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[av_heading heading=’My life as a performer, Part 4′ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY PETER SOLIS NERY
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Friday, March 16, 2018
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TROI OI is home to me. No question about that.
I like the ambience. The interior design is picture perfect and pleases the eclectic in me.
The food always satisfies my cravings. Iâm proud of the place, and I always make it as a showcase of how Iloilo is more than just chicken inasal and La Paz batchoy.
I also love the staff, who, it seems to me, love me back so much. When Iâm not coming in as a customer, I always spend some time observing how well they welcome their patrons. It is a joy to dine at Troi Oi because of these wonderful service crew.
But most of all, I love the owners Les and Grace Blair, largely because I appreciate their support of the art scene in Iloilo. But mostly, because they bless me with a friendship, and a sense of home.
*
My âMy Tet Offensiveâ concert and farewell show was pretty well attended. Troi Oi was jam packed, didnât I tell you that already?
And star-studded, too, if you will. Iloilo Cityâs Councilor Joshua Alim dropped by; and so did media biggies Mr. Joeboy and Mrs. Mafelou Agriam; and âSexy Babesâ Vasquez of Love Radio Iloilo.
New Peter Solis Nery fanatics Larry Lao, Primrose Uy and Eden Razon were there again (minus Ronelo Ladiao, who came with them to my âhelloâ concert in January).
Support from relatives? Cousin Atty. Maricar Teresa Galvez, her brother Ricky and his wife were there for my âgoodbyeâ concert. (In my âhelloâ and Dinagyang concert, cousin Edrey Nery was there, in addition to cousin Jay Bedua who came with a friend or colleague.)
The great Rock Drilon was back with artist friends, and other bike enthusiasts including Daniela Caro of Iloilo Cinematheque.
Star-studded show, indeed. And thatâs just the guest list!
*
Sometime ago, I gave a psycho-spiritual integration and personality workshop to the Ilonggo teen pop boyband 212i from Santa Barbara, managed by Alfie Gonzaga. Would they be interested to guest perform at my show?
They said yes, so I let them open the show for me.
With the release of their album (all original music by Alfie) in such platforms as Spotify and iTunes, I thought it was time the 212i boys level up from campus concerts and fiesta guest appearances to resto-bar entertainment scene in the big city.
I wondered if they could survive a crowd without screaming school girls.
*
Romie John Delariarteâs Iloilo Prima Galaw group did another brilliant performance of my play Tic-Tac-Toe at my farewell concert.
I was just amazed how repeat audiences (those who came to my Dinagyang concert, and saw the play excerpt first) still find all the lines hysterical. Again and again!
If I havenât said it already, thank you again, Romie John, for your courage to direct this play. I know that this is not the easiest of my plays to stage. Although I think that it should really be produced.
And thank you, Iloilo Prima Galaw actors, for giving life to this wonderful monster of a play.
*
My âMy Tet Offensiveâ show was made even more concert-like with a winning performance from hunky Mon Ryann Depasupil, another nurse, another artist, another performer from Dumangas.
Full disclosure: Mon Ryann is the son of my high school classmate Anna May Deloso, and he was about to be married when I invited him my show. I was so sorry I couldnât make it to his Feb. 18 wedding (perhaps the better for his bride, lest I âspeak now, or forever hold my peeâ) so I invited the whole entourage to Troi Oi for a modified stag party.
I only knew Ryann vaguely. Like, I was told that he was Mr. CPU when he was studying Nursing, and that he also occasionally performs in a band in the city.
*
Ryann and I were only introduced on Jan. 29, when I finally had a reunion meeting with his mom after almost 30 years.
Itâs humbling how Anna May told me that her son wanted so much to meet me. It looks like I was painted by my classmate as a really, really smart hero. The brightest and the smartest of her classmates.
I could sense that thereâs a mutual admiration between Ryann and me, and that really melted my heart so I wanted very much to do something for him and his fiancee. I invited them to my Troi Oi show.
*
Ryannâs group came as a party of 12, maybe 14? It also looked like they came from the rehearsal dinner because I was on the last 30 minutes of my show when I saw them squeeze themselves in at the back.
But I promised Ryann a great night before he ties the knot. I also wanted to give him some advice on how to keep the marriage happy.
But because my show is really unorganized (as opposed to disorganized), I ended up roasting the groom. And it was so much fun!
Whether he admits it or not, I knew Ryann and his entourage had a good time at my show.
*
A pattern is emerging at my Troi Oi shows.
Firstly, the audience (the guest list, if you wish) is always wonderful. They are people who are sophisticated, classy, and very talented. They are also game for some fun.
The most beautiful part of this audience is the fact that the âusual suspectsâ are always so welcoming to the newcomers and first timers. I really like the community feel of my shows.
Secondly, I also found out that the more unstructured I go, the funnier I get. The more I talk about my guests, the more they crack up. Sure, I sometimes repeat myself. But if the audience laughs repeatedly, whatâs wrong with that?
I like doing the Pavlovâs dog response experiment if it elicits laughter. Anything for laughs, really!
*
Thirdly, and this is most important, my show, however egotistical it sounds, is really a celebration of people.
In the early years of the new millennium, I was told I could not do audience participation in my stand up shows in Iloilo because the audience is onion-skinned.
Well, I still think that Ilonggos are largely constipated and âonion-skinned.â And I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that I wonât survive as a standup comic in cheap bars where people demand for a bucket of beer for P300.
Luckily for me, I have Troi Oi with its sophisticated, and often cosmopolitan, crowd. People who can afford good entertainment. People who come to my show to relax, not to get drunk.
So yeah, Iâm Peter Solis Nery. And I can be really funny. Or I can just be fun! (To be continued/PN)
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