Broadway Musical in Baguio City: Jesus Christ Superstar

Only a few of us are given the privilege to watch high caliber theater stage productions in New York and London.
Most of us can just dream to experience the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber-- I am one of those who are not presented with that opportunity.
But it has always been a dream of  mine to walk inside Broadway and see the Phantom of the Opera performed live.
It has always been my dream to see them perform live- but I have to be honest- I am not able to afford a trip to New York, not able to afford tickets even if they visit the Philippines because usually you would have to spend Php7,000 or more just to get a ticket, have a place to stay in while waiting--and that is already the cost of my monthly rent.

And so after hearing that the group Open Space composed of  Karlo Altomonte, Emerald Ventura,  Ethan Ventura, Eunice Caburao, Ryle Danganan and other members have decided to present excerpts of famous Broadway shows like " Evita", Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the Opera--I made it a point to spread out the world in my social media profile and found time to watch them perform live in CAP John Hay.

I have heard that a Broadway trained artist was going to join them, Ms. Lissa Romero De Guia and I know that this is once a in a lifetime chance to experience--what fortunate New Yorkers experience every day.

The Cast:
Ian Paolo Acosta
Eunice Caburao
Jeff Coronado
Ryle Danganan
Adrian Esplana
Gemma Gonzalez
Emerald Ventura
Josef Ventura
Lissa Romero De-Guia

Famous Broadways shows they paid tribute to:

Phantom of the Opera
Evita
Cats
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat
Sunset Boulevard
Aspects of Love
Tell me on a Sunday

The Review:

I am no expert when it comes to discerning if a certain production stage is superior in quality, but this review will be a product of an honest observation of the musical production.
I love supporting these kinds of endeavor because I truly appreciate people who are giving their best in upgrading the level of artistry in the Philippines.

While, yes- in an honest review I felt that the production stage lacked a lot of elements like stage design- I have to give it to them for performing with their heart.

You can feel it- the passion in every performance- while they lacked the facilities and the budget- they were able to get the attention of the audience.

I especially love the performance of Jeff Coronado, the way he performed the last songs in Jesus Christ Superstar was truly amazing-- he was like a rockstar and you can feel the presence in the stage.

The performance of Lissa Romera De Guia was also notably high class. You  can be sure that she is well trained- with her proper command of the stage and timing. Baguio is blessed to have someone like her grace our stage.

We need to support endeavors like this, the efforts of Karlo Altomonte and his collaboration with Ethan Ventura for the musical production is commendable.

The City Government of Baguio should notice shows like these--how I wish universities would allow them to have shows for every semester-- some of the singers like Jeff Coronado and Ian Paolo Acosta came from the SLU-CCA glee club-- you can see the raw talent-- if only they are given the chance they deserve.

A lot of teenagers do not understand the value of these kinds of shows in Baguio--I just felt really blessed that I was able to experience it...for P250 pesos ( a friend bought the ticket for me ^__^) I got this wonderful experience for free.

The performances of the women like Eu Caburao and Emerald Ventura was also commendable-- the quality of their voices--- is simply astounding.

Verdict:

While there is so much they can improve on, like the design of the stage, and the quality of the speakers-- I have to give them a positive score for impressing the crowd.
I would have loved it more if they included other colors or pictures in the stage so that the audience will go into a trance like state--

They could add a bit more movement in the stage--a full use of the stage I should say- but for the first of its kind this musical show was surely one of the best performed in Northern Luzon.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152750858784606&set=vb.523809605&type=2&theater


Some of the songs that were performed made me cry... you can feel the passion in their voices. I hope they will bring this to a smaller stage so that the people can really feel the intensity--they could also shorten it for just 45 minutes with intense performances to leave the audience in awe.

But all in all..it was truly a treasure to watch them.

We should be thankful that these artists are giving their time to provide Baguio and opportunity to see and feel high caliber shows.

I know some councilors watched the show--and it is with fervent hope that they understood the need for shows like this to continue.

Thank you for University of Baguio and for the other sponsors of this wonderful experience. I am hoping they will have more shows in the future.

We need them here in the Philippines.

If you have the time please catch more shows created by this group. Stay updated https://www.facebook.com/KarloMarkoAltomonte

or you can also visit https://www.facebook.com/BaguioCommunityEvents for the latest updates on artistic events here in the city of Baguio.

Sage Restaurant: Baguio City

Sage Restaurant opened in 2013 and has gained a good reputation in Baguio City.

After hearing it from friends, my sister and I had to try the place out- here is a verdict of our experience of Sage Restaurant.

Owner: Arlene Alcantary Sy
Location: 95 Military Cut-off, Baguio City
Tel No. 442-2954/09175944205



Ambiance & Concept Design

Sage gets an A++ grade when it comes to the ambiance, it was a really cool place to be. It reminded me of a cute restaurant in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

The design is Victorian style inspired, it was feminine and fresh. The colors had been carefully chosen- they obviously took the time.to decorate the place.

In fact it is the cutest restaurant in town- I have been too a lot of restaurants in the city and so far this is the most feminine and most charming so far.

The Staff:

In all honesty, I love the staff service of Sage... they were more than willing to accommodate our needs and I love it that they smile.

Perhaps it is the mood of the place, or their training I am not really sure but they were more than willing to assist us.

We asked so many questions about the owner, about the comfort room, when did Sage start, what food they will recommend, can they take our photos, can they take the photos of the restaurant and they obliged.

Sure, this is something that a normal staff would do, but I will use the word Good Vibes-- the current staff had this.

( April 2014) Of course, I don't know how the next staff would be- but on April of 2014 we had the best staff service.

The Food:

We ordered beef salpicao, pasta with garlic bread. I got the stuffed chicken with  corn and then we tried the Kani Salad and ordered the Chocolate Cheesecake.

 For our drinks we ordered San Mig Light ( thank goodness there's beer) 

Then we got the candy inspired iced drinks tapos Avocado shake.

To be honest, this is where Sage failed, the  most important thing in a restaurant is the food. While I 100% applaud the presentation--the taste not so much.

I believe we expected too much considering the meals are priced at P100 and above. The food was well presented, it looks clean and well polished and it arrived on time.

While we enjoyed the beef salpicao, we cannot say the same for the pasta. It tasted generic, the stuffed chicken tasted like embotido and not chicken and the Kani salad--was overpowered by the Mayonnaise.

The Kani Salad of Hodori Restaurant is  still the best for me...the food serving was also very small, this place is not for people who are extremely hungry.

The avocado juice tasted bland, and the other drinks that we ordered--well--they lacked taste.

Fortunately, the chocolate cheesecake saved the day- it tasted heavenly, if it were not for the cake I would have deemed the food tasting experience a failure.

I would suggest that the owner get a more experienced cook--  I mean the plating was really beautiful and artistic but clients will go back to a certain restaurant because of the taste of the food.

I believe they could also increase the amount of serving--- it will increase their chances of getting loyal customers.

What I like about them:

The comfort room was really clean, this is an important part of any restaurant. In order to win the trust of clients your comfort room has to be really really clean.

We loved the fact that Sage staff took the time to sing a Happy birthday song to my 11 month old nephew, we love that they took the time to give him a birthday song on the background. You just don't get this treatment with other restaurants.

I would recommend Sage to clients who want to experience-- a new ambiance and for dating couples but it is not really suited for clients who are really searching for a meal that will hit the spot.

A review is a review.

I will give Sage the rating of B-.

For further information about Sage:

Go to:

https://www.facebook.com/sagebaguio

If you like me to give an honest feedback review for your restaurant, please feel free to leave a message on the comment section and I will schedule one for you.