An insanely wonderful evening

Avenue Q is a certified hit. Bravo!

You know you are about to have an insanely wonderful evening when a furry lovable monster who is pretty much Cookie Monster’s alter ego sings The Internet is for porn. And that’s exactly what Atlantis Productions’ recent staging of the Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q was — an unforgettable evening of quality entertainment.

Directed with razor sharp precision and a huge heart by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga, Avenue Q has become that rare species in the Philippine Entertainment Scene — a must see musical hit!

And rightfully so. It is performed by a cast that solidly delivers the goods. Rachel Alejandro, as the lovable Kate Monster and the vixen Lucy T. Slut, delivers a career-defining performance. She is, simply put, fantastic! And from the huge smile on her face at the curtain call, it appears she has found her home. In a role that seems to have been written specifically for her, Aiza Seguerra is cleverly cast as former child star Gary Coleman and she impresses over and over again in each scene. Felix Rivera’s performance as Princeton and Rod can only be defined as a breakthrough. Both funny and moving, without a doubt he will soon become a major force in the Philippine theater scene and perhaps even the mainstream entertainment industry. Star in a Million champion Frenchie Dy is a revelation as the Japanese therapist Christmas Eve. Complete with entangled Rs and Ls, one would have thought that she could be this dynamic and naturally funny on the legitimate stage. Frenchie appears to be a winner on any stage you put her on. The talented and skillful Rycharde Everley, Joel Trinidad (delightful as Nicky and hysterical as the porn obsessed Trekkie Monster), and Teenee Chan all provide the show with the fierce ensemble commitment it needs to spellbind the audience.

And what an audience it was. The performers on stage were not the only stars at the RCBC Theater that night. The audience was filled with many of Manila’s finest such as Lizzie Zobel, KitKat Zobel, Claudia and Miguel Tambunting, Jon Santos (who will be appearing in Atlantis’ next production Dogeaters), Zsa Zsa Padilla who came with her daughters, Karylle and Zia.

Who would have thought that puppets could be as moving as they were in Avenue Q (both to tears and to laughter)? Lizzie said at the intermission that she was almost in tears because of how devastated Kate Monster was when her boyfriend, the confused puppet Princeton, broke up with her. And that is what is so special about Avenue Q — it reminds you of the simple trials and tribulations we go through everyday and tells us that all of this is only “For Now.” It tells the many stories of the neighborhood in cleverly written scenes and songs by Tony Award winners Jeff Marx, Robert Lopez (who is part Pinoy) and Jeff Whitty. And the sight of two puppets having all-out noisy sex is something you really have to see to believe. Yes, Avenue Q is definitely not for children!

Judging from the many people who were not able to get tickets to the recent sold-out run and the many more who want to see the show again and again, people can’t get enough of Avenue Q . The good news is that Avenue Q will return to Manila for a holiday repeat performance from Dec. 14 to 23, also at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. Get your tickets now as this will probably be the last run in Manila before a possible Singapore run.

For show buying and tickets, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187.

Gina’s multiple roles

Also forth coming from Atlantis Productions is the staging of Dogeaters, a play by Jessica Hagedorn. Leading the stellar cast is award-winning actress Gina Alajar. Gina last appeared on stage in the Tagalog version of The Vagina Monologues. Dogeaters is her first English language stage production.

 “I was hesitant to do the play at first kasi this is the first English play I will do. I told Bobby that is my biggest fear. Takot ako kasi I think in Tagalog meaning I have to put extra effort to memorize in English,” she says.

Gina will be playing multiple roles in Dogeaters as every actor in the show will do. It is also Gina’s first time to perform on stage with ex-husband Michael de Mesa who has appeared in many shows directed by Bobby Garcia. “We are assembling a stellar cast of some of the finest actors of film and stage in the Philippines,” says Bobby.

Dogeaters which played at New York’s Public Theater in 2001 to rave reviews, tells the story of over 40 people during the tumultuous administration of Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda. Dogeaters goes on stage at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati on Nov. 16.