August 23, 2004
Carla Edeliza M. Varias
I watched “Baby” last August 20. I’m a bit diligent today to write a review. For those who have plans of watching the Musical, this review might help you.
*******
The story of Baby is really simple. It’s just a typical story of three women with thoughts and experiences of having a baby. The first lady of her 20’s found out that she’s pregnant with her musician boyfriend. They are still in their senior year. The second lady of her 30’s is a P.E. instructor where the first lady studies. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby for 3 years. They’ve tried a lot of techniques and physician’s pieces of advice just to have a baby. Alas, they still weren’t able to have one. The third lady of her late 40’s is experiencing a dilemma on continuing her unexpected pregnancy. She has three daughters and has decided to just enjoy life since her children are old-enough. The story revolves when these three women met in the hospital. They shared to each other their emotions and desires.
Although I’m aware of the simplicity of the story, I decided to watch the play to see the performance of Lea Salonga. It was unfortunate for me that I’ve not watched Miss Saigon heck I grabbed the opportunity to see Lea on stage. As expected, Lea did well in the play. She speaks and sings very well (super superlative). She’s the only actress in the play with a very comprehensible diction and pronunciation. But what mesmerized me was Agot Isidro’s performance. She stood out among the other performers along with her partner Jet Pangan. Unexpectedly, I was more excited to see her back on stage than with Lea. This is probably because of their roles.
Lea’s role is quite undemanding (effortless show of greatness in music and theatre arts). On the other hand, Agot’s role is more challenging. She played as a PE instructor meaning she has to act ‘sporty’. Moreover, there’s also a scene where she has to wear sexy outfit and seduce her husband. It’s far from the usual Agot I’ve seen on TV and Movies. I also commend Jet Pangan for his humor and cleverness in acting. His team-up with Agot is really great. They show association with each other’s act. They gave life to the play.
However, there are dull moments during the play. These are the scenes with the old couple. I don’t know but I felt sleepy when they were on stage. I was not interested to watch their performance. But to be fair with the old guy who played Alex, I love him when he danced and sang with other four actors (“When my head is high and my hair is weak… I’m happy”). I had a last song syndrome.
By and large, unlike the other Broadway Musicals (i.e. Rent, Miss Saigon, Rocky Horror Show) or other Musicals (esp. Footloose), Baby is far from being a favorite. It doesn’t create connection to the viewer. It’s a feel-good play. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a waste of penny at all because I was still able to see Lea perform on stage.
P.S.
I’m very lucky that I bought the cheapest ticket. =)
Carla Edeliza M. Varias
I watched “Baby” last August 20. I’m a bit diligent today to write a review. For those who have plans of watching the Musical, this review might help you.
*******
The story of Baby is really simple. It’s just a typical story of three women with thoughts and experiences of having a baby. The first lady of her 20’s found out that she’s pregnant with her musician boyfriend. They are still in their senior year. The second lady of her 30’s is a P.E. instructor where the first lady studies. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby for 3 years. They’ve tried a lot of techniques and physician’s pieces of advice just to have a baby. Alas, they still weren’t able to have one. The third lady of her late 40’s is experiencing a dilemma on continuing her unexpected pregnancy. She has three daughters and has decided to just enjoy life since her children are old-enough. The story revolves when these three women met in the hospital. They shared to each other their emotions and desires.
Although I’m aware of the simplicity of the story, I decided to watch the play to see the performance of Lea Salonga. It was unfortunate for me that I’ve not watched Miss Saigon heck I grabbed the opportunity to see Lea on stage. As expected, Lea did well in the play. She speaks and sings very well (super superlative). She’s the only actress in the play with a very comprehensible diction and pronunciation. But what mesmerized me was Agot Isidro’s performance. She stood out among the other performers along with her partner Jet Pangan. Unexpectedly, I was more excited to see her back on stage than with Lea. This is probably because of their roles.
Lea’s role is quite undemanding (effortless show of greatness in music and theatre arts). On the other hand, Agot’s role is more challenging. She played as a PE instructor meaning she has to act ‘sporty’. Moreover, there’s also a scene where she has to wear sexy outfit and seduce her husband. It’s far from the usual Agot I’ve seen on TV and Movies. I also commend Jet Pangan for his humor and cleverness in acting. His team-up with Agot is really great. They show association with each other’s act. They gave life to the play.
However, there are dull moments during the play. These are the scenes with the old couple. I don’t know but I felt sleepy when they were on stage. I was not interested to watch their performance. But to be fair with the old guy who played Alex, I love him when he danced and sang with other four actors (“When my head is high and my hair is weak… I’m happy”). I had a last song syndrome.
By and large, unlike the other Broadway Musicals (i.e. Rent, Miss Saigon, Rocky Horror Show) or other Musicals (esp. Footloose), Baby is far from being a favorite. It doesn’t create connection to the viewer. It’s a feel-good play. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a waste of penny at all because I was still able to see Lea perform on stage.
P.S.
I’m very lucky that I bought the cheapest ticket. =)
0 comments:
Post a Comment