WHEN FAIRIES BECOME FILMSTARS.....

Hans Eckstein as Oberon.....






Red Concepcion as Puck.....






Miguel Faustmann (Willie Hayes, Left) And Robbie Zialcita (Max Reinhardt, Right).....








Caisa Borromeo as Olivia.....








Cris Villonco as Lydia.....






Arnel Carrion is Jack Warner.....




Reuben Uy plays Dick Powell (Left), Topper Fabregas as Daryl (Far Right).....






Nick Campos is Joe E. Brown....






Joy Virata plays Louella Parsons (Right).....







I am fascinated with Shakespeare! It is amazing to see his works adapted into movie screenplays then turned into films. The movies make me understand his stories better, as I do find his way of writing dialogues a little complicated for me. I admit, I haven't read a single Shakespearean book and I think that my unfamiliarity with his written works is the reason behind this difficulty.

But I do not like some of these Shakespeare films. I have to check the director of a movie before I decide whether I would watch it or not. Films like "Romeo and Juliet" which had Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes and directed by Baz Luhrmann was fantastic. So was "Shakespeare in Love" which starred Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow with John Madden as director. But I can not say the same of "Much Ado About Nothing", a film that boasts an all star cast led by Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves. Its screenplay was written and at the same time directed by well known Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh. Branagh's roots made him stick to the conventional treatment of Shakespeare. And this meant sticking to the fast pace cadence when the actors speak their long, rhyming lines.

This is not my first time to watch a live Shakespeare play. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it. I guess me keeping an open mind and not letting my bias get the best of me made me appreciate the play more. It also was awesome to watch local actors show their acting chops and adapt to the Shakespeare line delivery that I mentioned before. Some, like Cris Villonco, even portrayed a character out of her box, that of a blonde bimbo who is the movie producer's girlfriend, hence her inclusion in the movie set.

The title of the play is "Shakespeare In Hollywood". Set in 1934, Shakespeare's most famous fairies Oberon and Puck have magically materialized on a Warner Bros. Hollywood set of Max Reinhardt's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The two get instantly smitten by the glitz and glamor of show business as they are ushered onto the movie to play, who else but themselves!

Oberon unexpectedly falls in love to a mortal, Olivia who is the actress playing Hermia. The villain in this story is Willie Hayes, the motion picture censor who wrote the Hayes Code. Hayes thinks that the script of the movie does not conform to his prudishly restrictive code and threatens to shut down filming of the movie. With his movie career and love in jeopardy, Oberon orders Puck to find the flower that "makes a man/woman madly dote upon the live creature he first sees". The merry go round starts but all is sorted out in the end.

Hans Eckstein plays Oberon with Red Concepcion as Puck. Robbie Zialcita is director Max Reinhardt and Arnel Carrion plays movie producer Jack Warner. Miguel Faustmann is the hilarious Willie Hayes and Reuben Uy is cast as Dick Powell. Topper Fabregas is Daryl, Jack Warner's PA. Nick Campos is Joe E. Brown while Rem Zamora has a cameo as James Cagney. Female leads are Caisa Borromeo as the actress Olivia, Cris Villonco plays blonde bombshell Lydia and Joy Virata is Louella Parsons. The production is directed by Jaime del Mundo.

A quick note. Some of the photos may seem blurred, but this is intentional. The actors are constantly moving and I wanted to show movement in some of the pictures hence the blurry output. Besides, if I wanted a perfect portrait, I could have asked them to pose in their costumes but I do not want to be a nuisance to the actors.

FOOD TRIPPING OF A DIFFERENT KIND.....

An Order Of Japanese Siomai.....


















Simple Jasmine Tea.....









Fruit Salad For Dessert.....









Right after a NAYON club meeting, I usually ride along with Lian or Bless from Intramuros and disembark in front of the Burger King outlet at Welcome Rotonda. I do this if I feel the need to empty my bladder or if I am hungry. Otherwise, I get off at Plaza Lawton which is were I take the ride, aircon bus or FX taxis going to Las Pinas.

I wasn't really hungry when I asked that I be dropped off at BK. I had my creative vibe going. So as soon as I stepped out of Lian's car and waved her goodbye, I walked towards the Chinese restaurant across BK and decided to take photographs of what I would eat. And one of the kinds of food that I love to eat in a Chinese restaurant are dimsum, particularly Japanese siomai if the establishment has it.

There used to be an outlet of Gloria Maris near our place. Among its line up of dimsum, it is their Japanese siomai that I love the most. Yes, this is where it all started. I'd order a cup of rice and an order of this dimsum and my tummy is happy. What is not to love? A mixture of ground pork is seasoned and crab stick is added then wrapped in nori paper then steamed to perfection! Sadly, the restaurant closed down. I guess the owners incurred losses as the restaurant occupied a big space but seemed to attract less customers. And I would not find my Japanese siomai again, unless I go to the other branches of Gloria Maris.

I can't recall the name of this restaurant. I don't even bother to read the painted sign on its doors. All I know is this is where I saw a reincarnation of my favorite dimsum. I was surprised to even see a familiar face, that of the head chef. He was the one who actually manned the defunct Gloria Maris kitchen. Once I saw him, I knew that the dishes that I once enjoyed at Gloria Maris will be the same ones that I shall taste in this new restaurant. And because the place is not a branch of the famous restaurant, the prices are way cheaper than before.

I ordered for Japanese siomai and a dessert of mixed fruit salad. Even if I wasn't really that hungry, I still had a great time. The dimsum still has the same taste and texture just as I remembered it. What got me going were the pictures I took of the food I ordered. Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious as ever. But for this visit I wanted to take photos of the food. This is a food trip that is not about food tasting, rather it is all about food as eye candy. This is, as far as I know, a different food trip.

OUT OF THE BLUE.....

The Buffet Table.....






Lechon de Leche.....






Lechon Liempo/Kawali.....






Restaurant Promos.....






Eat All You Can Price List.....







A few days ago, my brother and I talked about what to do when the day of my natal day comes. As usual, the customary cooking of pansit or spaghetti to symbolize long life comes to mind. So I asked him, "Spaghetti or pansit? He didn't answer and left me to contemplate about the question by my lonesome. I'm more into Italian food so I went to check the pantry for the ingredients for whatever sauce I planned to cook.

He comes back after a few minutes and asks me if I know of any restaurants that offers "eat all you can" promos and that will not burn a hole in our pockets. I told him about eating at Kamayan Restaurant which is rather a good restaurant that offers what he sought. My colleagues in PGH and I would go to Kamayan at Padre Faura to celebrate any special occasion during my time at that hospital. He asked about the type of food being offered, I told him what to expect. Then he asks me pointblank, "Can we eat there?"

The day came and we went around dinner time. The restaurant was still closed when we arrived, which was the ideal time since the food on the buffet table will be freshly cooked. He seemed fascinated to find some food items that we used to eat before but rarely these days. A menu item called ginataang kuhol or escargot caught his eye. He also liked the lechon de leche.

I almost forgot to take pictures, not necessarily of the food, rather of the restaurant. Rarely do we go out so this evening was something I quietly cherished.

FROM FILM TO THEATER ARE 39 STEPS.....

This Poster Says It All.....






Michael Williams As Richard Hannay.....






















Lisa Infante-Robinson As Annabella Schmidt, The Spy.....












The Female Passenger Pamela.....





The Scottish Housewife Margaret.....








Juliane Mendoza As The Emcee.....




The Secret Agent.....



The Milkman.....



The Police Officer.....



Professor Jordan.....



Bogus Police Inspector.....



First Old Guy.....



Male Motel Owner.....



Stage Clown.....





Rem Zamora As Mr. Memory.....




The Lady Cleaner.....



The Train Passenger.....



The Highlander.....



Cogon Leaves.....



The Lady Assistant.....



The False Detective.....



Second Old Guy.....



Lady Motel Owner.....





I have always loved the musicals, especially the well known ones. During my time in London, I never got tired of watching these musicals over and over again as the production is always top notch. I saw Les Miserables thrice and Phantom of the Opera twice. Others that I have enjoyed were Rent, The King And I and Fame. Cats and Bollywood did not grow on me and I shunned these two. Perhaps it has something to do with my affinity for dogs and dislike for "noisy" production. Throughout my stay, I was able to watch just two straight stage plays, Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which starred Brendan Frazer and JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, which was advertised as a children's play. To my surprise, I did enjoy these two just as I enjoyed the musicals.

My time with Repertory Philippines as one of their photographers has exposed me to other materials that I haven't seen before. This blog has featured some of the plays that I have covered. But this stage adaptation of The 39 Steps from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller is the best production that I have seen so far for this year.

Hitchcock's film was a thriller but this stage adaptation written by Patrick Barlow from the novel of John Buchan has more touches of action and comedy in it. Although the production seems to involve a thousand characters, it was interesting to note that the cast is composed of four people with Michael Williams' character as Richard Hannay the solitary constant lead. Lisa Infante-Robinson played the three women who got involved with Hannay. Juliane Mendoza and Rem Zamora play every other character on the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even inanimate objects!

I have seen Rem act in other Repertory produced plays but I believed that he shone the brightest here, truly a scene stealer. And I am so much impressed with the way he pulled off that Scottish accent, it felt I was conversing with that Highlander! Major kudos to you my friend.

I guess I have typed a rather long insight that, I'm afraid might bore you, my dear readers if there are any. c",) For a quick glance on what the plot of this production is all about, click here.

This is after all, a photoblog, enough talking and enjoy the pictures!