David

I love Mia Goth

I get it but it’s not for me

(Commenting on Theatre Group Asia’s production, not the film adaptation) A singular sensation, indeed. This musical is one of my favorites, with its opening and closing songs being in my musical theatre playlist. I particularly love the instrumentals, it is so lush, and it has immense staying power. It is memorable. So when TGA announced that A Chorus Line was their second production for the 2025-2026 season, I was extremely excited for it, more than Into The Woods. When I watched TGA’s Into The Woods, I really disliked it because of its skin-deep Filipinization — I was now afraid of how their A Chorus Line would fare. It is a story of the theatre artist, but more importantly a story of the New Yorker artist.  And thankfully, it lived up to its branding of being a ‘singular sensation.’ Singular, in the sense that it is unparalleled, and sensation, in the sense that its dancing was extraordinary. It also stayed true to its origins, so thank god for that. When Conrad Ricamora shouted “5, 6, 7, 8!” at the beginning, I was giddy. I’ve waited ages (eight months since I bought a ticket) to hear that live. The talent on display at the opening was simply marvelous, and that verve persisted right until the end.  I loved that Gwen Verdon was also explicitly named as an inspiration. I forgot which character cited her, but I hold the woman in high regard!  What this staging’s director excels at as well were the mirrors and lighting design. It’s a simple set, it should be, but the mirrors make for a dynamic set, which is only amplified by the lighting design! The dance numbers are mesmerizing. “The Music and the Mirror” with its three minute dialogue-free showcase was so fine, then all the ensemble dance numbers were amazing, especially in the sense that all of them were precise dancers whose movements were completely synchronous with each other.  The songs are stunners, but very lopsided towards act 2. TGA’s inclusion of an intermission proved to be okay. A Chorus Line’s songs, particularly “The Music and the Mirror” and both “One” and “One (Reprise)” got my and my seatmate’s heads bopping to the beat. “What I Did For Love” was also a true stunner, one that surprised my mom and I as having come from A Chorus Line! My god. Anyway, “One (Reprise)” is my favorite. Tears welled up in my eyes because it was just so good, and it’s a delight to experience live. It’s a wonderful completion of a wonderful musical. A Chorus Line really is one of theatre’s best. And this staging is a complete marvel! PS My mom and I were pleasantly surprised that the TGA staff gave my mom a free ticket. She didn’t want to watch this because (1) she has already watched the movie and (2) the director was not played by Michael Douglas, the actor in the movie. She left the play thinking this was better than Into The Woods. I agree.

(Commenting on an Ateneo thesis production, not the film adaptation) A great script allows for great performances.  Ever since I discovered the play sometime last year, I’ve wanted to watch a staging of it. The play is right up my alley: a two-hander that allows for great performances, thanks to a stellar script. This thesis production is spectacular because what playwright Marsha Norman did was already spectacular. However, director Marta Muñoz makes solid creative choices that really give this staging a lived-in quality. For example: Jessie, the daughter who wants to kill herself, is antsy as hell. The director conveys this by Jessie’s incessant tapping of the telephone’s switch. Marsha Norman also portrays Jessie as someone who is absolutely exhausted with being the doer. This is conveyed through her commands and reminders to her mom Thelma. It succeeds in conveying so much about Jessie’s depression.  Yet even though it is Jessie who says the line “‘night, mother,” and who drives the play, it is the character Thelma that really blew me away. I will be vulnerable. As someone who had suicidal thoughts and as someone who had episodes of intense depression (bouts of sobbing), Thelma is written in an incisive way that really reflects the lived experiences of mothers who had an immensely depressed child. I saw so much of my mother in Thelma, down to the self-blame and the apologies. It was such an impactful character. Not because of the emotions she expresses, but rather how authentic her character was. It was so, so, sooo real, and it’s because of that character (and the marvelous Grace Nicolas Shuke) that I found myself with tears in my eyes. So when the door is closed at the end, I just felt deeper for Thelma. And the calm after the gunshot reinforces the authenticity overflowing in this stunner of a play.