Erik Santos – Prince of Pop

Last night’s PowER IKons The Repeat was a blast, when we arrived at the venue, madami ng naghihintay, nakakatuwa kasi kahit Wednesday sya, holiday nga pero may pasok naman kinabukasan, ang dami pa ring taong nandun to watch Erik. The show was opened by two front acts, Miguel yung first act, then si Thor. Pareho sila magaling especially Thor, a new RnB artist na aabangan.

Erik opened once again with his cover of The Climb, the same intensity as the two other previous PowER IKons, walang bakas ng pagod sa boses nya to think na may Little Mermaid pa sya every weekends. The same power na inaasahan from him. The next song Larger Than Life, he rocked it kahit walang backup dancers, he didn’t even do his choreography. I love the next medley of hits from the future icons, from the likes of John Legend, Britney, Beyonce, Usher, Rihanna…pero syempre grabe na naman kami tinamaan sa version nya ng Seperated by Usher. Another memorable song sa repertoire is the song of his Ninang Barbara daw (hahaha) Evergreen.

Then guest Bugoy Drilon made a sign of the cross when it’s his turn to sing, we felt how nervous he is but still did a good job, he sang I’ll Make Love To You and a Brian McKnight song. After he sang, lumabas si Erik to thank him, Bugoy called Erik Kuya. Erik joked, kung makakuya naman si Bugoy parang ang tanda ko na. Well, I think di yun dahil sa age, he has that much respect for you to call you Kuya.

Another medley of songs from Celine, Mariah and Whitney. I can’t think of anyone, ibang male singers that can belt out these three makagasgas lalamunan na kanta and owned it, All By Myself, On My Own and Butterfly. Only Erik can do that.

He acknowledge Christian Bautista and his family for coming, and later he called Christian to do an impromptu duet, Martin and Gary hits medley. Nahawa na rin si Christian ng sense of humor kay Erik, while singing How Did You Know, they’re doing Gary V. trademark antics hahaha…sabi pa ni Christian he’s not prepared, nakapangbahay nga lang daw sya. Well applauded din yung impromptu duet nila.

Next guest is Nikki Gil, nakakatuwa kasi you can see how really close they are, isa si Nikki sa mga friends talaga ni Erik sa showbiz. Napagusapan daw nila na kailangan magbolahan sila sa stage by giving each other compliments. Nikki said ang gwapo daw ni Erik kagabi, sagot ni Erik, yan naman gusto ko sa yo. They sang Memories/To Where You Are mash-up. Nikki even joked na nakalimutan nya na daw yata kumanta kasi panay talking na lang daw ginagawa nya nowadays. But in fairness, she did well din naman sa duet nila. Then she sang her solo, Million Miles Away. Nikki starred in two musicals, Legally Blonde and Sweet Charity. Speaking of musicals, Erik’s Little Mermaid family was there to support. Sabi nya sino pa di nakakapanuod ng Little Mermaid manuod na kasi kakaibang Erik ang mapapanuod nyo, English speaking.

Isa pang favorite medley ko is The Pinay Diva medley, Zsa Zsa’s Kahit Na, Pop’s Don’t Say Goodbye, Regine’s Dadalhin, Sharon’s Sanay Wala Ng Wakas.

Sobrang feel good din ng I Can’t Smile Without You, wherein pinakanta nya ang mga audience, daming magagandang boses sa audience. Sinunod nya yung all time favorite namin na Barry Manilow Medley nya.

When it’s Rachelle Ann Go’s turn, we were blown away paglabas nya pa lang, I love the outfit, georgous!! She belted Etta James’ At Last..oh my tao ba kayo ni Erik, walang kapaguran sa pagkanta. Then they did the Tribute to Superstar Nora Aunor medley, funny kasi Rachelle was anticipating na gagawin ni Erik ang kanyang Nora impersonation sa It’s My Life (hahaha), bentang benta pa rin sa min kahit pangatlong beses na. They sang People, What Kind of Fool I Am, sabi nga ni Erik, tanggalan ng ngala-ngala. We can’t help but look on Christian’s direction, I wonder what’s on his mind that time, ganda kaya ni Rachelle Ann that night. Nag invite sila again to watch The Little Mermaid.

Erik’s rendition of Freddie Aguilar’s classic, Anak is superb. I can see him record this song for a teleserye or movie. Pwede…

Syempre kailangan mas itaas pa ang level ng energy…Erik did his Basil Valdez medley, hindi exaggeration but I’m sure, even Basil himself mapapa-standing ovation and will be very happy to hear Erik’s cover of his songs. That was awesome..yung akala mo tapos na, then may kasunod pa pala na song..I hope marami pang tao ang makarinig kay Erik singing this medley. Nakakaproud talaga.

And di makukumpleto ang gabi ng kahit na anong concert ni Erik without his trademark song This Is The Moment and I Believe I Can Fly. Kanyang kanya na talaga ang This is The Moment, synonymous na sa pangalan nya and no one can argue, he gave life to this song.

Erik Santos’ concert is alway equal to Standing Ovation. Kahit ilang concert yata ang mapanuod namin, di kami magsasawa. Sarap kasi ng feeling na after every concert, nandun yung feeling na proud kami na si Erik ang napili naming hangaan. So, see you again next time, Music Museum is too small of a venue for someone with too big of a voice.

Prince of Pop @realeriksantos Erik Santos reveals has no plans of settling down. The full story and more in our December 2011/January 2012 issue, available this month! —

MANILA, Philippines — Gossip Girl just heard from a fish in the sea that lead star of Little Mermaid Rachelle Ann Go is healing a broken heart. According to my sea urchin (did I say fish a while ago?), Rachelle Anne who happens to be a kapuso star was dating a kapamilya TV host just about the same size and age as she. But her broken heart did not at all affect her acting and musical performance as Ariel in Atlantis Productions of “The Little Mermaid.”

As I quote Ursula, her “vibrato, her legato, and even her belt” was impeccable! Even her eyes, which supposedly mirrors what a person really feels, were bright and gleaming with happiness and bubbliness just like Ariel in the Disney movie. I can say that she can be the next Lea Salonga. Even Lea Salonga herself said, “I don’t know that the superlatives in my vocabulary could cover just how wonderful I thought she was (Rachelle Ann Go).”

Erik Santos was grand and regal, very princely indeed. From our trip two years ago in Santorini, his diction in English has vastly improved and I was impressed.

Of course his voice is forever enchanting and powerful which is the reason why he was the grand champion of the very first “Star in A Million” in ABS-CBN. He is also very handsome so I am just counting the days when Rachelle Ann gets smitten by his gentleness and charming looks.

My daughter and I who both watched their performance actually got “kilig” on their kissing scenes when both their lips pressed. Erik and Rachelle Ann have a loving chemistry onstage that I am hoping can develop offstage.

And if it won’t, something in the universe must be wrong for these two perfect beings not to fall in love with each other!

As for the other characters, my hands and knees are bent to venerate your flawless performances. Directors Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga did a very good job blocking and directing the cast.

Jinky Llamanzares who portrayed Ursula blew my mind, body and soul! I have always wanted to do Ursula, that’s my dream role! So I have already plotted every step that Ursula will make. Every note and lyric that Ursula will belt or growl is already directed in my mind.
And so if the actress does not even come close to the Ursula in my mind, she will definitely have a bad review from me. Jinky Llamanzares freakin’ beat the actress in my mind in voice, action, diction and song! Fantastic!

I can definitely say that OJ Mariano, who portrayed the role of Sebastian, is a very good actor and a fabulous singer. He can actually belt high notes a la Earth, Wind and Fire style then go down on the other side of the scale showing his grand vocal range. However OJ was more concerned on his acting and vocal technique that he tends to forget to be loose and comedic which is what Sebastian is all about.
There was a moment in the play, though, that I caught the real Sebastian in him. It was the scene where he was teaching Ariel to pucker her lips so that she can kiss the prince and get her voice back.
Knowing OJ, once he reads this article, he can definitely adjust and just enjoy his role because Sebastian is the vital key for laughter in the “Little Mermaid.”

It is always understood that musicales in the Philippines can never beat the Broadway musicales funded by the Jews in New York. And so I call our productions a miracle and the people behind it, wizards!
Wizards because they can actually transform a meager budget into a fantabulous production. It was obvious that the production design had a working budget but they were able to transform Meralco into a visual feast for the audience.

Even the cheap animation and puppet effect actually worked and served its purpose! The costumes were fantabulous especially Ursula’s, although I kinda thought Flounder was a sultan prince of the Alladin musicale lost at sea.

The mermaid fins were a little disturbing at first. It made me hungry because it reminded me of giant prawns in my surf and turf dinner plate. But when Ariel would lie down or lounge in a certain angle, the fins actually work.

Of course we cannot expect a Filipino production to have everybody in harnesses floating onstage all the time. It would be a nightmare for the mermaids to be belting while being constricted with harnesses.
Thank you, Atlantis Productions, for making us children again. Thank you, Ceejay Javier, because your musical direction made me high the entire play.

I wish we could have more musicales like this in the Philippines. And once the Jews see the talents of the Filipinos and start investing in musicales in the Philippines, count me in! Plan to be the next Ursula.
“The Little Mermaid” runs in Meralco Theater till Dec. 11.

Giselle Sanchez is a singer, stand-up comedienne and corporate host. She will have a concert with the Acafellas on Dec. 9 at The Philippine Heart Center. For tickets please call Dr. Jhulliet at 09175070560. Follow her on Twitter (@GiselleXanchez) and Facebook (gossipgirlgiselle@gmail.com). Her Bohol Beachfront hostel will officially open to guests on January 2012, go towww.gisellesanchez.com for details.

Manila Bullettin

After a hectic week visiting doctors, I welcome a chance last Sunday to go to the Meralco Theater to see The Little Mermaid, a production by Atlantis Productions, its last one for 2011. I was a few minutes late, thus had to see the play from the front row of the orchestra right section where the sound quality was erratic.
The visual presentation was first-class. It overwhelmed me. The sets, costumes, other visual effects were invigorating.

Fortunately, I saw the second half of the musical in my correct seat, 4th row center orchestra left aisle. Viewing was superior when compared with my first seat. I could understand the words of the songs and dialog. However, it was played far too loud. In some ways this drowned the noise made by the multitudes of very young children present.

Once again I witnessed how people believe the announcements warning people not to take pictures of the show do not apply to them. The lady seated in front of me took quite a few pictures before an usher asked her to stop. In my opinion, the usher should have made the woman delete the pictures from her camera.

The costumes and sets deserve special mention, as well as the light design. They were breathtaking. The credit goes to Messrs. Lex Marcos, Eric Pineda and Jay Aranda. The fun choreography was done by Cecile Martinez. The orchestra was conducted by Ceejay Javier.

Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga, the directors of this musical, chose a very good cast. Congratulations are in order. CONGRATS!!!!

The most applauded performer was Jinky Llamanzares as Ursula. She literally squeezed the juice out of her role and the audience showed their approval with loud applause at the end of her numbers.

Rachelle Ann Go made a pretty Little Mermaid. She has a good set of vocal pipes, is very pretty to watch and convincing as an actress. What more can you ask for? Erik Santos as Prince Eric had a very pleasant singing voice. We should see more of him in future productions. Chris Millado was imposing as King Triton. He possesses a good singing voice and was most convincing.

Another actor who almost stole the show was OJ Mariano as Sebastian. The same can be said of Lee Viloria as Flounder and Felix Rivera and Jaime Barcelon as Flotsam and Jetsam.

Julienne Mendoza was a riot in the kitchen and dinner scenes. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He will go places in the future in musical theater. Carlos Canlas in the ensemble stood out in moments when he had solos.

The audience liked the show very much and gave the cast a standing ovation. Congratulations to all the cast and crew for a job well-done.

During the musical, some of the melodies made me think about The Little Shop of Horrors. I wondered why and found out only when I read the program notes during the intermission that Alan Menken, had composed the music for both shows.

I can summarize this by saying that you should NOT miss this fantastic musical but sit not closer than the 10th row of the orchestra section. Bring the entire family to this one. The play will be showing until Dec. 11 at the Meralco Theater.

For seats or reservations, call 889-7078 or TicketWorld at 891-9999.

After the play ended, I felt hungry and decided to try a new restaurant, Cuisenier Brasserie located at 102 Timog Ave. in front of the Caltex Gasoline Station. I highly recommend this restaurant. The place is clean, the staff is very friendly, the food is good, and the prices are not bad at all. Try their clam chowder soup, seafood risotto, appetizer of callos/tripe with a cream sauce, and, for dessert, do try their trifle of peach or strawberry or the panna cotta. The coffee is also very good. The owner/manager Erwin is very charming and most informative in regard to their food. It is open all days of the week. You can call 426-5872 or 586-8798.

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