tymeless

Like I once said, "More plays, more fun."

Last Saturday, I watched 2 more plays for the month.

After work, I met up with Lara at SM Mall of Asia for the matinee show of DUP's Orosman at Zafira. She's friends with the showbuyers so she was somewhat required to watch. I, on the other hand, am merely a fan of the show. We decided to meet early so we can have lunch together, plus so we can be one of the first in line, as seats are first come, first served. Anyway, we went to the venue first so we can get our tickets (thanks to Merdin for reserving them for us), then ended up at Slammer Burgers for lunch. I just love quality time over food with my breast friend.

After lunch, we headed back to Centerstage so we can wait for the house to open. Dingdong had arrived by then, and claimed his ticket. Grace arrived soon after, decked out in this pretty vintage dress, and we were so surprised as we weren't used to her wearing a dress. Anyway, when we noticed one of the guards fixing the entrance, we decided to form a queue. Lara and I stayed in line while Dingdong and Grace decided to grab a quick lunch. Man, we stood there for about 45 minutes before they opened the house.

As there were so many people, the show began about half an hour late, but I have to say, it was worth the wait. Even though the set was still almost the same as it was in UP, they added a little more punch with a couple of scaffolds, which served as great device when it came to set changes, and even choreography. Delphine and Judith were still awesome as Zafira and Gulnara, respectively. And of course, Roeder and Nazer were spectacular as well as Abdalap and Boulasem. The rest of the cast were equally fascinating to watch, as usual. They even added a bit of touches here and there, some surprising effects that I didn't expect. Some little mishaps with the technicals, but it can be overlooked. The lighting was still quite a spectacle to watch, from beginning to end.

After the show, it was kinda hard to leave the theater because the exits were pretty crowded. Even when we waited a bit inside, there was still some sort of traffic jam as we exited the theater. And of course, Lara still had to have her bit of fangirling with some of the cast, and we let her indulge in it. A little nudge was all it took for her to get a solo opportunity for a photo op with Jay Gonzaga (who played Orosman), as most of the young audience crowded around him for photos.

Congratulations to the entire cast of Orosman at Zafira! Watching it again was worth it.

Anyway, finally, when the crowd thinned out, we all rode with Grace to CCP, as she and Dingdong also got tickets to that night's show of ZsaZsa Zatunnah. Lara, on the other hand, was still uncertain, as her only limiting factor to watch was that Pinky Amador was playing Queen Femina.

Met up with Rosa and Mickey at Teriyaki Boy in Harbour Square the moment we arrived in the CCP area. My goodness, that Dynamite Maki really was dynamite, ahahaha.

We arrived at the LT lobby just when the third chimes were about to go off. But Rosa and Mickey still had to make a pit stop to the restrooms, so I handed over their tickets to them, left Ed's with Paulo at the table, and headed inside alone.

OK, not to compare it with the other play, but Zaturnnah is one of my most anticipated plays this month for a few reasons. And one of them is that Tad, who is actually the Didi understudy, was given 3 shows this weekend to perform that particular role. Surely I can't miss that, ahahaha. And to think that the first play that I saw him in almost 6 years ago was also a gay role (a gay Benvolio in TP's R'meo Luvs Dew-Lhiett). There are lots of other reasons, and most of them are because of revamps and changes in the show itself. There's almost an entire brand-new ensemble, a brand new set, and who knew what else?

Anyway, thank goodness I went ahead, because from the prologue, there was already something different. Kamusta naman ang backdrop which had enveloped Ada that went sailing over our heads at the end of the prologue. And by the time the opening song began, I was already ready to roll with laughter the moment Tad had stepped onstage as Didi.

One thing I noticed, mas fashionista ang mga taong bayan ngayon. But because of that, with about just 2 people looking like the usual taong bayan, they sort of stood out. Anyway, other than that, the cast was still decked out in the usual black and grey looks (in Act 1; they were more colorful in Act 2, but still more fashionista then some, hahaha), in contrast to the mostly-pink set. And because the set was pink, the ensemble wore pink instead of the usual black korombo (thanks to Kuya Red for the term) when they had to go onstage "unnoticed" as lifters and movers.

Eula was awesome as Zsazsa, as always. She was hilarious and stellar at the same time. Her tandem with Tad's Didi was seamless, as if they had done it before. Same goes with Tuxqs as well. Pinky Amador as Queen Femina was refreshing to watch, though I'm somewhat used to seeing Kalila essay the role. In fairness, she did give her own flavor to the antagonist, though I sometimes feel like there's something missing. And if Gabe Mercado is said to be the first openly-straight man to essay this role, Tad's a close second, also being confident with his sexuality, regardless of whatever role he takes on. He was cute and hilarious, and you'll end up missing him when he's offstage. Seeing him in those Didi costumes was quite a sight to see, especially in that yellow gown (complete with handbag!) for the finale and curtain call.

Going back to the set, one ramp on stage left jutted out into the audience area like a thrust, so it's sort of a dead giveaway that some of the action takes place along the aisle. And sure enough, some actors crossed over via this ramp and into the audience through the aisle, and at one point even going through rows of seats, thus sort of bringing back the intimate feel that the play had during its original stagings in the small Batute theater.

Oh wait, they changed something, or cut something short, by the way. The "machine" was gone, and there was a new part in "Prepare to Meet Your Doom." Naging duet? Hahaha. Nice, I like it.

From the first scene right on up to the curtain call, the entire audience was applauding and rolling with laughter. Manhid na siguro ang hindi matutuwa sa musical na ito.

After the show, the lobby was swarming with people, trying to get photo ops with the cast. There was a photo wall where Tuxqs, Eula and Tad gamely posed for photos. Aba, iba na si Tad, pinipilahan na lang ngayon, nag falsies at evening gown lang, hahaha!

Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah! This play never seems to get old for me. I still want to watch again. Who wants to sponsor me? Hahaha!