Sepulturero Player King/Punong Artista	Allan Palileo
Michael Ian Lomongo	Horacio/Horatio	Michael Ian Lomongo
Bodjie Santiago	Laertes	Bodjie Santiago
Charina Micaela Pineda	Ophelia/Ofelia	Cherry Mae Canton
Carla Cannu	Rosencrantz	Faust Peneyra
William Manzano	Guildenstern	Arkel Mendoza
JM de Guzman	Marcellus/Basalyo	JM de Guzman
Niño Mendoza	Bernardo	Niño Mendoza
Brian Arda	Grave digger 2/Sepulturero	Brian Arda
Shereen Salyed	Player Queen/Punong Artista	Shereen Salyed
Don Justiniani	Reynaldo	Don Justiniani
Mary Indalecio	Gentlewoman	Mary Indalecio
Lexter Victorio	Priest	Lexter Victorio
Jonathan Oraño	Judge	Kim Oliva

My secret dream
I've dreamt of being onstage myself, not necessarily in the lead roles 'cause I've always found the stuff the cast does so much fun. I would definitely love to do those dance choreographies. When I was in college we had a theater class and it was a lot of fun. But as always happens, I ended up directing it instead of being in it. Sigh, it was fun, too, but someday, I wish I get to walk those boards and have those bright lights flashing on me. Having said that, I now need a key ingredient ...the confidence to actually do it. hehehe

Other reviews of Hamlet Redux:
Sex, drugs and death in the state of Denmark by Gibbs Cadiz

Payb/Siks
Written by: Jose Dennis Teodisio
Directed by: Phil Noble
Main actors: Jake Macapagal and Arnold Reyes

This play was unashamedly a seduction ... from start to finish. A playful play chockful of sexual innuendo and loaded with testosterone. Both actors did an excellent job. Their verbal fencing was fun to follow.

What I found kinda disturbing was that Jake Macapagal looks so much like a friend of mine, Mon David and, I guess, I never saw Mon David in that light before, hehehe. What is the similarity? the mustache, sure. The face? Slightly narrower but similar features. What really stood out was the voice. They really do sound alike, too.

I was expecting Arnold to strip so that didn't come as such a big surprise to me. I'm glad he kept his body in shape.



Palabas/Exit
Written by: Argel Tuason
Directed by: Rolando Inocencio
Main actors: Noel Escondo and Jejie Esguerra

This piece was actually very disturbing. The acting was excellent. You couldn't help but be riveted to the stage. My only problem with it was that there was no relief to the angst. My heart was heavy through the entire production that I was actually very glad when it was over so I could breathe again.


Hubad
Written by: Liza Magtoto
Directed by: Denisa Reyes
Main actors: Nonie Buencamino and Irma Adlawan-Marasigan

Of the three plays this one was the most explicit and would be scandalous for the prudish or easily shocked. Sex was not just implied but was actually acted out (but with clothes on). I loved the way the play was written. It was playful and truthfully stated how men and women feel about sex and sex games.

In the end, it was all about listening and acceptance, about caring about our partners feelings. It's about truth and honesty in a relationship.

By the way, I loved the symbolism and prop usage of the projected images.

Start:	Jul 16, '06 8:00p
Location:	CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

Liza Magtoto’s HUBAD
(directed by Denisa Reyes featuring Nonie Buencamino & Irma Adlawan)
A middle-aged couple is discontented with their married life, so they start to engage in sex games. As they play roles and act out their fantasies as student-teacher, driver-master and even cross dressing, the woman realizes that she just wants to be accepted as she is.

Argel Tuason’s PALABAS / EXIT
(directed by Rolando Inocencio featuring Noel Escondo & Jejie Esguerra)
Sa sinehan, hinihintay ni Borji ang isang misteryosong lalaking nakaulayaw niya nuong nakaraang buwan, si Rey. Si Rey ay isang sakristang umibig sa isang pari, bagay na di nakaligtas sa mga mapang-usyosong mata ng mga taga-simbahan. Sa pag-alis sa simbahan, anong mga sagabal ang bumabalakid sa muling pagtatagpo nina Rey at Borji?

Dennis Teodosio’s PAYB-SIKS
(directed by Phil Noble featuring Gerard Pizzaras & Arnold Reyes)
Kapag may umuutang, sino ba ang mas may power, ‘yung nangungutang o ‘yung inuutangan? A seduction play about the politics of money and sexual dominance.

Lauren and Arnold are alternates for the role of Dodong in the musical production of Zsazsa Zaturnnah --- a superhero character created by Carlo Vergara.

I've watched both their performances closely and this is what I've observed:

For a first-timer on the theater stage he did very good! Lauren's portrayal is right on the money in that he seems very "probinsiyanong boy-next-door" --- shy, unsure, and unassuming. And yet, check out those muscles, folks! Meow!

Lauren is TALL, DARK, and HANDSOME and apparently, does not see himself as fantasy material. When he said that to us over dinner I had to blink and choke back a guffaw and a smile. I guess in an industry that favors the fair-skinned he really wouldn't see himself as the type women (and gay men!) would fantasize about.

Trust me, though, Lauren (if you ever read this), you are the stuff of dreams and fantasies ... and so is your dad!

As for the singing ... boy, this cat can SING! When I bought the soundtrack the first time I watched the play I thought I was getting the recording with Arnold in it ('cause he was the one onstage at the time) and later found out I got Lauren's version. However, I am glad to say that I wasn't disappointed in the least.

Lauren may be muscle-bound but contrary to the stereotype, he does have grey matter between his ears, and he uses it, too. I am so glad to tell you all --- Lauren is straight! But before you all get over-excited, he has a girlfriend, folks.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know him.

Arnold as Dodong is more demonstrative, more emotional. You can tell that he has had lots of theater acting experience. Compared to Lauren's performance, Arnold's portrayal lost a few IQ points (as Zee pointed out) but it worked, too!

Arnold is not as ripped as Lauren, true, as he is more on the lean (swimmer physique) side. But when he takes off that shirt, ladies, hold on to your seats! His abs made my eyes pop out!

Singing --- pretty good, too. He has an interesting tremolo and he puts a lot of emotion in as he sings. There are even times when he seems to have difficulty getting the tune out 'cause he chokes up with emotion. Despite that, though, I would give him a . And before you ask --- yes, I am getting an Arnold copy of the soundtrack, too.

Long and short ... Dodong is a guy worth knowing, whether he is played by Lauren or Arnold. For those of you who haven't seen the play yet, there are two shows remaining for this run. If you miss this run, not to worry. Watch out for the 3rd run in June 2006.

Yes, you can still get your tickets from me. FYI, the third run will be slightly different from the previous run. It promises to be more fun. So for those who have already seen it, I would encourage you to watch it again. This will be a different experience.

There are also talks of a tour outside the Philippines. Destination as yet undisclosed. For those of you outside the Philippines, you may yet catch the play, if they intend to go to where you are.