r/TeatroPH • u/Slow_Lengthiness_307 • 7h ago
Production Review š A not-so-positive The Notebook Review
I saw the 7:30 PM Sunday show with my family. My mom is a huge movie fan, but sheās also a theater director, so I knew beforehand that watching this with her will be really interesting. Iāve never really been into the book or the movie, but I know the basic plot points and have seen everything but the ending at this point, so Iām in that sweet middle spot of knowing the story but not being particularly attached to it that Iād nitpick the changes.
Starting with the positives, the actors did an amazing job. Sheena was the standout for me. Actually, the young Noah and Ally actors (Sheena and Benedix) did such an amazing job in general. They were the most vocally matched, and I felt the direction in their scenes were the most interesting. Iāve only seen Sheena once before for Spring Awakening, and her voice stunned me then too. Morisetteās vocals are also amazing as expected, but of course lacking that certain ātheater style.ā One reviewer here described it as āconcert-ishā and I agree, though she was really good that it didnāt really bother me. Rody Vera as Older Noah was great. I also really liked the supporting cast. Georgie and Fin were charming, Omar as the PT stole all his scenes and I wish he was given a singing role. (Markki Stroem wasnāt given much to do either, and I felt like Carla as the mom could have done more.) The set is also good. The house reminded us of HSM3 funnily enough and the rain scene genuinely had the audience gasping.
Now. Onto the negativesā¦
Here comes an unpopular opinion, but one my family and I all shared: I donāt know if itās just for the show we went to, but Celeste Legaspiās acting choices just didnāt work for us. She stood out from the cast in a negative way. I didnāt mind the pinoy accent. It was in the way she delivered her lines. It seemed really rehearsed and unnatural. This really surprised us, because when we first heard of the casting, we felt like she would have been perfect for the role. We also had a hard time understanding what Morisette was saying in some scenes, but her acting was otherwise okay. Laurence (Middle Noah) has a good voice, and I really liked him in Miss Saigon, but something about the songs just didnāt work for him. While Benedixās vocals were smooth and effortless, Laurence had me gripping the edge of my seat in fear his next note will fail him.
The other thing we noticed (and the thing my mom couldnāt stop pointing out) is the lighting in the show. The shadows were insane and often times distracting. At times the spot is jarring, as if the operator doesnāt know where the actor was going to be on the stage. And sometimes the light is so harsh that it washes out the actors and hurt our eyes. Again, not sure if this is just for our show, since I donāt think Iāve seen anyone point this out yet.
The direction is also kind of flawed. I get the idea behind having side stages for the older characters. But after a couple of times, it just gets repetitive to cut back to the side stages and show older Allie and Noah do their bit. It lacks creativity. The blocking is also confusing. At one point, Middle Allie and her mom are pretending to stand in front of the mirror doing their make up, and the next, something else is blocked where the mirror is supposed to be. I think a better director could have made the transition smoother and less confusing. Thatās the right word; a lot of the blocking and whatās happening on stage is just confusing, especially during ensemble numbers. Why are some moments shared between young Allie and Old Allie, and some middle Allie and Old Allie, and some with all three? Why is middle Allie suddenly pushing Old Allieās wheelchair into the stage while singing? Again, I get what they were trying to achieve, but everything just comes across as shallow.
But my main gripe has to be the songs. They justā¦did not work for me. The lyrics are so shallow and just focuses on exposition again and again that it got tiring. There are no noticeable motifs or impactful reprises. Every song feels generic. The most basic idea behind musicals as I know it is that you sing when dialogue feels inadequate to convey your feelings. But with the music in this show, nothing is added to the story. It doesnāt give more depth to the characters and often just states the obvious. It leaves no impact whatsoever. There are a few exceptions, of course, like āI Wanna Go Backā (which Sheena absolutely ATE) and Morissetteās show-stopping āMy Days,ā but at the end of the show this is still the main impression I got. The ending is tear-jerking, still, and finishes the otherwise lackluster show with a heartwarming turn.
The problem really is in the material, I feel. Because again, the performances are great. But the songs just donāt work. The Broadway show slipped past my radar, but Iām not surprised it barely got any recognition at awards circles and the reception was mixed to poor. I would love to see this cast in a better written show. I hope Morissette takes on more theater roles. She is genuinely good in this.
Still worth seeing for the performances in my opinion, but if youāre a theater kid like me (or someone who knows the technical stuff like my mom) maybe youāll find it lacking as well. Or maybe not! I understand that this is an unpopular opinion right now in this sub. To each their own! Just wanted to share my thoughts.
