Ate Vi, Kuya Guy and why it's Lucky to be in Himala*

I watched Himala! The Musical! last night with Astrid and Pepper. I think the girl who played Elsa was too big boned she seemed like a guy, or a guy in drag playing Ate Guy. Plus does she really have to strike that poster image pose? I realize that because this is an adaptation from a film, they try as much as they can to get the feel of the movie. There are moments which stretch to eternity--stage slow mo and then there's that final burst of the gun and Kuya Guy goes crowd diving. I was afraid they'd slip and Kuya Guy will break her back or something.

The part where Elsa declares that there is no miracle, that "ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao. Tayo ang gumagawa ng himala," they put a coda: That the real miracles are those that happen everyday. The rain falling on the ground, the sun rising. All that Oprah-esque sh*t. I was afraid they were going to pull out Doctor Phil and bring down the house and the theater and all those people who went in late and kept shuffling their feet over our heads. But yeah, I like the part where it rained. And when you can hear the wind around you. So desperate.

I want to find the people who made "Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa" and bonk them on their heads because if you put that movie side by side with Himala, the former would seem like some people sat around the table and said, "Pare, dali gawa tayo ng Himala pero mas bold. Tapos kunin natin si Maui Taylor kasi kamukha naman niya si Ate Guy. Di na nila mapapansin yun."

Parallels and Exhibit A to infinitum:

[1] Maui was a castout and was semi-retarded (not in the way Melanie Marquez was, though) and was therefore shunned by the village people vs Elsa was a putok sa buho and was thus also a castout,

[2] Maui, in her semi-retarded state, sees something in the dried up tree in the hills. Elsa claims to have seen the Virgin.

[3] The part where Elsa and Chayong got raped, and Ara Mina and Maui the same. Like yeah, deja vu.

[4] Cupang and the village where Maui lives are both destitute and drying up and praying for rain.

[5] Maui Taylor looks too much like Ate Guy. The only difference is that Maui can bare more flesh and silicone, and if I see Ate Guy topless, I would run away.

I like the girl who played Nimia. She tries to shock the audience too much though. There was this production number with the angels/devils from the whorehouse trying to tempt Orly the Filmmaker. It reminds me of Richard Gere's number in Chicago. What Pepper noticed was that the smaller the girl, the skimpier the outfits get. The girls all had angel wings and wore black underwear, which makes them look like they're from a Victoria's Secret catalogue. At least, that's what Pepper says. As Nimia says, "ang tunay na himala ay narito sa aking hita." Oooh, I've never seen the theater so alive.

Speaking of live audiences, there were a lot of people at the CCP last night. There were at least 3 shows going on. A PPO concert, something by the Young Critics, and then Himala. I just wish that Himala had a bigger venue. Maybe then they could get Ate Guy and not Kuya Guy. Don't get me wrong though. We sort of like Kuya Guy. Astrid thinks she was, uhm, animalistic, and er, primal? Hehehe.

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*Heard over conversation inside theater. Teenager dude asks his buddies: "Tungkol saan ba itong Himalang ito? Bakit siya lucky?" Other dude says: "Bakit naman lucky?" Teenager dude: "Di ba himala means lucky?" Nyar. Dude, where'd your Tagalog go? Hay naku. Hanggang dito may Ate Vi vs Ate Guy pa rin. *charing*