A long-awaited come-back from the legendary Broadway-style pioneer company in the Philippines
guest post by Kuya Manzano
A week ago I caught one of the last performances of this show and I am glad I did.
After 3 years of lockdowns and weird rules by the Government, finally Repertory Philippines produced a musical and I clap for the effort. Many companies have not yet returned to producing, that is if ever they will again.
Very minimalist scenery, so good in order to save expenses. And also in an unusual location. This was done at the CCP complex in a Black Box Theater space. The usual home for Repertory has been a traditional theater at On Stage in Greenbelt mall (Makati). I wonder if the company has broken ties with the mall, I hope not, it is a good and convenient venue.
Theater-in-the-round we could say. The audience was seated on both sides with the action happening in the center.
So actors would perform at times for one part of the audience and at times for the other.
The venue is small and you get to see the faces of the actors up close, which I appreciate. All audience pays the same and sees up close.
Even with this small space actors had microphones and a couple of pianos were the accompaniment all properly mixed for a non-standard theater, so claps for the sound engineer Glendfford Malimban.
Musical direction by genius musician Ejay Yatco who at the same time played piano 1. His job is palpable. Harmonies and good singers cast. Bravo maestro!
Direction by Toff de Venecia. He is a Congressman for the Philippines Government and has been directing plays outside Repertory and has always been a close friend of the Repertory family. So this was a good opportunity to collaborate and help the Philippine arts, which is a big part of his political agenda. Thank you for that Congressman!
Postmodern take, mixing some anachronisms and even including some Philippine culture. I say why not? Getting a classic Broadway play and re-imagining it is an art creation and should be done. So this is a pretty new creation in many senses. Kudos for being brave and creative.
Lead roles filled by media celebrities Gian Magdangal (as Billy Bigelow) and Karylle Tatlonghari (as Julie Jordan).
He is big and good looking which matches the requirements of the role. Could get scary, I would not fight him in an alley… if you didn’t watch the play I won’t explain why this is perfect for his part.
She is definitely a good actress and I was happily surprised to discover she has a classic singing voice that matches a classic play like this one. I would say pretty too, but that could be sexist in these crazy times where speaking and thinking are not free anymore.
Another great discovery is Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante. Now I know why she is so frequently cast in musicals. She IS GOOD! She can sing and act at the highest level. Very in character.
Did I watch her in other shows before? Yes, but never up close like this time where I could really appreciate the acting. If she is in a play I will look forward to watching it next time.
Clearest diction and good acting awards for…
Lorenz Martinez: let’s add he is a great comedic actor and made scenes lively whenever on stage.
Mia Bolanos: playing the elder actress role. I just discovered her and run to read more about her in the program. She is a teacher at St. Scholastica University, no wonder. Classic singing strong prowess plus great acting. She definitely elevated all her scenes.
Red Nuestro: powerful tenor. Great projection (physical and vocal). Plus you could understand every word.
Special shoutout for two support actors…
Roxy Aldiosa: playing the boss of Bigelow. I could feel your authority, Madam!
Noel Rayos: playing a sinister character, transforming his accent, even growing a beard (if it was real) that made him even meaner.
Ballet moments by Gia Gequinto from Ballet Philippines. It definitely shows.
For a moment I thought it would be ex-ballet dancer Kyla Rivera who I knew was part of the production, this time she took the part of assistant director, congrats on the direction part, Kyla!
Choreo by Stephen Vinas. Good job. We already enjoyed his assistant choreo help during Miong the musical, so good step up. Not only good at his dancing art, also good as a person to work with.
Oh, I must say the ushers were quite annoying asking people to wear masks. Months ago the President of the Philippines already declared it was optional and the space is owned by the Government. Did they not get the memo from their boss? Some audience members didn’t wear it and the actors removed it too. Move on, please! We want less fear so we can do more theater.
The ensemble was quite a luxury, imagine Cara Barredo, the Repertory star, included.
Great acting, singing, and dancing by Paula Paguio, Steven Hotchkiss, Roby Malubay, and Julio Laforteza.
Didn’t get to catch Czar Decena as male swing for this show, for sure he would do good as usual.
In the end, I cried, it did touch my heart and I got to enjoy a classic I only heard on records before.
Thank you Repertory Philippines and long live Filipino theater!
