I’M no theater critic. Let’s get that formality out of the way. What I am, however, is a theater nut.
Time was when I would be at almost every play by Repertory Philippines, then run by the formidable Zenaida “Bibot” Amador. Yes, I did catch Lea Salonga as a young child, belting out “Tomorrow” in Annie, and Audie Gemora as Javert, falling off in the memorable bridge scene in Les Miserables at the Insular Life Theater in Makati. Rep also had the best stagings of Evita in these parts.
There were also plays and musicals in the second life of the venerable Manila Metropolitan Theater in the late 1980s to 1990s, until a financial squabble led to its closure. I remember watching a play on Jose Rizal staged there, as well as countless of what was then called “chorale competitions”, or what we now know as “sing-offs”.
In the 1980s and 1990s, if you wanted to watch Filipino-language plays, the Philippine Educational Theater Association, or Peta, always had a few ongoing at the Rajah Sulayman Theater in Intramuros. The Cultural Center of the Philippines also put on winning pieces from its Bulwagang Gantimpala playwriting competitions, such as Gines Tan’s Magsimula Ka. The few times I was in London or New York, it was imperative for me to set a day or two aside to be at the theater. I managed to catch Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, starring a glorious Elaine Page as Norma Desmond. There was also the hilarious Nathan Lane, before he really hit big time in Hollywood, in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
In London just recently, I watched the great Imelda Staunton playing the quite intrepid stage mother Momma Rose in Gypsy, determined to make her theater kids, stars.
Not surprisingly, I’m quite partial to musicals. I suppose this was honed by years of being reared on show tunes, courtesy of the family album archives. For one, I still have my Papa’s red LP record of Camelot, a classic musical that was turned into a film starring the eminent Richard Harris (King Arthur) and an ethereal Vanessa Redgrave (Guinevere). I watched this film over and over again, along with West Side Story starring the immaculate Natalie Wood (Maria), Richard Beymer (Tony), the exotic Rita Moreno (Anita), and a very hot George Chakiris (Bernardo), who was my first schoolgirl crush really. (It was a very weird time growing up in the 1970s. Outside our homes, protests were going on against the Marcos regime, while inside we kids were digesting musicals on TV.)
Also in my personal stash are cassette tapes, LPs and CDs/DVDs of West Side Story, Pippin, Carousel, the original London and Broadway cast recordings of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Chess, Mamma Mia, and Barbra Streisand singing the show tunes of Stephen Sondheim.
And so I just had to catch Tony award-winning musical Kinky Boots, currently playing in Manila, and staged by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group. It stars super-genius musical actor Nyoy Volante as the funny and loveable Lola, and Laurence Mossman, a New Zealand native playing Charlie Price, under the direction of the gifted Bobby Garcia.
Unlike other musicals, there aren’t that many recognizable songs in Kinky Boots, although the music and lyrics were composed by Cyndi “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” Lauper. And you don’t go out singing many of its songs, except maybe for “Hold Me in Your Heart” and “Raise You Up/Just Be”, when the company delivers its final scene. These are songs that grow on you as you listen to them repeatedly. But it’s an incredible story just the same—of life’s difficult choices, love’s challenges, and the acceptance (or tolerance) of other people’s beliefs and lifestyles. It was based on the book by actor Harvey Fierstein, he of the raspy voice and Torch Song Trilogy, a great dramedy with plenty of musical numbers that was turned into a film in which he starred opposite a young Matthew Broderick.
It is also serves up a good business lesson; I think our Marikina shoemakers should watch it. One needs to stand out in a sea of the same old, traditional footwear, by offering distinctively designed shoes for niche markets.
What wows the audience is the incredible talent of Volante, who is able to capture the bombastic character of drag-queen Lola, down to the tiniest wiggle of her bum. After meeting Price, son of a Northampton shoemaker, Lola assumes the role of boot designer in a bid to revive the sagging sales of the shoe company Price & Son.
Mossman is able to hold his own against the flamboyance of Volante’s character by delivering the quiet conflicts in Charlie’s life with dignity. Also a standout was Yannah Laurel (Lauren), who has such brilliant comic timing. Tricia Canilao, as Charlie’s fiancée Niccola, seems a little lost in what accent to use while speaking her lines. But she has a powerful voice, which the audience unfortunately discovers only in the latter part of the show. But that’s probably due to the limitation of her role. (This is an actress who has essayed various roles in Miss Saigon, so you get my drift.)
Special mention must be made of Jamie Wilson, who has an inspiring role as Don, the burly macho shoemaker who keeps putting down Lola due to her gayness. He delivers the most important lesson in humility and acceptance. (Catch “Don” in his other performances at the beginning of the play and after the intermission, too. Wink.)
The rest of the cast are just perfect in their roles, delivering tiny bits of humor and wisdom, great singing and dancing. Major props, of course, to the singer-dancers who play The Angels, Lola’s gaggly group of drag queens who provide many of the hilarious performances in show. The band sometimes drowns out some of the singing, but not deliberately I’m sure, but rather due to their exuberant enthusiasm for the music.
Aside from Kinky Boots, there are a number of plays ongoing from various theater groups, both by professionals and students. (The De La Salle College of Benilde, for instance, just recently put on a successful Makbet, the Filipino version of the Shakespeare play.) We Filipinos have always had an affinity for the arts, and it’s just gratifying to see people back in the theater. I was quite surprised that last Sunday’s matinee performance of Kinky Boots was packed to the rafters.
It’s a great time to be in the theater these days. We have such an innumerable array of talented actors and singers just dying to perform their best to a receptive audience. So, go! Watch a play!
“Let me raise you up.
When your bubble bursts,
Let me raise you up.
If your glitter rusts,
Let me raise you up….
Just be who you wanna be.
Never let them tell you who you oughta be.
Just be. With dignity.
Celebrate yourself triumphantly.”
—“Raise You Up/Just Be” from Kinky Boots
- Kinky Boots is at the Carlos P. Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza, Makati City, until July 23. Tickets available at www.ticketworld.com.ph.