Theater productions to watch while in quarantine

Since most we are all staying at home, it is also the best time to enrich our knowledge of the arts. As many artists are being displaced as there are no theater gatherings while we endure the pandemic. We also have to take care of the artists as they give stories that mirror life through fictional characters and they portray messages that we seem to forget.

We already started with Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies a few weeks back, and there are numerous productions that you can check out on Youtube. This is also because not all of us have the luxury of Netflix and other premium streaming sites. Glad to have both Western and local productions, if you don't like binge watching on different Kdramas. But for me, I need to detox every now and then after each series. *wink*

As of this writing, you can watch Danny Boyle's Frankenstein featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as the creature on a fundraiser in Youtube from National Theatre. There is also a version with Jonny Lee Miller in it.


In the local scene, you can catch Full House Theater Company's Ang Huling El Bimbo, a musical featuring the songs of 90s band, Eraserheads. As filmed in the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila. It will only be available from May 8-9, (48 hours only) so make sure that you'll be able to watch it this weekend at ABS-CBN's Facebook and Youtube pages.

Also streaming right now is from CCP's Virgin Labfest, one is Juan Miguel Severo's one-act play, Hintayan ng Langit. A movie version is available on Netflix about Lisang (Gina Pareno) and Manolo (Eddie Garcia). I personally loved the movie version, and the play version is something to check out.


Carlo Vergara's one-play Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady will also be streaming starting May 7 at the Cultural Center of the Philippine's Youtube page. I am really looking forward to see this as I've been quite a fan of the full musical by Dalanghita Productions.

These are just some productions, watch and also donate if you can. It will be a great help for the artists and for our culture to survive during this crisis, and for your knowledge to be enriched as well.

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Home safety tips during quarantine

Writing this on the 50th day of enhanced community quarantine here in the Philippines. And during that 50 days, there have been constant efforts in making the household clean and free from virus that causes COVID-19. Aside from staying at home, keeping distance and eating healthy to boost the immune system, we've developed a "new normal" lifestyle that we all hope to save us all from this pandemic.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization shares some tips to keep our daily sustenance safe for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. SM Home, the one-stop shop of essentials is our partner for these to do so:

1. Prepare a Weekly Meal Plan and make a shopping list of items you need before you go to the store for your routine shopping. Create the list from the meal plan and include back up ingredients on your list in case your first choice is out of stock. Limit the list on buying the
essentials.

2. Stock up on nutrition-packed food such as whole grains, breads, and fresh fruits and vegetables; and staples like sauces, milk, eggs, spices and condiments. Fresh products should be consumed first. Frozen fruits and vegetables as well as canned vegetables and fruits are good
alternatives as these have a longer shelf life.

3. Build up a stock of healthy snacks for your children - yogurt, nuts, cheese, chopped or dried fruits, boiled eggs and more. Stock them up in a stackable glass container to seal freshness and label them.

4. Continue to practice Food Hygiene and Safety. Wash fruits and vegetables under running water and dry it with vegetable spinner; use separate chopping boards for meat and seafood as you prepare the meal; and don’t forget to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after preparing your meal.

5. Drink water regularly and stay hydrated by drinking 6-8 glasses a day to boost your immune system.

6. Make cooking and eating together a family habit. Kids can help wash and sort the ingredients and set the table before the meal. This creates a healthy routine and fun bonding with the whole family. Also practice mindful eating and stay away from processed food.

Enjoy healthy home-works and memorable meals together with home essentials from SM Home. These are available at the smhome.com.ph and shoppers can now place their order online through the thesmstore.com and ShopSM app. For more info and updates, follow them at SM Home at the SM Store in Instagram or visit thesmstore.com website.

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EVERY BRILLIANT THING review

In an intimate theater, the audience enumerated a number of things that made us all happy. Duncan Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing lists a million items whether it brings joy to us or not and makes us realize how such things deserves to be on that list.

Watching it last March 5 for The Sandbox Creative's opening for the #SandboxFest2020, I was taken on a journey of mental health, given a deeper understanding and empathy to those suffering from it. An immersive, interactive and fun one-man play as you get in the shoes of the actor (Teresa Herrera) as a child with the condition. It is a balance of laughter and loss where we can actually relate and be a catalyst of reaching out to them. Unsuspecting audience members are pulled for impromptu roles and awakens the rest. You'll never know what will happen and you'll be attentive to the whole play.

Beautiful and clever, you have to see it. Sadly, the Sandbox Fest is forced to stopped to the current COVID19 situation but I hope that when everything is better, you'll be able to see it too.

If you need a professional help or know someone who needs it, call the National Center for Mental Health hotlines: 0917-899-USAP (8727) or 989-USAP (8727).

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BLOODSHOT movie review

What would you do if you can heal yourself if you're crushed to your cells and molecules but you unknowingly know that you're being controlled? Columbia Pictures, in association with Valiant Comics, presents Bloodshot, based on the comic book starring Vin Diesel that is now showing in cinemas.

Bloodshot is about a soldier who was resurrected with superpowers, and reintegrates when damaged due to his hi-tech bloodstream. Sent by his creator for mission after mission, he then discovers that his mind has been altered.

The amazing CGI and unsuspecting turn of events is what I really liked about this movie. Can't refrain to compare references based on comic competitors on this. Vin Diesel is ok but I also cannot connect on the actors, except for Eiza Gonzalez or KT. Even the IT experts Wigans (Lamorne Morris) and Eric (Siddharth Dhananjay) are more interesting because of their ingenuity in technology. Guy Pearce made a good villain out of Dr. Emil Harting who was a "good guy and savior" in the beginning.
 
 
You can watch Bloodshot in IMAX, but for now, you have to wait until the quarantine is over. Keep safe everyone. :)

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AMIYA RAYA welcomed 2020 at the top

Real estate company Community Creators Inc. welcomed the Year of the Rat in an auspicious celebration at the high location of Amiya Raya Development in San Mateo, Rizal last January 26, 2020.

The celebration treated guests to a colorful dragon dance accompanied by heart-pumping drumbeats and firecrackers amidst the development's 270-degree panoramic view. As part of the event, celebrity geomancy and feng shui expert Ms. Rhys Suiza Schmidt shared her real estate outlook for the year 2020 and conducted one-on-one consultations with lucky lot owners.

Feng Shui expert Ms. Rhys Suiza Schmidt

Ms. Rhys Suiza Schmidt and one lucky lot owner in Amiya Raya

Amiya Raya is an exclusive residential enclave that boasts of breathtaking views of the city, Laguna de Bay, and mountain ranges. The development is working on the completion of its 1,400-square meter clubhouse and sports facility, an 11-hectare nature park, a village center, and a retail area. Situated 240 meters above sea-level and enveloped by its natural environs, it offers resort-like living that is only a 15-minute drive from the city. It is an Asian-themed development located in San Mateo, Rizal, which makes it close to places of interests such as schools, churches, malls, and government offices. In Hindu-Sanskrit, Amiya Raya means “a view that delights the senses”. Visit @AmiyaRayaOfficialPage on Facebook for more information on this highland development.

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THE INVISIBLE MAN movie review

The Invisible Man is this generation's Hollow Man is a nice psychological game of danger and obsession.

When Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) leaves her abusive ex, he kills himself and it's quite a question why he leaves her his fortune. Believing that his death was a hoax and everything slowly turns lethal, she makes everything she can to prove that she is being hunted by someone no one can see.

While Elisabeth Moss playing the character is already a strong point in this movie, you'll have to follow the story which is the real strength of it. It is a riveting plot that you have to follow with unexpected twists and redeeming conclusions.

The CGI part is forgivable, as the animations are clean. They made a justifiable explanation for me to believe the effects of the invisibility.

The Invisible Man is now showing in theaters, distributed from United International Pictures Philippines. Rated R-13 for bloody violence and language.

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The Sandbox Collective Festival runs this March

In continuing the advocacy for climate change and mental health, The Sandbox Collective, producers of acclaimed theatrical productions like No Filter, Himala: Isang Musikal and Dani Girl, brings back Lungs and Every Brilliant Thing for the Sandbox Fest 2020!

In line of 9 Works Theatrical and Sandbox Collective's "10+5 = 25" celebrations, two very important productions that needs to be watched to have a broader understanding of these important issues. Lungs, a play from Duncan Macmillan shows the struggle of a couple who are struggling to face the future with a kid, facing the responsibilities in a very different, or worse, environment. Watch this excerpt with Jake Cuenca and Sab Jose, the original actors from the run of Lungs years ago.


A more interactive show featured in Duncan Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing. A tribute to the irrepressible resilience inside all of us and the capacity to find delight in the everyday, Every Brilliant Thing is a very funny and moving new play about mental health that enlists members of the audience to help tell its story. Teresa Herrera lists every brilliant thing that will give significance in our lives.


Sandbox Fest runs from March 6-29, 2020 at the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, Maybank Performing Arts Theater in BGC. You may call for tickets or showbuying at 0917-5545560. You may also visit thesandboxco.com for more details.

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