When In Manila, I always make it a point to see, hear, feel, and taste the different sights and sounds this city has to offer, especially when it comes to the collaborative form of art also known as the theatre. Here in Manila we seem to have very little of this, or probably I have not researched well enough which is why I think that Filipinos experience very little of it.
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For me, the theatre is the closest thing we have to magic. Of course it’s like watching a movie minus all the grand movie soundtracks and CGI effects which makes it pretty much real and authentic. Last December 1, I was able to watch, yet again, another masterpiece from the PETA theatre. I’ve seen the play William here, and thought that it was the best play I’ve seen for this year. Well, I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to watch.
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I grew up in the Middle East, and was surrounded by Filipinos who made a living as being caregivers, nannies, and house helpers. There was only one thing that stood out from all of them, they loved what they do. Or so it seemed. Last December 1, I was able to watch a play called Care Divas. I’ve been hearing about this play for months, and I couldn’t believe I am finally going to watch it.
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There is only one word to describe it: AMAZING. The line was so long, to think that the show was kind of late.
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I just cannot put into words what I saw that night; it was a mixture of fun, fab, and love for the family. The bidas of the play, were like your typical gay best friend or the friendly gay parlorista. The actors were all so good that I actually had second thoughts if they were straight men in real life or if they were simply acting out their roles.
Caredivas is about 4 OFWs namely Chelsea (Melvin Lee), Shai (Vincent De Jesus), Kayla (Jerald Napoles, Ricci Chan), Thalia (Dudz Teraña, Jason Barcial) and Jonee (Phil Noble, Buddy Caramat). They are your typical overseas Filipino workers who have flown out of the country to make ends meet and support their families back home in the Philippines. There were definitely a lot of UBER funny parts but there were so many heart clenching scenes. Care Divas was not just about the jokes and the oh so evident Filipino gay humor, it clearly looks into the different issues of gender and the hardships that our OFWs experience living abroad.
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I loved it, and would love to watch it all over again.
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And the best part of all is that all of the songs were originals. I sat at the front seat, even accidentally turning camera’s flash on to take shots of the play, and all of a sudden everyone else was staring right at me. I had my share of humiliating moments that night, but nevertheless I had fun and can’t wait to experience yet another great performance from PETA. You can also avail of the ultimate carediva accessory, the Glam Band! It’s also the perfect gift for your friends this Christmas.
So When you’re in Manila, why not drop by the PETA theater? I’ll bet you’ll always find something worth watching.
The PETA Theater Center
No.5 Eymard Drive, New Manila
Quezon City, Metro Manila
1112 Philippines
Trunkline: 632.725.6244
Fax: 632.722.6911 or 632.410.0821
Email: mpr@petatheater.com or peta@petatheater.com
