Philippine Showbiz Today
November 8 - 21, 2017
Portrait of the Artist as Filipino the musical
to screen in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO — “Ang
Larawan” (“The Portrait”), a Ta-
galog musical adapted from Nick
Joaquin’s play “A Portrait of the
Artist as Filipino,” will be screened
with English subtitles on Novem-
ber 9 at the Cinematografo Inter-
national Film Fest, Kabuki 8 The-
aters.
Variety has praised the film
as “stunning … impeccably per-
formed and crisply photographed
… Clearly made with the utmost
love and care … beautifully deco-
rated and top-notch in every tech-
nical detail,” based on the film’s
world premiere at the Tokyo Film
Festival on October 29.
Directed by Obie-award win-
ner Loy Arcenas, the film features
Filipino actresses Rachel Ale-
jandro and Joanna Ampil as the
Marasigan sisters. The two are
having financial difficulties and
must decide if they should sell
their father’s last great painting.
This movie is our love
letter
to
Filipinos
every-
where to look back at our
heritage,” says Arcenas, who will
be at the screening together with
Alejandro for a talkback session
with the audience.
“The core of the story is
about commerce versus art and
love for family. We want our Filipi-
no American youth to think about
what is truly important in life,”
says producer Girlie Rodis. “Can-
dida and Paula could make a for-
tune selling the painting and their
lives could change. It’s important
for us to know what’s behind their
final decision.”
Libretto is by Philippine Na-
tional Artist for Theater and Liter-
ature Rolando Tinio (who studied
for a master’s in Creative Writing
from State University of Iowa) with
music by Ryan Cayabyab.
19
First published in 1952, Phil-
ippine National Artist for Litera-
ture Joaquin’s “Portrait” has been
a staple on Manila stages both in
English and in Tagalog transla-
tions. Director and theater teach-
er Edgardo de la Cruz staged the
English version at University of Ha-
waii Manoa in the early ’70s. Ma-
Yi Theater staged it in New York in
’97.
Joaquin had written “Por-
trait” at the behest of his sister-in-
law, theater actress and director
Sarah Joaquin (who later retired
to Washington, DC and staged
Filipino productions there in the
’90s).
Lamberto Avellana’s Baran-
gay Theater Guild edited down
Arcenas designed sets for Joaquin’s original script to the
Broadway and Off-Broadway pro- definitive staging version. He also
ductions and directed theater in directed a film version in 1965.
New York with groups such as Ma-
In 1997, Musical Theater Phil-
Yi Theater (“Flipzoids,” “Romance ippines (Musicat), now Culturtain
of Magno Rubio”) before shifting Musicat Productions, headed by
to filmmaking in the Philippines.
singer Celeste Legaspi and pro-
Ampil is a mainstay in West ducer Girlie Rodis, commissioned
End musicals and has played Kim and staged “Ang Larawan” at the
in “Miss Saigon,” Mary Magdalene Cultural Center of the Philippines,
in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Christ- with Legaspi playing one of the
mas Eve in “Avenue Q,” and Fan- sisters.●
tine in “Les Miserables.” Her most
- Walter Ang, Inq.
recent credit is Grizabella in a UK
touring production of “Cats.”
Michael Bolton, Morissette Amon sing duet in concert
Multiple Grammy winner Mi-
chael Bolton reunited with his
“Bolt of Talent” co-host Morissette
Amon as the American singer
kicked off his Asian Dream Tour
at the Grand Ballroom of Marriott
Manila last Friday.
Amon joined Bolton in a spe-
cial duet of his No. 1 hit “How Am
I Supposed to Live Without You,”
a video of which was shared by
actor-singer Audie Gemora on
Facebook.
Earlier in the show, Amon
helped warm up the crowd for
Bolton, as she sang her single,
“Diamante,” the “Wicked” show-
stopper “Defying Gravity,” and
Beyonce’s “Love on Top.”
Bolton, now 64, sang mostly
covers, starting with the popular
“Stand By Me,” and his hit ver-
sion of the Bee Gees’ “To Love
Somebody,” which quickly turned
the spacious ballroom into a giant
karaoke.
Despite his age, Bolton has
largely retained his powerful vo-
cal chops, particularly in the mid-
range, although it was also obvi-
ous that he was already having
difficulty in sustaining high notes.
Morisette and Michael
The covers continued with
his hit version of Otis Redding’s
“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,”
“You Don’t Know Me” and a bluesy
number “Sweet Home Chicago.”
After an instrumental num-
ber from his backup band, Bolton
returned with Amon and the au-
dience howled with approval as
they sang the ‘80s power ballad,
which was first recorded by Laura
prised the audience by singing his
next number “When A Man Loves
a Woman” in the audience area.
He eventually made his way
back to the stage for his hit “How
Can We Be Lovers” before ending
the show with the upbeat “Steel
Bars.”
Given that he has yet to sing
many of his other hits such as
“Love is a Wondeful Thing” and
“Time Love and Tenderness,” the
audience naturally clamored for
more,as the band returned but
for only one more song: a soulful
cover of “Georgia on My Mind.”
But while the concert remind-
ed local music fans of Bolton’s
brand of blue-e