A ‘gold’ performance by Lisa Macuja at culture center

Aliw Theater at the CCP theater complex was the venue of Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s performance last Oct. 4. The half-hour delay of the show’s start was forced by a sudden, unprecedented downpour an hour or so before.

My son Roland kindly drove us to the venue. Upon my mindless suggestion, he drove into Donada Street where we came upon an impassable, inundated Menlo-Donada intersection.

My son’s original intention, until I put in my two centavos’ worth, was to pass Buendia where traffic appeared to be heavy. At this point he had no choice but to head to Buendia, entering at a point close to the Roxas Boulevard overpass, where there was, happily, hardly any traffic. We eventually got to the CCP entrance and another mistake: My wife and I had to hike to Aliw, the way to which we negotiated, slightly sprinkled by a very light drizzle.

When we got inside the theater, less than half the seats were filled, not surprisingly. It was shortly before 7:30 p.m., the starting time. By the time the curtain went up at 8 p.m., the theater was over one-half full, and counting, as the expression goes.

Then another mistake: I forgot to purchase a souvenir program!

To get to the real and worthy subject of this piece, it was indeed a “gold show,” with Lisa performing the well-known “Romeo and Juliet” suite and “Sleeping Beauty,” with the bonus of a performance in between by the much-acclaimed UP Madrigal Singers, which gave the fifty-ish diva a chance to rest and revitalize. Having said that, one couldn’t help but marvel at the rubber-like carriage of Lisa’s light frame as she pirouetted, tiptoed, and stood on one foot, while doing duets with no burden to her male partners.

While on the subject of male ballet dancers, it occurred to me that in the “stateside” culture that we so often try to “emulate,” the idea of males going through ballet motions might seem effeminate, but the same can also be said of ice skating or even tap dancing!

It could even be said that this “machismo” obsession is borne out of male insecurity, which is what we see in Hollywood westerns and gangster films.

To get back to the important thing here, namely, Lisa’s performance, the UP Madrigal Singers’ interim performance provided Lisa a chance to recharge. She sailed into the “Sleeping Beauty” item on the program like a spirited teenager!

The necessity to be present at the Aliw theater entrance to await being fetched frustrated my plan to say hello to papa Cesar Macuja and personally congratulate his daughter, one hell of a professional!

Applause to diva Lisa Macuja-Elizalde! A basket of praise too to the parents who, for want of someone to leave with their children at home, took a chance with their kids at ballet. And why not? Nothing like starting them young!

The ballet that Saturday evening was truly the “golden lining” around a monstrous “cloudburst”!

—BOBBY KRAUT,

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