Greatest Atlantis production is yet to come

It is difficult to deny to yourself that you have watched the movie version of Ghost starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg because you want a fresh take of the play you are about to watch. And chances are you loved the movie. I did.

But the good thing about knowing what Ghost is all about, you relax as you watch the play and you immensely enjoy it.

I’m not a critic, I’m a theater buff. When I watch a play, I don’t look for what is right or wrong. When I watch a play, I watch and then I start to think about it after I’ve seen it. I lose myself in the theater and in what is in front of me.

I enjoyed Ghost because of the actors. I’ve met Cris Villonco when she was 12 years old and what a magnificent evolution! This was the same girl in a press conference I hosted at Strumms who was then launching her first album. Cris as Molly handled the role with so much heart, pain and honesty.

I didn’t doubt for a single second that Cris was Molly. I cried when she sang With You. I’ve heard this song done by so many singers but it’s different when you listen to it during the play. It is in this context and you understand why it is sung. She moved with so much natural elegance. I don’t think that’s studied. It’s inborn. Cris has that magic. She glided around the stage like she lived there all her life. The stage was her living room. You were not afraid that she was going to break a vase while moving around. She knew her space. It was a place that was familiar to her. You felt comfortable watching her. She was very easy to watch. You could feel her “gutted” heart, her love, her pain. You were part of her journey. Cris should get a Tony nomination. Yes, a Tony even if this is Philippines!

This is one of the best performances of Christian Bautista. Among all the plays I’ve seen, I think this is the beginning of the best years of Christian as an actor of the theater. As Sam, he sang Unchained Melody at the end of the play with Cris like the song was written for them. He has polished his acting chops and you look forward to watching him again.

Ima Castro was a bombshell! You don’t question her voice because she is one of the best in this country. You also don’t question her capability to act because she’s done some of the most complex roles in theater. But somehow you get into the RCBC Theater and you ask what she is going to do. What can an actress do with a role that had been done by the iconic Whoopi? How much can she add to that interpretation? How much can she claim as her own?

You watched Ima and you realized that she did it the way she wanted to do it. She did it not the way Whoopi did it and it must have been tough but she attacked it without fear. She originated Oda Mae and it was fascinating to watch her. She was funny, she was crass, she was vulgar and loud but not in a Whoopi Goldberg way. She was everything that was not Whoopi but she was everything what the role was. She owned it!

Hans Eckstein was convincing in his portrayal as the antagonist Carl. The chorus was superb!

Bobby Garcia’s talent as a director is very special. He is one of the best storytellers in Philippine theater. The most complex plots are told by Bobby in the most digestible language, blocking and staging you can ever watch. His direction of Ghost was superbly brilliant.

Ghost may not be the perfect play because for Atlantis, which celebrates its 15th anniversary, the greatest production is yet to come. Looking forward to the next one without having to be haunted by any kind of ghost!