All posts by Kuya

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Grease the musical in the Philippines by 9 Works theater company

9 Works Theatrical brings us the original High School musical: Grease!


Got in excited to watch a classic we all know very well. I guess it’s hard to revisit a play that everyone knows so well. Tho I guess the younger audiences still didn’t even watch the movie probably 😀
The producer Santi Santamaría told me before entering that it was a bad show haha. He used some irony but for a second I believed him and thought I was going to watch something he wasn’t convinced about. But not at all.
I was offered a back seat and requested for the front row. I always say I want to have the actors spitting at me as they sing 😀
Total blast of energy from the company as curtain goes up! Dancing, singing and really enjoying the classic musical.
Congrats director Robbie Guevara for achieving this in an original way. Glad ‘coz I’ve seen Grease the musical in several countries and it’s always different and fresh like this time. He really sharpened up the intentions of individual actors. I really appreciate that! Some would say… duh! But I can tell you it’s just some directors who do this and give consistency to the whole play.
Lucky enough I don’t know who are celebrities and who not in the cast (promise to catch up with that some day) there are some actors that super stand out.
Reb Atadero does a great job from the beginning. While dancing, singing and acting he always has his character. And you can see how he enjoyed mooning us, oh yes, showing his butt to the whole world many times hahaha. Had seen him before perform in the Woman in Black where he was also great.
And the female Oscar goes for Carla Dunareanu. German and now for good Filipina actress, radio host, model and anything she feels like ‘coz she is a true performer and determined person who takes her job super seriously. Just check any of her works. She starred in Repertory Philippines’ Boeing Boeing last season and totally stole the show.
Her role in Grease was Marty and she really squeezed the life out of it, including deep motivations that were probably not required and only a very observant audience member will catch. That’s why I love being in the first row J
Great energy from actress Ciara Sotto, daughter of the politician I was told. Good performing family! She can make you laugh with her original contributions, congrats!
Iya Villania has a beautiful singing voice for musicals, solid! And as an actress she really had the character from the beginning. Hope I can work together in some moment. Seems like a strong personality to deal with, at least on stage haha. Scary and powerful.
Musical direction by Joseph Tolentino. Another bravo! Risky to visit a classic and hard to direct from behind the singers and with the orchestra divided on both sides of the stage. Sounded great.
Congrats all company and crew!

December 2013, Manila.

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Total support for Freddie Aguilar, my new hero! – Love has no age or gender

Everybody is shocked because 60 year old celebrity singer loves a 16 year old girl. I say, so what? Better for them!
Philippine hypocrisy or envy is showing.

She loves him, he loves her. What else matters and why does it affect all the people criticism him for it?

Wanna see her happily talking about it? Check http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/10/18/13/excl-freddie-aguilars-teen-gf-speaks-mahal-ko-siya

Many grandparents couples in the Philippines started life together when under legal age.

Many Philippine women have children when still under legal age.

Many old men have sex with under age girls everyday in Manila, Angeles City and all over the Philippines thru those bars… it’s known by everyone.

So the scandal comes coz it’s a celebrity I guess. Coz it’s public.

Well, this is the third possible wife of Freddie Aguilar. He already had another underage girlfriend before.

The daughter of Freddie Aguilar is OK with their love.

So who are you to even think you have the right to tell them what to do?

I would also love to have a teenager as a lover when I’m 60! Why not? Everyone likes teenagers, go to the magazine shop and model sites check what sells.

Kudos to Freddie Aguilar for being brave enough!

Get morals and double standards out of love!

Age gap? So what! Envious!

#FreddieAguilar

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Achieving your goals – How to achieve your goals for sure

What motivates me to do and accomplish things? – Answering the Twitter question by @kateeputhputh 

I move searching pleasure. What gives me happiness and makes me feel good is what I aim for.

Accomplishing it or not totally depends on us, that’s what I believe.

If I put enough effort and concentrate with something I’ll most probably achieve it.

As my dad in law says. Make a plan and follow your plan.

The first thing you need to know is where you want to go.

So I say. First ask myself what will make me happy?

Then how can I achieve that? What are the steps I need to walk to get there?

Not meaning a super general step like “work hard ’till you get it”.

The plan has to be concrete and meditated. A real action plan. With steps and dates to achieve each step. Realistic dates.

Step 1: say 2 weeks for example, step 2: say another week… and so on ’till you walk that final step and you achieve.

So after writing down your plan, you’ll know how long it can take you to achieve your goal.

Knowing how long it takes will make it become more realistic to achieve for you, you’ll be more motivated and happier.

Write down your progress and check your achievements.

Review the plan and show it to people you respect and who can maybe guide you thru some of the steps to make it even faster or easier.

Whatever they tell you, you are the owner of the plan and the project, and you believe and defend it ’till the end. ‘Coz even if others don’t believe in it, it will take you to your goal if it’s well planned.

If some of the steps are big or complicated, break them down in pieces. Define mini steps for of how to achieve it. Also with the dates to do each thing.

I post in my FB my step by step progress as a proof of achievement.

Imagine you are driving a car to go to another province to see your auntie.

From the moment you sit behind the stirring wheel, you still can’t see the house of your auntie, right?

You know anyway that if you keep on driving, recharging fuel, stopping to eat, etc… you’ll arrive approximately at certain time to your auntie’s house. Right?

And you get there ‘coz you know the way or checked a map. You know what path to follow, what steps to take. See? It’s the same process!

You just have to follow kilometer after kilometer, step after step, and you will arrive your destination.

I hope this inspires you and helps you achieve and you come back to me to tell me about it with a comment below.

Career page https://www.facebook.com/kuyafanclub
Personal profile https://www.facebook.com/kuyamanzano
Twitter https://twitter.com/kuyamanzano

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Am I heartbroken or what?

She just wrote in her FB status she is in an open relationship with me and another guy. OMG!

I was ok when she wrote we were in an open relantionship. But now with me and another guy at the time… I’m bothered and I don’t know how to react.

I guess it’s a fullspoon of my own medicine. I pushed to much till this happened and hard to repair now.

I don’t know how to feel about it. I encouraged her to date other people and wanted to do myself even.

The thing is I want to, I need to meet other people and have sex around and be open to nice human relations oportunities there might me out there.

Being in an open relationship is not having 2 open relationships at the same time. Or is it? Well, I guess it’s ok to have it that way also. So let her enjoy naman.

I love her. Want to be best friends and do some activities together.

Guess now it’s gonna be akward. We’ll see.

The truth is I was getting suffocated with too much 24h together and the jealousness on her side. So I needed time alone and she never understood that. She’s always frowned and I end up feeling upset coz I make her unhappy.

I regularly had the feeling I wasn’t making her happy. Coz regularly she would be depressed thinking that her dreams of a future family and kids together would never happen.

And it’s true I don’t look forward to a regular formal life. I’m focused on business and career right now and those plans are not in my horizon.

So I think if we separate it will be better for her in the long term. She has the chance to find someone who will give her what she desires so much ever since.

I’m so sorry for her parents, who I love so much and back and they’ve taken me in from the beginning. I’m part of the family now. OMG, what to do?

Well. I just need some space and no pressure to think well.

What I need and always told her is a happy person who gives me constant happiness. With her I can get it and a while after I get a drama moment.

So it just doesn’t fit in my life right now. When I have a drama moment I can’t work properly coz the drama reduces my energy and concentration.

We have a lot of drama moments coz of jealousy or coz I need my personal time or coz I take a picture with fans.

I need those moments and pictures. I’m a public relations at our business. And as an actor I need to be very outgoing and socialize a lot, it’s part of the job.

OK, sleep time. Lets see what tomorrow brings us. TY for listening 🙂

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Spit organizes the 2nd improv festival in Manila

Went the other day to the presscon of the 2nd Philippine International Improv Festival. Bonga!

All organized by SPIT, the leading improv group of the country with my friend Dingdong Rosales as the festival director.

Happy to find also friend Keneth Keng from the Filipino Free Thinkers as a member of the group.

I was invited by Mr. Toots Tolentino, thank you so much for a presscon with such good food at Aristocrat restaurant in Jupiter street.

There was an improv show, raffle of tickets to Singapore by Cebu Pacific, raffle of Tshirts, and a bag full of freebies for each of us.

I might even join an improv training with them soon.

They are inviting international groups. So we’ll have English and Tagalog improv groups.

All at the PETA theater, where SPIT drank from originally.

For more details and updates, you may check out SPIT via

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spitmanila

Twitter: @spitmanila

Website: http://spitmanila.com/

For ticket and Workshop inquiries contact:

Meann Espinosa of PETA

Tel: 410-0822 loc 14 to 15

mobile number 0906 211 5003

Tickets are also available at Ticketworld or the PETA Theater Center.

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Why to watch RED theater with Bart Guingona?

Coz thanks to this brave efforts of producers like Bart Guingona we can enjoy Broadway titles with Broadway quality productions.

Coz Bart Guingona is a theater legend of the Philippines and leads, directs and produces the play.

Coz it’s the 2010 Tony Award Winner for Best Play written by American writer John Logan about the famous abstract expressionist painter artist Mark Rothko.

Coz TV host Joaquin Valdes plays the role of the assistant and is great as an actor. I didn’t know him before and know I have to say I respect him and look forward to new works.

Coz u have to rush. Only 4 shows in Manila. ‘RED’ is set to open on February 22, 2103 – 7:30 P.M. at CSB – SDA Theater, 5/F College Of St. Benilde School of Design And Arts located at Pablo Ocampo St., Malate, Manila. The other playdates are on Feb. 23; March 1 and 2, 2013.

Coz I really enjoyed it. Intense. No fall down in rhythm. Always interesting, and very educating about painting 😀

Coz if you are into the arts, this is your theme. The mental fight of an artist between being true to himself or sell art for commercial purposes.

I wonder how they get the money back with such nice productions and such short runs with theater in the Philippines. Bravo for the guts!

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Why watch They’re Playing Our Song the musical, in Manila?

Coz Nikki Gil is a fabulous actress and singer and she’s really proving it here! She was super full of energy and super confident with her character. You can really see she worked on it deeply and makes it seem effortless.

Coz Robbie Guevara, the director does a very good job. Not for no reason he comes from Repertory Philippines where he learned everything as he said several times.

Coz it’s very brave for 9Works theater company with Santi Santamaria as the executive producer to produce Broadway musicals one after the other, so we Filipinos can enjoy them. Thank you.

Coz the chorus has well seasoned thespians and friends who have been proving themselves for so many years.

Coz the many sets are fantastic as you can see in these pics. I’m amazed of how productions that run for such a short time (the normal thing in the Philippines) can make back the money having such good sets, and props, and costumes and artists.

Coz the musical director Jo Tolentino is super energetic and coordinated perfectly even when he had the orchestra divided in each side of the stage!

And check the ushers, they’re sexy thespians too!
Congrats 9Works for a good good production! Looking forward for Grease.

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January 2013 mash up

Continuing an attempt to track my progress and remember what I do so I don’t think I’m a lazy person myself, here is what I did in January 2013.
Joined the Philippine Opera Company in a small nice concert, check the pics.
Rehearsed in for Marco Polo the musical with Broadway director Kenny Howard a short workshop to see what the play looks like, it will still show in 2014. I play the role of Mongol Baron Tegan.
Joined the production team of Marco Polo as a line producer.
Was in the preview of Repertory Philippines‘ straight play Boeing Boeing. Awesome, so funny! My blog about it here.
Working hard in the renovation of iChill Theater Cafe, and had our first casting event. More pics.
Published my short version of opera piece O Sole Mio from an event.
Had a nice vacation and photoshoot in Boracay.
Article from the gay pride with our picture in it :-). And also my personal blog post about it.

Got this awesome jacket with my name for belated Xmas!


Thank you for being there 🙂


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Nov-Dec 2012 diary

Continuing with the purpose of knowing where I put my time and energy. Here the end of last year.

Shooting of film Slumber Party with Ms. Venus Raj. Lots of pics here.
Recorded Besame Mucho Spanish love song in my particular way.
Recorded Christmas of Love by Njel de Mesa. A mash of many different artist. Here my part only.
Awesome Urban Pirate photoshoot by Marian Yu.
Halloween turned into scary superhero Thor-ror, also by Marian Yu.
Shot Japanese film Death Match in Manila.
My directed feature film “Changing Direction” opened in Ecuador, South America.
Supremo film with Alfred Vargas opened in Manila.
Casual look photoshoot, by Marian Yu.
We won the best float prize in Manila’s Gay Pride.
Opened film “Si Agimat, si Enteng at si Ako”.
Think all this is quite a lot of activity for those two month of ending of the year, yep. 🙂
I’m in the social groups if you want to keep close track of me: Twitter – Facebook.
Thank you, and keep up the good work!
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Why to watch Boeing Boeing by Repertory Philippines?

My very personal recommendations to watch this new theater play in Manila.

Coz Repertory Philippines is 46 years old. The longest running English theater company in the Philippines, they started it all. And most theater companies nowadays are founded by Rep members.

Coz Baby Barredo, the diva of Philippine theater is on stage again after 3 years, watch the experience in action!

Coz there’s an amazing cast of new and pretty faces.

Coz you can enjoy different accents if you are into that kind of stuff fetish 😀 American, German, Italian…

All directed by Miguel Faustmann, another theater legend who has been in Rep Phils forever.

Leaded by David Bianco who is also the lead of Marco Polo the musical, rehearsing with me everyday 😀

Coz there’s a new actress who just arrived from Singapore. Who was in the TV serie The Kitchen musical. Who is the girlfriend of Christian Bautista (if you love chismes). Who is a radio host in the mornings (89.9FM I was told). That is a real master class of acting and totally steals the show. Concentrated, in character and with a great corporal theater training that shows in every move. She is Carla Dunareanu.

Cast completed by beautiful and talented Giannina Ocampo and Jennifer Blair-Bianco as Bianco’s lovers and Topper Fabregas. More of them all in this link.