Ateneo BlueRep BAREs All Again

The Ateneo BlueREPERTORY brings back on stage BARE: A Pop Opera as season finale. BARE, with book, music and lyrics by Jon Hartmere, Jr. and Damon Intrabartolo, tells the story of Peter Simmonds and Jason McConnell, two boys in love with each other and struggling with life's issues amid peer pressure, societal expectations, among others. Peter is getting tired of living his life in the closet, while Jason is not yet ready to come out, given the high expectations of his family and peers. The story is set in a Catholic boarding school.

Reprising his role as Peter is Bibo Reyes, whose roles in other productions include Sonny in Atlantis Productions' In the Heights; and Berger in Hair, Dennis in All Shook Up, and Tank in Zanna, Don't, all of Ateneo BlueREPERTORY.

Coming in as Jason is Jaime Barcelon, who appeared in Atlantis Productions' The Little Mermaid as Jetsam, Repertory Philippines' Little Women as Laurie and The Sound of Music as Rolf, and Ateneo BlueREPERTORY's Tick... Tick... BOOM! as Jonathan Larson, among other productions.

Maronne Cruz plays the role of Ivy Robinson, the pretty and popular student who falls for Jason. Maronne has appeared as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Jeanie in Hair, Woman 2 in Edges, and Scaramouche in Rock and Rule, all produced by Ateneo BlueREPERTORY.

Directed by Ana Abad Santos, BARE opens on February 29, 2012, 8pm at Teatrino, The Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan. Other play dates are March 1 to 3, and March 7 to 10, with gala shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm, and matinee shows on Saturdays at 3pm.

For tickets and inquiries, you may contact Chiz Jardin at 09165787618 or through e-mail at nicojardin12@yahoo.com. Show buyers can contact Luis Marcelo at 09175025847.

Facebook users can subscribe to www.facebook.com/bluerepbare and www.facebook.com/blueREPERTORY. Twitter users can follow @_blueREPERTORY.

BARE: A Pop Opera is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW), 570 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2100, New York, NY 10018 (www.theatricalrights.com).

Phantastic!

It was supposed to be an ordinary Monday night at the mall. I decided to get my haircut so I took a jeepney ride to SM North EDSA. I usually get off in front of the Main Building and head straight to Fix. But tonight, partly because I was sleepy, I absent-mindedly got off in front of SM The Block. On the way to Fix, I passed by SM Cinemas, and saw The Phantom of the Opera on schedule. I asked the cashier until when it will be shown, and she said tomorrow would be its last day. Thinking that I could try to watch later, I still went to Fix to try to get my haircut as a walk-in client. Unfortunately, my stylist would be available at 8:30pm, so I decided against waiting for my turn and told myself I am watching The Phantom of the Opera tonight.

At the ticket booth, I was surprised to find out that it only has one screening time for the night. I bought my ticket and still had time to take dinner. After dinner and buying a few more stuff, I went to the theater.

I was not expecting that the first part would contain interviews here and there about the show. To some extent, I was getting impatient and I wanted the show to start immediately. But what can I do? It's The Phantom of the Opera's 25th Anniversary Performance, and this should be expected. So I watched, I waited, and updated my Facebook status.

And then the show started. I was in London. Nah, but it felt like it. The Royal Albert Hall had so much people, and I was excited to see how the stage would transform from scene to scene. Sure, I watched the movie version of the musical years back (only to be horribly disappointed with the execution of the musical numbers) and the producers can do almost anything to make scenes believable. But production on stage is more challenging. And I must say, the scene transitions and stage design are simply breathtaking.

Can I just say I fell in love with Sierra Boggess? I first heard her in the cast recording of Love Never Dies, together with Ramin Karimloo. And it was such a treat to watch them play their roles in the original Phantom musical. Sierra gave life to Christine, and it was refreshing to see Christine in a different light, as compared to Emmy Rossum's movie portrayal. Ramin had quite a few misses here and there, but his portrayal of the role was powerful, convincing, and moving, nonetheless.

The way Christine and The Phantom parted ways towards the end somehow made the story of Love Never Dies plausible, as it sent me the message that Christine was at this point in love with The Phantom but just had to go with Raoul.

There were still quite a few surprises after curtain call, and to say that I loved them is an understatement. Haha I won't spill the beans since my very few readers might still catch the show and I do not want to spoil the surprise.

Watching the 25th Anniversary Performance of The Phantom of the Opera made me want more for it to be staged here in the Philippines. I hope someday they would bring it here. But for now, I will just wait for its DVD release.

Have a phantastic night! :)

Awesome Threesome

I went to a threesome this weekend, and it was orgasmic—actually better than that. Together with friends I met through MGGFF, I went to the launch of Threesome: Books to Break the Rules. It was the launching of the following blogs-turned-books: McVie's The Wetbook: Stories from the Bathhouse, E's The Chronicles of E, and Migs' Dear Migs: Letters to MGG, the Manila Gay Guy.

It was a mix of emotions. There was anxiety of what to expect at the launch. I also felt the paranoia and excitement of seeing familiar faces, paranoia because of the possibility that I'll come out once more to someone I know personally, and excitement because of the thought that if I indeed see someone familiar there, it's either he's one of us or at the very least accepting of us. Then as the authors presented their books, I laughed at the authors' humor, got teary-eyed a bit at the heartwarming stories, admired the courage of E and Migs to come out in the open (sige na nga isali ko na rin si McVie, hehe), and just felt happy that I witnessed this momentous occasion for these three bloggers/authors, their editors, and the new publisher in town, Grey Matter Publishing. Congratulations to all of you!

I was also able to see, although not mingle with, Cookie Chua, Ryan Chua, and RG Cruz—haha shy type ako. :)

Of course, I was able to see some friends again, meet new ones, see online friends in person, and see a number of hot, goodlooking guys. I'd like to send a special shoutout to that one hot guy who, most of the time, caught me looking at him. Haha. I wish I could see you again. :)

Now I can say that once in my life, I joined a threesome and it felt gooood—way better than what any casual sexual encounter could offer. :)

For those interested in buying the books, you can buy online at mybookstore.ph for now. Soon they will be available in National Book Store. So buy, read, and share with your friends. :)

Mr. Hairstylist

Whenever I need a haircut, there's this feeling of anxiety because I might end up having a bad haircut. So when I get to have a barber or stylist who's familiar with the hairstyle I'm comfortable with, I stick with him/her.

I remember the first time I "met" him, he was wearing this white polo that really looked good on him. He's fairly cute, err... hot. His biceps were to die for, and I love seeing him smile. So yeah, by now it must be clear to you that I have a crush on my hairstylist. :p He has been my suki for months now.

I skipped one haircut last month and instead went to another branch of theirs, the one in Makati, since my schedule was hectic that day and it was practical for me to get it done there since I was in the area for a meeting.

After a month, my hair started to make me feel that it needs some grooming. So earlier this evening after office hours, I went to the mall to get my haircut. Of course, I called on my crush, I mean, suki. When he examined my hair, he asked me who last touched it. I told him I had it done in their Makati branch. So he started telling me that he used to work in that branch, and he asked me the name of the stylist, which I forgot. Haha.

As the conversation continued, I learned that he also worked in their branch in Ortigas before transferring to TriNoma. During the conversation, and while he was giving me a haircut, I was subtly trying to get a glimpse of his face. Haha. I don't know if he sensed it, but I was really enjoying the moment.

When he was done, I was a little surprised that he made the effort of blowing my hair dry and applying hair gel to my hair since there are times when he usually leaves the task to his assistant. He might just really be in the mood to do that, but deep inside I was hoping he was doing it to impress me. Haha.

Up until I paid for the service and before I left, I was really tempted to get his number, or to at least subtly give him my number. But then again, I felt this was uncalled for, as I could just be assuming too much. I'm not hoping that he would make the move either because he is employed there and I'm a client. And of course, I was not even sure if he is gay or bi. He might be straight for all I know. There are straight hairstylists, even though I've only seen one in fiction—Adam Sandler's character in You Don't Mess with the Zohan, who's also good in one other thing aside from hairstyling. (wink wink)

To my hairstylist: If by any chance you happen to read this entry, and you happen to realize that this is you I'm talking about, please ignore my Zohan remark. (Peace! and Hugs!) Hahaha landi!

Fail

I was on my way home aboard a tricycle when I saw my crush who lives somewhere along the way. He was walking his dog again. Since he was looking at me (or I was thinking it was me he was looking at) I decided to look him straight in the eye just to try if he will look the other way. After all, I was riding a trike and I don't think he will make a big deal out of it. Plus, I've been wanting to give him a hint that I like him since the day I saw him, but something always held me back. So this time, I decided to give it a try. And so there, I looked him straight in the eye. He seemed to grin, but then as the trike I was in drove past him, I just realized that perhaps the way I looked at him was fierce enough that he could easily misinterpret that I was frowning at him, or that I had a bad day. Blame the trike and the road 'coz it was not an easy ride. I should've smiled. Haha.

Hmm, calling the Quezon City Engineering Department: Please conduct road repairs at _________ Street as soon as possible. Dahil sa baku-bakong daan, nasisira ang diskarte ko. Hahaha. Kiddin'.

Airport

It happened during one of my recent trips back to Manila. Before boarding the plane, I usually go to the restroom to prepare myself for the flight so that I won't have to compete with other passengers for a turn in the lavatory before the plane takes off. So at the pre-departure area, I went to the restroom. On my way to the restroom, I noticed this cute guy seated on one of the front row seats. I just glanced at him and I think he also glanced at me.

Inside the restroom, while I was urinating, I noticed him enter and wash his hands first. He then went to the urinal. I was finished by then and went to the sink to wash my hands. Then I stayed longer to check how I look. He then went to the sink and made his way to the only working faucet--the one I recently used. I glanced at him to acknowledge his presence and to signal that he can take his turn. Then he walked away.

To my surprise, before walking through the door, he asked, "Ilang taon ka na?" to which I asked back, "Are you talking to me?" Then that was the start of a conversation. I answered his question and then asked him the same question. He is one year younger than me. As we made our way out of the restroom, we talked about why we were traveling. I learned that he was from the nearby municipality and just visited his relatives. I wanted to ask his name and number, but I couldn't find the courage to do so. Then he asked, "Can I have your number?" I gave him my phone number and then he asked what my name is. Then I also asked for his name and number. Let's call him L.

Then the call to board came. He asked what my seat number was. I told him I was seated at row 30. I was with a superior that day, so I couldn't let him see me talking to this new guy I just met. As I made my way to the plane, I texted L and told him I was seated on this row and asked for his seat number. He told me he was at row 26.

Inside the plane, I realized we were both on the aisle seats on opposite sides of the plane, and we could see each other from where we were seated. We exchanged smiles once in a while. He also talked to me while waiting for his turn to use the lavatory. Good thing my companion was asleep that time.

When we reached Manila, I was able to spend a little more time with L at NAIA Terminal 3. On our way to the baggage claim area, I asked him where he was going, and he said he was on his way to Manila. On the other hand, I will be going to Quezon City with my superior. While waiting for our baggage, we were exchanging text messages, trying to know more about each other. Then I left ahead of him.

We continued to exchange text messages in the evening upon returning home. However, he left for a one-week trip abroad with his boss last Sunday. His phone was not on roaming though. I hope when he gets back, he would still keep in touch and I hope this could be the start of a new friendship. Or if something better comes out of it, then that would be great. On the other hand, if he won't keep in touch, sorry na lang siya! Hehe. But I'm hoping he will.

Edit (November 4, 2009):
--When he returned we continued to exchange SMS but could not schedule a meetup. We were okay, but it seems he only wants to be friends. Haha. Hay naku, naudlot na naman. :p

Some Random Thoughts

Last Father's Day, I received a call from my Dad. I greeted him, and we talked for a while. He asked me how I was, in terms of work, health, etc. Then he asked me: Are you planning to stay single all your life? (My immediate family knows I'm gay, but so far, only my sister is okay with it. My parents are okay with it as long as I don't act on it. Kumusta naman 'yon di ba?!) I was stunned and speechless. Fortunately, he followed the question with the statement that I should ask God what His plan for me is, etc. So I just replied that I'm doing it. Well, I really am asking God to show me His plan for me, but still I hope He gives me a guy to be my partner, if He wills it. :p I wish I had the strength to tell this to my Dad, but I didn't want to ruin his special day. Still, I'm hoping the day will come that He, along with the rest of my family, would be okay with it.

Just the other day, my colleagues and I were talking about sexuality. I was surprised to learn that one of them was very okay with her friends being gay, and that she was even trying to pair two of them up. I was almost tempted to come out to them that day, but still, I didn't feel like I have to announce it. It has been my decision that in coming out to friends and other people, I must not tell them I'm gay unless they ask. The problem is they don't ask. They didn't even ask me that day. So I'm still stuck in my closet. Anyway, I have a feeling that this colleague of mine will sooner or later ask me, because I think she already saw my gay blog subscriptions more than a year ago when she suddenly used my PC. (so careless, haha. buti na lang RSS feeds lang yung nakita nya at walang kasamang NSFW images). She never asked me about it though. :D Maybe if I add her to my Facebook friends, she would see my fan pages on several gay-themed movies. Haha. And then I would have the chance to come out to her. Or maybe I won't. Bahala na si Batman! :D