Anton Juan directs Chinese New Year and Valentine’s production from Repertory Philippines: The Joy Luck Club

Anton Juan, internationally recognized for his work that often challenges convention, directs Repertory Philippines’ “The Joy Luck Club” which runs until Feb. 20, 2011.

Juan was Director-General of Dulaang UP, University of the Philippines where he has taught for thirty-three years.  He is currently on leave from his post at University of Notre Dame du Lac, USA where he is Senior Professor of Directing and Playwriting/Theatre as well as the Social Concerns Artistic Director of the university’s New Playwright's Workshop.

“The Joy Luck Club,” adapted by Susan Kim from the best-selling novel by Amy Tan, is about four Chinese immigrant women and their four American-born daughters.  The mothers create a mahjong group called the Joy Luck Club and audiences witness the stories of the club’s members.

“At turns funny, touching and heart wrenching, the play showcases the rich complexity of love between mothers and daughters that transcends age and cultural gaps,” says Rep associate artistic director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo.

The novel was also made into a movie directed by Wayne Wang and starred Ming Na Wen, the voice of Disney’s “Mulan.” Rep has staged Disney’s “Mulan Jr.” for its children’s theater series.

Juan had acted in “Mother Courage” and directed “Our Town” for Rep.  He directed Rep’s founder Zenaida “Bibot” Amador in the titular role of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” for his own theater company.

“This is a homecoming of sorts for Anton since he was part of Rep in its early days,” says Yulo.  “He is multi-awarded and has worked with theater groups all over the world.  He also has a doctorate in semiotics, the study of symbols and meanings, from the Kapodistrian and Panhellenic University of Athens.  With his staging, he will be sure to give audiences new ways of looking at ‘The Joy Luck Club.’”

Juan says, “I am [staying] within the realm of the physicalized expression of essence.  It is this way that I wish to articulate ‘Joy Luck Club.’  The four chairs around the mah-jong table are not chairs, they are the disembodied spaces of stories that occupied them … of friends and their relationships and the characters that have crossed their lives in arranged or disarranged order.  This triggers my breaking and re-arrangement of the lines and scenes into cubistic presences that flow into one another and merge poly-vocally.”

“I give homage to the remembrance of the simple pan de sal and the kape Bibot and I shared during rehearsals of Lear,” he adds. “As I direct in memory, I am doing what she would have wanted me to do now in Rep: share what I know and what I have learned.”

The powerhouse cast includes Rebecca Chuaunsu, Jay Glorioso, Frances Makil Ignacio and Pinky Marquez as the mothers; and Ana Abad Santos, Lily Chu, Jenny Jamora and Cris Villonco as the daughters.

Costume design is by Eric Pineda with set design by Ohm David and lighting design by John Ilao Batalla.

“The Joy Luck Club” runs at Onstage Theater, 2nd floor, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City.  All Rep productions are available for showbuying and block ticket sales for individuals or organizations for earning extra income or raising funds.  All productions are also available for sponsors who wish to reach Rep’s audiences.

Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, and add “Rep Phils” in Facebook.

“The Joy Luck Club” runs Feb. 4 to 20, 2011.  For ticket inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines at 571-6926 and 571-4941 or email info@repertory-philippines.com. Tickets also available at Ticketworld at 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Pinky Marquez (An-Mei Hsu), Lily Chu (Lena St. Clair), Ana Abad Santos (Jing-Mei Woo), Rebecca Chuaunsu (Suyuan Woo), Cris Villonco (Waverly Jong), Jay Glorioso (Ying-Ying St. Clair), Jenny Jamora (Rose Hsu Jordan) and Frances Makil (Lindo Jong) in Repertory Philippines’ “The Joy Luck Club,” directed by Anton Juan, from Feb. 4 to 20, 2011 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City.

Rebecca Chuaunsu (Suyuan Woo) and Ana Abad Santos (Jing-Mei Woo).

Pinky Marquez (An-Mei Hsu) and Jenny Jamora (Rose Hsu Jordan).

Frances Makil (Lindo Jong) and Cris Villonco (Waverly Jong).

Jay Glorioso (Ying-Ying St. Clair) and Lily Chu (Lena St. Clair).

Overtures and Finales: 2011 Theater Watchlist

Of course, my goal is to watch everything on the list. It's twice more of what I watched last year. So here it is:

1. Repertory Philippines' The Joy Luck Club

Based on the beloved book by Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club is a chorus of eight voices telling scores of tightly woven stories. It tells of the lives of four Chinese immigrant women and their four American-born daughters. In 1949, the four immigrants meet at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco and agree to continue to meet to play mah jong. They call their mah jong group the Joy Luck Club. The stories told in this novel revolve around the Joy Luck Club women and their daughters. These stories come together in a single vision of the rich complexity of family affections, especially those of mothers and daughters.

A sensitive examination of maternal bonds and filial frustrations. Still steeped in the folklore and superstitions of their native land, the older women teetered on the far side of a cultural gap their daughters found difficult to bridge.

A must-see for mothers and daughters (and whole families) of all ethnicities. http://repertory.ph
 

2. Atlantis Productions' Next to Normal

Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book/lyrics) penned the ground breaking musical  about a woman living with bi polar disorder and depression and the struggle to hold on to her family. The two earned the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Next To Normal runs from March 11 to 27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. http://www.atlantisproductionsinc.com/

3. Dulaang UP's Orosman at Zafira

OROSMAN AT ZAFIRA tells the story of three warring tribes in thirst for power. Amid hatred and war where two individuals find love, this contemporary adaptation of Francisco Baltazar's text highlights the strength of the Filipina and celebrates the uniqueness of Philippine culture through original music and dance. But the universality of this play lies in the encompassing love that all of the characters of this play are in constant search for: “Pag-ibig, pag-ibig, at pag-ibig pa rin.” http://orosmanatzafira.com/


 

4. Blue Repertory's Hair

Hair tells the story of the "tribe", a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the "Age of Aquarius" living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to compromise his pacifistic principles and risk his life by serving in Vietnam.

5. Upstart Production's Breakups and Breakdowns

Mark (Joel Trinidad) is a young play wright putting his finishing touches on his play about a bitter sweet retelling of his own failed relationship with Nina (Carla Guevara-Laforteza). Concerned with his friend's emotional condition, Derek (Reuben Uy) convinced Mark to go out and meet girls so that he will stop thriving on his past experience.

One stormy night while Derek is out on a date with Sandy (Emerita Alcid-Trinidad), Mark stays at home still perfecting his play. Suddenly, he is interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Outside the door is Nina, soaking wet after her car stalled on a nearby street because of the storm. As everything is almost going back in to place between Mark and Nina, Derek and Sandy arrived earlier than expected. In an unexpected turn of event, a surprising revelation shocked everybody and complicates the predicament of the four. http://www.upstartproductionsinc.com/

6. Repertory Philippines' The 39 Steps

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have THE 39 STEPS, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! A fast- paced comedy thriller that’s great fun for ages 9 to 90.

In THE 39 STEPS, a man with a boring life meets a mysterious foreign woman who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, THE 39 STEPS amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure! http://repertory.ph

7. Atlantis Production's Aida

It is a timeless love story with unforgettable music by Elton John and Tim Rice based on the Verdi opera. It is a musical bursting with contemporary energy that tells the story of a great Egyptian hero Radames, who sends a captured Nubian princess, Aida, as a gift to the Egyptian princess Amneris. As he prepares to marry the vain and shallow Amneris, he falls completely in love with Aida, and is forced to choose between love and life. Aida is an epic tale of love, loyalty, betrayal, and courage, with an exhilarating Tony and Grammy Award-winning score by Elton John and Tim Rice, their first collaboration since writing the music for The Lion King. Aida is a true celebration of love and life. Time Magazine proclaims Aida “a big, bright show with luscious Elton John melodies.”  It is the winner of four Tony Awards and will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City from June 24 to July 10. It will be directed by Chari Arespacochaga. http://www.atlantisproductionsinc.com/

8. Atlantis Production's In The Heights

In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood — a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.  I am excited to direct this heart-warming musical which will run from Sept. 2 to 18 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium. http://www.atlantisproductionsinc.com/

9. Atlantis Production's The Little Mermaid

Based on one of the most beloved Disney films of all time and the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is the sparkling new Disney musical that has made a big splash on Broadway. Some of Disney’s most popular songs are featured in show — including Part of Your World, Kiss the Girl, and the Academy Award-winning Best Original Song, Under the Sea by the renowned songwriting team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The stage adaptation also features 10 new songs by Menken and Glenn Slater, plus a book by Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright. http://www.atlantisproductionsinc.com/

10. Stages' The Light in the Piazza

The Light in the Piazza is a musical with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, it is set in Florence and Rome in the summer of 1953. A young American tourist, Clara Johnson, meets and falls for young Italian Fabrizio Naccarelli. When Clara's mother Margaret learns of the affair, she opposes it for reasons that only gradually become clear to the audience.

11. Repertory Philippines' Shakespeare in Hollywood

It's 1934, and Shakespeare's most famous fairies, Oberon and Puck, have magically materialized on the Warner Bros. Hollywood set of Max Reinhardt's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Instantly smitten by the glitz and glamour of show biz, the two are ushered onto the silver screen to play (who else?) themselves. With a little help from a feisty flower, blonde bombshells, movie moguls, and arrogant "asses" are tossed into loopy love triangles, with raucous results. The mischievous magic of moviedom sparkles in this hilarious comic romp.

Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare in Hollywood had its world premier in 2003 at Arena Stage and won the Helen Hayes award for Best New Play of the Year. http://repertory.ph      

      

12. Repertory Philippines' Peter Pan

Sir James Barrie’s timeless tale of the boy who never grew up is reborn as a spectacular musical by Stiles & Drewe and the late Willis Hall.

As the lights over Wendy, John and Michael Darling's beds go out and the nursery of their London townhouse is thrown into darkness, a small light bounces across their nursery. Wendy's dollhouse is mysteriously illuminated and dresser drawers slide open and shut. And then, most mysterious of all, an unseen hand pushes the bedroom windows open and, wonder of wonders, Peter Pan comes soaring through -- and into our hearts.

Peter Pan, a boy who didn't want to grow up and so spent his life in Neverland battling the pirates and Indians, but when he brings the Darling children to Neverland with him, he is finally able to defeat his foe, Captian Hook, and befriend the Indian chief. http://repertory.ph          

Photos from: Repertory Philippines, Atlantis Productions, Spot.ph, Upstart Productions, Joriben.com


Hope you can catch all these shows and share our thoughts about them! Always support the theater!

Live in Living Color

This is Aaron Tveit singing Live in Living Color which is the opening number of the soon-to-open Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can with of course, Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz. The musical is based on the 2002 film and is set to open this April. Video from Broadway.com:

'Legally Blonde in 60 seconds' by Stewart Yu

Being very much obsessed with Legally Blonde (movies and musical included), this video sure made me laugh and bawl at the same time. And, I'm a fan of Stewart Yu, I've seen him do Next to Normal and effortlessly mock Alice Ripley. Enjoy this video, Legally Blonde in 60 seconds:

Markki Stroem in 'Pilipinas Got Talent'!

Now's the only time I heard Markki Stroem sing. Markki's making his stage debut in Atlantis Productions' Next to Normal this March. Here's a clip of him on the talent show Pilipinas Got Talent:

How can't you not be excited for Next to Normal? His vocal chops are made of gold. He may be no Adam Chanler-Berat but he is talented. But how about on the acting part? We'll see about that this March.

"Let there be light." -- Atlantis Productions' Next to Normal, March 2011

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as the bipolar Diana Goodman.

Jett Pangan as Dan Goodman.

Felix Rivera as the dashing Gabe Goodman.

Bea Garcia as the invisible girl, Natalie Goodman.

Markki Stroem as the McGyver of Pot-- Henry.

Jake Macapagal as the double roles of Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden.

I cannot be any more excited about Next to Normal. Sadly, the Broadway show is closing on January 16. Who cares, right? We've got our own N2N. And perfect casting, I must say. Atlantis sure made the right choice to open their season with this blockbuster musical. And I like the concept of their new promo art-- very different and intriguing. Although I already know and have watched the musical (on bootlegs), it gives me a sense of intrigue, what with the broken concrete in the back. Maybe it has something to do with their set? I am personally in favor of the original 3-story set, but they have to make something new, right? Let's be more creative.

A fresh take on women’s issues and history in contemporary dance version of Itim Asu

In celebration of Women’s Month in March 2011, “Itim Asu 1719-2009,” a contemporary dance based on Virginia Moreno’s play "The Onyx Wolf / Itim Asu” choreographed by Myra Beltran, will be available for showbuyers who wish stage the show in their respective venues.

“The dance show is ideal for women’s groups or schools and organizations who would like to present this work for learning or fundraising purposes,” says Beltran.

Beltran’s choreography brings this important work and conveys it in a contemporary language.  The resulting work is fresh take on an interesting mix of historical heritage and women’s issues.

"The story of ‘Itim Asu’ is a play within a play, and contains the story of La Loba Negra, the Mexican wife of Spanish Gov. General Bustamante, one of the more ‘exceptional’ governor generals in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era, and how she avenges his death,” says Beltran.

“Bustamante inspired an alleged conspiracy among the religious to assassinate him through a mob riot.  Yet he is scantily mentioned in the pages of Philippine history.  The document that recounts the story of La Loba Negra is allegedly written by Father Jose Burgos, one of three martyred priests.  Some dispute its authenticity but that makes it all the more interesting.”

She adds, “We are using contemporary dance, video and sound design, without spoken dialogue.  This visual world is my translation of this drama’s point of view of history.  There are layers of forgetfulness or layers of untruth in our history.  I am interested in how this drama shows the level of complexity with which we, as Filipinos, create meaning in history, how we readily blur fiction and reality, myth and history.” 

Presented by Myra Beltran's Dance Forum, “Itim Asu 1719-2009” features the work of filmmaker Sherad Anthony Sanchez, known for his internationally acclaimed "Huling Balyan ng Buhi.” His “Imburnal” won the Woosuk Best Film Award at the 10th Jeonju International Film Festival 2009, South Korea. 

Sound designer Teresa Barrozo is responsible for the score of Brillante Mendoza’s award-winning movie “Kinatay.”   Virginia Moreno was dubbed “The Empress Dowager of Philippine Poetry” by the late National Artist Jose Garcia Villa. 

Beltran is the trailblazer for independent contemporary dance in the Philippines and her group, Myra Beltran’s Dance Forum, led the way in using alternative performing spaces for dance.  She is founding director of the Wifibody Independent Contemporary Dance Festival and the Contemporary Dance Map Series. 

Her dedication has pushed her initially solitary efforts into more than twenty years’ body of work and her dance studio, Dance Forum Space, has become an alternative performance venue that pushes experimental choreography and committed dance artists into new terrain in Philippine contemporary dance.  Beltran has choreographed for local mainstream dance and theatre groups and has also collaborated with numerous artists of various disciplines in Beijing, Taipei, and US.

“Itim Asu 1719-2009" had its world premiere at Dance Forum Space, playing to standing room only audiences.  Add “Itim Asu:1719-2009” in Facebook.  Interested showbuyers, organizations or schools may email danceforum.mb@gmail.com or call 0917-526-9724.

Repertory Philippines stages “The Joy Luck Club” from Feb. 4 to 20

Media Release: Repertory Philippines stages “The Joy Luck Club” from Feb. 4 to 20

 

“The Joy Luck Club,” the best-selling novel by Amy Tan, which was also made into a movie directed by Wayne Wang, is now a play.  Repertory Philippines is staging “The Joy Luck Club” from Feb. 4 to 20, 2011.

The play is a chorus of eight voices of tightly woven stories. It tells of the lives of four Chinese immigrant women and their four American-born daughters. The four mothers create a mahjong group called the Joy Luck Club and audiences will see the stories of the members of this club unfold.

At turns funny, touching and heart wrenching, the play showcases the rich complexity of love between mothers and daughters that transcends age and cultural gaps.

Adapted by Susan Kim and directed by Anton Juan (recent credits include the non-stage, multi-floor production of “Information for Foreigners”), the powerhouse cast includes Rebecca Chuaunsu, Joy Glorioso, Frances Makil Ignacio and Pinky Marquez as the mothers; and Ana Abad Santos, Lily Chu, Jenny Jamora and Cris Villonco as the daughters.

Costume design is by Eric Pineda with set design by Ohm David and lighting design by John Ilao Batalla.
. 
Rep associate artistic director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo says, “It’s a great way for families, friends and couples to celebrate Chinese New Year, which kicks off the month on Feb. 3.  The show will be great for Valentine’s dates as well.”

After “The Joy Luck Club,” Rep will stage “The 39 Steps,” a comedy thriller based on an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece from March 4 to 20, 2011 where four actors play 150 characters.

From April 1 to 7, 2011, audiences can enjoy the comedy “Shakespeare in Hollywood,” where Shakespeare's most famous fairies, Oberon and Puck, end up on the Hollywood set of Max Reinhardt's “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”

“The Joy Luck Club” will be staged at Onstage Theater, 2nd floor, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City.  Gold or Silver season ticket passes are available for these three productions which provide a discount and choice seats at selected dates compared to buying individual tickets for each of the shows. 

All productions are available for showbuying and block ticket sales for individuals or organizations who would like to earn extra income or raise funds.  All productions are also available for sponsors who wish to reach Rep’s audiences.

“The Joy Luck Club” runs Feb. 4 to 20, 2011.  For ticket inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines at 571-6926 and 571-4941 or email info@repertory-philippines.com. Tickets also available at Ticketworld at 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

(From left, back row standing) Rebecca Chuaunsu (Suyuan Woo), Jay Glorioso (Ying-Ying St. Clair), Lily Chu (Lena St. Clair), Cris Villonco (Waverly Jong), and Frances Makil (Lindo Jong).  (Front row seated) Ana Abad Santos (Jing-Mei Woo), Pinky Marquez (An-Mei Hsu) and Jenny Jamora (Rose Hsu Jordan) play mothers and daughters in Repertory Philippines’ “The Joy Luck Club,” directed by Anton Juan, from Feb. 4 to 20, 2011 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City.

Pinky Marquez (An-Mei Hsu), Lily Chu (Lena St. Clair), Ana Abad Santos (Jing-Mei Woo), Rebecca Chuaunsu (Suyuan Woo), Cris Villonco (Waverly Jong), Jay Glorioso (Ying-Ying St. Clair), Jenny Jamora (Rose Hsu Jordan) and Frances Makil (Lindo Jong) in Repertory Philippines’ “The Joy Luck Club,” directed by Anton Juan, from Feb. 4 to 20, 2011 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati City.

Rebecca Chuaunsu (Suyuan Woo) and Ana Abad Santos (Jing-Mei Woo).

Pinky Marquez (An-Mei Hsu) and Jenny Jamora (Rose Hsu Jordan).

Frances Makil (Lindo Jong) and Cris Villonco (Waverly Jong).

Jay Glorioso (Ying-Ying St. Clair) and Lily Chu (Lena St. Clair).

Plus, a video clip of an excerpt reading from Repertory Philippines' "The Joy Luck Club" (Feb. 4 to 20, 2011).  The reading was done in last year's launch of Rep's 2011 line-up of shows.