More Manila Mania

Our director, Bobby Garcia, Julia, Vince Pesce (Choreographer)
Happy 4th of July. Under shelter poolside from the rain (of course). Clockwise from lower left:
Allison, Matthew, Michael Sag, Gags, Jefferson, Kristen, Jen, Michael, Abby.
Our Calesa with Rambo the horse. Little did we know what was in store for us!!
Julia in the Calesa in front of Binondo Church in China town.
Okay, more homeless people. I had the driver pay her though. This is actually a regular stop on his tour and he has an arrangement with this woman. My rule now is to pay for posed photos of the poor.

More pictures from Manila

(Left) The happy couple celebrating 11 years of an adventurous union at Peoples Palace Thai Restaurant.

Julia and the Syndicate Urchins whom I paid to pose for this picture.




(left) Outside St Augustine Church. Showing the strength of the Chinese influence. That's a Chinese Lion in Foreground.


A fighting Cock.

from left: Jen, Janna, Jefferson, Willow,Julia and Brandy.
Our first Jeepney ride.

Bayside living in Manila. Literally a stones throw from the Philippine Senate Building.
Happy recyclers! Pounding Aluminum off of Refrigeration coils. This is a big industry here. I saw other people in our cab ride this day stripping wire for copper as well.
The gateway into Fort Santiago. The 16th Century fortress built by Spain under the reign of King Philip. Hence the Philippines. The carving depicts King James(Santiago) beheading 4 Moors as he tramples them with his horse. Since the Spaniards took this place from a Muslim Sultan this must have really endeared them to the natives!
Julia reenacts the expression of the corrupt Spanish priests who truly ruled the Philippines, and helped introduce European bloodlines into the mix. So much for celibacy! This is also Julia's face for the evil Stepmother.
Mangoes. Philippine gold!! So yummy.

Odds and Ends from Juria

Ahhh... day off...nice! You see, cuz all week we've been WORKING (as I do believe Shrinky has reported). It's interesting to have these "working vacations." I think, "why am I tired today and why would I rather sleep than sight-see??" And then I tell myself, "cuz lady, you've been WORKING..." But let me tell you the amusement and delight in sharing a work situation with Jefferson! Yes, we work in the same business and the context is familiar to both of us ( the rehearsal room, the process) but it is unique to SHARE it. I am enjoying finishing a scene and having Jefferson say, "I watched that, and it's really working" or to beam with pride at his clever, funny choices as the King. It is such a kick to watch him during the opening group dance number as well... so much so that I am conscious of missing my cue to cry, "Cinderella!" I have appreciated on a daily basis, the reality of doing this show together. I will not take it for granted! Even having the same day off feels like a luxury... we don't always get that.

Ok.. so let's talk about MY costumes now... they are ridiculous in their splendor. I have 4 "coutour" gowns, each one spectacularly made, full of details and designer trim. The petticoats alone are layers of fluffy ruffles, then you add on a dress, corset piece, etc. All the hats, purses are designed to match. There was a point where I thought, "we better have some good dressers cuz there is no way I am getting into this on my own." I'm sure we will have local dressers in each city (although probably not always English-speaking.) I haven't seen my wig yet... I'm told it's Medusa-inspired (curls instead of snakes?) Pretty frackin' cool.

I hope all you Americans had a Happy 4th of July... In honor of our fine country, the Mall of Asia, had a huge Statue of Liberty on display. Ahhhh, how sweet of them!

Apparently there was a coup attempt in the Phillipine government this week... just reminded me that we are living in a relatively unstable country right now. The senate meets in the building next to where we are rehearsing. So, we have "Impossible things... happening every day" in one building while "Let's overthrow the President" is happening in the other one. (Ok... maybe the coup attempt wasn't quite like that, but it makes for an interesting paradox!) By the way, I am pretty fascinated with the whole Imelda Marcos part of Phillipine history and look forward to seeing more of her contributions... like the Coconut Palace, built for the Pope's visit in the '80's. Only it was so opulent that he refused to stay in it! We watched the documentary, "Imelda" in the USA before we left. Her philosophy on the meaning of life is one of the most humorous, screwed-up logic, crazy-talking things I've ever heard. I do however, stand by her decision to own 1500 pairs of shoes... THAT sounds perfectly normal to me.

The King has arrived

I had my costume fittings yesterday. Wow!! I've had a few nice costumes in my day, but these really take the cake. They are exquisitely detailed and tailored. Fantastic fabrics and design. By the weding scene at the end I am a mountain of majesty in Royal blue and White. With a fur lined Cape with a five foot train!! After my fitting I told Lea she would need to tip the follow spot operator a little extra when she is beside me to give her some extra illumination. I have since been assured by the director that her costume is even more spectacular than mine which is only fitting. But I am 6' 3" in Royal Blue Cape!!!

I'll attach pictures after we open. We are not to divulge too much about the show until then. I can say that this show is looking very good. The talent pool here is deep. Performers and production team alike are committed to excellence and it shows.

On the tourism front, Julia and I plan to go to the Mall of Asia today during a 3 hour break from rehearsal. This is the third largest mall in the world behind the Canadian one and of course the Mall of America in lovely Bloomington, MN; land of my birth.

I'm working on posting some photos. I should have them up soon.
Peace,
Shrink

Things that make ya smile...

So I'm learning that it's fun to read the blogs of my co-workers... you know, to see what they have to say about what we're all experiencing... Jefferson and I dined last night with Cinderella's Godmother, Charlie, and she was cleverly describing our very Fillipino meal on her blog. When she got to the part of the desserts I chuckled out loud and decided to just cut and paste her remarks here:
"For dessert, I had myself a cocktail - I've yet to find Makers Mark anywhere here :( - and picked at a bit of Jefferson's "mango slice" (which seemed to be mango ice cream sandwiched between layers of granola) and Julia's gelatin phantasmagoria (actual name is completely different and gone from my head). I've no idea, really, what was in that besides bits of gelatin, but she loved it; my reaction was more lukewarm since I'm not really into eating horse hooves. It seemed to be bits of green gelatin in coconut milk along with other stringy bits of white gelatin, or possibly some kind of noodles - ???"
It's true... I love weirdo desserts. Today I tried HALO-HALO, a traditional beloved Filipino sweet, icey treat. So picture this... shaved ice, floating in coconut milk, covered with 3 kinds of sweetened beans, lumps of pudding, 3 kinds of gelatin/taro balls, ice cream & candied fruits...and then a pot of condensed milk to pour over the whole damn thing. YOWSAH! Can you say, "Dericious!" or at least, "I thought you were going to lose weight eating some healthy Asian cuisine!" or maybe "Did it come with a toothbrush to eliminate the furry coating probably left on your teeth?" The odds are very good that I will consume another one of these delicate concoctions before my time here is thru... like, maybe... TOMORROW. :)

During rehearsals I watched the scene where the Prince and Cinderella first see one another at the Ball... and it was so delightfully charming and even sexy. I realized that I had a sappy grin stuck upon my face... at which point I glanced over at the creative/management team sitting there and without exception, every one of them had the same sappy, ear-t0-ear grin. This is a good sign. (I would say that it's rather important for these two characters to have some chemistry...)
By the way, you non-theatre folk might not realize how many people are involved during the rehearsal process (not to mention how many people it takes to put on the actual show.) There's the director, the assistant director, the musical director, the assistant musical director, the choreographer, the dance captain, the production stage manager, the production manager and 2 additional assistants. And, in this case, the Prince and Cinderella understudies...ALL with sappy grins on their faces. What a great sight!

Here's a glass of Maker's Mark raised in honor of those things that just make ya smile,

Juria

Where has the time gone? I'm on Filipino time.

So I'm still trying to get the hang of this. Our days are typically ten hours long and then I've been too tired at night to write. But I have some extra down time at rehearsal today so I'm going to try to catch up a bit.

When last we saw them, our heroes were in rehearsal for Cinderella. Julia was shouting and being mean to our star, Lea Salonga, and Jefferson was sweating like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. (think about it!). That was Friday June 27.

Saturday June 28 was our 11th anniversary (wedding that is). Julia had the afternoon off while I honed my comic skills at such time honored classics as pants dropping, double-taking, and bursting a vein in my forehead in my ineffectual male rage at the shenanigans of my over spending wife the Queen. Great fun, I had a great day playing with my fellow cast and production team.

We had reservations for the People's Palace Thai Restaurant for dinner. Upon arrival we were given a bottle of champagne on the house and congratulated on our anniversary. Curious. We suspected our director, Bobby Garcia of being behind this and that turned out to be the case. No wonder he was so keen to know if we had in fact made reservations. A very kind and thoughtful gesture. We had a great meal and toddled home tipsy on Champagne and Crispy Pork. I know I talk a lot about Pork; but come on! This stuff was incredible. Basically Pork belly(fat; and a little meat) fried crisp and smothered in a sour onion and garlic vinegarette. Yum Yum. Only sour note to all this was one bad shrimp in the Pad Thai. One bad shrimp is all it takes, as I was to find out at 4am.

The next day was Sunday, and our first day off. We took a cab(that is an adventure in itself) to Intramuros which is the old city center. A Spanish fortress built on the foundations of the Muslim city that existed before it. We had a great walking tour led by Carlos Cedran. Who it turns out was childhood neighbor to our director Bobby, and his father is Lea's Pediatrician. As he said, "Manila's a small town." 12 Million Small!!

The tour shed a lot of light on how Manila got to it's current state of overcrowding and widespread poverty. Colonization and wars over the past five centuries have left behind a true multicultural melting pot, but in the melting process, the flavors have run together and the individual tastes have been blurred. Finding the center or base note of the Filipino culture can be difficult for an outsider. We have a lot to learn yet and we hope to come away from here with a better understanding of the people and their culture. That is what makes travel so great. Experiencing cultures that seem so different on the surface, and getting to know the people well enough to see that they are just like us. They have the same fears, the same desires, the same challenges as we do. They love as we do, and they struggle to survive just like you and me.

As Americans, we seldom experience poverty at this scale. I have seen many people here living in the street. Whole families seeking what shelter they can and struggling to stay fed and clothed. And my first thought on seeing this was how picturesque it was. And I'll post the pictures to prove it. Why are we so fascinated with people on the street? It reminds me of the famous dust bowl portraits of the Great Depression in America. The faces of these people tell a compelling story. Their resiliency in building a makeshift shelter and getting through each day
draws your attention. It is so alien to me.

We had an experience on our tour that raised several ethical questions for me. As we walked from the fort to the oldest church in Manila, we were beset with children begging for money.
I don't understand Tagalog, but it sounded like the adults in the square were setting the children on us. They looked up at us pleadingly with their big brown eyes and innocent faces. They called us Mommy and Daddy. They wanted just 5 Pesos each (about a dime). When we reached a suitably photogenic location I told them that I would take their picture with Julia and then give them all money. They gleefully posed for the picture and then I was surrounded by a sea of upturned palms and little voices saying, "Me,Me, Me!! " (This may be the universal language of want. It reminded me of feeding Koi in Japan. They are beautiful as they swim around the pool until you arrive with your bag of bread crumbs, and then it is all mouths.) I fumbled with my coins, trying to get one in the hand of each child, finally dropping some which caused a mad scramble at my feet. I feared for the safety of the smaller children, some only two years old. And then as quickly as they had arrived they were gone, as was all of my change. I had given out about 20 Pesos (50 cents). Though I felt I had done something noble, I also felt like a fake. What had I really done? Did I make any real difference in these children's lives? Basically I had paid them for posing for a picture. " See Julia with the quaint third world children!"

Now I'm told that these children are sent out by a syndicate which takes all the money and the kids get a small amount. I'm told that the woman who knocked on our cab window with a baby in her arms is a sham and the baby is most likely not even hers! I'm told not to give money to them because they are not actually helped by it. I should give food instead. So now do I carry some sort of portable snacks with me wherever I go?

I don't feel cynical about this racket. People do what they can to get by. They do this. I am not sorry that I gave money to these kids. How can I feel conned when I hired them to pose for a picture?

Later that day we luxuriated in great massages (75 minutes for both of us for about 60 bucks total!!!) and had pizza and beer in front of the TV in our 5 star hotel 6 floors and miles away from those Dickensian urchins. Whew!!! It's almost like being in America.........

Peace,
Shrinky