THE BUZZ

SPRING TRAVEL has not been this exciting. There are just so many things to see in so many places. And with friends and colleagues all over the world, we see a place alien to us in a special kind of way offering an unforgettable experience. I may be limited in terms of traveling because I'm almost on my 7th month of pregnancy but I am wishing all of these people the best of luck wherever they are and I am rooting for them in spirit.

LONDON:

Let me start with Miss Saigon opening its curtains again to lovers of musical theatre productions last Saturday. It is the 17th amongst the list of the longest running musicals of all time. It first ran from 1989 to 1999. But CAMERON MACINTOSH relives his golden years with one of his 7 Billion Dollar productions as he launches the new cast with the same remarkable helicopter scene. The photo on the left was captured last Saturday during a standing ovation.

Again, friends, Ela Lisondra and Ariel Reonal are currently part of the cast. You may want to fly there to have a first hand experience of why the people's feedback upon seeing it once again wish for the musical to run longer this time.

HAWAII:

FALANIKO PENESA,
Samoan Siva Afi Competition 2009

The Polynesian Cultural Center hosts the 2014 World Fire Knife Competition where 28 senior competitors are fighting over the championship title. This goes on from May 7-10, 2014 in the North Shore of OAHU. 

My brother-in-law, Falaniko Penesa, is one of the competitors who made it in the semi finals. 9 of them are left out of the 28 making the whole competition so exciting with a variety in their moves and presentation of the fire-knife dancing as a sport and art. Falaniko, known commonly as Frankie, sets his debut this year in the World Fire Knife by starting strong. Getting educated of the craft at a young age made him follow his brother, Hogan Toomalatai's footsteps, joining competitions back in Samoa, where he is originally from. Getting exposed to competitions since he was 19 years old, he got moulded into banging a contract in Hong Kong Disneyland, doing fire-knife for the Lion King show. In 2 years, he worked on a routine that he thought deserving to enter in the World Fire Knife Competition so, it's worth all looking forward to. We wish him the best in the competition knowing that this is his first time to join. You can stream it around in the afternoon (Hong Kong time) over the weekend to get hold of the Champion of 2014 succeeding a good friend who had been the Champion of 2012 & 2013.

PHILIPPINES:

Ariel Reonal, one of the cast of Miss Saigon, adviced of a good chance to hon skills in acting as you take in the beauty of Boracay.

Furthermore in Manila, Philippines, a good friend of mine, Patrick Mabanta, who had been really into krumping lately and who never failed to express himself when it comes to dancing, had invited me to this event in the Philippines and having a go-signal to share, this is all for those who are interested....

NO STUDIO! Just the Streets, the speaker and the KRUMP TEACHER!

2 hour Workshop for ONLY 100php!!

WHAT: THE GUTTER (Street KRUMP workshop, taught by 1K)
WHEN: May 10th 9pm-11pm
WHERE: Behind CCP on the Corner of Bukaneg street and Magdalena Jalandoni.

REAL HIGH QUALITY KRUMP for a DIRT CHEAP PRICE. You're crazy if u miss this. So come thru! Share this event page and invite your friends to learn KRUMP!

Also, The Manila Moshpit will start after the workshop which will be for free of charge as always from 11pm-12:30am.

SINGAPORE:

Singapore's Biggest Water Sports Festival is celebrating by holding Dragon Boat Races in Singapore this May at DBS Marina Regatta offering up to SGD20,000 worth of cash prizes for the winners to take all. They just have to win the 200m and 500m one on the 17th and 18th of May respectively. The most renowned Dragon Boat Racing Teams (both local and international) are up for a battle. Last year's participants were around 140 excluding Hong Kong. But this year, Hong Kong Disneyland's Team MUSHU (where a number of friends and my husband is in) will be one of Hong Kong's representatives working on earning a title. One thing's for sure about this team, they don't compete to disappoint. Hoping that they will be able to take home the beef, the races I'm sure are worth watching. So, keep abreast, decide on which team you're going to pick by logging on to their website and drop by Marina Bay to have a one-of-a-kind experience that will truly give you an adrenaline rush.

TEAM MUSHU, back-to-back champs of 500m LAMMA ISLAND RACES in Hong Kong

Related posts:

1. THE HEAT IS ON - featuring Tony Award winner, Lea Salonga
2. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS - Frankie Penesa Solomona in the newspaper - speaking of old school!
3. WHO'S GOT THE SWAG - some of the people who made a name in dancing...

ARIEL REONAL

"The life of a performer doesn't stop on

what we can do or what we've done.

Just like life in general, it's a continuous learning process

so we keep on growing."

- ARIEL REONAL

Being in the limelight is no joke. 

And for this multi-talented achiever, 

he  thought that time was catching up with him, thinking his ultimate dream

would remain almost impossible.

Until he got the call.

Ariel had been performing all his life and every time you'd get an experience of his show, it's almost as flawless as how he sounds and alive as his soul. This gentleman has the velvet voice, owns a good stature, and is a world-class performer. All of these mixed with his charms and coated up with his confidence, he remains to be one of the most successful bachelors in the industry.

Before we get close and personal, let me give you a taste of how you can totally be at loss once he opens his mouth and sings. 

Just click here.

A WALKING TIME-BOMB

Graduated as a scholar from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, ARIEL PLANTADO REONAL, earned a degree in Mass Communications, Major in Broadcasting. This offered him a kick start into entering the life of an entertainer, slowly gearing up the skills that promisingly made him righteous in his chosen craft. He had learned a lot in getting exposed to the biz thru the opportunities his course had brought to him. And in applying what he had learned when he would actually take a part as one of the actors, every so often, pushed his talents further. Not mentioning that he can sing and can dance at that point. He had learned a lot about the popular broadcasting companies while doing on-job-trainings.

Until then, he learned of Repertory, Philippines and chose to acquire further training and honing of skills by joining the group. This paved a way for him to invest in himself, developing a special way of seeing life maturely and responsibly. Until he had become one of the theatre managers there.

Since then, he had been in a lot of variety shows, drama series and concerts and did not stop until he nailed every single one of them. He even did voice overs for a number of radio stations, represented the Philippines in MTV Asia-JVC Sound Education in 2003 (held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and was able to attend the "Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts London" Master Class in Manila under Dee Cannon, April of 2004.

On the side, he had done print ads, special events, corporate shows and advertisements. Countless jobs and offers were given to Ariel and as much as he can, he would get himself educated of how it truly works. Until the words, "inferiority complex" were out of his vocabulary.

JACK OF ALL TRADES

With how Ariel loves life, he remained open to all opportunities. He remains prepared and he gives more than 100% of his time, effort and focus. Here are some of what he had achieved so far:

with REPERTORY PHILIPPINES:

1. DISNEY'S "Cinderella" as Herald
2. DISNEY'S "Aladdin" as Jafar
3. Ensemble in "The Sound of Music"
4. "Once Upon a Mattress" as Jester
5. Ensemble in "ANNIE"
6. the Blue Faun in "SLEEPING BEAUTY"
7. Pepe/Alphonse in "THE BOYFRIEND"
8. "Blood Brothers" as Sammy Johnstone
9. the original General/Exile in "Miong"

with the TANGHALANG PILIPINO:

1. as Basilio/Juanito in "El Filibusterismo"
2. Ensemble in Ryan Cayabyab's "Ilustrado"

with the COMPANY OF PLAYERS (Philippines):

1. as Luis in "West Side of the Story"
2. Ensemble in "Great White Way 3"

with ATLANTIS PHILIPPINES doing "Jesus Christ Superstar" as Simon Zealotes and cover Jesus.

with the NEW VOICE COMPANY PHILIPPINES as one of the ensembles in "CHESS".

with the CHASE INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES being a storyteller for the musical,
"Once on this Island"

Those theatre and performance credits were presented in the Philippines alone. These roles had harboured into Ariel and had helped him in becoming more versatile and flexible in terms of acting out the right character for the role. He had explored how to internalize an act and you can expect that he'd be able to portray it smoothly.

one of the Chinese soldiers during the
Mulan Segment for the Golden Mickey Show,
Hong Kong Disneyland

Considering this much of roles he had done, his career had not yet gone full blown until he became in demand abroad too. He established himself in the Philippines quite well that he felt driven to audition for Disney alongside young people and without him expecting anything, he pursued it. He even expected worse saying, "I was so surprised. I auditioned with other younger people whom I thought were more deserving."

Humility was the steering wheel for this lad into pushing himself to the limits. When he got the call from an HR representative telling him that he did good in the audition and that they'd be more than willing to offer him a contract, he was about to do a show for another production (like any other veteran treating any audition, they go, they audition and just forget about it afterwards hoping for the best and just continue doing what they have to do - meaning, "not totally depending on it"), so he just asked them to e-mail him all the details if they may. The rest is history.

Right before he had left for London this March, he had remained doing shows for the Golden Mickeys, a theatre show that can be seen in Hong Kong Disneyland hosted by none other than Mickey Mouse himself. And there were atmosphere shows in whom I get to work with Ariel and truth be told, this jack of all trades can make the audience dance and the kids, shriek in delight during the High School Musical Launch and Cars show. This line of work had its nuances with the theatre shows he had done back in the Philippines as the setup may surprise you everyday. The moment your mind is set to a role, it might change once he got to cover somebody. So, at some point, he had some feelings of giving up or getting burnt out but "Wake up! You can do it! You're almost there!", is what he'd always tell himself.

Be ready with your full energy meter if you're going to work with Ariel.
I get to experience it  in Cars and High School Musical show.
I had to always be keeping up.
- Kyte

PREMONITION

He was part of Miss Saigon and had experienced playing the part of Thuy/ensemble under CAMERON MACKINTOSH LTD. (LONDON) PRODUCTIONS for its UK Tour in 2001-2002, then 2004-2006. If that still doesn't convince you, he also worked for the same project for IMG ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT (SYDNEY) in 2001 as the club owner and Thuy all the way back to the Philippines with SAIGON COMPANY OF THE PHILIPPINES perfecting the mentioned role.

Miss Saigon (Dublin) with Niklas Anderson, Kingsley Leggs, Irish President Mary McAleese, Nicky Adams, Joanna Ampil, and Leo Valdez. — atThe Point Theater, Dublin, Ireland.

So you see, it had been waiting all along. I have no doubts that he will soon move from being part of the ensemble to landing a lead role. For Ariel, every role is a starring role though. Being in the West End is his ultimate dream and he is more than thankful that it's happening. The actor answered, "Zenaida Amador" as the persona he's looking up to in the industry. The legacy that she had left being the mother of Repertory Philippines had left fire in Ariel's heart to always aim for excellence with every chance that he will get. He doesn't know yet, but he's about to become like her.

HE KEEPS IT BALANCED

Ariel in Maldives for a holiday

Because of moments backstage with Ariel, I had always looked up to him as a mentor. During in-house auditions in the workplace, he'd be more than willing to give you a pointer or two to remember when you're up there in front of the bosses. I remember him saying, "Mean what you sing out to them. They should be lost not only with your voice but with the way you deliver."

As we had shared some moments too battling the lake while training for the Dragon Boat Festival here in Hong Kong under Team Mushu, I have seen how hard he strives to keep himself healthy. Everything about Ariel is "healthy". No vice at all! But he allows himself to have a great time when possible. Being part of a 15-time champion dragon boat team last year, he keeps everything in balance by injecting play in its aftermath. He knows how to party too.

He loves exercising and if I may say, he loves the feeling of getting pumped up by any physical activity. He loves to run and joins a lot of marathons here in Hong Kong. Sweat is his friend as this helps him to stay grounded, constantly making him realize that all there is to compete with is his own self.

Also, I remember him inviting us young people to travel one time during a gym session, since he was eyeing Maldives that time. All of us (which I think, were more than 10 that time), agreed on it. Ending, only 2 or 3 of them went. So, on a more personal note, I know that when it comes to learning by the means of travel and adventure, he'll go for it.

Here is the dream team that he will be leaving this year. I'm sure they would miss you a lot and it would be hard to find a replacement with that much power and motivation you had contributed to the team.

Team Mushu Dream Team 2013

WHAT WE MAY HAVE IN COMMON WITH ARIEL

You may have the same answers with our featured artist or you may just find him more than interesting with his own. We have asked Ariel of these for a more fun part of the interview.

1. If you'd be in a musical movie and will have a leading role, who would you like to work with?

A. Anne Hathaway (Les Mis)
B. MADONNA (EVITA)
C. Julie Andrews (Sound of Music)
D. Other: Please specify ____ - CATHERINE ZETA JONES

2. Which Disney role would most likely describe your own personality?

A. Flynn while singing, "I had a Dream"
B. Woody "You got a Friend in Me"
C. John Smith "Pocahontas"
D. Other: Please specify - QUASIMODO

3. What do you do in your free time?

A. Facebook
B. Listen to music
C. Watch movies
D. Other: Please specify - D. ALL OF THE ABOVE

B.      4. In which would you rather spend money on?

A. Food
B. Travel
C. New gadget
D. Other: Please specify ____

A       5. Who for you is an epitome of confidence?

A. Robert Downey Jr.
B. Martin Nievera
C. Mark Zuckerberg
D. Other: Please specify

6. For fun time, you prefer doing:

A. KTV
B. Beer pong
C. Dance Battle
D. Other: Please specify - Something more on the SPORTS side like bowling swimming, hiking,
                                          running.

A       7. Best asset:

A. Eyes
B. Sense of Humor
C. Wheels
D. Other: Please specify - Hair

Related posts you might be interested to read:

1. THE HEAT IS ON - blog post talking about Lea Salonga and how Miss Saigon changed her life.

2. ELA LISONDRA - another Filipina who's ready to make her dreams come true with Ariel in being one of the cast of Miss Saigon, 2014

3. I'D GIVE IT ALL FOR YOU - one of Ariel's pieces. Click on to have an experience of his voice.

4. TEAM MUSHU - joining the dragon boat for the first time.

5. BORACAY 2013 - a place to be in for a holiday trip

Credits to:

JOEL GARCIA for being the photographer of the
head shots for this post.

THE HEAT IS ON!

ALAS!!! After 25 years, Miss Saigon is yet to be reborn this May, 2014. The much awaited debut will set the crowd in awe with its new cast and new additions (a different song that will be seen and heard in Act 2 that is oh so familiar from before) mixed with the classic theatrical experience telling a love story of an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman that happened in 1975 during the final days of the American occupation of Saigon.

Hungry for the history it had made, I was drawn to watching parts of it via youtube. I got familiar with the songs only by acts and it made me do nothing but dream of how the orchestra would feel like in conduction if I were to experience it live due to certain limits that I am more than ready to overcome (now that two of the cast who had become workmates, turned colleagues, turned inspiration, are currently "in" the cast and had blessed me with their time to hold an interview). My parents were never fans of broadway until they have heard me getting interested with it. The first theatre show I was able to experience was "Lido" when my family went to Paris but I swear, I wished we watched, "Les Miserables" instead.

But "Yes!" people! Two of the new cast of Miss Saigon gave me the privilege to conduct their first personal interview which will be read in the coming posts that will surely inspire you in attaining your dreams. In getting what's for you and what you are here for. Upon deciding to do such, we all agreed that the intention of writing it would be something that would remind them of how good the feeling is, of "ACHIEVEING A DREAM". To let the people know that it happens to those who persevere.

But before I lead you to those posts, please allow me to pay tribute to Philippines' very own, Ms. Lea Salonga who had opened the eyes of the Filipinos to a world where the impossible can be possible.

When I was young, I have been amazed with Lea Salonga's achievements since she began gracing us all with the talents that had formed the pedestal where she is currently standing on right now.

From being one of German Moreno's talents, to making it in her audition to Miss Saigon, to doing movies like, "Sana'y Maulit Muli" (my younger sister and I just love the idea of just bawling our eyes to this - no JOKE!), to getting awarded as a "Disney Legend" because of doing Jasmine's singing voice and Mulan's voices for the movies, Aladdin, Mulan 1 & 2 respectively, ... whew! I am continuously  mesmerised. I can just go on and on with what I have researched that literally, reading about her got me nauseated for that much awards she had. Tony Awards, Olivier, FAMAS, and many more. Let's take a look back at when she was just 18 years old, and was already starting to make a name.

At a very tender age, Lea had been exposed to a lot of pressure but her supportive parents had surely done a great job in establishing her roots. Her attitude to it all is what made me admire her the most. The way she balances her personal life with the ones that she makes so alive on stage, the way she carries herself in front of people, the way how outspoken she is with her opinion and well spoken with what she agrees and disagrees with. Most importantly, the way she sees art regards the utmost respect she has for it. She says being lost to what a character is portraying is the most important substance to consider in order to say he/she did good in playing the role. The story of a movie, the fluid movements of a dancer, the fineness of a sculpture and the words of a poet... these are the details that I look into now after learning how Lea sees any form of creation. She could be a critic and she could have a sharp tongue in doing so but being an award winner with her field, she has the right to declare war against lip syncing. This video clip says it all about how outgoing, real and "straightforward-no-taking-bull-shit" kind of gal she is.

Lea Salonga had always been pursued by a lot of producers and still is on the verge of looking for new projects (broadway productions) alongside world renowned composers. Recently, "Wicked" composer, Stephen Schwartz just had a talk with her over dinner of what else they would want to do together just because he feels delighted working with the broadway diva. Lea had just left a mark to New Yorkers when she had a concert at the Allen Room Jazz, Lincoln Center and is collaborating with the band "Il Divo" for 3 legs of the tour to Korea, Japan and North America (going on this March). Lea also had just finished coaching in the "The Voice: Philippines" and knowing all these, and holding a Tony and Olivier award at hand, or on 2 hands for that matter, who wouldn't want to have a project with her?

But despite that, the talented Lea Salonga, being all this, plus an actress, endorser, a wife and a mom, she finds a way to congratulate and support the uprising stars of the Miss Saigon 2014 cast, most especially, Rachelle Ann Go who after letting Lea know of her successful auditions and call backs had been chosen to portray the role of Gigi in the replay of Miss Saigon, she felt nothing but pure excitement for her. She described her own experience then, upon landing "Kim" during her time as something that she was sure would change her life the moment she got introduced during the press conference for the paparazzis/press to prey on. And now, it's an "adventure of a lifetime" for the young and mesmerizing, Go.

And that leads me to being equally proud of Ms. Ela Lisondra (whom I have featured a number of times) for having the "Swing" part and Ariel Reonal (whom I've looked up to since I met him) for one of the group as an "Ensemble". You could check out the rest of the cast list by clicking here. And yet, a more intimate and personal interview about these two is yet to be released.