Love, Sessionistas: A pre-Valentine Concert

If you're looking for the perfect concert this Valentine's season, Fire and Ice productions and Fire and Ice Live! is bringing you "Love, Sessionistas: A pre-Valentines Concert" at The Theatre at Solaire this coming February 8th at 8pm and you'll love who's in it! Of course there's Ice Seguerra, Juris Fernandez, Nyoy Volante, Sitti Navarro, Kean Cipriano, Princess Velasco, and Duncan Ramos. It's going to be nostalgic, a thing that's been in the works since pre-pandemic will now be realized.

The last time that these guys were together was way back March of 2015. Although they didn't really get to meet during those days, they've been connected online through chat. Though if you look at it, it's been almost 10 years since they've done music together, a little overdue. 

Ice says "There was a time in 2019 when we thought about doing something like this, I messaged everybody if they're game to do it. I really miss them, they all agreed, but the pandemic really got in the way. We had a venue ready, stage design, production, everything. It was supposed to be Fire and Ice's first show. But it didn't happen because of the pandemic. It was moved, and things happened with our careers individually, life in general. We started talking about it after the videoke series I did, which was a successful concert. Whether it's Valentine's day or not, we have universal love that we celebrate. We have the romantic love covered, but we have other kinds of love that we also want to celebrate on that day. And also our friendship that stood the test of time. Wohoo!"

Nyoy adds "During those 10 years, we often perform in each other's shows, but not as a complete group, usually benefit concerts. We often become guests with each others concerts or gigs, it was easy because aside from being artists in the same group, we're friends in real life. We did theater, and we supported each other. We're so used being with each other back in the day, and now our lives are intertwined. We're so used to answering each other's songs, lines, but it's going to be more organized since it is a show. We have several surprises for you, and seeing from our studies, it's going to be one fun night!"

Kean adds "This is going to be a treat for everyone. You'll see our camaraderie, but what we will sing is going to be heartfelt, more meaningful. This is also a concert where anyone, of all ages, could actually go and have fun! As you know, we are from different genres, it will surely be a good time to see that on stage."

Juris agrees and said "Yes it's going to be a treat for everyone and also a treat for myself because singing is more of an escape for me now, not work, and I'm glad that we're doing this."

Producer Liza Dino Seguerra says "It's been a while since people have seen them together. It's going to be so good to see them perform together on stage, their careers didn't end on that portion of the show. Sessionistas went on and did things individually, they lived out their careers, had family, it will be a time for the fans so they could see where these guys are now. It's a concert of their journey as friends and as individual artists. You will not only see them as Sessionistas but as Ice, Juris, Nyoy, Sitti , Kean , Princess, and Duncan. It's super exciting because their chemistry is different. The photoshoot we had in November was already crazy, what more the actual show in February."

Here's the full press conference on video, make sure you subscribe and check out their performances on our channel. Sub to KUMAGCOW on YouTube!

 

Fire and Ice and the Sessionistas would like to thank Profero Ageless Aesthetics, Solaire Resort, Ticketworld, Katinko, The Platinum Experience Real Karaoke, HGStudio, Nova Wellness Store, JB Music, Magic 89.9, Philippine concerts.cim, TrueFM, and WhenInManila. You can get tickets to the show via TicketWorld.com.ph, plus they plan to have a second day run on April 4th, because this one is almost sold out!

We also heard that they plan to take this either on a local tour or an international one. Just make sure you show interest in their social channels to let them know!

Ice Seguerra and Nyoy Volante at Palacio De Maynila

It has been a while since I’ve watched an acoustic concert but it has always been a staple for Filipinos especially as it patterns on our love for “harana” in ways to woo those who we love and perhaps get that special YES we always looked forward to. Ice Seguerra has had a number of hits and has always had that voice unique to her, you would want to get her songs played over and over again. Nyoy Volante on the other hand may have been super good on musicals lately but even before that, he’s always taken us on acoustic trips in gigs here and around the country, so seeing them together in one occasion may be the perfect pre valentines gift to get your romance going. It is called Acoustic Love Journey which is to be held at Palacio De Maynila in Roxas Boulevard, a good jump off point to anything romantic in the charming historic city of Manila.

Ice Seguerra says “My style has always been fit for Valentines shows and it gives me joy when you see people enjoy the music. I don’t like what ifs, I want to always try things and in politics and show business you learn to be immune, but I always miss my wife and I have to take care of my relationship, my family. I like it in Palacio De Maynila because it is very intimate, there are no bad seats, although Lisa couldn’t go to some of my shows, she will be here."

She reveals “I really am planning to have a child and on January we started doing injections because we need the quality of the eggs to be really good, we had to go through the process and after harvesting and freezing, I had to choose profiles of Dads and when we Lisa and I have to talk about it all. It’s really nature taking its course, it is from me, we just got help. I didn’t have to pay myself, or have surrogates, we have a chance and I hope we get lucky. In his profile he says he looks like Liam Hemsworth, 6ft (we need to compensate), blue eyes, and his profile was almost the same traits as Lisa, I hope he is.”

Make sure you get tickets via SM TICKETS or via Palacio 5247606 / 5273239. Their concert starts promptly at 8pm, so let your special someone enjoy the evening of acoustic love with Ice and Nyoy. You will definitely enjoy this!

Kinky Boots on March Run

I’m sure some of you haven’t seen KINKY BOOTS yet and the last time I wrote about it I warned you that you’ll miss half of your life. The musical is great, undeniably one of the best I’ve seen in a while and I’m betting half my shoe collection you’ll love this too. They’re getting a re-run this March 2-18, only 12 shows so this is a limited run. We had coffee with the cast this afternoon.

Nyoy excitedly tells us “There is less pressure now that we know it worked the first time. We now focus on small things, to improve. You don’t get to do this often, but in the rerun you can apply what you feel should make a difference. There’s this thing that you look at here, small things you won’t notice but you’ll feel it’s different, it brings as a different dimension. If we had a moment to share, we experience it because she’s there. The fact that we have done this before, you are conscious and add small details. I was scared to actually do it wrong, it’s not just acting because you represent a society that is under represented, I didn’t want to offend people up until I got to do it on stage and people saw it. I am friends with a lot of LGBT and I want to do it in the nicest way possible. It’s so easy to take it to a comical place but he doesn’t do that, there’s heart to Lola, not just a drag queen and make them human. If you don’t care and just do it, that’s where you lose the heart. You are sympathetic and emphatic, I just wanted it to be funny. Physically it’s hard, the rehearsal process took us there. Dancing, singing, we had to do it until it’s like second nature. Just getting as much information, material, because of schedule conflicts we are going to have new faces. Bibo Reyes, Nelsito Gomez, Mica Fajardo, Emeline Celis-Guinid, you’ll see more and people are hand picked and they pickup fast. You either pickup or get left behind because prior to it we rehearsed for a month. This time the new ones will rehearse it for 2 weeks. Sink or swim in Atlantis. For someone to do this with passion, you thrive and it will help you work anywhere. I am very proud of it, the message that it has and the heart that comes with it. It’s a nice message behind the spectacle, you will see it one way or another. It’s one of those things where you have to be there to feel it.”

Nyoy’s wife Mikkie Bradshaw is also here and she laments “Working together is the best thing that happened, we go to work at the same time and we carpool. We enjoyed it, we go to dinner, we go home to see each other and don’t have to do much. He can be a little stubborn but there’s more good than that. We are just playing and we enjoy this together. When Sophie saw it, she was obsessed with the Angels and it’s her favorite. She’s also in Chittychittybangbang and she has valued this work because she’s around and she’s aware of the musical and she loved it. She says it’s nice to know you can be yourselves and she saw it on stage. We want our daughter to be a vessel of love and acceptance. I’m looking for my big solo, it’s one of those numbers where you can play around with it. It’s open for interpretation. The skills you learn in Atlantis can take you into any arena, a lot of credit will go to them.”

One of the angels Ritz Beltran who is also the assistant choreographer says “Working is different but if you are doing what you love, you get to bond with artists, the production and even if it’s a first time, I love it. We didn’t have names for the characters or background but it was our assignment and we really talked about it and how Lola discovered us.”

Here’s a snippet of what happened earlier:

Again this is going to happen on March 2-18, and is under Atlantis Productions. Please watch it because it’s real good.

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

5 Reasons Why You Should Watch KINKY BOOTS

What? You haven't seen it? Are you crazy? Oh man, you must have been living under a rock. 

Have you heard of Kinky Boots? It's that successful Broadway musical with music and lyrics done by Cyndi Lauper and based on a book by Harvey Fierstein. Those names along could have already convinced me to watch it, but man, this show was given a Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Choreography and Best Original Score - and yes an Olivier award too. 

I watched it last Saturday and if you haven't scored tickets yet, you better do. I'm here to tell you 5 reasons why you should watch the Manila staging of KINKY BOOTS. Are you ready?

1.  The stellar CAST - If you haven't seen the cast yet it includes singer, songwriter Nyoy Volante, and the good looking guy Laurence Mossman who was also part of the cast of Fun Home (wherein Lea Salonga was also in). Yanah Laurel (lets not call her Franco Laurel's baby sister) did a super great job doing a love strucked assistant of Charlie Price (heck she's so good I waited for her character to blossom, and she did get there). Tricia Canilao (albeit a veteran doing Cosette of Les Miserables and lead of Miss Saigon, was good, but could hopefully improve more her portrayal of Nicola i.e. accent delivery "(I'm really sorry I had to say that, but fwiw it was negligible)" ) plays Nicola (Price's fiance) who will have issues with his man who wants to achieve his dreams. It's so good you would want to know more of the characters, especially Jamie Wilson who played Don in the musical. We laughed with him in the beginning, we hated him in the middle, but he was so good at the end of the show. 

2. The LOVE angles - If you think this was only a musical with trans women dancing around, that's the wrong notion. Each had a story, a reason why they were there and why they are doing it. They saved people with their talent, you'll know about it when you watch the show. You'll see love, racism, and how it has also affected their lives. I love how they put that into the story and how it will teach the audience about it. Then ask yourself, will I go to my passion? Or be a slave of marriage? What are your priorities?

3. Exceptional CHOREOGRAPHY - You won't be able to hide your feelings, you really can't help but see yourself tapping your feet along the beat, then stand up and dance because it's okay... the rest of the audience will be doing that too. Kudos to the Angels who not only danced to the music, they completely obliterated it! If it was a dance off, they'd win that in a heartbeat. You'll be seeing splits and drop dead moves you've never seen before on theater. It would look like they've been doing it for ages, and that takes a lot. For that alone, you should definitely see this musical.

4.  Super Good RUNS - Not that I don't believe that Nyoy Volante is capable, I know he is. But KINKY BOOTS had him do it with complete dance numbers that would probably put any professional singer lose their breath. It required them to do it that long, like a piece in a concert, a medley at that. I was literally tired for him after that number, but again you've got to watch it on the second part of the show. 

5.  The KINKY BOOTS - You will know how these Kinky Boots saved a lot of lives. It will also open a lot of skeletons in the closet, discuss how what you think you should do for yourself or for other people. It will teach you how to be selfless, to find yourself and eventually how you can connect that thought with the dream of making the perfect pair of shoes by making it sexy. Nyoy Volante must have felt this was a dream, he was giving it his all and I could feel it from the audience. You will too. 

To give you a taste of what to expect in the first part of the musical, Nyoy Volante gave the people over at SHOWTIME a taste of LOLA. You'll love her for sure in Kinky Boots!

Oh and for the ladies or those who haven't decided yet, Laurence Mossman is more than eye candy. He's like a motor run on diesel, he gets better as the show progresses and I'm sure you'll love him too. Now it's not good that you're just hearing or reading these things on this blog, you've got to experience it for yourself. Wear the boots while you're at it and enjoy the show with friends, family, or your special someone. It's worth every cent!

You can buy tickets at Ticketworld here or at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Tower. They've got small counters there selling tickets. You can thank me later if you loved the show. You should definitely enjoy it because I did!

The Manila Staging of Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

I just watched The Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in Meralco Theater this evening. Now I didn't really expect too much because this is after all the first staging in Asia and the deal is, my Dad wasn't too keen on watching it either (he's the biggest fan in the family but begged off last minute). So I went with my Mom and watched the show, I was thinking I had to lower my expectations since this is a staging in Manila, but really, I was wrong to even think of that. The show was actually good, better than I've even thought it would be. This staging of the Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group was a peek to the lives of entertainment artists, Italian immigrants who have had an VERY colorful life. It was more on the business side of things that they discussed most, a few scenes talked about their marriages, relationships, and the first act had us at the edge of our seats with Markky Stroem's portrayal of Tommy De Vito in a tight knit with loan sharks and all. It was a struggle to keep themselves in business as they had to switch to real life versus getting in jail regularly. It's a tiring facade they 

The second act was pleasing, like a bunch of realizations put together. There are some patches in choreography that might have looked good if it were more in sync but it's negligible. I felt during this second act, it was Frankie Valli coming out of his shell. His failed relationships, his not so good friends and the debt he's gone into, it was sort of showed the reason why they didn't get to the top faster as they should. You'll also get to feel his small triumphs, the small hopes that turned into reality. Then you'll fall deep into his sad stories and see what made him broken later on in his career.

I don't want to spoil it for you guys and gals. Thing is when I went up the tickets area before the show and asked a couple of ladies about how nice the show was, none of them answered back. I'd do the same for you but... okay, if you're a little oblivious to the music or not much heard of what they've sung in the past decades it would be a little hard for you to appreciate it especially the first act. But if you're like me who grew up in a household of musicians and music lovers, then you'll REALLY love it. Kudos to Nino Alejandro, Markki Stroem, Christian Bautista and Nyoy Volante for doing a good job on this musical. Although Christian might need to improve a little on making his character a little more "Jersey" and BIG for the stage, his singing was still world class. I want to commend Nyoy for making this portrayal of Frankie Valli believable from start to end, that must have been VERY hard and would need BIG dedication.  

For those who would want to watch the show, tickets are still available for the next two weeks, You can purchase them online at ticketworld.com.ph. I thought I won't like it, but it turned out I personally loved it! You will too!

KUMAGCOW.COM
Fresh Blogs Fast!

Come Watch Jersey Boys at the Meralco Theater

I was one of the few kids who got tortured with the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. My dad used all the sound system he could muster pretty much when I was in inception up to the time I was working graveyards when I still had a blue collared job. Not that I didn't like it, but my Dad did this almost every day even if people were still sleeping or tired from work. It's his picker upper, the generation which he says even pre dated The Beatles in their hey days. 

I've grown to listen to them by force but turned out to have imparted me a LOT about the music back then. It gave me a piece of history, the nostalgia, I kinda learned to understand my Dad like the same fanaticism I have now with Eraserheads and the little annoying disconnect I get with the millenials when I tell them stories about them.

But enough about me, this time Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group is bringing the Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award winning musical production the Jersey Boys to Manila. 

Christian Bautista says "We had to research a LOT and didn't just depend on what's written on the script. Some of these guys were interviewed on video and you can still read certain things about how a song was made, the whole thought process and even how it saved their lives. Pressure? This is still running in Broadway, and this is the first time in Asia. You're going to sing, dance and stand up when you watch the show."

Nino Alejandro adds "We have to respect who they are and what they want to accomplish in their lives because these all happened in the past. We have to make the scenes believable, as these are true stories."

Markki Stroem "We had accent tapes to listen to and trained ourselves with mints in our mouths so we can do it. It's the iconic part, the character creation was a fun process. Watch the movies and you get to create your own interpretation without veering away from the spirit.

Nyoy Volante says "Franky Valli's voice is iconic and the group had him sing this way, it's hard to know it from his fans and the pressure not to be like it puts ton of pressure and we have a story to tell. The message of the show is good and we're doing the it for the first time in Asia. You can't top that!"

For tickets, you may visit www.ticketworld.com.ph or call Ten Bridges Media Corporation at (02) 6505144. Jersey Boys will tell you about the story of Franky Valli and The Four Seasons and why it's been one of the most watched and longest running show in Broadway history. 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

Melai Cantiveros-Francisco Wins Your Face Sounds Familiar Philippines Season 1

I watched together with the whole country and her journey in this show has been unbelievable. From portraying tons of local and international artists, Melai Cantiveros has finally made it! She is the winner of the first ever "Your Face Sounds Familiar" contest in the Philippines. She bested 8 other performers along with fellow finalists Nyoy Volante, Edgar Allan Guzman and front runner JayR!

EA got 3rd Runner up, Jay R got 2nd Runner up and Nyoy Volante got 1st Runner up and Melai won this season! Their respective charities also received cash prizes as part of the proceeds of this show. 

Melai dedicated her win in this show to her daughter Amelia Lucille, her husband Jason Francisco and everyone on the show. They also wanted the public to enjoy every bit of the show and thank all that supported them! Melai was so good being Miley Cyrus! I hope Miley can greet her in the show somehow, or maybe in the news... she did a good job!

KUMAGCOW
Fresh Blogs Fast!

Photos screenies while watching the show, CTO.