Sunday, September 27, 2015

The Normal Heart Set to Sear Hearts Once More

*From the PR of TNT
Photo credits: Vladimeir Gonzales

The recent, very-limited run Larry Kramer’s “The Normal Heart” by the Necessary Theatre wasamong the year’s most acclaimed theatrical productions. It was called “important,” “indispensible,” “necessary” theatre. Critics hailed the acting, direction, and design. It drew raves from a very wide spectrum of audiences, theatergoers and non-theatergoers alike.

But for all the praise the various aspects of the play received, the two most common sentiments expressed were, how the play awakened the viewer to the HIV crisis in our own country and that a repeat of the show was imperative.




“The Normal Heart,” Larry Kramer’s powerful autobiographical piece about the struggle to get attention to AIDS as a real health crisis, made its Off-Broadway debut in 1985 and gained international attention when it was voted one of the most important plays of the 20th Century by London’s National Theater. It made its long-overdue Broadway debut in 2011 in a universally acclaimed production followed by a multi-awarded, highly praised HBO movie in 2014.

When The Necessary Theatre’s artistic director Bart Guingona originally wanted to stage the play, years before its 2011 Broadway incarnation, it was based solely on the piece’s dramatic potential. He likened it to the social realism plays of Ibsen, Odets, and Miller. In 2014, Guingona ran across Philippine HIV statistics in a news item and realized that present-day Manila was a frightening mirror of 1981 New York.  He was determined to stage the play as an important cautionary tale reflecting our own times.




But, alas, staging a play about something as unpleasant as HIV and the fight against a system that ignores it was a hard sell to potential backers. Luckily, long time TNT supporter Taal Vista Hotel stepped in to help realize the project, albeit for just 5 performances. It was a much talked about, much praised 5-show run and the clamor did not abate until this restaging was announced.

The original Asian premiere of “The Normal Heart” is back with 8 performances starring the original cast in its original venue. Of Roselyn Perez playing the polio-stricken Dr. Emma Brookner, one critic gushed that she“was jaw-dropping in (her) intensity.” Topper Fabregas playing Felix was similarly praised for his “splendid” portrayal of a man stricken with the disease. TJ Trinidad in his theatrical debut turns in a “superb, self-assured” performance according to one critic while Nor Domingo “blew us away” according to another. Richard Cunanan’s performance was called “perfect”; Jef Flores was “terrific in his various roles”; Red Concepcion plays “funny Tommy Boatwright” as “relatable and real” and Bart Guingona “filled the stage with his intensity.” It was a production, in short, that elicited universal acclaim.





The Normal Heart, #TheNormalHeartMNL, made possible once more byTaal Vista Hotel is producedwith special arrangement from Samuel French Inc. Show dates are on October 2, 3, 9, 10 and 11at 8pm with 3pm matinees on October 4, 10 and 11. Venue is at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. For tickets and information, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or text 09285072924/09175378313. Like Facebook/The Necessary Theatre and follow on Twitter @AAITNT.#TheNormalHeartMNL. Visit the official website at http://thenormalheartmnl.jimdo.com.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Endangered “Heneral Luna” Now Our Oscars’ 2016 Official Entry


               “Truth is, it may not be tomorrow Saturday or Sunday”, Vincent Nebrida, one of the film’s co-executive producers, posted more than week ago (September 11) on his Facebook account.

                Not to fret, as I’m writing this article, the film is still in theaters. The film features a stellar cast of talented thespians led by John Arcilla, who plays the title role. Emilio Aguinaldo is played by Mon Confiado and Paolo Avelino has a special participation as Gregorio del Pilar. The official Facebook account of the film announced about two hours ago that the film was chosen as our official entry to the Oscars in the Foreign Language Category.


                What is astounding about this film is that it managed to assemble a cast of thousands which can be verified by looking at the credits alone. This is not an exaggeration. This 70M film though is such a risky venture. Yes, it is an educational yet entertaining film with a refreshing take on a Filipino hero who is actually an antihero. But, how long will the movie going public support this? I guess we can only know the answer if this film still manages to survive after this week. If word of mouth does carry it beyond, then there may be hope for this country. The film as a whole does not only symbolize the disunification of the Filipinos, it also gnaws at us with the reality that being one of the best, but being unpopular,  will not result in victory.

                The war with the American pop culture is still ongoing even after we have one our independence as a country from them. We always use them as a standard for excellence. It is great to know that most of the review that came out did not compare this film to Hollywood material. It was praised for its own uniqueness in highlighting the good and the bad qualities of the Filipinos which hamper our success as a nation. The script was beautiful with its classical Tagalog lines. Heneral Luna was really flesh and meat, human to the core. The film brazenly showed him as a flawed human being with his temper and even his sensitive side in his secret relationship with a woman.

Of course, we cannot just have the “right thing” rammed down our throats. our personal decisions show our maturity as a nation. We don’t simply do things because it is the right thing to do. It has to come from within.

Even though the film is already our official entry to the Oscars’, it does not mean that it is out of danger. It can still be pulled out of the theaters anytime if the ticket sales drop. Show business is a business after all.


So, I question you who’s reading this, Heneral Luna or Hollywood films? Bayan o sarili?