This year, Ballet Philippines
came to front to give fun and joy to all, in this season of giving, by staging
Edna Vida Froilan’s interpretation of Peter Pan. A fun-filled moment is in-store to you as you
watch this staging of a timeless children’s classic.
It was my first time to see the ballet staging of this piece and it was pure delight! The cast/dancers were wonderful and the choreography was pure magic! The humor is definitely not slap; simply child-like and natural. The music is simply magical, for you get to hear bars that are familiar and truly brings you back to being a child. It was like watching your animated film version but in a more stylize and interactive way. Edna’s vision was clear and was simple: to give and have fun on stage; something that was interpreted and clearly shown in the movements and energy of all the performers. I promised her, some months back, that I will watch and show support in her production in my own small way. Making sure to watch her stage interpretation of this timeless piece was worth the time and effort. It was something that I needed after going through some dark moments in my life. It made me remember the good times and the people with me that day helped me as I pick-up myself.
The flying mechanism, provided by
Flying by Foy, was smooth and clean as ever.
Peter truly took flight and showed us that flying is a delight that we
should all do. Tinkerbell’s pixie dust
moment was something to watch out for and so does the first moment that Wendy,
John and Michael discovered the secret in taking flight. The mermaid sequence was a classic! Diverting from the usual tails and fins, they
showed the beauty of graceful water movements with their two legs and arm synch
arm movements that truly captured the described mannerism of this wonderful
water creatures. The tango scene of the
pirates is also something not to miss for it was clean, smooth and pure
fun! Hook and Smee truly took the stage
as they lead the dance and brought the people into thinking that they were not
all that bad. Hook was not menacing as
staged but rather someone that is crooked but with humor and true to
himself. Garry Corpuz played the role
that day. He was comical with his
expression as he shared the stage with Croc and I love him! He is now more natural on stage.
Playing Peter and Wendy that day was Jean Marc Cordero and Rita Angela Winder respectively. They were a wonder, as expected, with their extensions and choreography executions. You have to watch for Croc’s scenes! That spoon, fork and napkin was a blast! The chasing scene was hilarious! The only slapstick scene that I would consider is the “balot scene”, but I still love it! It gave me the laughs that I need in my life. According to Artistic Director of Ballet Philippines Paul Morales, this is one production where they truly adopted kid performers to do some of the roles for this piece. It is no wonder that kids get to enjoy watching it for they get to see fellow kids perform and simply have fun on stage.
As expected with the technical
side of things, it was cleanly and perfectly done. The lights design of John Batalla was plotted
accordingly – no too dark spots on stage.
The music was truly wonderful to hear – the dancers truly made it sure
not to miss a mark and be in synch with the recorded voices. The set was a delight! It truly transformed the stage into the
magical world of NeverLand, the pirate ship and that of an English room. All in all, it was a well thought and executed
production with a clear understanding of its target audience. A production set to capture the heart of its
supporting audience.
Photos:
(Images used were personally taken by me during the press preview of Peter Pan; not my best shots but I still enjoyed it!)
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