Theater

Legally Blonde the Musical Manila Review – June 25 Show

by Jeric on June 26, 2010

in Entertainment,Theater

When I was in fourth year high school, our class performed Legally Blonde the Musical for the Literary Musical contest during the English month, where my classmate Leslie Santos (who played Elle Woods) won as Best Actress.

I feel in love with the musical version right away.

As you guys know, Legally Blonde the Musical is actually based on MGM film Legally Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods and on Amanda Brown’s book of the same title. Legally Blonde is basically the story of sorority star Elle Woods who follows her one true love ,Warner Huntington III, to Harvard Law School. The musical will definitely take the audience from the sorority house to the halls of justice.

Legally Blonde the Musical Manila is produced by Atlantis Productions, Inc. with Nikki Gil as Elle Woods, Nyoy Volante as Emmett Forrest, and Guji Lorenzana as Warner Huntington III. This production is directed by Chari Arespacochaga while Beth Martin was the musical director.

My friends and I watched the June 25, 2010, 8:00pm performance (also known as the opening night) of Legally Blonde the Musical Manila. We were seated at the first row that gave us a great view of the stage while Billy Crawford was seated a few seats from us.

Here’s my review of the June 25, 2010, 8:00pm performance of Legally Blonde the Musical Manila.

THE CAST

I would admit that I doubted Nikki Gil’s capabilities as a theater actress and a singer when I first heard that she’ll be playing Elle Woods at the local production of Legally Blonde the Musical. But, I was proven wrong. Actually, the preview performance of Legally Blonde at ASAP XV’s failed to showcase her true prowess as a singer and a theater actress. Her performance as Elle Woods didn’t disappoint.

Geneva Cruz shined in this musical as the fitness instructor Brooke Wyndham. I’m so amazed with the Whipped Into Shape number because Geneva’s voice didn’t even crackle even though she was jumping rope!

Props to Nyoy Volante and Guji Lorenzana who played Emmett Forrest and Warner Huntington III, respectively for giving justice to their roles. Snaps also to Emerita Alcid, Yannah Laurel, and Myrene Santos who played the important roles of the Delta Nu Girls and Elle’s Greek Chorus; however, it seems that they lacked caffeine in their system during the performance. Delta Nu Girls are highly caffeinated.

I so love Jinky Llamanzares’ performance as Paulette Bonafante! She was really great! Cris Viollonco as Vivienne Kensington was okay though she lacked the mataray look that the role demands. I also love Enid (played by Alys Andrea Serdenia) and the courtroom stenographer (played by Geraldine Agir) who both stood out even though their exposure were minimal.

CHOREOGRAPHY

I love the way that the choreography of this production didn’t exactly copied the choreography of the Broadway version. The choreography was original although there were a bit of likeness to the Broadway version. The choreography’s actually good. However, I could really see that the dance movements were less complicated and were toned down especially during the Omigod You Guys and What You Want numbers.

PRODUCTION DESIGN (Sets, Props, Etc)

The production design of Legally Blonde the Musical Manila didn’t disappoint. Just don’t expect the sets and props to be like the production design of the Broadway version. The sets were actually pretty good for a local production and didn’t look cheap. And, please don’t expect to see live dogs (to play Bruiser and Rufus) during the show. The sets and props were just right and were able to set the right mood-slash-atmosphere required for the scenes. However, their wigs didn’t look so good. Nikki Gil with the wig on looked more like Goldilocks rather than Elle Woods.

SOUND

We were seated at the first row so we could really hear the orchestra crystal clear. They were really great! However, just like in any local stage production, the sound system was a bit annoying. There were times when you can’t hear the actor/actress singing because his/her lapel was off. Plus, audio levels were not flat, meaning, some actors sound so loud while the others were totally inaudible. Atlantis Productions should really do something about this!

The audio reminders before the show and before Act Two resumes were cute—Elle reminds the audience to turn off their cellphones and even warns the audience that she’ll run after anyone who would post a video of the performance on YouTube. Funny!

One more thing, the conductor should stop using that flashing LED wand as her baton. It’s annoying, especially if you’re in the front row.

OVER-ALL COMMENT

Legally Blonde the Musical is a great and fun musical to watch! You definitely should watch out for the punch lines! You could really see that the production exerted a lot of effort to pull a show like this—from the actors’ performance up to the minute details like the set and props. Although there were a few scenes that didn’t meet my expectations, the show is really enjoyable to watch and I assure you that your money, effort and time wouldn’t be wasted.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SHOW

  • Whipped into Shape
  • Ireland
  • Legally Blonde
  • Legally Blonde Remix
  • Court Room Scene / Omigod You Guys Reprise
  • Find My Way / Finale

Of course, my friends and I gave Nikki Gil a standing ovation. Oha! I’m definitely watching this again (closing night, maybe)!

Legally Blonde the Musical runs at the Meralco Theater in Ortigas Ave, Pasig City from June 25 to July 18, 2010. Call Atlantis Productions, Inc. at 8927078 or Ticketworld at 891-9999 for tickets.

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Hairspray Manila

by Jeric on November 28, 2008

in Entertainment,Theater,Thought Cloud

My comments are based on the matinee show last November 23, 2008.

Hairspray Manila

When the first news about Atlantis Productions’ doing Hairspray here in Manila came out, my Plurk friends and I started planning to see the said show. After months (or was it weeks?) of planning, we were able to see the show last November 23, 2008 at the Star Theater, CCP Complex. We were able to watch the matinee show with Madel Ching as Tracy Turnblad.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see the first musical number, Good Morning Baltimore, which I was really looking forward to. Anyway, we were able to hear the song but wasn’t able to see the execution for we were at the lobby. Latecomers are not allowed to enter the theater when a musical number is being performed. So for those catching the remaining shows of Hairspray, please be at the venue at least an hour before the show.

Madel Ching really shined during the November 23rd Matinee show. The role of Tracy Turnblad really fits her. But, I really want to see Karla Reyes (Tracy Understudy) perform. So if you have an idea when she’s performing as Tracy, please please please inform me! My friends and I were unanimous in saying the Tim Espinosa isn’t the best Link Larkin. We were actually disappointed with his performance. And, who would have thought that Nyoy Volante, who played Seaweed, dances very well? Props to Michael de Mesa (Edna) and Leo Rialp (Wilbur) for a superb performance; they looked very cute onstage. Dulce, who played Motormouth Maybelle saved the whole show from doom. Her performance that day was really superb and gave me the goosebumps especially during the “I Know Where I’ve Been” number. Claps to Mechu Lauchengco-Yulo who played Velma and Christine Allado who played Amber. I think some of the cast members lack the energy.

The sets and props are just fine — nothing extraordinary. As similar with my West Side Story experience, the sound system is a major distraction. There are a lot of times that crackling and popping sounds would come out of the speakers. Some of the body microphones were problematic too; hence, the bad audio quality. During the first part of the play, I actually thought that they are using canned music until one of my friends pointed out where the orchestra (Filharmonika) was located which happens to be at the right side of the theater.

My favorite musical numbers include Good Morning Baltimore, I Can Hear The Bells, Welcome to the 60s, I Know Where I’ve Been, Without Love and You Can’t Stop the Beat.

I know that flaws during a stage musical presentation are unavoidable. Despite all, I enjoyed the shows and it didn’t fail to make me laugh. Congratulations to the cast, the orchestra, producers, director, staff, crew, and everyone else behind Hairspray.

HAIRSPRAY is directed by Bobby Garcia, Choreography by Cecille Martinez, Musical Direction by Archie Castillo, Production Design by Gino Gonzales, Lighting Design by Shoko Matsumoto and Specialty wigs by The Broadway Wig Co.

Hairspray runs from November 14 to December 7, 2008 at the Star Theatre, CCP Complex. For tickets call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078, 840-1187 or Ticketworld at 891-9999. Tickets are priced at P1,200, P1,000, P800, and P600. Ticket Prices are subject to surcharges.

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My take on West Side Story Manila

by Jeric on September 8, 2008

in Entertainment,Events,Theater,Thought Cloud

My comments are based on the opening night of West Side Story last September 5, 2008.

I was able to watch STAGES Production of West Side Story with Christian Bautista as Tony and Joanna Ampil as Maria last September 5, 2008 at the Meralco Theater. I was eager to watch the opening because I’ve heard that Joanna Ampil will play the part of Maria (she is alternating with Karylle as Maria). Thank you to Oliver Oliveros of STAGES and Minnie Fong for I was able to get a ticket for the opening night.

I think I’m the only one who watched the play alone. Nevertheless, I got a very nice seat! I sat on the first row and I can even count Joanna’s skin pores (just kidding!).

I can’t say anything negative about Joanna Ampil. She got a very pristine voice and she sang effortlessly. For a few moments, I thought I was in UK. I’ve been meaning to see her live since I was 12 (the time when I heard about Jesus Chris Superstar). I was impressed and stunned by her performance. I believe Christian Bautista did a great job in playing the part of Tony. He isn’t just a good singer but also a good actor. He can really do stage plays! I must commend the lady who played Anita’s part that night. She was very funny and she dances very well!

The sets are fine and I liked it every time the set moves! It is quite similar to those that I’ve seen in Broadway shows like Legally Blonde Musical where the sets move on its own in between scenes.

I believe the one thing that ruined that night’s show is the sound system. The sound system is quite distracting during the whole show. There is this annoying static sound that kept on buzzing. I believe there was a time when an explosive sound came out from the speakers that really pissed me off. Well, it’s the opening night.

Although the sound system was quite distracting, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the show. The FilharmoniKA orchestra (conducted by Gerard Salonga) was also great during that night.

The dance numbers were ballet-ish. I hope you know what I mean. Nevertheless, the dance numbers were good.

There were a lot of boring parts throughout the show. I actually don’t like long exchanges of dialogues.

I loved the song numbers Tonight and Somewhere.

Despite the minor flaws during the opening night, I believe the show is really worth watching. I’m looking forward on seeing Karylle play the part of Maria.

Congratulations to the cast, the orchestra, producers, directors, staff, crew, and everyone else behind the show for pulling off a good show.

“West Side Story” runs at Meralco Theater on Sept. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, Oct. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, 2008. For tickets, call Ticketworld at (632) 891-9999 or STAGES at (632) 818-1111 loc. 225. Ticketworld is online at www.ticketworld.com.ph. Ticket prices range from PhP 500 to 1,200.

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