There goes the Future

I'm a month behind in posts but here's something to tide you over until I find time to sit down and write a proper one. (From the looks of it, that will take another month or two.)

My piece on FMFA 2013 at Sepang International Circuit: Future Music: Where the World Says Andale!

Les Miserables (2012)

 

Why even bother to write about the film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, when I can't ever be objective about it? You know what? I'm not sure, either.

This post was spurred by Hyperactive's Facebook link to his review and our eventual mini-discussion in the comments.  If he had not suggested that I write about it, I probably wouldn't have, simply because I don't think it matters anymore. But maybe I do have a story here. So I will explain why I saw it the way that I did.

Les Miserables was my gateway drug to musical theatre.

It was almost 20 years ago when I was introduced to the musical by a classmate of mine. We were in sixth grade. She told us about Les Miz because her cousin was playing Gavroche in the Manila production. I wasn't the only one who got hooked; there were a bunch of us who didn't see the show but became fans. The inevitable happened--we craved for more. Thus, the other mega-musicals of the era followed: Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, the rest of the Andrew Lloyd Webber canon...

I remember sharing the double cassette tape of the Les Miz Original London Cast recording with my brother. The song titles were printed on white stickers on either side of the tapes, which eventually became beige with our constant handling. The tapes were so overplayed that our players would sometimes eat them. (Oh, I don't want to explain this to the kids anymore. Basta.)

My brother and I enjoyed the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert, too. He was the one who bought the album. I believe we even recorded the televised show on VHS. By the time the 25th Anniversary Concert came around, everything was online already, so it wasn't that hard to geek out.

Yes, I bought a book for its cover

Point being, I love the show. Nevermind that I only watched it in 2000 from the farthest section with a cheap ticket from Leicester Square. (Joanna Ampil played Eponine. That made me really happy.)  Nevermind that I didn't finish the 1400-page complete and unabridged book. I still managed to absorb the easy 300+ pages of an abridged version. Cheater.

Clearly, I am not the biggest fan of the musical either--I can't remember every name in the OLC ensemble and it's not even my favorite musical of all time--but I'm sure we Les Miz lovers number in the millions and we are passionate about it to this day.

So when the film casting speculations started to circulate, of course I was breathless with anticipation. When the teasers started coming out, I was still able to contain myself. When the excerpts surfaced, I felt I had seen enough and that I could manage my expectations.

Wrong.

When the featurettes were posted, I watched them all and enjoyed the production details that I missed from not doing theater for years. And when vulture.com came out with Les Miserables advent calendar (go on, open it!), I checked it every week (not daily--that would have been really unbearable) because I needed a fix.

I avoided reviews like the plague and went home to the Philippines for the holidays annoyed that the only thing in the way of me watching Les Miz was the Metro Manila Film Festival, which starts on December 25 every year. Mmff talaga!

When I came back to Kuala Lumpur, I made sure to watch Les Miz on the first weekend I could. But when I did...(And this is the part where I need to plagiarize my Facebook comments and assume that you've seen the film.)

The film started out big and grand, as I had never seen the chain gang before. But like the ship in the opening sequence, the film quickly showed that it wasn't the watertight epic I was hoping it would be. The big question was:

Where were the melodies? Where there actually songs?

It's unthinkable to accuse Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil of creating music that is forgettable. Their forte is getting audiences to remember the themes. How come nothing stuck?

I might have the answer: the music was sacrificed in the name of ownership and acting. Then again, you don't have to rewrite the sheet music to own a song. It's also possible to act and still stay more or less faithful to the book (and I don't mean the Victor Hugo one).

I've admired Hugh Jackman since I found out about The Boy From Oz. Since his "Bring Him Home" made me cringe, I don't know what to think of him anymore. Man, was that unlistenable.

There is nothing bad you can say about Anne Hathaway and she's a shoo-in for the Oscar. Her part of the story was the most moving one for me. (Though the actress is only human, as Ricky Lo knows. I don't intend to watch his or Manny the Movie Guy's interviews, but Jessica Zafra's dissection of the non-event is enough for me.) That doesn't spare her from Hatha-haters, though.

The Thenardiers are not as effective as they are onstage. And really, is it too much, Mr. Mackintosh, to have a Marius with dimples? Just kidding.

Not even the presence of the original stage Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson (as the bishop), could save the film. But he was the model of simplicity, true to his character. And that is because he didn't need to prove that he can sing. It was nice to have Aaron Tveit and Samantha Barks there. I'm on the fence about Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne. I will be harsher to movie stars than to theater people, but props to them for going through six weeks of rehearsals.

As for Javert...poor guy. Moving on...

You left your coat, dear. Every woman is an Eponine. That's why we react to that waist. It's hard enough to breathe, all the more to sing. © Universal Pictures  

Schoolboys. Just as foolish in the 19th century. © Universal Pictures

Let's face it: there's nothing quite as amazing as a revolving barricade. The barricade is a character on its own. If it is not dynamic, it is dead.

The zooming-out-to-the-heavens shots reminded me of the Phantom of the Opera film. Joel Schumacher was crucified for that (but more because he gave Batman nipples than for anything else), but in hindsight, POTO is much more watchable than Les Miz. Not so sure I'd listen to its soundtrack but I definitely cannot listen to the Les Miz film soundtrack. Or even watch it again. In a few years, perhaps, for a sing-along. An aside: you should see the version I saw in the cinema. It had subtitles in English, Malay and Chinese. Mic na lang, karaoke na!

Ay, sorry. Where was I?

I want to believe that Tom Hooper is an intelligent director and that he tried his darndest to put this film together. There were some smart choices there--live singing and the addition of the new song, to name two. Surely he could have done something to make the lovebirds not look like complete fools. He doesn't really care about them, does he?

It's understandable that the female echo in "Drink With Me" disappeared, but taking away the Fantine-Eponine harmony at the finale? That, for me, was the last straw.

And now, a word on all those closeups. The cinematography is as unforgivable as it is unforgiving. If you're going to be all auteur with a musical of this magnitude, you'll alienate not just theatergoers but film lovers for whom every shot, every angle has to be meaningful.

Les Miserables went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was robbed! That was a much smaller film but very well made. Fine, smaller films are much easier to get right. In the case of Les Miserables, scale was always part of the equation. But it is not the only thing that matters.

Do you hear the (theater) people sing praises for the movie? It had heart, yes, but I'm not sure if it beat with the glorious music that is the soul of the musical we love. And that is why it made me more miserable than I thought I would be.

P.S.
I wanted to pick a fight (and still do) with my boss when he said that the movie is better than the musical. It makes my blood boil. Then I stop to think. Am I the more irrational one, 24601?


P.P.S.
Les Miserables is still a motion picture event and a milestone for movie musicals. Some viewers might need hankies. If you haven't seen the film, go see it. Let's compare notes afterwards. Talking about it helps me make sense of these intense reactions that took me quite a while to explain. (Another reason why this entry is getting longer and longer.)

Classic Pinoy breakup songs, the English collection

These Filipino songs in English from the 90s and the early 2000s are classics. These are sad melodramatic tunes--nothing bitter, nothing to rock out to. I put together this playlist for my friend months back, when he couldn't get himself to listen to it. Since he's better now, I'm posting this in the hope that he will refer to it when he needs a good cry.

Ella Mae Saison "If the Feeling is Gone"
Ella Mae Saison "Now That You're Gone"
Ella Mae Saison "Til My Heartaches End"
Freestyle "Before I Let You Go"
Freestyle "Missing You"

Neocolours "Maybe"

Nina "Someday"

Side A "Let the Pain Remain"

Side A "Set You Free"
Side A "Tell Me"

South Border "Wherever You Are"

Love that last one. Don't want to end on a sad note, so here's a bonus uplifting track: South Border "Rainbow"

"It's a Sunday night, a night never to be trusted for emotions..."

Regardless of what you think of John Mayer, his music has a way of speaking directly to this generation. This song has been on my mind for a week now after I saw it on a friend's wall. It's not new, but the song and especially the intro sound as if this has actually happened to everyone.

Tapau Secret Show

There's something wonderful about exclusive last-minute gigs. They're stressful because you have to quickly decide whether or not to go, but not knowing what to expect is also good--you're bound to be surprised.

Just hours before the show, word about TAPAUtv's Secret Show spread. All you had to do was show up...assuming you can drive over to Puchong, which is outside of Kuala Lumpur. (To Chatime Galleria's credit, it's a lovely place, very cozy and intimate.)

The show started with the lovely harmonies of The Impatient Sisters plus a cellist. Their voices blend  so well.

Narmi was, in a word, cute. Such a radio-friendly voice. My only problem is that the whole acoustic setting reminds me of the scene in Manila ten years ago, though admittedly Narmi is more polished.

Oh Chentaku played some covers and originals and got the audience to sing along. I can't help but compare the vocalist to Journey's Arnel Pineda.

Last but not the least, an unannounced performer: Yuna, whose international album was produced by Pharrell Williams. One word: ukelele.

The turnout and reception of the secret show were both fantastic. Congratulations to Ikan Paos Kolektif, the group behind Tapau. Hope there will be more secret shows soon.

A little night music

Two very different gigs in one night: danceable pop at Pixie Lott's showcase, KL Live and DnB/dubstep/hiphop at The Return of the Titans vol. II at Paradiso Publika.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swingin' with the MPO

One Sunday afternoon, I had a choice between two activities: watching an orchestra performance and attending a Bollywood dancing session. Although the latter seemed more appealing, I went with the former after considering the schedule.

I had heard good things about Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). It's a lovely wood-panelled hall in between the twin towers, with what is almost like a constellation of lights on the ceiling, changing color with the songs. Such a shame photography is prohibited, but here's how it looks like.

The cheapest seats had run out but I was fortunate to get the last seat in the middle stalls half an hour before the start of the performance. The hall isn't large, so you can sit anywhere and still enjoy the excellent acoustics and a pretty good view of the musicians.

The dress code is smart casual: strictly no jeans, shorts, slippers and sneakers. The crowd is a good mix, with plenty of expats. I was glad to see a few young people in the audience. It was a pretty full matinee, with vacancies only in the most expensive seats.

Although known for their classical repertoire, MPO has a varied concert program. I love listening to live orchestras, but I'm no classical connoisseur. The timing seemed perfect, as they were playing swing tunes that weekend. I'm not really sure why, but at first glance you wouldn't guess that they're an Asian orchestra. There are more mat salleh (white people) in the orchestra than ethnic Malaysians.

The American guests were conductor Richard Kaufman, vocalist Lisa Vroman and drummer Bernie Dresel. The rapport between them is fantastic, as they are good friends. Kaufman is a natural storyteller, gracious towards his hosts. It doesn't take long to warm up to him.

Vroman played Christine in Phantom of the Opera in more than 3,000 performance across the U.S. and was the first to play Fantine and Cosette in Les Miserables. At first, I was skeptical that she could pull it off because she is not a jazz singer, but the audience was certainly acquainted with her range and her skill as a performer as the show went on. One little girl remarked during intermission that Vroman was "better than the last one".

Dresel, whose credits include Mission: Impossible and The Simpsons, and was drummer for 15 years with the Brian Setzer Orchestra got his chance to prove his amazing talent as a drummer in the final number, Sing Sing Sing.

If you're in KL, keep an eye on their programme.

www.dfp.com.my

Future Music Festival Asia 2012

Ever since Roskilde Festival five years ago, I've been thinking about going to festivals. So when I first heard the Future Music Festival Asia 2012 was coming to Sepang, I knew I had to be there. I even ended up going for work. I wasn't there for any particular act, though. I just came to enjoy the music.

FMFA 2012 poster

My first time at Sepang International Circuit

This must have been the loneliest Sandwich gig they've ever played. They were one of the earliest bands (3.15pm). But I'm so proud of this Pinoy band because they still played like pros and gave it their all. They had an excellent set of mostly English songs. We were told that the manager of The Chemical Brothers heard them from afar and was drawn to the band and even talked to them. Super cool.

Pet Conspiracy from Beijing

A replica of Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 racecar, which won the following week's Malaysian Grand Prix

F1-themed pavilion

There were themed play-and-smoke spaces, subtle cigarette promotion activities. Emerged with LED lights, a drink and a personalized dogtag from this one.

On duty!

If God is a DJ...I might have forgotten his name

Tinie Tempah

Somewhere in this fog...The Chemical Brothers

I didn't stay long for the nearly three-hour DJ set of The Chemical Brothers, the biggest name of the festival. And it was good that I left. The Wombats and Hercules &Love Affair (both playing at separate stages at the same time as the chemical lolos) were both very good.

Hercules & Love Affair

The Wombats

This early, I'm already thinking about Laneway Singapore 2013.

For more photos and for my article, click here: 10 Reasons Why Music Festivals Are Your Future.

Manual time-lapse of Future Stage

Video dump of the week

I don't necessarily agree with all the lyrics, but the son of the queen's chaplain nails it.

One of the more fascinating TEDTalks I've seen lately.

Not fascinating, but a wake-up call. The internet is making the male of the species socially awkward.

Makes me feel hopeful for non-formulaic Filipino films.

Meadowlark

Too much negativity to end the month with. How to dispel it? I think music is the best way.

Can I tell you a story through song? Here's a one-take of Stephen Schwartz's "Meadowlark" from The Baker's Wife, with a good number of timing errors and progressively degenerating as it goes. Just let them go and enjoy the tale, will you?

[Image via FCIT]

"You are the one I am a camera for"

Elixir: "Snapshot (featuring Katie Noonan)"

Tuesdays with Mia: Kylie Minogue Aphrodite Live in Manila

On Pegasus!

I'm not that big a Kylie Minogue fan, but I admire, respect and envy a woman who has been performing for as long as I have been alive, has been through so much and still looks like a goddess. "Diyosa ka!" shouted Mia.

Aphrodite Live in Manila may be nowhere as grand as Aphrodite Les Folies in London with its waterworks and multiple stages. But it was still a nautical show that's naughty, sexy and liberally sprinkled with interesting haute couture (a walking picture frame, anyone?). For one night, I suspended my aversion to sparklies. A pricey production yes, but excellent in every aspect.

The set is a colonnade of screens with the best projections I have seen so far, transporting the audience from ancient Greece to space to the Mardi Gras in Rio. The arrangements made familiar songs new again. Now it can be told: Kylie in a big black feathery skirt is a beautiful ostrich. Dress her up in holographic wrapping paper and it doesn't look bad at all.

Kylie didn't fly this time, but she was every bit the gay icon. It is clear how Kylie's career has lasted this long--she is a generous performer and looks like she truly enjoys being onstage. And she's not only good at dance songs—she sounded great during a ballad.

Dancers doubling as aerialists. Big hair. Best use of feather fans. And the single electric fan down center? Useful.

The full house had a great time.

Kylie is the compleat showgirl: "Manila, thank you, thank you, thank you! For the warmest welcome, the amazing reception from the incredible isle."

I was very sad to see her go.

I don't recall the last time I was at Araneta and I probably won't be back unless an artist of the same caliber can promise a show like this one. Either that or a free ticket...

Sheytoons: "Lonely"

No showtunes here.

He is the same person in the video at the bottom of the previous post. That's called range.

Tuesdays with Mia: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Being the token musical theater fans in the office, Mia and I wouldn't feel so good passing up two free tickets to the Australian touring production of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Having seen a good deal of local talent, we would never have paid for the tickets to the show, knowing that Pinoy artists could do as well, if not better. That said, we went to CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo as both fans and skeptics.



The song selection is what you'd expect from an ALW revue. The show has several of ALW's greatest hits, which would be familiar even to non-musical theater fans. The only songs that I had not heard before were the ones from Starlight Express, as the pop hits from the musical did not make it to that suite. The selection is an excellent showcase of Lloyd Webber's range, from nearly blasphemous to sincerely religious. The arrangement did not seem to be in a predictable order, though between the two of us, we were able to predict how the encore would go.

The orchestration did not disappoint. The male talent, vocally at least, seemed stronger than the female. Mia and I are huge fans of Michael Cormick. I like Andrew Conaghan except when he hams it up. Delia Hannah is practically a Patti LuPone stand-in. The best number was the gospel choir song "Vaults of Heaven" from Whistle Down the Wind, which had both of us saying "like" afterwards.

However, there were moments when the whole treatment was unbelievable, and not in a positive way. Worth pointing out: Judas' Song from Jesus Christ Superstar, which opened the second half of the show and the boyband version of No Matter What. Sume-Stephen Gately (bless his soul) at rumo-Ronan Keating.

Perhaps the somewhat mature audience was reserved, which is why the comedy doesn't draw laughs. The choreography doesn't always work, though I appreciate that there was movement. But the costumes had too much sparkle for my tastes--understandable, of course, without the benefit of props and elaborate sets.

The sets are built for touring: low staircases on casters, four LED screens for projections, which can distracting at times, but pull you back in when you feel like tuning out. It was actually wonderful not to have projections for the highlights of Phantom of the Opera, showing just how powerful the music and the voices were on their own.

The best video snippet has to be the interview of ALW where he says that the downside to his work is that whenever he goes to a restaurant with a pianist, they play the opening notes of Phantom--hilarious.

I was wondering where The Beautiful Game went, expecting something like "Let Us Love in Peace" but maybe it also counts that "Our Kind of Love" has the same tune as "Love Never Dies", the title tune from Lloyd Webber's latest show, the sequel to Phantom.

"There's something missing," said Mia.

"Story?" I asked.

We couldn't tell exactly. Mia, who had seen Atlantis Productions' Aida last week, wished sponsors would come in for local productions instead. I agree. There are so many shows this year that could be great.

For your enjoyment, three ALW songs, one tune:

Our Kind of Love from The Beautiful Game, sung by Donny Osmond
The Heart is Slow to Learn pre-Love Never Dies, sung by Kiri Te Kanawa (my favorite version)
Love Never Dies from Love Never Dies, sung by Sierra Boggess (Cringe at "infiltrate my soul". Where are you, Tim Rice?)

Lastly, meet Phantom, Ramin Karimloo. The London run of Love Never Dies closes down in August.

Use Somebody

I love this song. But this version by Scala & Kolacny brothers and this video by Inti Calfat? Heartwrenching.

Use Somebody from inti calfat on Vimeo.

Confessions

Ulrich Schnabel, I want to believe you but I do not want to be idle. Then again, you are no slacker yourself.

Donald Gunn, you charmed me. But transcribing you was nowhere as enjoyable as the interview.

Alan Rickman, you are no hunk. Not after Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Love, Actually (where I found you pretty gay even after cheating with your officemate), and Sweeney Todd. But there is something in this Texas music video that actually makes you--dare I say it--hot. Even if you were in your mid-50s at the time.

The song is old, but I only saw it today. I have to call out the person who is responsible for these inappropriate thoughts, one Mia Marci, who described the feeling as what you get when the friend you never thought attractive gets a girlfriend and suddenly he's magnetic. Or something to that effect. I have to agree.

Now excuse me while I have another view of that petrol station tango.

Kasi iba talaga ang mga Hapon

WORLD ORDER


plus product


equals Streak Dance

Another rollercoaster ride

The bitter before the sweet.

18 again (then 22 then 25...)

A*Teens: "Sugar Rush"

Addictive pop music that takes me a decade back, courtesy of R. That it can still make me giddy is incredible. Happy times.

[UPDATE] An hour after posting the above came the spectacular crash. An intense wave of emotion took me through the next four years. To be 22 and to have your world crumble around you. Where did these memories hide? [Insert not-so-cryptic dramatic monologue here.]

And then H posted this on Facebook.



Music is my aeroplane. Now I can smile again. This is how it feels to be alive.

For your MP3 collection, part 37

Akito Misaki:"The Sound of Rain"-for moody weather
Automatique:"Lovin (Freefall From Space)"-intergalactic travel
Brokenkites:"Days Not Today (Slumbernaut Mix)"-can't get up
Ghost Bees:"Did The Red Sea Part"-Grandma Moses
Le Gros Ballon:"What's Left of Dreams"-for a dreamy ad
Lima Tropical Beats:"Nos Divertiremos"-with a drink in hand
Nick Rivera:"Happy Song is a Happy Song"-but not
The Seedy Seeds: "Verb Noun"-grammatically sound
Simple:"Books"-no reading required
Sin Fang:"Almost Everything"-a special place
Yellow Ostrich:"Hold On"- animal sounds + words