Don’t you just love positivity? Don’t you just appreciate waking up every morning to a loving family, having meal/s with them, going to work and meet awesome, hardworking people (with whom you get stressed over job-related things with), and then coming back home to a nice warm bed, maybe curling up to read a book or watch something you like? Wouldn’t it be nice if life were this hassle-free all the time, or most of the time at least?
Yeah. It would be really nice, but you know what? We can’t all be that lucky.
(A lot of ranting after the jump, so if you’re not in the mood to get annoyed or feel bad today, I suggest you don’t click it. This is just for me to release all the rage building up inside my chest over the past several weeks. Again, don’t click if you don’t feel like getting negative energy on you. Deal?)
Take, for example, the last four seconds of this championship game between Kensington and Irving high schools, basketball rivals for as long as anyone could remember. Irving’s had the upper hand for two straight years now, but Kensington is determined to steal their thunder and keep their hands away from a three-peat.
“All right, listen . . .” Coach McNeely says, doing away with the board completely as everyone goes for a final huddle. Irving High is up by two points, but Kensington has possession. If they play it smart, they could still win this game and the championship. “Jacobs, you’re in. Make sure that ball stays with us at the inbound. I trust anyone–anyone— to take the shot, but I need someone to either sink a three”–the coach throws a knowing look at team captain Daniel Hunter–“or get an easy two with a foul. Irving’s in the penalty, make good use of it. I’m looking at you, Klein.”
As someone who thrives on listening to songs, it’s pretty difficult for me to pinpoint only one (or a few) favorites. So to make this prompt easier for myself, I’ve decided to pick favorites from certain genres or artists every once in a while. And since I’ve had a very theatrical weekend, let me share ten of my favorite songs from theater productions here and abroad.
Also, let me tell you that I’ve tried my best not to pick two songs from the same production, even if I could easily name almost every song in certain musical OSTs as favorites. I’m obsessive, okay? Bear with me.
1. I’ll Cover You (Rent)
I think they meant it when they said you can’t buy love,
Now I know you can rent it, a new lease you are, my love, on life
Rent is a Jonathan Larson penned musical that tells the story of a group of friends (who are also struggling artists) who live under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. It was first staged in 1994, and a motion picture version was released in 2005. I have never seen the musical even as it had been staged here in 2011, but I have almost the entire (film) OST committed to memory because I <3 it so damn much. I’ll Cover You is a love theme between two characters–Angel and Collins, seen above–and I don’t even have some huge explanation why I love this song so much. I just do. I mean, just listen to it.
Okay, let me also add that this song may sound really cute and peachy, but it has one of the saddest fucking reprises ever. Ever.
Other favorite songs in this musical:Seasons of Love, One Song Glory, Life Support, Will I? (basically the entire thing)
2. Lakambini (Rock Supremo)
Another musical I’ve never seen, Rock Supremo is a Ballet Philippines production, a modern retelling of Andres Bonifacio’s life as he experiences love. The first time I heard Lakambini was last year, during the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Musikal, a celebration of Filipino theater productions, and I fell in love with it just like that. Fact: Ebe Dancel’s songwriting is genius.
Cards on the table, first of all: I first saw Rak of Aegis in February last year, and again in March. I was so enamored by the entire production I couldn’t stop singing Aegis songs for weeks, and the withdrawal caused me to create an unofficial fanpage for the production . . . because I needed an outlet for my overflowing love, obviously.
At about the same time, I, together with my friend and co-fanpage moderator, Rica, began forging friendships with the cast members. They were very happy to see the effort we put on the fanpage, and were very appreciative of it. We couldn’t be happier, and would constantly get bouts of kilig over getting likes and favorites all over Facebook and Twitter.
Come June of last year, we went to the fictional barangay Villa Venizia again and were wowed by how much the musical had improved. The storyline was tighter, running time shorter, and even if I’ve already seen it twice before, there’s still that magic I felt when I saw it for the first time. Or the second time.
Before 2014 came to a close, I was able to see the production for six times already, and even then, the cast and crew of the hottest musical of the year were still giving us something new. It is truly a gift that keeps on giving, and by god, I took everything I could. I got intoxicated with everything Rak of Aegis had to offer, and my hangover was so immense it lasted me six months more until the production opened again this June.
(Further review of the musical under the cut. THERE ARE SPOILERS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)
