‘Should-see’ shows for film and theater buffs

BERNADAS. One of the leads of “Godspell.”

ALL FILIPINO film buffs should make it a point to catch the 39th Urian Awards rites at 7 p.m. tonight on Cinema One. This year’s batch of nominees, most of them indie films and practitioners, are especially gifted and versatile, and their productions and performances cover a wide range of styles, issues and concerns.

Also a “should” view this week is the latest staging of the musical, “Godspell,” at the RCBC’s Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium. Leads include OJ Mariano, Poppert Bernadas and Jet Flores.

This particular musical’s restaging brings back upbeat memories of the show’s first Manila mounting way back in the ’70s, because it was the very first theater vehicle of the then new actor, Christopher de Leon.

Better known then as the kid brother of Pinky de Leon, Christopher must have still been in his teens and visibly lacked experience. But, he impressed us with his fresh, vital, inventive and giving performance.

In theater, the “giving” accolade is the best praise of all, because it sums up what genuine thespians are supposed to do for their audience. Let’s hope that some of the 2016 production’s cast similarly give their “all” to their revival show.

Through the years, Christopher has become a much bigger star, but has sadly acquired some bad acting habits along the way. We hope that the restaging of “Godspell” will remind him of how really good he was, even before “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” “made” him. —And that he can still recover the raw, pure and giving thespic commitment he once had.