Theatrical Review: A Staged Reading of Idris Goodwin's "How We Got On"

So Cast's third play
That I watched yesterday was
All about rhyme
As artifacts of time

Beatmakers, builders,
1980's kid creators,
Rap and hiphop were king
In Idris Goodwin's offering.

"How We Got On"
tells of a rapper, a son,
And a girl who thought in poetry
Saw the beauty through the misery.

"Music lives in the body,
lives in the DNA."
"Don't forget the joy."
Oh, such nice things to say!

It has this person rhyming,
Joyfully creating.
"Accept that there will be mistakes."
Top notch rapping; clapped til our hands ache.

Mako Alonso: genius DJ narrator.
Jon Abella: his beatboxing was the real star
of a play like no other. Don't forget Kiara Dario
But most of all, respect for Igi Siasoco!

They made us want to be young,
They made us want to breathe out joy.
They taught this noob all about Akai MPC's;
CAST Sundays are wonderful learning opportunities!

This ain't strictly rhyme; it's assonance.
If you had to Google it, no worries, we all did! :)
From Mozart to opera, classical to hip hop,
CAST PH... please never ever stop!

#castph #castph2020

Book Review: THE UNWOMANLY FACE OF WAR by Svetlana Alexievich

The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"I follow the traces of inner life; I make records of the soul."

One of the movies that made a deep impression on me was the 2001 film “Enemy At The Gates,” the true story of sniper Vasily Zaytsev and his comrades who fought the Germans during the Battle of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), known as the bloodiest battle in the war because of its nearly two million casualties in the span of six months!

Up to now, I have only to hear the theme song of that film and I start tearing up uncontrollably. (Click on this link, play it, and read on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iand8... )

In that film, there was the real-life female sniper Tania Chernova (played by the beautiful Rachel Weisz), who was bookish, cultured, and fierce, and made young girls everywhere want to take up arms and fight for the Motherland, too.

I thought she was a singular exception, a rare thing. But then I read this book and discovered that, far from being rare flowers, there were actually thousands of women who went off to serve Mother Russia during World War II! Some regiments consisted entirely of female soldiers, and some women ended up being the commanders of male regiments! Most of the girls volunteered, either seeking revenge or out of an overwhelming sense of patriotism. But others were told to, by their parents.

Why? Why seek out a book about war? But this book is different. It is a testament to the courage of women, of how they lent light to a dark time. Often this light dimmed, but most shone brightly. And yes, there were tales of evil (unspeakable evil!!) perpetrated by Germans and fellow Russians alike… and the details of the aftermath of war will make one cry. These women became old when the war ended. They were twenty years old but had the souls of ancients. And their health was never the same. But most of the stories ended with reflections on how good it was to be alive, and how sacred all life is.

"In the center there is always this: how unbearable and unthinkable it is to die. And how much more unbearable and unthinkable it is to kill, because a woman gives life... I understood that it is more difficult for women to kill."  

What will remain with me are the moments of grace gratefully told by the women who worked as sappers (combat engineers), snipers, laundresses, nurses, and partisans. They shared stories of the gallantry of their male comrades, who would shield them with their bodies from bombs and bullets, or give them spare clothes, or put their own overcoats on the ground for the women to lie on at night.

And yes, like the previous Alexievich book I read (Chernobyl Prayer), this one touches the heart enough to make one cry. It is more hopeful than the previous one, and so I like it better. But the style is the same. It is a tapestry of living testimony, a symphony of songs from the soul. It makes this reader appreciate the luxury of having a steaming hot cup of coffee in the morning (never mind that it’s 3-in-1!), of clean bed sheets, of an environment where one can walk without dodging bullets (just put your backpack in front when commuting, and don’t pull out your cellphone in the jeep)! 



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Theatrical Review: A Staged Reading of Stephen Temperley's SOUVENIR

"We must all try to do some good in the world."
"But at what price?"

The second staged reading of CAST's third season was SOUVENIR: A FANTASIA ON THE LIFE OF FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS by Stephen Temperley. It's a play about the real-life soprano Florence Foster Jenkins (hereafter referred to as FFJ), who was (in)famous in New York during the 1920's until the 1940's. She was known for her peculiar relationship with pitch. (If you haven't heard her sing, listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ubiUIxbWE )

I first heard of FFJ when I was a college student. People would pass around an mp3 player with a recording of her (this was waaaaay back in the Stone Age, you see), and they would laugh. She was introduced to me as someone to mock. A joke. Someone who only got to sing because she was rich and could afford to rent auditoriums and give away tickets. And the only thing that made me see FFJ in a different light was the 2016 film starring Meryl Streep, whereupon I realized that she had been a brilliant pianist -- even considered a child prodigy-- and that it was syphilis (and taking mercury and arsenic for medication) that affected the parts of the brain necessary to sing in tune.

Fast forward to tonight's play, directed by Wanggo Gallaga, who gave a very touching paean to his father's forbidding censorship of any kind at home (including singing -- in or out of tune!).

The play was vastly different from the movie, as SOUVENIR focused more on the relationship between FFJ (brilliantly portrayed by Cathy Azanza-Dy) and her accompanist, Cosme McMoon (featuring Rony Fortich in his theatrical debut!). Both are worth seeing! They are entirely different works. And CAST's Sarah Facuri also mentioned that there was another play on FFJ, entitled GLORIOUS!, but it's more comedic in nature, and how I look forward to seeing that in the future!

SOUVENIR takes its title from the recording that FFJ made, so she could have a memento of her voice to look back to, in future years when her voice was no longer the same.

And it struck all of us, singers and non-singers alike, because we all want to be remembered. We all long for immortality of one kind or another. The question is... what will we be remembered for? Excellence? Honesty? Kindness?

I used to think that truth mattered more than kindness, but this play has me questioning this deeply entrenched belief. As a music teacher, I was particularly convicted by the ethical conundrum faced by Cosme McMoon, the pianist. You see, by training, my classmates and I were taught never to say "Very good!" to students who failed to pitch match accurately. We were taught to say "Thank you for trying," because it was our job to teach pitch accuracy.

Stephen Temperley's FFJ couldn't care about pitch! "Notes are signposts left to guide us!" Cathy Azanza-Dy gleefully recites before launching into Bach/Gounod's Ave Maria (Not Schubert's, "let's leave it for the mezzos!"). Her portrayal of FFJ was so effective, her childish innocence and attention-seeking antics made the audience love her! And in a particularly tense moment towards the end of the play, when the recording of jeering laughter threatened to drown out her confident soprano, the audience was left silent... guilty and horror-struck at the realization that we had been the ones laughing nonstop in the first act. That we have it in us to be the mocking mob. That realization of the monstrosity in us is not a feeling I will forget.

Truth... just like pitch... can be relative or absolute. And this play brings up the ancient debate embodied in Plato's Noble Lie. The fact that audience members were debating for hours afterwards is a very, very good thing!

One thing I know to be true. FFJ may not have been the best singer, but she brought joy to people. And that's something not every diva... not every person... can boast of. But it is something to dream of achieving.

"If only we could live in the music forever. If only it could go on and on." This is exactly how this audience member felt while watching this second play! Can't wait for the third CAST offering next Sunday!

And now I have another song replacing the old track in my brain as "Current LSS"... Farewell "Toss a coin to your witcher!" Now it's "Crazy Rhythm!" There are several renditions but I particularly like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCy-4wfDFi4 , although Doris Day's is nice, too!

Other interesting links about FFJ's amusia: https://www.j-alz.com/…/cognitive-basis-florence-foster-jen…
https://n.neurology.org/content/90/15_Supplement/P5.147

#castph2020 #castph

Book Review: TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


"To assume the best about another is the trait that has created modern society. Those occasions when our trusting nature gets violated are tragic. But the alternative -- to abandon trust as a defense against predation and deception -- is worse."

So I did with this book what I normally do with folks I see while people watching at a cafe... I judged the book by its cover. And judged wrongly!!! Ahahaha. I was under the impression that the book would help me understand strangers and talk to them with greater ease... something that I'm still uncomfortable with. #introvertproblems

If anything, the book made me more confused about how to approach strangers! But in a good way. Gladwell writes about historical issues and makes us re-examine them and our own assumptions. It's a book of caution against hasty judgments.

Gladwell talks about how we default to truth, that we are hardwired to explain away little inconsistencies, giving the other person the benefit of the doubt, until there is too much evidence to the contrary. Spies and criminals take advantage of this!

He also discusses the illusion of transparency -- how we assume that honest people broadcast their true emotions physically -- and the resulting problems of mismatching -- when people's demeanors don't match their intentions.

There's also the issue of Coupling, which says that time and location have a greater impact on human behavior than we think. The data he presented on how crimes in several cities are so geographically precise (we're talking BLOCKS!) shook me!

He offers this advice: approach strangers with caution and humility. Because there's SO MUCH going on and we can never truly judge people based on appearance and gut feel alone.

I was particularly struck with the chapters discussing the Jerry Sandusky, Brock Turner, and Larry Nassar cases. Gladwell offers insights beyond the "teach men to respect women" charge. He also provides an explanation as to why some of these cases took years to be reported, and to be resolved. This book should come with a trigger warning, however. It gets pretty explicit in these chapters.

Before reading this book, I didn't know that one could be considered in a state of drunken "blackout" (not remembering anything that happens) and yet be capable of doing usual things like ordering stuff online from Lazada, checking in an Airbnb, conversing, and commuting!!! Gladwell says it's because the part of the brain for memory (the hippocampus) shuts down while the other parts function the usual way. This provides an additional insight into the Brock Turner issue, because when you have two adults in a state of blackout -- both no longer themselves due to the amount of alcohol in their bloodstream -- misunderstandings (to put it mildly!!!) lead to tragic consequences.

Rated two stars because it is by no means an academic book, and can seem a bit disorganized... but he makes us interested in reading up on the events and issues he writes about. I'm grateful that Gladwell provides extensive notes at the end so we can read the primary sources ourselves.



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Book Review: SINS OF EMPIRE (Gods of Blood and Powder # 1... or, more accurately, Powder Mage Series # 4) by Brian McClellan

Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"Gods aren't born; they're made."

I had absolutely loved the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic) featuring Field Marshal Tamas, who was my twin sister's and my literary crush back in 2016!

I remember summarizing it to our book club as the French Revolution but with a bit of magic thrown in.

Magical powder mages and gods that walk the earth, to be precise. And powerful wizards, too!

And so I was so eager to dive into this new trilogy set in the old Powder Mage universe, expecting the magic from the first trilogy.

Sadly, this first book in the new trilogy proved disappointing. The first 60% of the novel was spent on developing a few new characters and reminding us of the old ones (like Vlora Flint, Tamas' foster daughter) but quite frankly, their back stories were nowhere near as compelling as the ones in the old trilogy. And also, there was almost zero romance in this book. Which is SO FRUSTRATING for me as a reader, because I find that I become more involved when I know my heart's about to be broken (and hopefully, mended).

The stakes seemed too low, up until the final battle sequence where BLAM! KABOOM! Brian McClellan shows us bits of the old magic with well-written action scenes! And suddenly the stakes became ever so much higher!!! And I'll freely admit I was whizzing through the pages at breakneck speed at that point.

But too little, too late, at least for this reader. It seemed like excellently made fan fiction, to be honest, in some parts.

Here's hoping Books 2 and 3 will raise the general average of the new trilogy, but I might just borrow these books from fellow McClellan fans instead of purchasing them.

I can't rave about the first trilogy enough, however! Do look for them :)



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Theatrical Review: A Staged Reading of Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS

Having been a fan of CAST since Season 1 in 2018, I was all a-twitter about the season opener, which featured heavyweights in the cast! And with that titillating theme: MUSIC.

On the way to the show, my friend and I were trying to guess which play it would be, and AMADEUS actually came to mind. But no, we decided we couldn't possibly be that lucky.

Well it appears the gods favored us! When Director Nelsito Gomez announced that indeed, it WAS Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, I couldn't contain my joy, I was pinching my friend in glee (sorry Anna!!).

Wonderful ensemble work was provided by Steven Conde, Dean Daniel Rosen, Jill Pena as Mozart's wife Constanze, Raymund Concepcion, and Mako Alonso. Incredible acting (as always), and amazing accent work! But the two brightest stars were Reb Atadero as Mozart and Jaime Del Mundo as Salieri!!!!

I loved the 1984 film, but I have to say, I enjoyed the live play so much more. First of all, IT WAS SO DIFFERENT! (A few spoilers are below, so you may want to skip this part if you have yet to see the movie or the play)

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For example, the play provided possible explanations for several Mozart arias, with husband and wife playing with the alliterations of "pa" (referencing Papageno's and Papagena's duet in THE MAGIC FLUTE) and teasing each other with loving beatings ("Batti, batti, o bel Masetto" from DON GIOVANNI).

I also found Jaime Del Mundo's Salieri much more malevolent in the play version, because he practically succeeded in securing Constanze's sexual favors in return for his patronage of Mozart. When she had succumbed and was already undressing, he changes his mind and bids her run off, thereby doubly damning and insulting her.

The degree of Salieri's deception was also much more brutal when, seeing a grieving Mozart bereft of his newly departed father, Salieri opens his arms to him and says "Lean on me." And Mozart embraces him, crying, "Papa!"

Oh, such vile duplicity!!!

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE LAST CONFRONTATION?!

Mozart, ill and penniless, begs Salieri to take a look at his Requiem mass (which was NOT commissioned by Salieri, in the play, but by another plagiarizing aristocrat).

Salieri peruses the pages and looks up in equal parts wonder and terror. "It will help the ages to mourn," he says, realizing he had "no need to mourn a man who will live forever," and that the mass heralded the destruction of Salieri's own soul.

Overcome with pious fervor, Salieri confesses all before Mozart, begging for an absolution that God Himself cannot grant. And all Mozart could sing back, in the manner of broken men, was "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman."

Salieri looks on in horror as he realizes what he had wrought... by "reducing God's incarnation, he had reduced God" ... "the profoundest voice in the world reduced to a nursery tune."

That scene, and yesterday's reading, will live on in the memories of those of us who were lucky enough to witness it. And yes, it took three hours but we never noticed time's passage. We also didn't notice the ash falling on the ground! So much admiration for the CAST team and the performers for going on with the show!

CAST's offerings are proving to be highlights in Manila's rich theatre scene. They have three more staged readings in Pineapple Lab, Makati, for the next three Sundays!

Book Review: MOOMINSUMMER MADNESS by Tove Jansson

Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"A theatre is the most important sort of house in the world, because that's where people are shown what they could be if they wanted, and what they'd like to be if they dared to and what they really are."

At more than 150 pages, this book is long enough to be considered a novella for children. But for adults, it is a charming short read, best enjoyed after a long tiring day at work, feet propped up and tea cup at hand.

A volcano erupts, and Moomin Valley is swept by a tidal wave! Our beloved Moomins are forced to abandon their home to live in a floating theatre, and it's so much fun to read of them writing and acting in their own play!

The adult in me recognizes the seriousness of many situations in the book, but I'm so amazed at how happy the Moomins are in the midst of every disaster!

"Hadn't they been mixed up before in stranger events than any other family they knew of, and hadn't everything turned out for the best every time?“

Always charming and lovable... it is always a treat to spend time with the Moomins. ♥ 😍



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Book Review: THE DOUBLE TONGUE by William Golding

The Double Tongue by William Golding

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"But the gods are real, aren't they?“

“You can make a debate about everything and anguish about it, like Socrates... But do you notice... When he stopped people in the streets... They were anxious to get away? It wasn't their world, you see. They themselves didn't question each footstep because walking came naturally."

Before finding this secondhand book, I only knew of the author as the man who wrote LORD OF THE FLIES. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that he wrote several other historical fiction books as well! Ranging in subjects from the Neanderthals to the London Blitz, Ancient Egypt to Medieval cathedral builders.

This novel was his last, which may explain why the second half seemed underdeveloped. But nevertheless, the writing style shone through. Brisk and efficient, but with several phrases that require a moment for digestion.

It tells of Arieka, an ugly young girl born at the twilight of Greek civilization (circa 1 BCE?) who is trained to become the next Pythia, the Oracle at Delphi.

For a male author, I thought he captured the female voice quite well! I could hear Arieka's voice change as she transitioned from young woman to old age. He also dealt with the issue of prophecy in a historical way, kind of like what Mary Renault did for the Minotaur in THE KING MUST DIE. Using anthropological insight instead of succumbing to myth and legend, this novel tells a very plausible tale, although in the end, it is still up to the reader to interpret the events as told by our less-than-credible narrator.

It is very much worth reading, and I will be looking for more William Golding books this 2020!



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Book Review: OLD BONES (Nora Kelly # 1) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Old Bones by Douglas Preston

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pendergast fans will thrill to know that this first book in a new series features two familiar female protagonists! Archeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson...the duo we never knew we wanted, but needed.

Based on the true horror story of the Donner Party (American pioneers resort to survival cannibalism), perhaps it wasn't the best of ideas to read this at night. 😂

It's classic Preston & Child, all efficient prose, exciting adventure, but with more human (humane?) heroines.

Pendergast was nearly godlike with his sleuthing skills.

Nora and Corrie, while intelligent and courageous, have to work harder at the same game. And it makes me sympathize with them all the more.

Always worth reading, these novels! This would be the 19th novel in the Pendergast universe, albeit the first of the Nora Kelly series. Oh and Aloysius Pendergast fans will love the surprise at the end! ☺



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Book Review: THE RADIUM GIRLS: THE DARK STORY OF AMERICA'S SHINING WOMEN by Kate Moore

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Picked up this book (gifted by the lovely Judie!) after a leisurely New Year's day breakfast and BAM! Got sucked in and had to finish it in one sitting. It's nonfiction handled very well, it reads like the best of thrillers!

Based on Melanie Marnich's play "These Shining Lives," the book focuses on the sad lives of the Radium Girls who were allowed to lick paintbrushes with radioactive paint on them, as they painted watch dials with Undark during and after World War I. The poisoned paint made them glow and affected their bodies most horribly, the details of which are too terrible to share here! But a quick Google search will reveal all (including pictures!!).

It's a sad tale of corporate greed taking precedence over humanity, and the most horrifying thing of all is... the drama basically played out again as late as 1978, with dial workers in Luminous Processes, Ottawa, Illinois. It is a town where people with visible birth defects are seen by passersby, where every household has a cancer patient. And why not? When you consider the fact that radium has a half life of 1,600 years!

It horrified me to discover that in the 1920's, radium was considered a good thing... so good that there was radioactive water (Radithor) drunk by the wealthy, and there was radium butter, radium milk, radium pads, radium lipstick, radium chocolates!

It makes one think... what products are we consuming today that we don't as of yet know are lethal in large doses? *gazes thoughtfully at coffee cup*

And now I can't wait to read the play the book was based on!



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