Definitely a must-watch! Chuva Choo Choo – The Mr Kupido Musicale, that is. Nope, I’m not using gay lingo here, I’m referring to Stages’ musical comedy production which I got to watch at the Power Mac Center Spotlight. The musical play is fun, inspiring and amazing, I’d like to watch it over and over again.
Written and directed by seven-time Palanca winner George de Jesus III, the musical tells the story of two sisters, Dina and Darla, played by Joanna Ampil and Morisette Amon, who, from amateur singing contestants became national stars in a reality singing competition. They’ve accidentally witnessed the heated argument between the town Mayor and the contest organizer that ended with the sound of a gunshot. This prompted the pair to escape and go to Manila to hide. The sisters then face a series of hilarious misadventures in their quest for stardom and true love.
The opening sequence of the First Act immediately hits me with a sense of comedy, history and reality rendered beautifully in music and acting. It’s a glimpse of the entire play and more. As the story unfolds, I am able to relate and even wonder how the reality is for those hopefuls joining reality shows and singing competitions.
As I watch the play, I can’t help but truly appreciate the songs. These are the songs of multi-awarded composer Vehnee Saturno. Some were tweaked to make it relevant to the scene. And as the characters sing, I had a sudden appreciation of the songs, the music, the lyrics. I really love them, and I fell with OPM songs all over again.
Kudos to the cast and the entire production for such a successful show. The actors played really well, I can’t even say that one’s performance is better than the other. And that’s considering that Chuva Choo Choo has award-winning theatre actress Joanna Ampil in the lead, performing side-by-side with Morisette Amon almost the entirety of the musical.
The rest of the Chuva Choo Choo cast also did a great job in making the musical complete – Edward Benosa, Jojo Riguerra, Ross Pesigan, Juliene Mendoza, Ron Alfonso, Jay Marquez and Via Antonio. They can act, with some of them taking on two or more roles. And they can sing too!
The production is a must-watch! Chuva Choo Choo – The Mr Kupido Musicale runs at the Power Mac Center Spotlight, a 300-seater black box theater located at Circuit Makati. Catch the first four shows on September 25, 26 (3pm/8pm), 27(3pm) and its second run in January 2016. For ticket inquiries, call Cheng Pimentel of Stages Production Specialist Inc. at (0917) 859 6544
