The A. Lloyd Webber show: What a magnetic musical! / Medel concert, art exhibits

Despite the profuse ads promoting the current Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, I remained skeptical about its quality. But as the curtains of the CCP main theater open, the initial scene is a sight to behold, a preview of what a marvelous presentation is in store for the audience.

Five and a half giant screens bordered with tiny lights whose color keep changing show fast-moving shapes or objects falling or rising at breathtaking speed. Or clips of films or musicals whose songs are being rendered onstage.

For instance, real-life photos of Evita Peron and her circle of friends are being flashed on the screens while Delia Hannah sings — with what subtle, delicate nuances! — “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”.

Hannah is an excellent singer, and so are the rest — Michael Cornick, who appears the most senior and the most seasoned of the Australian cast; Blake Bowden who sings in a fluid and robust manner; Kirsten Hobbs, Shaun Rennie, Andrew Conaghan, Alinta Chindzey and Trisha Crowe.

They convey varying degrees of excellence, giving absolutely no room for mediocrity. Obviously, the audience is watching top-ranking, meticulously chosen, outstanding talents.

These luminaries have powerful voices of widely-ranging registers; they sustain high notes firmly; their diction is consistently clear; they project emotional intensity and eloquent emoting. How riveting they all are!

Demonstrating excellence, likewise, is the mini-orchestra which synchronizes closely with each singer or group, playing expressively while never over-powering the vocalists.

There is no change of set or scenery; the singers are elegantly attired in black — the women in glittery gowns — and there are only very slight costume changes. Thus, no interruptions occur; focus is always on the musical which runs smoothly; singers enter and exit — at center stage with the screens positioned on either side.

Performers mesmerize listeners with songs from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ, Superstar” (which the close-minded might regard sacrilegious) “Cats,” “Evita,” “Tell Me on a Sunday,” “Sunset Boulevard” (with a huge accompanying street sign on the screen), “Whistle Down the Wind,” “Starlight Express,” “Joseph and the Amazing Dreamcoat,” “Requiem”.

Kirsten Hobbs and Trisha Crowe in their duet, Pie Jesu from “Requiem”, capture its solemnity and piety, deeply moving their listeners.

An entire scene from “Phantom of the Opera”, which stars Michael Cornick and Trisha Crowe, is a tremendous highlight. The splendid reenactment, particularly by Cornick, vividly brings back to my mind the same musical I saw years ago in London’s West End, with the tension and suspense, lurking in the darkness, re-created with stark realism.

The song-and-dance numbers by the male singers (in two’s or three’s) or by the mixed group are fascinatingly brisk and infectious in their zest, vitality and perfect cohesion.

Performances are scheduled up to July 3. Many Manilans still remain to be awed and dazzled by the spectacular production, and will leave it humming “Memories,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” “That’s All I Ask of You” and more alluring melodies. “What a magnetic musical it is!

Lorenzo Medel

Brilliant prodigy Lorenzo “Enzo” Medel, 15, will give his re-scheduled concert tomorrow, Thursday, at the Philamlife auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

He will play Bach’s Concerto in F Minor, Beethoven’s Rondo in G Major, Chopin’s Scherzo in C Sharp Minor and Prokofiev’s Sonata in A Minor.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra under Jeffrey Solares will assist in Liszt’s Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major.

Admission is free. Donations will help defray expenses for the rental of the hall.

Art exhibits

Donna Sy’s “Reflection of the Past” at Galerie Hans Brunnmann ends July 15, third floor, Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St. Makati.

“The elegance of Donna Sy’s paint colors, the audacity of her themes, and her sense of the epic in her vision assure us that she has found her brush hold on art permanently.”

Ivi Avellana-Cosio’s “Ancetres/Ninuno” will run from July 5 to July 28 at the Alliance Francaise Total Gallery, 209 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air, Makati.

Palomar (R. A.), Navarroza, Salvatus, Talents, Zicarelli, Calubayan, Camacho, David, Gadia will hold a joint exhibit at Hiraya Gallery, 530 UN Ave. from June 29 to July 25.