Gandalf as the Mad King

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of watching the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance of "The Tragedy of King Lear", played by no one else but by the great "Gandalf", "Sir Teabing", and "Magneto", Sir Ian McKellen.




Sir Ian McKellen as King Lear

For theatre and Shakespeare lovers, King Lear is a role that one would describe as the "Mount Everest" for any Shakespearean actor. They basically say that "if you're old enough to play King Lear, then you're too old to play King Lear". It is a role known to be emotionally and physically challenging. Sir Ian delivered, and more.



Sir Ian McKellen with Sylvester McCoy as The Fool


He took his kit off... naked as the day the Maker made him and might I add, not bad for an old gay man!


But I digress.


He is truly the greatest stage performer of his time. His stage presence, his command and ease of Shakespearean English, and his ownership of the part of Lear just proves his magnificent talent.




A fallen King Lear with The Earl of Gloucester, played by William Gaunt


Jonathan Hyde (you'll probably remember him as Richie Rich's butler and Robin Williams' greatest fear in Jumanji) was a fantastic Earl of Kent. Sylvester McCoy who played King Lear's Fool was a joy to watch as well. Frances Barber who played the evil eldest daughter Goneril was so effective is her role that I literally wanted to strangle her.


It was truly a night to remember. Seeing Sir Ian perform in all his excellent theatrical glory is something that I will truly take with me till death. He made me cry. He made me sympathise with an old, proud, foolish man who not only lost his kingdom but also lost his whole family, especially his dearest daughter Cordelia.


Howl, Howl, Howl...


Found this sample in YouTube. This is a scene between King Lear and The Fool. Enjoy!






O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven,
Keep me in temper: I would not be mad.
- King Lear, Act I Scene V

A bit of culture and child-like glee

This weekend was quite eventful. After spending three days at Newcastle for a conference, I went back home to Melbourne on the Friday only to get ready for a night of theatre - Miss Saigon.


Needless to say, it is a fantastic piece of musical excellence. The cast was full of Filipino talents. The Engineer was played by no other than Leo Valdez. He made a very good impression with the Australian audience. It's quite amusing that I still remember the songs from when it was made popular back in 1989 by the original "Kim", Lea Salonga. My girlfriend and I couldn't refrain from singing along, albeit softly, to Kim on-stage.


The boys had a wonderful time. I couldn't help myself from getting a bit teary eyed in the end. It is a tragic story but was a very common occurrence during the war. I guess people who watch Miss Saigon do get side-tracked by the music and fail to remember that women like Kim suffered in the hands of the GIs and fellow Vietnamese alike. I hope that Miss Saigon stands as a reminder of the atrocities and sacrifices people have suffered during the war.


*****


Yesterday, Arnie and I - along with my mum - watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was a full house and everyone seemed to enjoy the film. It wasn't a bad effort - a 772 page book crammed into a 2 1/2 hour film. Of course, it was to be expected that there are some changes made to make the story flow better in the movie. In my personal opinion, it was fun. It was nice. Harry and Cho's first kiss was sweet - and there were people in the theatre who gushed of course. Luna was endearing. There was not enough Kreacher though. Bellatrix's appearance was short but very effective. The Thestrals were cool. Tonks was cool. Ginny kicked arse - very powerful Reducto curse.


I enjoyed Order of the Phoenix as much as the last Harry Potter movies. But if I was going to be honest with myself, it was anti-climactic. Sirius's demise was expected, of course, but very understated. Harry and Dumbledore's interaction was short and a bit emotionless. I was expecting Harry to have blown up spectacularly like he did in the book. Oh well, it was to be expected anyway - the movie will never be completely faithful to the book.


I am now looking forward to the book. I'm picking it up on Saturday morning at Borders and am expecting my free Hedwig plush doll. Can't wait!!!

I got tickets!

Miss Saigon is finishing it's Melbourne run on July 15 and we've got tickets to see this wonderful musical on the 13th of July!


Very exciting considering I wasn't really planning to watch it to start with but a friend emailed me and told me that all tickets are being sold for $75 only. Wow! What a great opportunity to catch one of the best musicals ever written!


I vividly remember this musical when it was just new and our very own Lea Salonga played the most coveted role of Kim. That role made her a worldwide sensation. In this version, Kim is also played by a Filipina woman based in Sydney.


Can't wait for a piece of great theatre!

Daniel love 2

At the risk of getting Harry Potter fans' parents angry, here is another pic I saw from the promotional shots of Equus. I lifted the photo and caption from today's Sydney Morning Herald.





Daniel Radcliffe and Joanne Christie are seen in the stage play Equus.
Photo: Reuters


I can't believe that some parents think that Daniel's parents have made a grave mistake by allowing their son to take on this wonderfully mature and dark role. Please, give the boy a break. He's an actor for crying out loud! Some people are so hypocritical. Kids nowadays have sex in such an early age. I believe we should educate them rather than hide them behind rose-coloured lenses. Daniel is no longer a child. He is a 17-year old who is turning 18 - a young adult - in a few months. We should congratulate Daniel on his efforts to grow as an artist. I don't want him to turn to another Macaulay Culkin!


As for me, allow me to drool... for a second or two before I get jailed for mentally molesting a minor :p

Daniel Love

It's been a while since I drooled over Daniel Radcliffe. It may be the fact that he is only a 17-year old boy but when I saw this, I couldn't resist but go "hubba-hubba."

Yes folks, THAT is Daniel Radcliffe, starkers! Would you believe that the boy wizard is all grown up? This photo was from the official shoot for the promotion of the play Equus. This is Daniel's West End debut and his first serious play. He plays the role of a mentally-disturbed stable boy by the name of Alan Strang who ritualistically blinds horses. You may have read the play. If not, go read it!


The play requires the character of Alan to ride a horse naked - very Lady Godiva. There is also a failed sex scene between him and his girlfriend (lady in picture plays the part). So yes, Daniel is going to prance around the stage in all his naked glory!


Okay, I'm bordering sicko territory here. It's just fantastic that Daniel is breaking out of the cute Harry character he's played so well.


And speaking of breaking out of character, check out this scene from "Extras", one of the funniest shows I've seen for a long time.

Super cultured weekend!

This past weekend was probably the best one I had in ages. I didn't laze about doing nothing, I actually went out and enjoyed a couple of days of pure cultured entertainment!

Last Saturday, I went out with my bessie Mig and his older brother Jet. The Melbourne International Film Festival was on so we decided to go and see the only Filipino film entry - Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros.



This movie was awarded three times in the recent Berlin Film Festival and received rave reviews and nominations in the popular Sundance Film Festival. It was a joy to watch. Maxi, played by newcomer Nathan Lopez, is a 12-year old lady-boy who lives in poverty with his crook father and brothers. His family loves him dearly and treat him like the "mother" of the family. He then meets a cop whom he falls in love with and made him question the life his family leads.

This is an independent film, made by newcomer Aureaus Solito. The imagery and the story was enough to make you enjoy this film immensely. I was extremely pleased to find the cinema packed with mostly Australians supporting the festival. At the end of the film, people clapped in appreciation.

It made me proud of being a Filipino for once. At last, the Filipinos are learning what real movie-making is all about.

Yesterday night was a dream. Arnie and I went to see The Boy From Oz, a musical about the Australian music legend that is Peter Allen, played enthusiastically by no other than Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman.



What can I say? I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS SHOW!!!

Hugh was an absolute joy to watch! He engaged the audience, he performed fantastically, he gave 110% of himself to make the role his, and boy can he sing!

We were seated 6 rows from the stage... yep, we were THAT close. Hugh is an extremely handsome man with a fantastic physique. I'll choose him over any other actor anyday :)

I was pleasantly surprised throughout the whole show. There were songs that I didn't even know were written by Peter Allen, such as I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love by Rita Coolidge, Don' Cry Out Loud by Melissa Manchester, and (Arthur's Theme) Best That You Can Do by Christopher Cross.

Do you guys remember Chrissy Amphlett? She was the lead singer of the Divinyls, famous for such hits as Pleasure and Pain and I Touch Myself. She played Judy Garland and boy, was she good!

In fact, the whole cast was good. It was pure unadulterated entertainment for 2 hours and we all danced, sang along, and clapped in appreciation. We also spotted a few stars in the crowd: Rove McManus, Belinda Emmett, and Debra Hutton.

It was a fun-filled night I surely won't forget for ages. Nothing like a bit of culture to keep me going :)