The Philippine Online Chronicles

BOOKS

Rare illustrated book bought for $7.9 M

Since last year, book experts have been speculating on the worth of the first edition of John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America.”

They finally got the answer when it was sold for $7.9 million at a New York auction.

Bought by a private American book collector, “The Birds of America” is a three-foot tall, four-volume set featuring 435 stunning hand-colored engravings. It is among the most prized ornithological art ever produced. The $7.9 million sale was also said to be the third highest price for a printed book in an auction.

It’s first ever owner was William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, the fourth Duke of Portland, who bought it in 1838.

Experts say the entire first edition had only 200 complete copies produced in an 11-year period. There are only 120 complete sets known to exist at present, 107 of which are with institutions and 12 in private hands.

Alternative Alamat released online

Tapping the feat of Filipino  writers to come up with unusual twists to age-old tales, Flipside Digital Content and Rocket Kapre Books recently released online a short story collection titled “Alternative Alamat.”

The e-book features 11 short stories on Philippine mythology, featuring characters like Alunsina, Bakunawa and Maria Makiling.

Its editor Paolo Chikiamco said, "None of these stories are straight re-tellings of the old tales: they build on those stories, or question underlying assumptions; use ancient names as catalysts, or play within the spaces where the myths are silent. What you will find in common in these eleven stories is a love for the myths, epics, and legends which reflect us, contain us, call to us—and it is our hope that, in reading our stories, you may catch a glimpse, and develop a hunger, for those venerable tales.”

Readers will be happy to know that the stories are also paired with colorful illustrations from Mervin Malonzo.

It even includes interviews with experts on Philippine mythology.

"Alternative Alamat" is available at Flipreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes. For more information, please visit the official book page at the Rocket Kapre website.

Rushdie cancels speech in India after death threats

Ever since the publication of his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses,” writer Salman Rushdie has been subject to threats.

GMA Network said the British-Indian author has been forced to spend years in hiding and has now canceled a video-link speech for Asia’s largest literature festival because of death threats and fears of riots.

"I find an India in which religious extremists can prevent free expression of ideas at a literary festival, in which the politicians are too, let's say, in bed with those groups to wish to oppose them, for narrow electoral reasons," Rushdie said.

The owner of the hotel where the festival was held said there had been threats of violence.

Just after Rushdie’s planned speech was announced, local Muslim leaders already went to the festival, promising a protest if it pushed through.

The festival’s producer Sanjoy Roy said they felt “hurt and disgraced” since they as artists were not able to prevail.

Festival organizers say all of them have received death threats because of the incident.

It was Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini who said 20 years ago that “The Satanic Verses” insulted Islam because of the portrayal of prophet Mohammad.

Rushdie immediately criticized the threats, saying that the assassination rumors were exaggerated. However he said, "The threat that did exist was the threat to the festival grounds, of the sort that we've seen today. And I think for that you have to blame, obviously, the Muslim groups that were so unscrupulous, and whose idea of free speech is that they're the only ones entitled to it."

THEATER

Charlie Brown musical in the Philippines

Opening on Feb. 11, the Tony Award-winning comedy musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown will feature an all-Filipino cast in vignettes from Charles Schulz’s famous Peanuts comic strips.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown will be staged by 9 Works Theatrical with Robbie Guevara as Charlie Brown, Lorenz Martinez as Snoopy, Carla Guevara – Laforteza as Lucy, Franco Laurel as Linus, Tonipet Gaba as Schroeder and Sweet Plantado – Tiongson as Sally.

For the play’s executive Santi Sta. Maria, staging Charlie Brown in the Philippines had been a dream.

“It’s just one of those things that I’ve always wanted to do, my little contribution to the local theater scene,” Sta. Maria said.

Philippine Star columnist Enrico Miguel Subido wrote that while Charlie Brown is the “doormat” of the Peanuts gang – “everyone in that crew, at some point and in some way, has trampled on Charlie Brown,” the play You’re a Good Man “is a display of optimism.”

Subido writes about happiness in simple, little things. Like Schulz’s comic strip, the play amuses the young and reminds the old of simple joys and trouble-free times.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown will run from Feb. 11 to March 3 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati. Shows are at 8 p.m. on Fridays, 3:30 p.m. on Sundays and both timeslots on Saturdays.

For ticket and other inquiries, call 557-5860, 586-7105 or 0917-5545560 or email info@9workstheatrical.com for inquiries.

Staging the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry

Celebrating not just school rivalry but the universal theme of competition, Ed Gatchalian and the 4^th Wall Theatre Company is staging “Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle The Musical.”

Featuring fictitious characters from De La Salle University and Ateneo De Manila University, Rivalry is an original Filipino play.

Gatchalian proudly points out that it is not a remake of a Broadway hit, like many of the productions being stages today.

“It may be about the fabled feud between La Salle and Ateneo in sports, academics, love and marriage, business, politics and the professions, but such competition, and the excitement it generates, is a universal theme. It will be enjoyed by even those not associated with either of these two schools,” he said.

The musical starts typically enough, focusing on the rivalry between star basketball players from both schools, both of which are vying for the attention of a student from a nearby girl’s school.

“Rivalry” runs Jan. 27-March 11, 8 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday, with 3 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday at Meralco Theater. Call Ticketworld at 8919999.