Bago na lumipas ang lahat, akoapos;y magbibigay muna ng review... Itoapos;y lalabas sa lahat ng blog ko maliban sa vox (xanga, LJ, Blogger, wordpress, at Friendster).
It was a great luck for me to be able to buy a front row ticket at the last hour of ticket selling. Well, of course, that excited me. Iapos;ve been a fan of musicals ever since I was young, starting from my most favorite, The Phantom of the Opera, Sound of Music, Chicago, and the ones who donapos;t have their movie versions like Aspects of Love (na nakakakilig), Beautiful Game (na medyo boring para sa akin pag walang stripper *hides*), Cats (di naman halata na mahal ko si Andrew Lloyd Webber, no?). But oh well, itapos;s my third time to watch a live one (and unfortunately it should have been the fourth but I missed Miss Saigon few years back) and the thought of Joanna Ampil excites me. Well, itapos;s also due to curiosity because I saw a Sakurai fancam of it and I was curious if that really did follow the original (well, they quite added... Err... Skin... To it). I was not really fond of WSS before because itapos;a quite, messy in terms of the choreography (like the gangfight and the dance).
So, letapos;s start. It was exciting to know that it was Joanna Ampil who will perform that after noon (I got the 3 PM show) but a bit disappointing because Iapos;m a fan of Karylle. But at least sheapos;s the international one (though I hope to get to see her in West End. Itapos;s my dream to watch there). The one who played Riff is someone who really performs in TV and I did not know he really dances that well I was impressed. And also the Prologue dance. It was really a pro that will really make you watch the show. However, the problem with this person who played as Riff was... His pronunciation. I did not understand what he was saying. Maybe he did not relly have this cool American accent that he sounded like a person with his cheeks stuck. I could only make out "buddy boy" (LoL, I remember Oh-chan) and some small phrases. But all in all,� did not understand.
I think the one who played Bernardo was better. He was supposed to say stuff with the Puerto Rican accent and he did it nicely. And heapos;s also a good dancer too... Though I think he looks quite old. Oh well, age doesnapos;t matter (so now I wonder why Matsumoto got the role). Heapos;s a kicking great actor *INSPIRED*
Iapos;m not really into Christian Bautista but heapos;s got this wonderful voice that was so flawless when he glided onstage. Though I think he doesnapos;t know how to act that much. Scary but true. Heapos;s actually a singer, ne? I also donapos;t think heapos;s handsome (biased). But heapos;s got this nice smile... The problem with his singing or with the sound system is that the variation heapos;s making cannot be heard, especially when it becomes the soft. That, I think, is what he has done better (if not for the sound system). The other Tony is kinda stuck with the loud-loud-loud that it might be straining to the ears. But oh well... Back to the Philippines.
My most favorite actress and character of them all. Anita I soo love the actress but I forgot who she was. But I really love the way she dances, acts (with her strong accent), and her songs. I love the way she performed "America", danced with Bernardo, and how she swings her skirt higher than usual in her high heels. And I love the way she said, "Heapos;s definitely hot... Ohh, definitely black orchid..." LoL I love her hotness Bless her Her character is also kind but a bit... Err... Misled... Evil Jets. But as for her character portrayal, she is the best-est Anita ever I really really really love her *FANGIRLING*
And Maria.Sheapos;s great NQA. I really love her and her voice. And the way she acted. Though she did not really dance too much. I am curious if she really dances well. You know, being a stage actress, she must be.
Back to the story...
I was really ecstatic with the part where Maria and Tony met. The choreography is the same as all versions of WSS That weird cuckoo like steps However, Christian Bautista CANNOT swing his hips... Sho can do it much better. And I could not feel the "kilig" from his side when Maria started saying that her hands were cold and his were warm or whatever...
The Dance at the Gym was so great but I was stuck watching the Puerto Rican side as it was the side nearer to me. As usual, I was dazzled with Anita... I sooo wanted to be like this actress And sheapos;s wearing purple
Maria is very nicely sung. And he just kept on smiling. I could even hear my brain singing along with it. I mean, Maria is just pure love to me... Their version of Tonight is really great too However, Mariaapos;s voice is always not that heard... Maybe itapos;s the mic problem...
As Iapos;ve said, I was impressed with "America"... Though the thick accent did not make me understand the song through its lyrics.
Cool. No one sang too much and I loved the way they portrayed them losing and controlling themselves through the dancing which might be interpreted as another stuff... The chicks areareally beautiful. Theyapos;re not Filipinos I supposed... And they act well
One Hand, One Heart is such a nice song. At last, I could feel Tonyapos;s voice piercing through.
The Tonight Reprise is one of the best parts ever. Though Iapos;m more focused on Anita while she was singing about what sheapos;ll do to Bernardo after the rumble. But oh well, I really loved reprises...
The Rumble is nicely choreographed though... Though... Was tony really angry that Bernardo killed Riff? I did not feel his facial expression. I did not feel the guilt and the grief when he accidentally killed Bernardo. Donapos;t make me say it
I Feel Pretty is an LSS for me... And it sounds like a break after the darker tones of the story. Oh well, Maria did not know anything yet...
Somewhere... Iapos;ve known this song even before I knew WSS. And I love the way they portrayed the more wonderful white world until the spotlights turned red and the reenactment happened. This is much a better version than the other Iapos;ve watched. You donapos;t need to be too "reenactment" to do it. A little interpretation, like a dance, is better...
Fortunately, no skin showing. Because of kids around and letapos;s face it, can he show us anything?
Officer Krupke is a funny song with their nice rendition. Anybodys look so cute following the others... I also love this character... She rocks
A Boy Like That/I Have a Love is so dramatic I wanna cry. Itapos;s like an explosion of talents (Anita and Maria) and I was really impressed with Anitaapos;s vocal prowess And of course, the scene was too much to bear for me I really wanted to cry... Itapos;s really a very very very powerful scene and they carried it out with the best they could.
The Taunting Scene was really great. I pitied Anita so much in this part... Oh my... But they really carried out the scene with the choreography as well... *APPLAUDS*
Finale... I could not feel the "Chino, come and get me.." desperate cry of Tony. Promise. I am not really mad or anything at the actor but I could not feel his desperation, that he did not want to exist anymore in the world. But I really loved Mariaapos;s acting. Like she wanted to kill everyone because she hates everybody now... *sigh*... I wish they have a second round with another Tony... A better one not only in voice but also in acting...
So thatapos;s that... More comments coming up
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