I’m a Disney baby, but of all the Disney princesses, Snow White is my least favorite. Well, her and Pocahontas. I don’t like Snow White because she has an annoying singing voice, Pocahontas because she seems a little too flirtatious for my taste. I thought twice when my Fully Housewifed friend May asked me if I was interested to watch the play. If it were just me, I’d say no. But it’s never just me these days (or years :P). I asked my daughters and Danae was very interested. So we decided to watch it as a family. May helped me with my queries, connected me to her friend who is the mom of the child playing Fred the dwarf (and in charge of the blocked screening), and we were allowed to upgrade our tickets to Orchestra. The tickets were affordable too — early bird rate of 560Php per head (no charge for Gianna because she didn’t occupy a seat)!
It was quite easy to get to the venue. We found a nice parking spot in Greenbelt 1 near the Cinemas, walked less than a minute to On Stage, claimed our tickets at the front of the house, lined up. We were there at 3pm. They opened doors at 4pm for the 4:30pm show.
We had to finish some of our snacks while waiting in line because food and drinks are prohibited inside, and we had to leave our bag of other snacks with the lady/guard (which we claimed later on of course). We waited an hour to get in but it was worth it. Center seats, 7th row, great view of the stage. And I got the aisle seat I needed in case I had to head out and attend to Gianna’s needs.
It was a great show! The talent is undeniable — the singing and the acting, from Snow White, to the Queen, the mirror (the voice), the woodsman/prince (same actor), and the dwarfs. I was hoping to see Bituin Escalante as the Queen, but Christine Flores did not disappoint. I loved her! Becca Coates, who my kids say is 17 years old and was apparently part of The Sound of Music (Danae and Noelle’s first play), played a lovely and believable Snow White. My favorite dwarf was Flubber, while my girls liked (Noelle wanted to be) Fred. I like how they did the story — light, funny, sweet, not creepy at all, and they did not go heavy on the love story. It did have the typical and ridiculous damsel-in-distress saved by the prince fairy tale ending, but that part was not at all the message. The most valuable lessons were kindness, true beauty, and even friendship.
But those aren’t the best parts. The best parts are my children!
Danae was a little bummed that she had to miss her classmate’s sparty, but she enjoyed the play so much that she has no regrets. She’s inspired to become an actress, not on film or tv, but in theater. She seriously asked me how she can become one. Acting workshops, here we come! Soon!
Noelle got to yodel with Snow White on stage! (No picture because phones/cams weren’t allowed during the play ugh!) She raised her hand so fast that Snow White immediately noticed her and called her. She made no hesitations heading to the stage and yodelling in front of many people. Snow White even complimented her outfit and taught her to curtsy. Noelle’s confidence was impressive! We’re proud of her for asserting herself. It was the first time she did something like that.
And Gianna was the best baby. She had no problems with the dark. She responded to the characters with sounds and kept waving at them. She wasn’t afraid of anything. She didn’t cry at all. She watched, breastfed, and watched! It was her first play, at 1 year and 2 months. Amazing. 🙂
They announced that their next production is The Secret Garden. The girls have asked us if we can watch it. We haven’t said yes yet, but we did tell them that these are the kinds of experiences that we want them exposed to and that we are willing to save up for and spend on. I’m grateful for Repertory Philippines for making quality theater affordable and accesible. I enjoyed watching plays with my parents when I was young (Joy Virata was frequently the lead actor then, and now she’s the director/producer). I’m glad we can continue the tradition with my own children. They will love and appreciate theater, now as spectators and maybe in the future as the story tellers. 🙂
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