MANILA, Philippines - Whoever says singer-songwriter-comedian Dyords Javier cannot make you laugh does not certainly know what comedy means.
Dyords is not only hilarious, he is downright witty and talented. He has mastered the art of blending music and laughter on stage, using his creative juices to the hilt.
As he brings back his rib-tickling concert series, Dyords Ko Po! to Teatrino in Greenhills, Dyords goes full-throttle once again in entertaining his audience. It may not be a large crowd every time he performs, since Teatrino is an intimate venue that can accommodate less than 300, but Dyords captures his audience from the minute he comes out on stage. You cannot possibly ignore his colorful shoes to match his outfits.
What’s fun about Dyords is that he does not mind laughing at himself. At the same time, he also pokes fun at his audience. He rules the stage with his trademark punchlines, performing songs and doing spoofs, delivering adlibs, spiels, punchlines and hilarious one-liners. He’s not called a “funnyman” for nothing. He can undoubtedly entertain, seemingly never running out of funny things to say.
With unique concepts and his personal, creative inputs to the script (which he writes with director Ipe Pelino), Dyords tells jokes and stories that are funny, even crazy, but never crass. Thank God, he doesn’t border on the obscene even if he talks about breast augmentation and butt enhancement — yes, with noted cosmetic surgeon Dr. Victoria Belo in the crowd one night, laughing at his antics.
He criticizes himself or mocks traditional politicians or trapos (in case anyone forgets, Dyords is a stalwart of the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986). Yet, he never lets out any degrading or embarrassing remark about the ones watching him, which is the wont of most stand-up comedians.
He does not only sing and make you laugh, he even gets to dance, too. One act in the show sees Dyords and prima ballerina Perry Sevidal in a choreographed ballet number of Barry Manilow’s When October Goes.
Guesting in Dyords Ko Po! is the country’s top classical-pop violinist, John Lesaca, a good friend of Dyords’ who gets to trade repartees with him on stage before doing a hauntingly beautiful solo violin number. There are also surprise guests who appear in some shows.
Dyords shows he is a multi-talented artist by also playing musical instruments. He does a sax instrumental number of Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are, as well as a guitar solo for his encore. He further charms the audience when he plays the tiny violin in his instrumental violin duet with Lesaca.
He intersperses comedy acts with song numbers that bring out his full baritone. That he is backed up by a 12-piece band makes the show all the more impressive. Working as his musical director is Ernie Baladjay, who also helms the repertoire for Dyords’ popular quartet, Angfourgettables (with Isay Alvarez, Pinky Marquez and Bimbo Cerrudo), as well as arranges tunes for the Apo Hiking Society (the trio of Jim Paredes, Danny Javier and Boboy Garovillo).
Equally notable is Dyords’ diverse lineup of songs — from the classic Beatles hit, You Can’t Do That to Andrea Boccelli’s The Prayer, songs by Michael Bublé and Josh Groban and even OPM hits penned by George Canseco (Ikaw, Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas). Backing up Dyords is The Vic and D’ Vaporubs Band, with Band Aid Voices as back-up vocals.
Singing a varied repertoire simply reinforces Dyords’ foothold as a singer. After doing comedy for a long time, he explored the music field when he started performing with the Angfourgettables, where he gets to combine songs and antics.
In Dyords Ko Po!, the irrepressible Dyords croons his own amusing spoofs of songs which never fail to elicit laughter from the crowd. He is able to pull off this stint effortlessly. He nearly does everything to entertain his audience. At some point, you get to think, “What will he do next, eat live chicken on stage?”
Produced by Sterling Studios, Dyords Ko Po! is created to address the clamor for an alternative and wholesome entertainment presentation, while espousing enhanced basic Filipino values among local audiences. In his more than two decades as a versatile performer, Dyords has notably endeared himself to an extensive type of viewers.
At the same time, the series is a fundraiser for The Laren School, an educational institution (at La Fuerza Plaza, Pasong Tamo, Makati City) that uses the alternative approach — the Montessori method — for quality learning. The school caters to children from ages three to 12, including those with special educational needs.
Dyords Ko Po! started last July at Teatrino in Greenhills. The series continues Nov. 19 and Dec. 3 and will run until 2010. The concert is supported by Honda Cars Kalookan and Crossover 105.1 FM, with The Edge Trade and Marketing Group, Pilipino Production Presents, Inc., Connektiviti Consultancy Consortium Corp., Hidden Valley Resort, Andok’s Litson and USA Data Systems as major sponsors. For details, call Teatrino at 721-6726.