Michael Williams: Superb as Dr. Jekyll

I last saw him in last year's 39 Steps, where he was nominated for Best Actor in a Play for my PinkFoxPatrol Theater Awards for 2011 - and he was pretty funny in that play!  This year, though, he plays an even more challenging role as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  I know I already wrote about his acting in the review of this musical, but it's just that some performances stand out from the rest that it's worth writing aboutit in another blog article.  The theater season this year is still young (it's only the end of March) but most of the guys who would want to win the PinkFoxPatrol Best Actor in a Musical award for this year, may have a tough act to follow as Michael's performance here is the one to beat, as of yet, this year.

It's difficult to elicit fear in a live musical, but my friend and I were actually afraid of what he would do as his character killed and killed and killed with wanton evil. You would actually really hate Mr. Hyde here but of course, you'd realize, only one person is playing both, so to convey that feeling for a person was quite remarkable for me.

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Care Divas Tops the 1st MyFABE Theater Awards

The musical comedy-drama Care Divas topped the 1st MyFABE Theater awards winning five awards - Best Musical, Best Director - Musical for Maribel Legarda, Best Actor Musical for Melvin Lee, Best Supporting Actor Musical for Ricci Chan and Best Songbook for Vincent de Jesus.

This year's Best Play, Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay won four awards - including Best Director for Joey Paras who also won Best Script, and Best Actress in a Play for Kiki Baento.

The surprise of the night was the four awards for 39 Steps.  They got two acting awards for Liza Infante (Best Supporting Actress in a Play) and for Juliene Mendoza (Best Supporting Actor in a Play).  They also grabbed two technical awards - Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

The queen of local theater, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, won Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as a woman sinking into madness in Next to Normal. Veteran actor Siegfried Sepulveda won the Best Actor in a Play award for his turn as a retiree in The Valley Mission Care while veteran actress Pinky Amador snatched the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical award for Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.

Mga Lobo Tulad ng Buwan won for Best Lighting while Sweet Charity got the Best Choreography award.

Only plays and musicals that I watched this year are qualified to be nominated in the said categories.  Winners are basically the personal choice of moi, the blogger!

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1st MyFABE Theater Awards: Best Supporting Actor in a Play

Five good actors are nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Play this year.  Richard Cunanan played the jovial doctor in The Valley Mission Care.  Juliene Mendoza and Rem Zamora played various roles in 39 Steps to funny effect.  Jerald Napoles played the hunky native in Fake while co-actor, the cute Ross Pesigan played the bewildered student in Fake.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR PLAY

Richard Cunanan - The Valley Mission Care

Juliene Mendoza - 39 Steps

Jerald Napoles - Fake

Ross Pesigan - Fake

Rem Zamora - 39 Steps

And the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play goes to......Juliene Mendoza for 39 Steps!

Juliene Mendoza is the bald guy while co-nominee Rem Zamora is the mysterious lady in black!  Both played multiple roles in this play, the 39 Steps.

1st MyFABE Theater Awards: Best Supporting Actress in a Play

Four versatile actresses are nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Play.  Sharmaine Buencamino was a fake healer in Fake. Gimay Galvan was the irritated lesbian in Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay.  Alya Honasan expressed true shock in Fake, while Liza Infante inhabited several roles in 39 Steps, among them a rich countess.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS PLAY

Sharmaine Buencamino - Fake

Gimay Galvan - Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay

Alya Honasan - Fake

Liza Infante - 39 Steps

And the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play goes to......Liza Infante in 39 Steps!

1st MyFABE Theater Awards: Best Costume Design

There were several well-dressed actors in several plays and musicals this year.  I chose 39 Steps for the authentic period costumes that suited the era of the play.  The caregivers of the Care Divas looked fabulous!  The period costumes of Fake evoked that era in Philippine history.  The sexy costumes in Sweet Charity evoked the 60s while the daring costumes of Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah helped beef up the superhero's character.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

39 Steps

Care Divas

Fake

Sweet Charity

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah

And the winner for Best Costume Design is.......39 Steps!

1st MyFABE Theater Awards: Best Production Design

Among the plays that I saw this year, the following, are my nominees for Best Production Design.


I picked 39 Steps because of the ingenious way the production designer used the same props for different scenes!  As for Fake, the collection of antiques and furniture perfectly captured the era that the play was set in.  In the Heights and Sweet Charity used credible scenery while Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan was creative in depicting a boat at sea during a storm.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

39 Steps

Fake

In the Heights

Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan

Sweet Charity

And the award for Best Production Design goes to..........39 Steps!  This is the first MyFABE Theatre award for 39 Steps.

MyFABE Theater Awards: Nominees For Technical Categories

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 for each technical category -

BEST SONGBOOK

Care Divas

In the Heights

Next to Normal

Sweet Charity

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah

BEST SCRIPT

Vincent de Jesus - Care Divas

Russell Legaspi - The Valley Mission Care

Joey Paras - Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay

Floy Quintos - Fake

Pat Valera - Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan

BEST LIGHTING

39 Steps

In the Heights

Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan

Next to Normal

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

39 Steps

Care Divas

Fake

Sweet Charity

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

39 Steps

Fake

In the Heights

Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan

Sweet Charity

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Care Divas

In the Heights

Sweet Charity

William

Zsa Zaturnnah

The winners will be announced on December 31, 2011.

Best Supporting Actress - Play 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 supporting role in a play for 2011.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS PLAY

Sharmaine Buencamino - Fake

Gimay Galvan - Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay

Alya Honasan - Fake

Liza Infante - 39 Steps

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

Best Supporting Actor - Play 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 actor in a supporting role in a play for 2011.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR PLAY

Richard Cunanan - The Valley Mission Care

Juliene Mendoza - 39 Steps

Jerald Napoles - Fake

Ross Pesigan - Fake

Rem Zamora - 39 Steps

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

Best Actor - Play 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 actor in a play in 2011.

BEST ACTOR (PLAY)

Joel Lamangan - Fake

Gerard Pizarras - Fake

Leo Rialp - Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay

Siegfried Sepulveda - The Valley Mission Care

Michael Williams - 39 Steps

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

Best Director - Play 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 directors of a play in 2011.

BEST DIRECTOR (PLAY)

Ana Abad Santos - 39 Steps

Tony Mabenta - Fake

Missy Maramara - The Valley Mission Care

Joey Paras - Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay

Pat Valera - Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

Best Play 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 plays for 2011.

BEST PLAY

39 Steps

Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay

Fake

Mga Lobo Tulad Ng Buwan

The Valley Mission Care

The winner will be announced on December 31, 2011.

Murder With A Funny Twist in '39 Steps'

 
This is the first Repertory play I've seen in a long, long time!  And I had a great time watching it!  I'm a big fan of Hitchcock's films but this doesn't veer into anything terrifying, instead it's so full of laughs - you'd be in awe at how these actors (especially Rem Zamora and Juliene Mendoza) segue into the different roles they play in this two-hour play.  You'd have to see it to enjoy it - I daresay they bring versatility to a higher standard!  Michael Williams and Liza Infante are both good too! 

Another thing that impressed me was the way they used the props! It's maybe because I haven't seen any play for years, I am now in awe at they resourcefulness theater people have in utilizing the barest of props and make us believe it's the real thing!  It just made watching this play even more enjoyable to watch!  For example, four chairs which serve as a backdrop in a political rally, turns into a car!  Or a 'train' can first be seen through the front and then in the next scene, is scene from the side!  Just make watching the play pretty interesting!

Another observation in some of the plays I've seen these past two weeks - I mean Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah - they now include the audience INTO the play!  For example, in the rally scene in Zsa Zsa, the 'crowd' went into the audience to rally them to join and support Zsa Zsa.  In this play, the actual chases occur where the audience is!  They even passed through my row!!  And during the political rally scene where people had to clap, one of the actors tapped me in the shoulder and urged me to clap - and I did of course! Another reason why watching plays now is more engaging!

Well, I am definitely looking forward to the next Rep play!