Night Fever

Get your dancing shoes ready and prepare to be swept away in disco era as Saturday Night Fever musical takes you back to 70s where flashy clothes, bell bottoms, big hair and twirling dresses were everyone's cup of tea.

The musical has finally arrived in Singapore and I couldn't be more excited. We booked our tickets a month ahead and scored VIP seats at a pretty reasonable price. The show opened its curtains on September 25th at the Mastercard Theatre of Marina Bay Sands and will run until October 4th.




Saturday Night Fever is a musical adaptation from the ground breaking film of the same title in 1977. It was the movie that catapulted John Travolta to stardom and sent the music world to euphoria with electrifying hits of Bee Gees.

If you are a huge fan of the film, then the musical won't disappoint. The play does not veer away from movie. In fact, it's in parallel with the plot as if it's being played frame by frame. Saturday Night Fever tells of the life of Tony Manero and his gang in Brooklyn. A dead-end job and a dysfunctional family, Tony turns to discotheque 2001 Odyssey every weekend to escape and rule the dance floor.

Seasoned actors Brandon Rubendall and Jenna Rubaii lead the roles of Tony Manero and Stephanie Mangano. When Tony strutted himself to the dance floor and the entire cast grooved to the beat of " Stayin Alive", I was almost on my feet wanting to get up and dance. The vibrant set, lights, flashy clothes and disco music transported me to almost 40 years back in Brooklyn. It was as if I wasn't merely watching but rather living, breathing in that era.



Act 1 was a superb showcase of vocal talent and of dance prowess of every single member of the SNF. I haven't been following the turn out of the musical in Manila and KL but from what I've gathered, they had a good run and tickets were almost sold out. My heartstrings were pulled to see a rather large Filipino ensemble making up the entire cast. Mikki Bradshaw as Anette; who is head over heels in love with Tony delivered a flawless rendition of Yvonne Ellimanís If I Can't Have You.
The heart stopping number of Tony during " You should be dancing" was enough for me to say that the ticket price was totally worth it. The musical did not only center on Tony's desire to win the $500 disco competition but it tackles society-related subjects i.e  racism, gang fights,religion as well moral issues such as pre-marital sex, suicide and abortion. There were some derogatory, explicit remarks and scenes which are definitely PG -13.



Bee Gees hit tracks were slightly re-arranged to match the mood of each scene. 'Tragedy" was reworked to a suprisingly melancholic ballad and delivered in a heartbreaking performance. Night fever and Disco Inferno were crowd favorites sending onlookers to thump their feet at each beat.

Act 2 was the supposed climax but it turned out to be a series of dramatic lines which seemed to lack coherence especially for those who have not seen the film.  Though it felt as if the ending was forced and " How Deep is Your Love" was sang during the mushy scene between Tony and Stephanie while gazing the Brooklyn Bridge, the cast managed to reclaim the momentum during the curtain call as they glide to Saturday Night Fever MegaMix.

A famous artist quoted in one of her interviews that, "Music is an art and art is rare and important. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for". Saturday Night Fever is an important piece of art which transcends time and generation. The impressive talent brought on stage and passion for music shown by the characters is worth the ticket price alone. It is no surprise that most of us ended on our feet strutting towards the end of the show.  Why shouldn't we be? We got the Night Fever baby!

#ootd

Obligatory Mirror Shot

Vintage Watch : Casio | Box Clutch : Rainbow Belle

Shoes | Something Borrowed

Crop Top & Midi Skirt : Cheris

♥♥,
Jhesy 

Soar High - Literally #jhesytravels

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury

They say traveling to somewhere unknown, far from the comfort of your current reality ;can change you in ways beyond your wildest expectations. The experience that you will gain from the entire endeavor is considered priceless. A milestone. In fact, the memories culled from that experience is part of your life story which can be retold countless times and would still send you feelings of nostalgia.

At a tender age of 25,from not being able to travel all my life, I,Jessica Romano has finally
managed to own a passport and found myself lining up at the US Embassy rushing to get my US Visa. I was more than fortunate, let me rephrase that; blessed to have been given an opportunity to travel half way across the world for free. Yes folks, you read that right. For free. Thanks to the role which I was hired for by this global bank, Big Apple was no longer a dream.To say it was unbelievable at the very least was an understatement. My parents' reaction included.








So with my giddy heart,coat, passport and luggage in tow, I flew to Columbus Ohio for a workforce management training with the the US Global Command Center Team. Flying for the first time sent butterflies in my tummy. It was nerve wracking, heart pumping and mind blowing at the same time. As exciting as it sounds, admittedly; I was really reluctant to fly.Scenes of "Final destination" kept flashing repeatedly in my head. The thought that I will be in the middle of nothingness for almost 20 hours didn't help much either. I couldn't sleep during the first few hours after we did our lay over in Japan. I was even thinking; will I'll survive should the plane crash on water? ( read : paranoia ).3 movies and 2 meals later, I finally let go of paranoia and felt a sense of ease as I dozed off for the remainder of the flight. Key is to shake off any negative thoughts. Relax ( breathe in, breathe out ).
Home Security ( Immigration )at the Detroit Airport was one of the dreaded parts when traveling to United States. Surprisingly, mine didn't take long. The officer was kind enough to extend the number of days I was supposed to stay and made a side comment that I looked young to be working for a well-known bank. ( The braces and fringe must have been the give away ). Twenty hours and 3 lay overs later, I finally reached the cold, peaceful,amicable state of Ohio. It was almost the end of winter and this was what I was specifically excited about. To actually see and feel snow for the first time. Okay, back story - this may sound absurd to others but when I was little I'd play around with pieces of Styrofoams; rubbed them together to create white little foams;tossed them and pretended they were actual snow showers (insert silly emoticon ). When I stepped outside of the airport and felt the snow under my boots for first time; I whispered and sent a prayer of gratitude to the big Man up there for granting my silly childish wish. 
















Columbus, Ohio - is the home of the Buck Eyes. I got a chance to roam around by myself on my first day. I had all these expectations of what United States would look like. Though Ohio may not be your favored destination ; it sure does have a lot to offer. I was there for St. Patrick's day and I got to celebrate with my colleagues over green beer and steak. We even played bowling ( which was first a for me ) and I failed miserably. I even slipped several times and broke my newly bought camera. The night was filled with laughter, funny anecdotes and just merriment.












To have traveled thousands of miles across the world by myself was one of the major turning points of my existence. I found courage and boost of confidence I didn't know I had. I embraced a new side of me which I was oblivious of. It is true as they say, once you ventured into a foreign land, the wanderlust ache will sink in and your thirst for adventure will linger that only a plane ticket or a bus and ferry ride to some place new will suffice.

♥♥,
Jhesy 

#Gatch24

I have a heart for parties. More so,if it's a surprise for a friend's birthday celebration and that of which involves barbecue, swimming pool and dessert.




Two weeks ago, a good friend celebrated his 24th. The squad orchestrated the whole thing disguising it as a get together and a TJ ( Tender Juicy hot dog )party. Gatch prolly had an idea that we were planning something for his day as it appears to be quite customary to set up a surprise or party for someone celebrating his/her special day. Turned out, he was quite surprised still as we decided to hold the event ahead of schedule. 




I can't remember the last time my tummy was filled with too much hot dogs and pork belly. We were digging in as soon as the food was off  the grill. And just like a scene from a kiddie swimming party, our giddy selves jumped into the pool, foolishly played around, feeling young at heart. 




The rest of the afternoon was spent on eating, sharing stories and showering Gatch with our prayers and heartfelt messages.





To the youngest of the bunch! Happy Birthday Gatch. Praying that you will continue to grow in your spiritual walk with God. May your ache for adventure and wanderlust never cease and that you'll continue to leave a mark wherever your feet may take you. 

Photos by : Jezreel Rombaoa

 ♥♥,
Jhesy