Repertory's Tuesdays with Morrie

a few years back, my college bestfriend Anele's older brother was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - the same illness that Morrie Schwartz has in Tuesdays with Morrie. i read the book and i cried buckets.

shortly after, i chanced upon the the tv adaptation in Hallmark. I've always loved Jack Lemmon and his portrayal of Morrie was exceptional. yes, i cried even harder.

last saturday, i had the privilege of watching Repertory Philippines' take on the best-selling book as it was staged on Greenbelt 1.
the cast only had the 2 main characters : Bart Guingona as Mitch Albom and Jose Mari Avellana as Morrie. the set could not have been any simpler - a couch and a table on one end, a hospital bed in the center, a cofee table under a Japanese maple tree on the right. there were no costume or set changes. it was just Mitch and Morrie from start to finish and it was beautiful.

halfway through, people started sniffing and as the intensity of the scenes increased, so did the sniffs. it was one of those where people's emotions are caught even long after the curtain closed.

towards the end, a long standing ovation was imperative.

all praises go to both actors and the Repertory for staging such a wonderful production.
"don't let go too soon, but don't hang on too long" - Morrie Schwartz