Review: West Side Story

Carmel, Leslie, Elaine, RJ, Alex, Donna, Yentl (w/ bf), and Zye (w/ bf) and me watched West Side Story yesterday (Oct 10, 2008) in the Meralco Theater.

I was really looking forward to watch this musical. And it was kinda funny because we were really praying that Joanna Ampil will be the one who will be playing as Maria and not Karylle. And I guess we were lucky. It was also funny because when it was announced that Joanna Ampil was playing that part, most of the people in the theater rejoiced! hahaha guess walang may gusto kay Karylle? :P Christian Bautista played Tony.

So here goes..

The Stage: It was... okay... but they should've done a better one. It didn't made me feel like that play was set in America. There was this one part wherein they were knocking at the door, and the walls were also vibrating! Funny.. I've seen Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and they had better set than this one..

(as leslie, elaine, and carmel said, don't compare to broadway daw.. pero my point is this was a broadway production.. they should've tried making the set better... or maybe because sa Meralco theatre lang.. heheh)

The Sound: SABOG... I'm blaming this to the sound system of Meralco Theatre... Ok na sana, pero sabog eh... Even during dialogues, there were some part na humihina ung boses, there were some part na sobrang lakas nung boses and even the sounds. I haven't watched this sa Broadway, but I find it to have so much dead air... I was hoping that before it started may music, when it ended and they were bowing to the audience, may music din... but there was none... Kinda bland lang...

The Singing: Hands down kay Joanna Ampil, she was great.. but still the sound system of Meralco theatre didn't give her justice.. There was this part when Anita and Maria were singing together.. ang hina nung kay Maria, and Anita's was loud and halos sinapawan na ung sound ni Maria..
Also to Christian Bautista, he's good at this. I guess he really belongs to the theatre.

The Acting: Hands down for the girl who played Anita. Ang galing niya! She dances good, she sings good, she acts good.. One comment though.. she sounded like the aunt of Happy Slip...
Another thing that I noticed.. the accents... I have no complaints for the American accent.. but the Puerto Rican accent.... *sigh*, they didn't sound like Puerto Rican, more like a Filipino... at least Joanna Ampil did some justice to it... but the others... I was wondering if they had training in this... just as I said Anita, sounded like the aunt of Happy Slip...

Overall, I must say, maganda ung musical. I had fun watching it. ;) I rate it 3.5/5

And bakit every act/song pumapalakpak ung audience.... hindi naman ito variety show... heheh

I really hope that more and more musicals would be produced here in the Philippines. ;)