12 December 2004

We're not in Kansas anymore

Last night my wife and I, along with our good friends the Honeys went to OnStage at Greenbelt 1 in Makati to watch Repertory Philippines' The Wizard of Oz. It's only the second time I watched a play, the last one being Ms. Saigon years ago (which was a treat by an officemate who looked for a companion at the last minute).

My memory's a bit hazy about the story, having read it in my high school years, but I still have a good grasp of the overall story. The play started at 8. It was 2 hours long; I forgot that there was an intermission midway, so I wasn't able to inform my wife that there will actually be a 15-minute break, thus she missed some parts.

The play itself was wonderful. The first rendered song was "Somewhere over the rainbow", which set the overall mood of the play as whimsical and playful. The stage sets were a feast to the eyes, the costumes colorful and fun. The actors were also superb, and the songs jubilant. Too bad they don't allow the taking of photos, but you can see a couple of shots here.

At both sides of the stage were vertical lifts that transport the actors to the stage level from below. It was fun seeing Witch of the West appear and retreat using this lift, amidst flashing lights and smoke effects.

I remember vividly in my readings that Dorothy and companions get captured by monkeys with wings on their way to the Emerald City, that a dog named Toto was part of the cast, and that magic slippers played a big part in the story, but it was overall a fun night. The 500-peso ticket was well worth it (1,000 bucks gets you a set at the center area, we seated ourselves at the right section, third row from the stage).

The play will run til the third week of December, so if you are looking for an alternative form of entertainment, catch this or another play in your area. It's great fun!

2 comments:

  1. I've experienced working with the repertory people in two of our school plays. I executed the stage design. The first one was the South Pacific, the other, Carousel. They are a bunch of workaholics cum perfectionists. Baby Barredo and Bibot Amador know how to make everything magical when it comes to stage production. Really great, although you don't want to get in the way when they're working. Bawal tanga.

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  2. Hello Tito Rolly! OnStage has a huge, round revolving floor which Repertory used to its advantage in the part of the story where Dorothy and company were walking on the yellow brick road. The stage rotated a forest scene as they sang and pranced along. Really nice.

    I also become part of event preparations as part of my job, and you have to monitor and oversee lots of inter-working activities, so it is understandable if the 'tangas' are not allowed. hehehe

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