Aside from the roses and card, Kenny sprung an awesome surprise to celebrate (late) Valentine's Day. He was able to secure tickets for front-row seats to the Cirque du Soleil show Delerium at the United Center Arena. I was ecstatic and grateful for such a thoughtful gesture especially since I've been curious about the Cirque du Soleil after I saw one of their impressive shows on TV a long time ago. When I last visited Las Vegas, I really wanted to see "O"  but tickets were so impossible to come by on such a short notice. I've repeatedly verbalized such hankering to Kenny and he thankfully kept it in mind.  When he found out about Delerium being slated to perform in Chicago, he dared not pass up on the chance to wow me  .

 Delerium was not like the traditional Cirque show. It is a live music concert, a multimedia/theatrical production that features remixes of existing Cirque music and reinterpretations of performances. We had a blast! The music and visuals were, at times, overwhelming to take in all at once. I was just astonished at the magnitude of production that goes into a show like this. It was indeed auspicious for us to experience entertainment of this quality and caliber. The show only plays in arenas for one or two nights at a time before moving to the next location. Kenny sure earned some cookie points on this one .

Delerium was only one of the few shows I had been privileged to view in the past few years of living here in the US. I might not have any artistic or theatrical endowment to speak of but I sure could appreciate a great performance when I see it. One of my frustrations about growing up in a rather unurbanized city in the Philippines was the lack of access to stage plays and concerts. The gigs at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)  just seemed a world away from the various local events (beauty pageants, parades, church or school-related shows) in our city. If not for those soap operas and TV variety shows such as Eat Bulaga and That's Entertainment, it would have been a very tedious and lackluster teenage years. It wasn't until I got to college when I finally saw a live concert by popular singers such as Gary Valenciano, Randy Santiago, Martin Nievera, APO Hiking Society, etc. I rarely passed up on those events and had risked being trampled in an exceedingly crowded gym just to get a glimpse of those artists. Despite of that, I still hungered for the more theatrical, artistic and classical display of talent. It would be years before I finally got my fill.

My wish was granted when I arrived in Chicago in 1994. This city might not have the same clout and popularity as Broadway in New York but it has a very wide selection of entertainment. I can't remember the first show I caught sight of but I have a few favorites that came to mind; Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast, Lord of the Dance, Cats, Les Miserables , and Show Boat. A few concerts I had been to were of Celine Dion, The Corrs, Madonna, Live, Phil Collins and 10,000 Maniacs. There is one show though that I just can't get enough of; the  Blue Man Group. I must have seen it like, more or less, six times already. Whenever a friend or relative visited me, I almost always made it a point to treat them to a performance. When my parents came to visit us, I did the same thing. You can just imagine the look of wonder and amazement on their faces during and after the show. They had never seen anything like it in their entire life and, in my Papa's case, never will again. It might not be the greatest show on earth but it was so far removed from what my parents previously ever experienced that's related to show business. I was glad to have shared it with them.

It was back in 1989 when Lea Salonga brought international fame and recognition to the Philippines for playing the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon in London. There hasn't probably been another Filipino artist that has achieved as much acclaim as she did which is mind boggling considering the wealth of talent in the Philippines. In my opinion, she opened a lot of doors for other Filipino artists to be recognized internationally. Anyway, ever since I saw video clips of Miss Saigon and heard the poignant songs, I know it's the one show I must see. I was therefore disappointed when Ms. Salonga wasn't playing the role anymore by the time I came to the US. I eventually caught the play in Chicago and the lead actress was also a Filipina by heritage. Believe me, I was still very proud to have witnessed such gift and showmanship. 

When Lea Salonga had a concert in Chicago last year, I planned to go see it with some friends. Unfortunately, I forgot to put in an early request to be off from work so I didn't make it .  Unbelievably, I've only been to a couple of Filipino concerts (Side A and Sharon Cuneta) here. There had been a lot of great shows that I apparently missed due to misinformation. I usually learned about these concerts by word of mouth and they can be quite delayed and inaccurate at times. Anyway, I've been checking out the free newspapers at the Filipino stores so I can keep watch on any future gigs. As much as I appreciate the theater and the musicals, it would be nice to experience being regaled by our brilliant compatriots again. That, is truly entertainment.