Repertory Philippines production of Lauren Gunderson's SILENT SKY

(source) This is from South Coast Repertory and NOT Repertory Philippines Taking photographs or videographs or texting or taking/making phone calls, are not encouraged so that the other members of the audience and the cast won't be disturbed DIRECTED BY Ms. Joy Virata Starring: Cathy Azanza, Sheila Francisco, Naths Everett, Topper Fabregas and Caisa Borromeo March is my birth month so I could consider myself blessed that I was born in a month dedicated to women. The International Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year.  The celebration of and for women should be everyday, I know, because without us, where would men be in this world? 
Another blessing in connection with IWD is watching SILENT SKY.  I learned about it through Ms. Liesl Batucan, through her posts on Facebook.  Ms. Batucan is Repertory Philippines' Managing Director.  She too is an admired versatile thespian, among other things, so when she started promoting this play, I got pretty excited.
We opted to watch on opening night, but the seats on the center were already sold out(when we bought the tickets we didn't know it was sponsored by the Zonta Club) and the seats on the lower right side were the only ones available.  Thankfully we went inside earlier than the rest from our section that we still got good seats.
One thing I could say about the play is that Ms. Joy Virata does not disappoint. With the help of the actors and everyone involved in this play, the audience was taken to a ride going to the early 1900s up to 1921.

Cathy Azanza-Dy, the co-director of Ignacio De Loyola, became for us, Henrietta Swan Leavitt.  I've always pictured the great revolutionary astronomer as someone stiff, but thankfully, through Ms. Gunderson, she was presented as someone with a heart...a heart full of love for her family...a heart full of love for the sky and what's beyond what the naked eye could see.  Cathy Azanza-Dy made the great astronomer lovable and more admirable.  When she was doing the monologue towards the end of the second act I could not help shed some tears.  I silently said thank you to Henrietta Leavitt.  If not for her people would not know as early as her time how vast the universe is.  Cathy Azanza-Dy made us understand how vital her role is in this world and her heaven.  

Topper Fabregas plays the role of Peter Shaw, not the husband of Angela Landsbury, but someone Ms. Gunderson imagined to be working under the indefatigable Dr. Edward Charles Pickering, a noted professor at Harvard University.  Mr. Fabregas made Professor Shaw very REAL to us.  He did not only deliver the lines well, but he made us feel how admirable and lovable Henrietta Leavitt really is. He also made smart people extra appealing, no matter how jittery some of them are like his character, Peter Shaw.  When he uttered the phrase "Afar, but not apart..." a lot of the members of audience hearts' fluttered. Sigh.
Caisa Borromeo played the caring sister of our dear Henrietta so well that she made the great musician Margaret Leavitt so lovable and so REAL to us too.  If not for Margaret, at least in this story by Ms. Gunderson, Henrietta would not be able to discover the pattern of the cepheids. "The stars are music." I love that because Margaret's Rhapsody she found out about how cepheids pulsate like musical notes.  Caisa made me want to dance to her music.  Thankfully I'm sane enough not to do so.  
Naths Everett...if I am not mistaken, this is the first time I have encountered Ms. Everett and from the time she was telling the audience in a very creative way not to use the mobile phones in any manner, I was already impressed with her.  When she introduced the former housekeeper turned astronomer Williamina Fleming to us, she made us love her.  
I've always admired Ms. Sheila Francisco and here as the astronomer and women's rights activist Annie Jump Cannon, I admire her much, much more.  I did not see Ms. Francisco, but I saw the great astronomer.  I've run out of words to say, but she's really awesome.
Repertory Philippines' production of SILENT SKY is worth watching.  It is NOT boring and the dialogues are very interesting.  Of course, it is based on the play written by Lauren Gunderson, but Ms. Virata and the cast added their own style to it.
After the play is over, you would be so impressed that you would want to tell the whole world about it, so that's what I am doing right now in my own little way.

'Silent Sky': Story of women astronomers told with warmth at First Folio


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