Joyfully Yours: Cathy Azanza-Dy

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Stories of Most Women (If Not All)

Today marks the first day of another great show that has hit Manila entitled, "Love, Loss and What I Wore" written by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron. Catch it in the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Tower, Makati City on its one-weekend-only show!

When I first heard about the show being introduced to me, I already felt that it was going to be worth watching with lines such as "Birkenstock or Heels?" "I have no clothes!" and I also heard that it's being compared to "The Vagina Monologues" without the vagina.

On the press preview yesterday, when I saw the red carpet on the floor going towards the entrance. I thought that it was such a classy introduction to the play. Being a girl, I feel like I must walk on the red carpet so with my Marks & Spencer head to toe outfit and so I did. It was such an amazing experience to walk on the red carpet especially when I really dressed up for the show to celebrate the joys of being a woman!

The red carpet. Photo by Jen Adams of http://sexynomad.i.ph/blogs/sexynomad/

Walking in the theater, I noticed that the backdrop is made out of different cuts of dresses with the title of the show projected on the pile of cardboard dresses. Pretty neat idea! The creative guy who made this is Dennis Lagdameo, recent Gawad Buhay Awardee.

When the actresses in black walked to the stage and took their seats, the lights from the top highlighted each of them that made them look fabulous! Sought-after light designer John Batalla did a good job because the magical lights paired with the black outfits highlighted the faces of the actresses so that the audience can clearly see their facial expressions.

Jay Valencia-Glorioso as Gingy

The whole duration of the show was a mixture of different feelings of laughter, sadness and contentment from the different stories being told which every woman can relate to. What surprises me the most is the loud laughter of the men inside the theater! I can definitely relate to the love for Madonna and dancing like crazy to her songs since Madonna's the modern goddess of all women! The definition of black focused on how confusing the color can be for most women but anyhow, women love black!

The casts. Photo by Jeman B. Villanueva of http://orangemagazinetv.com

Young or old, straight or not, I believe the play is the stories of most women stitched together. Well, I say most and not all because there might be women who disagree or who might not admit to the reality of being a woman. The loud laughter of men during the preview definitly proves how they acknowledge the issues mentioned.

This Philippine run of "Love, Loss and What I Wore" is brought to you by CTE Productions, the same company that brought you "Defending the Caveman" last May. Casts includes theater luminary and current Associate Artistic Director of Repertory Philippines, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, veteran theater actress, writer, and emerging director Cathy Azanza-Dy, TV host, model, performer, and creative visionary Teresa Herrera, thespian and music industry sensation Bituin Escalante, and acclaimed classical vocalist, theater performer, and executive director for Music Artes Philippines, Jay Valencia-Glorioso. The show is directed by the same tandem behind the hit show "Defending The Caveman," Michael Williams and Cathy Azanza-Dy.

The casts and crew. Photo also by Jeman B. Villanueva.

I would like to salute Cathy for being such a good actress aside from her superb directing! Kudos also to Michael who did a fantastic job! I think it's Michael's touch that made this show funny for the men who I think also can relate to the issue. Lastly, I'm so happy to see Bituin Escalante again after 6 years! The last time I saw her was during the shoot of Dr. Doy del Mundo's film "Pepot Artista." I was a PA at that time. During the shoot of "Pepot Artista," I truly feel so fortunate to watch her sing and dance to rehearse by herself while waiting for the rain to stop. It was like I'm watching a concert. It was pure talent right in front of my eyes! Bituin is one of the most talented artists I've seen on or off camera and now, on or off stage so watch out for her different accents as her personality changes on stage!

"Love, Loss, and What I Wore" will run starting today July 14 until 17 at the RCBC Theater in Makati. Shows are at 8pm with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:30pm. Catch this very limited run before it's gone!

For tickets, visit http://www.ticketworld.com.ph/events/loveloss.asp or call 2150788. Ticket prizes are PhP 1,545.00 for Orchestra Center, PhP 1,236.00 for Orchestra Sides; PhP 1,030.00 for Loge and PhP 515.00 for Balcony.

*My camera ran out of batteries during the show and I was able to capture only 5 photos. Must remember to charge my battery next time. Special thanks to Jen and Jeman for the nice photos!*

Friday, May 6, 2011

The Hilarious Caveman

Joyfullyurs 9:42:00 AM 0 Comments

Joel Trinidad in "Defending the Caveman"
Above photos taken by Johan Sy of Studiyo (http://issuu.com/studiyo/docs/portfolio).

"Defending the Caveman" is the longest running one man show in Broadway, translated into 30 different languages, shown in 45 countries with 8 million tickets sold worldwide. This show explains the differences between men and women which have created a lot of miscommunications between the sexes and made a lot of couples split up. Rob Becker, writer of the show, is a comedian and actor who made this show originally intended for a stand-up comedy but it has grown and brought into Broadway because of its witty and very funny comparisons of the sexes that have touched a lot of people's lives.

Joel Trinidad during the rehearsal or private preview.

Press preview guests waiting for the show.

The set of the show looks like it came from “The Flintstones” to remind viewers that although the show defends the ‘caveman,’ it must be taken lightly. One thing good about the show is that it does not support male dominance. The whole one hour and ten minutes is one long explanation of why men act the way they do and enlighten women about them but at the same time it warns men that they should be aware of their actions and try to be more understanding to women. It advises men to adjust to women and inform women to also be understanding to men.

The set looks like it came out of the cartoons "The Flintstones"

To ensure the equality of men and women, this show is directed by both a man, Michael Williams, and a woman, Cathy Azanza-Dy. The value of the show is not to give excuses why men behave the way they do but simply gives an overview of how men think. It does not degrade women but it praises how women are very essential to the lives of men. By being fair to both the sexes, this show is a must watch for single people who are looking for love, for couples who are starting their journey, for those who have been married for years and for those who are planning to get married so that they may appreciate the other gender. I myself strongly recommend those couples who are having problems with one another to take a chance and watch this show. Maybe, just maybe, this show can help straighten out miscommunications and misunderstandings because of gender differences.

The caveman paintings on the backdrop to be explained in the show.

A snippet of the rehearsal or private preview.

Defending the Caveman will be showing at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati on May 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2011 at 8pm. For tickets, please visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. For more information, you may contact 0917-5378313 or 2150788. To get more updates, like them on Facebook, just look for "Defending the Caveman Philippines."

After the show with Michael Williams (standing), Cathy Azanza-Dy (with her gorgeous bright orange Banane that I sooooooo love) and Joel Trinidad. Above photo taken by Johan Sy. Special thanks to Velveteen Co for my dress.