Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo: Making the Local Theatre Experience More Exciting

with Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo

Mama with Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo

I actually sat near her last Saturday during the last show of 9Works Theatrical's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.  I first saw Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo in Next to Normal last year, when I decided to experience local theater again, and just like thousands who saw her performance, we all came away from the theater holding our hankies - and of course, marveling at her exemplary performance!

I have learned since then that she has been the current guiding for for our local Repertory Company and I'm happy to say that the last three Repertory shows I've seen - 39 Steps, Next Fall and Leading Ladies, have been some of the best theater experiences I've had this past year!  I am actually excited and really looking forward to their current season.  I will be watching Jeckyll and Hyde two weeks from now.  The book is one of my all-time favorites, so I'm really curious how it turns out as a musical.  Well, under Menchu's careful guidance, I'm sure it's going to be another very entertaining show!

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Best Actress - Musical 2011 Nominees: MyFABE Theater Awards

I started watching local theater, seriously again this year.  I saw thirteen different plays and musicals this year and from those, I have come out with my own MyFABE Theater Awards for 2011. 

I have mulled over this list for the past 11 months and in my opinion, these are the five best performances by an actress in a musical for 2011.

BEST ACTRESS MUSICAL

Ima Castro - Aida

Nikki Gil - Sweet Charity

Menchu Lauchengco - Next to Normal

K-la Rivera - In the Heights

Eula Valdez - Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

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Theatre Review: The Magnificent Macabre Tale of Jekyll and Hyde

Although Jekyll and Hyde may not have that big famous song that most Broadway musicals, it is still quite fascinating to watch, especially that the book by Robert Louis Stevenson, is one of my all time favorite books!  There have been Hollywood versions and adaptations of this story and this is the first musical I have seen about this story.

Well, it is great to see that Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo can also direct!  I love the stage design and how it effectively anchors the story into who Dr. Jekyll is. I even love how she created a chorus who are always sinisterly looking back at the audience in most of the songs.  They don't move, they just stay in the background - with no lighting on them and no movement.  But once they come out as a chorus, wow, they become some sort of 'speaker' for the musical, the soul analyzing the agony Dr. Jekyll is going through.

Michael Williams is just impressive as the lead! Playing dual characters is not easy, but without much make-up, he was able to convey through voice, clever lighting and effective facial expressions, who Dr. Jekyll was and who Mr. Hyde was, as the latter appears more often in the second act of the musical.  The last scene where the two duel internally with each other is surely the scene that made many in the audience give the cast a standing ovation. It was just really impressive to see him do that scene really well!

As usual, I love Cris Villonco here.  I just love her voice and how cleverly she uses it to show emotion.  She gives her character tenderness yet she looks tough, and conveys her love for the doomed doctor by always believing that his good nature will win in the end.

One revelation last night was Kalila Aguilos.  Oh my god, listen to that voice, so clear, like a nightingale, it just wafts as she sings her songs - and she plays a hooker here, mind you.  And yeah, she is hot and sexy too, I'm sure the red-blooded males in the audience had their hearts racing as Dr. Jekyll touched her there!

This is also the first time I saw Junix Inocian act.  Wow, no wonder he was cast in Miss Saigon.  Such commanding performance.  He's like a rock and he commands the 'Greek chorus' swaying them that most of what we see is just a 'facade'.

Well, the material of this play is a bit disturbing but watch it and revel at how great Filipino actors are!

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1st MyFABE Theater Awards: Best Actress in a Musical

Not only did they have to act, they had to sing as well!  These five fine singing actresses are nominated for Best Actress in a Musical.  Ima Castro was a veritable tour-de-force in Aida.  Nikki Gil was quirky and sugary in Sweet Charity.  Menchu Lauchengco was heart-wrenching in Next to Normal.  K-la Rivera was a breath of fresh air in In the Heights while Eula Valdez was a wonder woman in Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.

BEST ACTRESS MUSICAL

Ima Castro - Aida

Nikki Gil - Sweet Charity

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo - Next to Normal

K-la Rivera - In the Heights

Eula Valdez - Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah

And the award for Best Actress in a Play goes to...........Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo in Next to Normal!

Moi avec Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo apres le presentacion!

Theatre Review: Grief Cuts You Like A Knife in 'Next to Normal'

Well, I think this will be the last Atlantis Production I'll be watching this year. I'm not so sure about catching Little Mermaid since I'm not really into "kids material" although I love the songs of that movie.

Anyhow, it's not easy to watch Next to Normal, since it deals with death and grief and a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown! However, the cast led by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo makes the grief so palpable, you'd hear sniffles around you especially in the last few dramatic scenes! Menchu, in my opinion, has given the best performance by an actress among all the musicals I've seen this year. Everyone in the cast was great! I didn't know The Dawn's Jett Pangan could act! Well, his singing was clear and full of emotion! The daughter, played by Bea Garcia is cute as a button and she did fine as well! My favorite theater actor, Felix Rivera is on top of his game here, as he always is, and since I was near the stage, I could really hear how nice and high his voice was since he did a lot of second voice and high notes! It was so beautiful to hear! Well, easily the cutest among an already goodlooking cast is Markki Stroem, and it didn't show that he was a neophyte in theater acting amidst a very talented cast! He could act and sing at the same time! I don't know why they don't give him more projects on that channel!

Anyhow, except for Jett Pangan, I got pictures again with the very affable cast! Aside from PETA, the Atlantis Production cast are the most approachable among the theater groups in the city. Well, include the Dulaang CCP also in that list! They were also quite kwela! It just makes theater watching more interesting since you get to interact with the cast just right after the play

Theatre Review: Atlantis' Production's Next to Normal is Gut-Wrenching and Superbly Performed

The themes of the musical Next to Normal are quite dark and depressing and frankly, it is a subject which is a bit alien to me right now - although, I was also there in that place about twenty years ago - so watching it was a bit difficult. 

However, the performances were all superb and topnotch, I could even daresay that we are much better than the ones who originated the roles (but don't tell the Broadway producers!)  Jett Pangan and his voice is a true gift from God!  (I am not worthy, I am not worthy!!)  I was in the front seat and I could see how he sings very effortlessly and he acts along with it too.  He has a poignant scene in the very end (with the equally fabulous Felix Rivera) and this is the first time that two men in a scene - almost made me cry!! I was just really holding back because I was in front and I was too embarrassed but a lone tear did roll down my right eye!  It's a very emotional scene because the transition from focusing on Menchu Lauchengco's character to Jett's was too drastic and sudden for me and that scene was really moving!

Menchu does most of the emotional scenes here so I think she should be very tired after every performance.  She didn't hold back today.  She's such a joy to watch since you can see the emotions etched on her own face as she's trying to grapple with the maelstrom of feelings that someone coping with depression feels.

Bea Garcia is cute and she has a wonderful voice.  She plays Natalie, the daughter, trying to cope with her Mom's depression.  She's definitely one of the best young actresses in theater that I've seen lately.  And she can act too!

I did review Felix's performance in my other blog - and so with Markki!  Just go to fabe-lous.blogspot.com.

Well, we all have been to a dark place at least at one point in our lives.  What we see in this musical are people coping with a loss so tragic, we wouldn't want to wish it on our enemies.  It does end positively though - for what is life without hope to extinguish the darkness!