From the beginning of the show, you are propelled into a world of comedy and romance. I won’t go into the details on what happened in the play, cuz I think the movie and play speak for itself already, and there are summaries and reviews floating around the net.  Also I wont compare the movie and the play since both are different in ways. What I will write here is from the perspective of an artist. I am writing this experience as a way of  specially thanking Ms. Daisy Ba-ad and Ms. Michelle Simtoco for introducing me to the world of theatrical arts and musicals, to which I now enjoy very much from the very bottom of my heart. Also, I’m dedicating this to the Siddhartha cast family also, since they can’t be here to watch it with me

Where to start, there’s so much to say about the musical. It’s everything an artist could hope or wish for, and to top it off, IT’S IN BROADWAY! I was already propelled out of my seat and into another place. I have forgotten that I was in a theatre was now in Greece!

Lets start with the location. The theatre was completely full, and this has been running more than 10 years and still draws a sold out crowd. The theatre was amazing, from the orchestra seats to the box seating on the side wall and balcony seating on the 2nd floor, everything was high-top class. If you saw from those movies where inside the theatre it’s like a classical/contemporary setup, it’s really true to the every aspect from where I went. I was seated real close to the stage, 4th from the from the front seat and center seat from both sides, so I had one of the best view/seat in the house, right at the center =D

The music…well it was live band! No kidding! There was even a conductor and SHE was leading the orchestra/band while they play the music/songs. The band was under the stage but can be seen from the outside. What we did in Cebu was pre-record the numbers for the production, but here, it was live. I was so impressed. Next the lapels, I COULDN’T FIND IT!! lol I tried to look for the mics but it was really hidden from sight, I did notice something in there left or right ear that was skin colored, hmm.. maybe that was it =p

Now their voices, I LOVE their voices! So intense, so crystal clear and beautiful!! You can really feel them what their singing about, from joy and happiness to anger, to sadness and distraught. I cried on one of those sad acts, I think it was “Knowing Me, Knowing You” act. As what Ms. Daisy said, project your voice and always show the truth. Oh, Peirce Brosnan has nothing on this show, the guy playing Sam Carmichael in the play was better than Pierce in the movie XD

The props… what else can I expect from Broadway. Top notch props! It was simple and minimal, just like from Siddhartha production. Sometimes there was just a bed on the stage and some table, others there was a wall as the house and some tables for the restaurant. Nothing too fancy but it does the job. Oh, there were also some nice props, e.a. elevating platform, two rotating walls that automatically re-arranges themselves to form the outside of the house, Sophie’s room, inside of a bar, etc. , which I really liked by-the-way All the props were constantly reused, so don’t expect that just because its Broadway they don’t reuse and recycle props Also, as far as I can remember, there was only ONE black-out, and that was during the intermission, I was so impressed. The location change and props were done in front of the audience, not as obvious but they did it as part of the play. When a main cast or supporting cast comes in, they are already bringing the props they or the whole group would need, from simple tables and chairs to liquor trolley. When transitioning from one scene to the other, one side of the stage the main cast is acting, the other side of the stage the supporting cast were already starting to change the props as they come in in-character.

Dance numbers were very well choreographed, I wouldn’t say everyone were in sync since its a musical and that’s not the point. The use of angles also, I was able to spot it right away hehe, may it be with the body and/or props used to point to the person or location that we were supposed to focus our attention to. Maybe to a normal viewer they wouldn’t notice this at all but after going through Ms. Daisy, I was able to spot some of these right away, I wouldn’t say all

Spacing was really well thought out, there were no empty spaces in the stage in large groups! If there is space in one spot that’s unoccupied, at least one or two is standing there to keep it occupied, or there are some props standing there in its place… may it be a bed, tables and chairs. I could still remember Ms. Daisy shouting to use all the spaces on the stage haha

Professionalism between the cast is really there, may it be dancing, kissing, body language  etc… _strictly_professional_. And one thing, when they go all the way, _they_go_all_they_way_ with there acting, from dancing to touching each other… and with no malice intended, when a scene requires them to touch “some” body parts, they do it, I’ll leave it to you to understand what I meant

Last but not the least, everyone enjoyed the show!!… not just the audience but also the casts. So its very true… from the simplest of productions to the most grandest of production in Broadway and to Paris… ENJOY.

Too bad I couldn’t meet the cast after, they didn’t come out but I was very happy that night. This was a night I will never forget for the rest of my life =)

Here are some pics I took before the show..I didn’t take any photos during the show =p

A message from one of our dear masters in Taiwan that took care of us when we were there last April for our Siddhartha Taiwan road tour. Ven. Master Miao Guang’s message to the Siddhartha family…

Hello Ms. Dayzee,

Time certainly flies! It’s already been over a month since we met at the performances and your visit to FGU. I was saddened by not being able to see your last show at FGS and the farewell party at Pumen Temple in Taipei, but I am content enough just to have been there with the Master, sitting in the front row, and fully bathing in the beauty and profound wisdom displayed by your show. I still can’t get over how touched I was by the musical. I still listen to the soundtrack or sing it silently in my mind almost everyday, because the memories from the musical have bestowed unto me nothing but courage and faith in the path that I had chosen at the age of a young adult, a weak mind seeking solace and guidance from the faith that I had taken for granted for too long over these years.

You and the Siddhartha Caste now hold a very special spot in my heart, and will continue to do so for a long, long time; for you were the ones who embraced me and the rest of the team at our first visit to Cebu with the warmest smiles and the purest eyes that showed unconditional acceptance and trust in a group of students who dared say that they were propagating the truth (courageous but ignorant!). It is certainly a privilege to be given so much support and confidence at the very first overseas Dharma Talk that I’d ever given in my entire life. Like what the Chinese say, “a good start is already half the way to success!” I shall bring what you have given me to every place in the world that I visit, and share this joy and love with every individual who crosses paths with me.

Besides Siddhartha being the one who “founded” Buddhism as a religion, I honestly do not regard the musical as a religious one, because every word sang by the performers showed nothing but the common truth to a joyful and wise life. Regardless of who we are, where we come from, or who we follow, the Noble Eightfold Path can be practiced by anyone in an un-religious way; a longing for the truth is the right held by every individual in his/her quest for uninterrupted happiness; to vow to be more than who we are means we have opened up our hearts to the world and are willing to share others’ joys and sorrows; to light up the lamp of our heart means we will travel on the brighter paths of life and no longer be fearful of the dark; and to regard all as one means exactly what you have said in your hub, that we are celebrating all our similarities and respecting all differences. Moreover, if that unshakeable faith in Amitabha Buddha is shifted onto ourselves, we will surely be blessed with a mind strong enough to make any wishes comes true (good ones of course!).

You have continued to modestly express that you have learned a lot from us, but in my mind, it was us who had learned much more from you. I admire your ability to bring out the best quality and courage of every member of the caste, and in guiding them across times of trouble and helplessness. You were like the mother who gave them assurance, and a shoulder to rest their heads on when they were fearful and exhausted. If only I had the chance to spend some more time around you during your stay, I would have loved to “dig out” more treasures from your wisdom and life experiences. ;D

I’ve recently just came back from a tour around Singapore and Malaysia with the Master, which has indeed been a fruitful one, for I have continued to meet new people and share our thoughts and learnings. What a wonderful world! The more colors and dissimilarities the more beautiful it will become!

I think I’ve blabbed on for too long, but I’ve been wanting to write you a letter to thank you for bringing Siddhartha to Fo Guang Shan. I am sure I will soon be sitting amongst the audience of your China and European shows. Until then, may peace, wisdom and joy be with you all. Please say hello to Michelle for me. Miss you guys!

Original post here.

The hospitality we were given in Taiwan was amazing! No words can describe the love and care the people there gave us, from the arrival in Taipei airport to the accommodation in Pu Men Temple was overwhelming! Everything was given to us on a silver platter, so to speak. We were treated like celebrities!

We had four shows in Taipei, in Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. What an experience it was! Where do I start? First, the make-up artist… what can I say, they were real professionals!! You couldn’t find that kind of fast service in the Philippines! From the way they start applying the makeup to finishing touches were very impressive! Oh, and they don’t just apply makeup then forget about you. They stayed at the sides of the stages to retouch the makeup when you exit the stage! Now that’s professionalism!

We were treated to some sight seeing tour around Taipei afterwards. One small problem… time management. We were always late in gathering and assembling, hahahah, other than that, the tour was a total blast!! After two days of rest, we had to travel to Kaohsiung for another show there. We passed by a temple built in the center of Taiwan, I think it was called Fo Guang Shan Lucky Mountain Temple.

A little history, it was build at the center of Taiwan, a city called Taichong, so that travelers, going from south to north, can stop by the temple for an overnight stay. The temple is really large and the accommodation were not bad. Of course its not a hotel, but it was good enough for an overnight stay. On the way to Kaohsiung, we were treated to a theme park, thank god its was cloudy or we would have sweat all over.

In Kaohsiung, we stayed in Fo Guang Shan. It’s like Vatican City in Christianity. Fo Guang Shan spanned three mountains and has its own hotel, a university for the monks, cafeteria, TV station, temples, and more! We stayed in the Bamboo Inn, named after the bamboos, of course. I wont talk about the sites in Fo Guang Shan, it will take up a lot of space in the blog =p

The show was in the city proper of Kaohsiung. It took a 45min bus ride to the hall. First thing observed was that the hall was not as big as Taipei, but in the end everything went as planned.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun watched the second play on Saturday and everyone was at their best! How many times in a life time can someone meet a person who is an equivalent of the Pope! The energy in the air was so strong, when he speaks everyone was dead silent! We also had another meeting with Venerable Master Hsing Yun the following day in a conference room. Oh the joy of it all! We were given autographed pictures of him!! Well a 1-on-1 picture would have been better but this was close enough and I’m very happy. Plus a bonus, he hinted that he may find ways to bring us to Beijing! And not just any concert hall…. THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS!

Kaohsiung play came and went. Boy do time fly sooo quickly! Our last show was on Wednesday, in Fo Guang Shan. A special show free of charge for the monks in the monastery and other people who couldn’t go out to watch the play. We gave our best and the place was fully packed! We had the show under the evening sky and with some great divine intervention, it never rained!

Impermanence, nothing is permanent at all. This we learned from Venerable Master Hsing Yun. We soon had to leave the beautiful Fo Guang Shan and go back to Taipei for our trip back to Cebu. *SIGH =’(* We missed all the monks that gave all their love and care when we were in Fo Guang Shan. People cried when we left as we left for Taipei. Because of them, our stay was very memorable and heart warming… memories that will last a life time!

Or you can check the video on youtube here.