Your “La Vie Boheme” Moment

RENT MUSICAL BACK in MANILA BLOG CONTEST NO. 2
Contest Duration: December 19, Saturday to 11.59pm December 27, Sunday)

I just watched the Sneak Peek of Rent Manila with the 2010 Cast. It was a very nostalgic moment for us, the “Rent” generation. I remembered how the songs truly inspired me — from pursuing the love of my life — Rache, to following my passion in life — blogging about the beauty of the Philippines.

So for the next RENT Contest, can you share your own “La Vie Boheme” moment?

To enter the contest, you just have to create a Blog Post or a Facebook note and answer this:
“What’s your ‘La Vie Boheme’ moment?” and mention the Feb 6, 2010 RENT OAP Show. Please enter the link of the Blog Post or Facebook note in the comments section of this entry.

The best entry will win:
– Two (2) Balcony Tickets for the February 6, 2010, 8pm show!
– A Black RENT Shirt for Women (XL Size)
– Rent Manila 2010 Poster

(BTW, I recorded the Sneak Peek last Wednesday night. Check it out below!)

RENT MANILA 2010 SNEAK PEEK!

RENT is set in New York City’s gritty East Village. This revolutionary rock musical is an imaginative retelling of the classic Puccini opera, La Boheme. This unforgettable and timeless story of a group of starving artists, who, despite poverty and illness, learn to fall in love and find their voices, brings a universal message of hope for everyone.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize, RENT with Book, Music and Lyrics by the late Jonathan Larson, has made a lasting mark on Broadway with songs that rock and a story that really resonates.

Introducing…Robbie Guevara and the RENT Manila 2010 Cast!

The artistic team led by Director Robbie Guevara, Choreographer Charles Thompson and Vocal Coach Onyl Torres fused together their expertise in bringing out the message of the two songs.

Robbie Guevara, who also handles the acting workshop before each rehearsal session, made use of various theater exercises that helped the cast formulate their own thoughts and decisions about their characters. The exercises also included activities that made sure the cast was working as a unified ensemble.

Charles Thompson emphasized on the body movement to effectively reflect not only the lyrics of each song, but the melodies that the composer wrote to convey the true feelings and thoughts of each character. He started by giving the cast dance classes, which gave them a uniform sense of body movement, then proceeded on to the specific choreographies per number, in constant consultation with the Director.

Onyl Torres studied the voice qualities of each member of the cast and ran them through “warm up” techniques. Power and strength are two key elements needed to sustain the vocal requirements of the musical. In teaching the songs, he further refined the notes by emphasizing their nuances in detail.

 

The cast of RENT includes Gian Magdangal as Roger Davis, a songwriter who is HIV positive; Fredison Lo as Mark Cohen, an independent filmmaker and Roger’s roommate and Nicole Asensio as Mimi Márquez, an exotic dancer with HIV.

The cast also features OJ Mariano as Tom Collins, a gay philosophy professor and anarchist with AIDS; Carla Guevara-Laforteza as Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist; Noel Rayos as Benjamin ‘Benny’ Coffin III, the local landlord and a former roommate of Roger, Mark, Collins, and Maureen; Job Bautista as Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay drag queen percussionist with AIDS; Jenny Villegas as Joanne Jefferson, a lawyer, who is Maureen’s partner; and Cara Barredo, as Mimi Marquez (at certain performances).

Ensemble members include Ring Antonio, Peachy Atilano, Johann Dela Fuente, Harold Cruz, Gary Junsay, Raul Montesa, Anna Santamaria and Mark Tayag.

La Vie Boheme by Rent Manila 2010 Cast – Sneak Peek!

La Vie Boheme is the finale number of Act 1, that starts off as a mock-answer to the statement “Bohemia is dead…”, smugly exclaimed by the quasi-antagonistic character Benny (Noel Rayos). As the song progresses, the rest of the cast, led by Mark (Fredison Lo), show the audience the contrary: that bohemia is not dead, but indeed very much alive through the lifestyle they all choose to lead with much passion and fun.

Finale B by RENT Manila 2010 Cast — Sneak Peek!

Finale B is the closing number of the entire show. It encapsulates the whole message that RENT aims to share: there is NO DAY BUT TODAY and that life is meaningless WITHOUT YOU or without each other.

RENT Manila Q&A (Part 1):
How does it feel for the Theater Newbies?

RENT Manila Q&A (Part 2):
On Assimilating the 90’s Character

 

RENT Manila Q&A (Part 3):
with Santi Santamaria (Executive Producer)

RENT is presented through special arrangement with:
MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI)
421 WEST 54TH STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10019
TEL.: (212) 541-4684 • WWW.MTISHOWS.COM

SHOW DATES ARE: FEBRUARY 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 AND 28.
FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AT 8:00PM
SATURDAYS AT 3:30PM & SUNDAYS AT 4:30PM

VENUE: CARLOS P. ROMULO AUDITORIUM, RCBC PLAZA
AYALA CORNER SEN. GIL PUYAT AVENUES, MAKATI CITY 1200

Feb 6, 2010 (Saturday) – OAP Show
8PM/ C.P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza
Reserve Now! (check out the Seat Plan)
Email: amillionmiracles@gmail.com
Mobile Number: +63917 8676332 (Minnie Fong)
 
(Tell them that you are an OAP reader.
Also, please say hi when you see us at the show.)

Best Seats Available:

Orchestra Sides:
B 3-5
L 18-19
K 3-4

Balcony:
C 1-3

See Complete List of Available Seats

Ticket Prices:
P800 – Balcony
P1,100 – Loge Sides
P1,400 – Loge Center
P1,600 – Orchestra Sides
P1,700 – Orchestra Center

Live an Awesome Life,  

 

Anton Diaz
Founder, OurAwesomePlanet.com
Mobile: +63917-LOVEOAP (5683627) 
Email: anton@diaz.ph
Add me in Twitter: antondiaz
Add me in Facebook: antondiaz
Add me in You Tube: antondiaz