You'll be hard-pressed to find a better cast than that of Anton Juan's comeback production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera at the PETA Center. One weekend seems too short for all this talent: Teroy Guzman as the always-cool Macheath, Onyl Torres as a South Asian J.J. Peachum, Kalila Aguilos as Polly Peachum (with amazing legs), Bituin Escalante as the force of nature Pirate Jenny (I still find it hard to believe that Aguilos and Escalante are sisters though both of them have unbelievable voices), Frances Makil-Ignacio as the pregnant Lucy Brown, Cholo Gino as a buxom Mrs. Peachum, and the incredible Ricci Chan as the Street Singer.
The first thought on my mind was: Is this Cabaret? There were certainly elements of it. (Hello, androgynous narrator.) Brecht himself frequented cabarets, says Ricky Abad. Song and dance can make a show entertaining. Maybe a little too much sometimes for the Brecht purist who expects the didactic treatment. It's too "clean", remarked a companion. But if you make it rough around the edges, I argued, how do you make sure it doesn't look unprofessional?
The set is spare, with a padyak (pedicab) put to good use. There is a wide range of accents here, which takes some getting used to. The beggars' poverty is Filipino but the script has names and places a Londoner would be familiar with. Current affairs pop up: GMA, the $20,000 dinner, the National Artist Awards, Michael Jackson--it's a wonder Cory's not here. In the beginning and in the end, when the fourth wall is broken, we find ourselves immune to the device.
What's the musician playing the accordion for? Couldn't the cast change the set themselves? Is Lexi necessary? Minor concerns, really. I will not ask "why this now?" or say "P1000 for Brecht?" That wouldn't be fair. There were instances when I caught myself thinking "now this...is art!" I mean that as a compliment. But I have to say that what I enjoyed most (other than Ricci Chan) are the moments of heavenly singing. It is still an opera after all.
I wonder why they renamed Sunnyside Drive to Eymard Drive. It was fine enough before...
You paid a thousand bucks to see the show??? Wow.
ReplyDeleteI saw it Friday night and loved it. A bit long, especially the first act. And the music takes some getting used to -- we're used to hearing pretty showtunes in our musicals.
But the performances! What a cast! And I thought Anton Juan pitched the tone of the production just right -- that wink-wink feel without going over the top, getting you into the story without allowing you to fall in.
half price, reserved through a crew member.
ReplyDeletetotally agree with you. weill does not fall under any of the usual broadway categories.
i hope you write about it even if the run is over :)