2012 Philstage Gawad Buhay!--complete list of winners

The 2012 Philstage Gawad Buhay! was held last night, June 16, 7 p.m., at the Star Theater in Star City, CCP Complex along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. The complete list of winners below, in bold (a couple of categories have two winners).

Natatanging Gawad Buhay! (Lifetime Achievement Award)
• Fides Cuyugan-Asencio
• Nonon Padilla
• Denisa Reyes

Outstanding Play
• “Bona” (Peta)
• “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)
• “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• “Next Fall” (Rep)
• “Walang Kukurap” (TP)

Outstanding Musical Production
• “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• “Stageshow” (TP)
• “Walang Sugat” (TP)

Outstanding Classical Dance Production
• “Don Quixote” (BM)
• “Giselle” (BM)

Outstanding Modern Dance Production
• “Alamat: Si Sibol at si Gunaw” (BM)
• “Anting” (BP)
• “Pusong Wagas” (BP)
• “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• “Songs” (BP)

Outstanding Stage Direction
• Chris Millado, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Alice Reyes, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)
• Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Play
The Casts of
• “Bona” (Peta)
• “Next Fall” (Rep)
• “Walang Kukurap” (TP)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical
The Casts of
• “Camp Rock” (Rep)
• “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• “Stageshow” (TP)
• “Walang Sugat” (TP)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for Dance
The Casts of
• “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• “Anting” (BP)
• “Don Quixote” (BM)
• “Giselle” (BM)
• “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• “Sinderela” (BM)

Outstanding Original Script
• Reuel Molina Aguila, “Maliw” (TP)
• Layeta Bucoy, “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)
• Layeta Bucoy, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Nicolas Pichay, “Isang Araw sa Karnabal” (TP)

Outstanding Book or Original Libretto
• Mario O’ Hara, “Stageshow” (TP)

Outstanding Adaptation or Translation
• Hazel Sabas-Gower, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Bienvenido Lumbera, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Ed Maranan, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)

Outstanding Musical Direction
• Ryan Cayabyab and Jed Balsamo, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Jeffrey Hernandez, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Felix Rivera, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)
• Jed Balsamo, “Crisostomo Ibarra” (BP)
• Onyl Torres, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Musical Composition
• Jed Balsamo, “Crisostomo Ibarra” (BP)
• Ryan Cayabyab, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Outstanding Choreography for a Dance Production
• Osias Barroso Jr. and Gerardo Francisco, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Hazel Sabas Gower, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Alden Lugnasin, “Pusong Wagas” (BP)
• Alden Lugnasin, “This is My Life” (BP)
• Redha, “Les Petite Mots” (BP)
• Alice Reyes, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Outstanding Choreography for a Play or Musical
• Denisa Reyes, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Paolo Infante, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)
• Natalie Everett, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Costume Design
• Michael Angelo Albay, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Salvador Bernal, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Dennis Maristany, “Anting” (BP)
• Raven Ong, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Pusong Wagas” (BP)

Outstanding Lighting Design
• John Batalla, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)
• John Batalla, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• John Batalla, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Katsch Catoy, “Maliw” (TP)
• Katsch Catoy, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Jimmy Villanueva, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Jonjon Villareal, “Anting” (BP)

Outstanding Sound Design
• Aries Alcayaga, “Bona” (Peta)
• Rards Corpus, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• TJ Ramos, “Stageshow” (TP)
• TJ Ramos, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Gidget Tolentino, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Set Design
• Jerome Aytona, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Salvador Bernal, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Ezard Eguia, “Anting” (BP)
• Gino Gonzales, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Lex Marcos, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)

Female Lead Performance in a Play
• Eugene Domingo, “Bona” (Peta)
• Sherry Lara, “Maliw” (TP)
• Suzette Ranillo, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)

Male Lead Performance in a Play
• David Bianco, “Next Fall” (Rep)
• Bart Guingona, “Next Fall” (Rep)
• Edgar Allan Guzman, “Bona” (Peta)
• Teroy Guzman, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Jonathan Tadioan, “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)

Male Featured Performance in a Play
• Abner Delina, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Nor Domingo, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Gary Lim, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Juliene Mendoza, “Bona” (Peta)

Female Featured Performance in a Play
• Sherry Lara, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Olive Nieto, “Bona” (Peta)
• Cris Villonco, “Leading Ladies” (Rep)

Female Lead Performance in a Musical
• Kalila Aguilos, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Kalila Aguilos, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Cris Villonco, “Walang Sugat” (TP)

Male Lead Performance in a Musical
• Nonie Buencamino, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Arman Ferrer, “Walang Sugat” (TP)
• OJ Mariano, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Jett Pangan, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Michael Williams, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Female Featured Performance in a Musical
• Noemi Manikan Gomez, “Walang Sugat” (TP)
• Angelina Kanapi, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Cris Villonco, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Male Featured Performance in a Musical
• Junix Inocian, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Noel Rayos, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Lou Veloso, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Rody Vera, “Stageshow” (TP)

Female Lead Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, “Don Quixote” (BM)
• Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, “Giselle” (BM)
• Jennifer Olayvar, “Giselle” (BM)

Male Lead Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Arnulfo Andrade, “Giselle” (BM)
• Rudy de Dios, “Don Quixote” (BM)
• Elpidio Magat, “Giselle” (BM)
• Mikhail Martinyuk, “Don Quixote” (BM)
• Mikhail Martinyuk, “Giselle” (BM)
• Alfren Salgado, “Giselle” (BM)

Female Featured Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Seihee Hong, “Giselle” (BM)
• Megumi Nishimori, “Giselle” (BM)

Male Featured Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Arnulfo Andrade, “Giselle” (BM)
• Elpidio Magat, “Giselle” (BM)

Female Lead Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Carissa Adea, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Jan Erica Basilio, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Jennifer Olayvar, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Yanti Marduli, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Katherine Trofeo, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Male Lead Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Francisco Cascaño, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Jean Marc Cordero, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Richardson Yadao, “Pusong Wagas” (BP)
• Richardson Yadao, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Female Featured Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Rita Winder, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Male Featured Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Earl John Arisola, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Timothy Paul Cabrera, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Cyril Fallar, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Michael Divinagracia, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Gerardo Francisco, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Jonathan Janolo, “Sinderela” (BM)

Ballet Philippines’ Rama, Hari leads 2012 Gawad Buhay! race (complete list of nominations below)

By Elmar Beltran Ingles
Contributor
[Published in today's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer]


Tanghalang Pilipino’s ‘Stageshow’ and Repertory Philippines’ ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ tie for second place with 13 nominations each

IN A PERFORMANCE SEASON dominated by musicals and revivals, Ballet Philippines’ (BP) production of the dance-musical “Rama, Hari” dominates the 2012 Gawad Buhay!: The Philstage Awards for the Performing Arts with a record-high of 22 nominations.

First staged in 1980, this adaptation of the Indian epic “Ramayana” got the jury’s nod as nominee for the following categories: modern dance production, stage direction (Alice Reyes), adaptation or translation (Bienvenido Lumbera), ensemble performance in a dance production (the entire cast), musical direction (Ryan Cayabyab and Jed Balsamo), musical composition (Ryan Cayabyab), choreography (Alice Reyes), costume design (Salvador Bernal), lighting design (John Batalla), sound design (Rards Corpus), set design (Salvador Bernal), female lead performance in a musical (Kalila Aguilos), male lead performance in a musical (OJ Mariano), male featured performance in a musical (Noel Rayos), female lead performances in a dance production (Carissa Adea and Katherine Trofeo), male lead performances in a dance production (Jean Marc Cordero and Richardson Yadao), female featured performance in a dance production (Rita Winder), and male featured performances in a dance production (Earl John Arisola, Paul Timothy Cabrera and Cyril Fallar).

Because of its distinct multidisciplinary staging technique and style, the jury decided to place “Rama, Hari” in two award categories where the production and its dancers are nominated in the dance category, and the singing artists in the musical category.

Tanghalang Pilipino’s (TP) “Stageshow,” a musical that reenacts an era in Philippine cultural history when bodabil/stage show was the dominant form of entertainment among Filipinos, received 13 nominations, including a lone nomination and automatic victory for its playwright, the late Mario O’ Hara, in the outstanding libretto category.

Tied with “Stageshow,” also with 13 nominations, is Repertory Philippines’ (Rep) production of the Broadway musical “Jekyll and Hyde”—a tale of love, redemption, and the seductive power of evil. (See complete list of nominations below.)

The awarding ceremonies have been set for June 16, 8 p.m. at the Star Theater in Star City at the CCP Complex along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.

Now on its fifth year, Gawad Buhay! is the first-ever industry awards exclusively for the performing arts organized by the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group Inc. (Philstage), the country’s only alliance of professional performing arts companies.

It is juried by an independent panel of critics, scholars, reviewers and artists. Outstanding individual and group achievements in various artistic and technical aspects of play, musical and dance productions and performances are honored based on quarterly citations deliberated by the members of the jury who are required to watch all productions of Philstage member-companies for the entire year.

The nomination process does not distinguish between one-act and full-length plays, or between full ballets and short modern pieces.

The Philstage Board of Directors is composed of Trumpets’ Audie Gemora, president; Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (Peta) Maribel Legarda, vice president; BP’s Paul Alexander Morales, secretary; Rep’s Liesl Batucan, treasurer; and board members Bart Guingona of Actor’s Actors Inc. (AAI), Fernando Josef of TP, Susan Macuja of Ballet Manila (BM), Roobak Valle of Gantimpala Theater Foundation (GTF), Fernando Josef of TP, and Gemora of Trumpets.

Admission to the awarding ceremonies is open to the public.

(Elmar Beltran Ingles of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit [OPM] serves as Gawad Buhay! executive director and jury coordinator.)


2012 GAWAD BUHAY! COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINATIONS

Outstanding Play
• “Bona” (Peta)
• “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)
• “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• “Next Fall” (Rep)
• “Walang Kukurap” (TP)

Outstanding Musical Production
• “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• “Stageshow” (TP)
• “Walang Sugat” (TP)

Outstanding Classical Dance Production
• “Don Quixote” (BM)
• “Giselle” (BM)

Outstanding Modern Dance Production
• “Alamat: Si Sibol at si Gunaw” (BM)
• “Anting” (BP)
• “Pusong Wagas” (BP)
• “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• “Songs” (BP)

Outstanding Stage Direction
• Chris Millado, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Alice Reyes, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)
• Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Play
The Casts of
• “Bona” (Peta)
• “Next Fall” (Rep)
• “Walang Kukurap” (TP)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical
The Casts of
• “Camp Rock” (Rep)
• “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• “Stageshow” (TP)
• “Walang Sugat” (TP)

Outstanding Ensemble Performance for Dance
The Casts of
• “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• “Anting” (BP)
• “Don Quixote” (BM)
• “Giselle” (BM)
• “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• “Sinderela” (BM)

Outstanding Original Script
• Reuel Molina Aguila, “Maliw” (TP)
• Layeta Bucoy, “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)
• Layeta Bucoy, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Nicolas Pichay, “Isang Araw sa Karnabal” (TP)

Outstanding Original Libretto
• Mario O’ Hara, “Stageshow” (TP)

Outstanding Adaptation or Translation
• Hazel Sabas-Gower, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Bienvenido Lumbera, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Ed Maranan, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)

Outstanding Musical Direction
• Ryan Cayabyab and Jed Balsamo, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Jeffrey Hernandez, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Felix Rivera, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)
• Jed Balsamo, “Crisostomo Ibarra” (BP)
• Onyl Torres, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Musical Composition
• Jed Balsamo, “Crisostomo Ibarra” (BP)
• Ryan Cayabyab, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Outstanding Choreography for a Dance Production
• Osias Barroso Jr. and Gerardo Francisco, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Hazel Sabas Gower, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Alden Lugnasin, “Pusong Wagas” (BP)
• Alden Lugnasin, “This is My Life” (BP)
• Redha, “Les Petite Mots” (BP)
• Alice Reyes, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Outstanding Choreography for a Play or Musical
• Denisa Reyes, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Paolo Infante, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)
• Natalie Everett, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Costume Design
• Michael Angelo Albay, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Salvador Bernal, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Dennis Maristany, “Anting” (BP)
• Raven Ong, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Tuxqs Rutaquio, “Pusong Wagas” (BP)

Outstanding Lighting Design
• John Batalla, “Anting” (BP)
• John Batalla, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)
• John Batalla, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• John Batalla, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Katsch Catoy, “Maliw” (TP)
• Katsch Catoy, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Jimmy Villanueva, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Jonjon Villareal, “Anting” (BP)

Outstanding Sound Design
• Aries Alcayaga, “Bona” (Peta)
• Rards Corpus, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• TJ Ramos, “Stageshow” (TP)
• TJ Ramos, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Gidget Tolentino, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Outstanding Set Design
• Jerome Aytona, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Salvador Bernal, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Ezard Eguia, “Anting” (BP)
• Gino Gonzales, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Lex Marcos, “Disney’s Camp Rock” (Rep)

Female Lead Performance in a Play
• Eugene Domingo, “Bona” (Peta)
• Sherry Lara, “Maliw” (TP)
• Suzette Ranillo, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)

Male Lead Performance in a Play
• David Bianco, “Next Fall” (Rep)
• Bart Guingona, “Next Fall” (Rep)
• Edgar Allan Guzman, “Bona” (Peta)
• Teroy Guzman, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Jonathan Tadioan, “Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan” (TP)

Male Featured Performance in a Play
• Abner Delina, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Nor Domingo, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Gary Lim, “Haring Lear” (Peta)
• Juliene Mendoza, “Bona” (Peta)

Female Featured Performance in a Play
• Sherry Lara, “Walang Kukurap” (TP)
• Olive Nieto, “Bona” (Peta)
• Cris Villonco, “Leading Ladies” (Rep)

Female Lead Performance in a Musical
• Kalila Aguilos, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Kalila Aguilos, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Cris Villonco, “Walang Sugat” (TP)

Male Lead Performance in a Musical
• Nonie Buencamino, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Arman Ferrer, “Walang Sugat” (TP)
• OJ Mariano, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Jett Pangan, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Michael Williams, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Female Featured Performance in a Musical
• Noemi Manikan Gomez, “Walang Sugat” (TP)
• Angelina Kanapi, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Cris Villonco, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)

Male Featured Performance in a Musical
• Junix Inocian, “Jekyll and Hyde” (Rep)
• Noel Rayos, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Lou Veloso, “Stageshow” (TP)
• Rody Vera, “Stageshow” (TP)

Female Lead Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, “Don Quixote” (BM)
• Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, “Giselle” (BM)
• Jennifer Olayvar, “Giselle” (BM)

Male Lead Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Arnulfo Andrade, “Giselle” (BM)
• Rudy de Dios, “Don Quixote” (BM)
• Elpidio Magat, “Giselle” (BM)
• Mikhail Martinyuk, “Don Quixote” (BM)
• Mikhail Martinyuk, “Giselle” (BM)
• Alfren Salgado, “Giselle” (BM)

Female Featured Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Seihee Hong, “Giselle” (BM)
• Megumi Nishimori, “Giselle” (BM)

Male Featured Performance in a Classical Dance Production
• Arnulfo Andrade, “Giselle” (BM)
• Elpidio Magat, “Giselle” (BM)

Female Lead Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Carissa Adea, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Jan Erica Basilio, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Jennifer Olayvar, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Yanti Marduli, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Katherine Trofeo, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Male Lead Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Francisco Cascaño, “Alamat: Si Gunaw at si Sibol” (BM)
• Jean Marc Cordero, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Richardson Yadao, “Pusong Wagas” (BP)
• Richardson Yadao, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Female Featured Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Rita Winder, “Rama, Hari” (BP)

Male Featured Performance in a Modern Dance Production
• Earl John Arisola, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Timothy Paul Cabrera, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Cyril Fallar, “Rama, Hari” (BP)
• Michael Divinagracia, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Gerardo Francisco, “Sinderela” (BM)
• Jonathan Janolo, “Sinderela” (BM)

Resorts World Manila's Musikat Jam begins tonight with Some Enchanted Music: Broadway Hits Concert

Resorts World Manila, the country's premier one-stop, nonstop tourism and entertainment destination, brings the biggest and brightest stars from here and abroad in a series of world-class musical performances collectively called "Musikat Jam."

On June 1, the musical celebration begins with a trip to Broadway as RWM presents "Some Enchanted Music: Broadway Hits Concert." Catch the country's finest theatre icons, including Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Audie Gemora, Pinky Marquez, Cris Villonco, Gina Respall, Sheila Valderrama-Martinez, Bo Cerrudo, Jon Joven, Tanya Manalang, and Michael Willams as they perform all-time Broadway favorites at the state-of-the-art Newport Performing Arts Theatre.

[From the presscon held recently to announce RWM's Musikat Jam, here's Bo Cerrudo and Pinky Marquez performing I Have a Love/One Hand, One Hand from West Side Story:]



On June 4, RWM presents "All That Jazz!" Witness local jazz artists Bituin Escalante, Arthur Manuntag, Lynn Sherman, and Mel Villena light up the stage as they perform with the AMP Big Band and the Resorts World Manila Dancers at Taps, located inside the exclusive Genting Club.

On June 5, some of the country's premier classical performers, along with international guests, bring dramatic excerpts from the world's greatest acts to life with "Best Of Opera". Performers include Noel Azcona, Adam Diegel, Arthur Espiritu, Andrew Fernando, Maria Rachelle Gerodias, Margarita Gomez-Giannelli, Cammille Lopez-Molina, Mako Nishimoto, Victoria Wefer, and Magdalena Wor, together with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga, Viva Voce, Nonon Baang and Fame Flores.

On June 6, experience a night of soulful music as Lani Misalucha serenades audiences with her concert "One More Time" at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre.

On June 7, revel in the power and intensity of one of the country's most influential rock artists in "Rock with Bamboo", also at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre, with opening act Draybers Band.

On June 8, the festival of musical delights will be capped off by Malaysian chart-topping singer-songwriter Eric Moo as he brings his world-class act to Manila with his "Come Back to You" concert series. Fans can expect to be crooned by his soulful renditions of award-winning popular hits at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre.

To know more about the acts included in the Musikat Jam, visit www.rwmanila.com or call Tourist/Visitor Hotline at (02) 908-8833.

Gantimpala Theater holds new season auditions May 28

Gantimpala Theater will hold its 36th theater season auditions on May 28 (Tuesday), 2 p.m.-6 p.m., at the new Gantimpala Office, former Rizal Park Library, (beside the Manila Planetarium) P. Burgos St. corner Ma. Orosa St. Luneta, Manila.

The auditions are open to all professional and non-professional actors/actresses, 18 years old and above; bring a two-by-two-colored ID photo and a resume.

Audition panelists are Roeder Camañag for “Florante at Laura,” Roobak Valle for “Kanser” and “Ibong Adarna,” Jose Jeffrey Camañag for “El Filibuisterismo,” Gean Allain de Leon for “Ang Prinsepe at ang Pulubi” and Joel Lamangan and Jun Pablo, co-directing “Katipunan: Mga Anak ng Bayan.”

For details, call 8816424 or 0921-5286308.

The season auditions come on the heels of one of the summer traditions of Gantimpala Theater, its annual workshop, which ended recently with “ Ang Kinang ni Kahlim,” presented at the Theater Auditorium of Sta. Isabel University, last May 11, 2013.

“Ang Kinang ni Kahlim” was the culminating showcase of those who attended the Gantimpala workshops. Among the new actors featured in the recital were Alvin Duckert, Aljonas Ponio, Macson Anthony Macaraig, Ayana Beatrice Poblete, Jayson Carl Santos, Andrea Mariana De Leon and Kristel Rose Alcazar.

The recital production received appreciative applause from the audience; Jun F. Flavier Pablo, chairman and president of Gantimpala Theater, and Sr. Araceli Loredo of Sta. Isabel University, were also in attendance.

In his short speech, Pablo said: “I am very much impressed with the good job done. I hope that that after your workshop experience with us, you continue to enhance your skills and pursue what you have started. I know that this signals the beginning of your life-long love affair with the theater.”

For more information about the 36th Theater Season, call the Gantimpala Marketing Office 9985622 or 8720261. Like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gantimpala.

[Photo: Macson Anthony Macaraig as Kahlim and Jonas Ponio as Miguelito]

Glee's Dan Domenech and Rachel Ann Go star in Viva Atlantis Theatricals’ Disney’s Tarzan, opening June 14

Viva Atlantis Theatricals' production of “Disney's Tarzan” opens June 14 at the Meralco Theater.

Based on the smash hit animated film and Edgar Rice Burrough's classic novel, “Disney’s Tarzan” tells the story of a baby taken in and raised by a tribe of gorillas in West Africa. As Tarzan grows up, loved and cared for by his adoptive mother, Kala, he desires to gain acceptance from his father, Kerchak, as he struggles with his uniqueness.

Soon he meets Jane and their worlds are changed forever. Tarzan must decide to accept his identity and choose who his family is.

This well-loved tale of high flying jungle adventures has been reimagined for the stage with a book by David Henry Hwang and the award-winning songs of Phil Collins.

Swinging into Manila from New York is Dan Domenech, who was last seen on Broadway as Drew in “Rock of Ages.” Domenech has also appeared in the hit musical TV series “Glee.” His most recent stage triumph was playing Aladdin in “Disney's Aladdin,” and now he is more than ready to take on the role of another Disney hero as Tarzan.

“I am so psyched to be doing this show. I've just started rehearsing and already I know we have something really special. The cast is amazing. Everyone is so open and welcoming and just so wonderfully talented. Rachelle Ann Go as Jane is lovely. And what a voice she has!” says Domenech.

Rachelle Ann Go is also a TV host and actress, a multi-awarded recording artist and an in-demand performer for shows here and all over the world. Two years ago, she added theater actress to her roster of achievements when she took on the role of Ariel in Disney's “The Little Mermaid” to critical acclaim.

“I have fallen in love with Jane and how brave and adventurous she is,” says Go. “I am also so honored to be a part of this cast. I learn so much just from watching them work and being with them. I am also thrilled to be working with Dan. I was so intimidated when they told me at first that our Tarzan will be a Broadway actor, coming from New York. But it was so nice to finally meet him, sing with him and realize he is so down to earth and humble. He makes everyone around him feel comfortable.”

The Viva Atlantis Theatricals production of “Disney's Tarzan” runs June 14-July 7, 2013 at the Meralco Theater. Tickets on sale now. For details, call Viva Atlantis Theatricals 6877163 or Ticketworld 8919999.

Nonie Buencamino pays tribute to Daisy Hontiveros Avellana with haunting Sa Ugoy ng Duyan

Performed at the necrological rites for National Artist for Theater Daisy Hontiveros Avellana this morning, May 17, 2013, Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater), Cultural Center of the Philippines.

With Ballet Philippines dancers (choreography by Denisa Reyes) and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Olivier Ochanine. Music and lyrics of Sa Ugoy ng Duyan by National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro.

The year’s performances to remember–so far

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 05.11.2013

COUNT THEM—22 PRODUCTIONS in just the first five months of the year, from the small two-character drama (“Red”) to the all-stops-out musical extravaganza (“Ibalong,” “Katy”). Local theater is at its most prolific and exciting in years; and so, before the last days of summer ring the curtain down on the old season to usher in the new by June—and with memory the only antidote to the ephemeral nature of theater—we thought we’d look back and salute the performances that lit up the stage and occasioned cheers in the previous months.

Here, our resident Inquirer Theater writers Walter Ang, Totel de Jesus and Cora Llamas, plus guest contributor Glenn Sevilla Mas, coordinator of Ateneo de Manila’s Theater Arts program and a jury member of the Philstage Gawad Buhay! Awards, share their thumbs-up list. (In no particular order, and only from the shows we saw, needless to say—hence my longer list; I caught all 22 productions, sometimes more than once for the cast alternates—Ed.)

Drum roll, please...

WALTER ANG
• Cheeno Macaraig (Tanghalang Pilipino’s “Ibalong”): Vivid and charismatic as Young Handyong, agile and acrobatic as Makusog.

• Pinky Amador (Atlantis Productions’ “Piaf”): Powerful and evocative.

• Jamie Wilson (Viva Atlantis Theatricals’ “The Full Monty”): Comes across as the most real of the characters, imbuing his performance with a natural ease.

• OJ Mariano (“The Full Monty”): Funny, earnest, tender, committed to his character.

• The ensemble of Peta’s “D’Wonder Twins of Boac”: Talented, tight and generous.

CORA LLAMAS
• Audie Gemora (Repertory Philippines’ “No Way to Treat a Lady”): It takes an excellent actor such as Gemora to play a bad one in all his miserable glory.

• Bart Guingona (The Necessary Theater’s “Red”): Brings his usual intensity, intelligence and depth to the role of Mark Rothko.

• Teetin Villanueva (Dulaang UP’s “Collection”): Commanding center stage every time she appeared, her poetic subtlety overshadowed the louder characters in the play.

• Nonie Buencamino, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Resorts World Manila’s “The King and I”): Emotional clarity, restrained passion, musical precision—plus the undeniable chemistry between these two performers enabled their pairing to go beyond personal interaction to embody the cultural tension between East and West.

• Jamie Wilson (“The Full Monty”): That he managed to lend strong support while shining quietly on his own showed a master actor in control of his craft, who knew when to give in and when to pull back.

TOTEL DE JESUS
• Audie Gemora (“No Way To Treat A Lady”): Such ease in portraying a most complex character—a serial killer with a sense of humor.

• Red Concepcion (“Collection” and 4th Wall Theater Company’s “Rivalry”): He could jump from one play to another, English to Filipino or vice versa, and he’d be a standout among the veterans, even in a supporting role.

• Fred Lo (Culture Shock Productions’ “Sa Wakas”): Sang his way into the hearts of a new theatergoing generation with a breakthrough performance.

• Carla Dunareanu (Repertory Philippines’ “Boeing Boeing”): A natural, she created the most comic and lovable character in the play.

• Pinky Amador (“Piaf”): One could smell her liquor-nicotine breath—from the balcony. She was that powerful.

• Jamie Wilson (“The Full Monty”): The charming, funny, hug-magnet dude every mother would want to bring home after the play.

• The ensemble of “Ibalong”: Each actor contributing to a heightened experience and turning the original ethno-rock Filipino musical into a smashing experience.

GLENN SEVILLA MAS
• Cris Villonco (“D’Wonder Twins of Boac”): Perfectly cast as Viola, with the requisite charm and spunk to pull off this difficult cross-dressing Shakespearean role. What can Villonco, arguably the best and most versatile actress of this generation, not do?

• Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino (“D’Wonder Twins of Boac”): Pure comic gold. Buencamino owned the stage every time her eternally mourning Olivia made an entrance and struck a tragic heroine’s pose on it.

• The cast of “Himala: The 10th-Anniversary Celebration of the Musical”: Glorious singing and beautiful ensemble work, with Dulce, Kalila Aguilos and Cynthia Culig-Guico turning in powerful and nuanced performances.

• OJ Mariano, Jamie Wilson (“The Full Monty”): Nuanced and endearing performances, unlike most of their co-actors’ turns in this fun but ultimately forgettable production.

• Dulaang Sipat Lawin; Blanche Buhia (“Art,” “Sige, Ma” and “Isla Palasan”): The three plays showcased range, outstanding ensemble work and solid individual performances rarely seen in very young actors. Buhia stood out as an exciting young actress who could switch smoothly from comedy to tragedy in three disparate productions that played one after the other in only one day.

GIBBS CADIZ
• Isay Alvarez, Aicelle Santos, Tirso Cruz III (Spotlight Artist Centre’s “Katy”): The three pillars of this otherwise wobbly production—especially Santos who dazzled in her stage debut.

• Topper Fabregas, Carla Dunareanu (“Boeing Boeing”): Truly funny in a truly wacky vintage farce.

• Cris Villonco, Paolo Rodriguez, Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, Gail Billones (“D’Wonder Twins of Boac”): Strong ensemble, but these four offered the most vivid characters, with Buencamino and Billones trading hilarious turns as Donya Olivia.

• Nikki Gil, Loi Martinez (9 Works Theatrical’s “They’re Playing Our Song”): Lovely pairing that lent magic and snap to a dated musical.

• Cheeno Macaraig, Delphine Buencamino, Jenine Desiderio (“Ibalong”): The fiercest performers in a rip-roaring, expertly staged musical pageant.

• Teetin Villanueva (“Collection”): Anchored a visually and intellectually restless play with her sublimely still presence.

• Bart Guingona, Joaquin Valdes (“Red”): An ideal tandem—unfakably intelligent actors in a compelling drama of ideas.

• Audie Gemora (“No Way to Treat a Lady”): Veteran versatility on display, despite the rather quaint material.

• Pinky Amador (“Piaf”): A compleat disappearing act that will be long remembered as an acting high point in contemporary local theater.

• Reb Atadero (Repertory Philippines’ “The Graduate”): Persuasive as Benjamin Braddock, the saving grace of this tedious stage adaptation of the classic novel/film.

• Jamie Wilson (“The Full Monty”): He’s too much of a team player to bask in this— but he acted circles around everyone and still didn’t come off as a show-off.

• Nonie Buencamino, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (“The King and I”): When the confrontation between Buencamino’s monarch and Yulo’s Anna over the whipping of the slave girl Tuptim suddenly packs a fresh, revelatory wallop, you know you’re watching master artists in an inspired matchup.

• Dulce, Isay Alvarez, Kalila Aguilos, May Bayot, Cynthia Culig-Guico, the ensemble of “Himala: The 10th-Anniversary Celebration of the Musical”: Splendid singing all around, the overall experience akin to an oratorio.

• Victor Robinson III, Fred Lo, Caisa Borromeo, the ensemble of “Sa Wakas”: Finally, a true Pinoy pop-rock musical, vibrantly sung and throbbing with youthful spunk.

• The cast of Dulaang Sipat Lawin’s “Isla Palasan”: Graduating theater students of the Philippine High School for the Arts delivering an adaptation of Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan” with quite startling skill and maturity.


[Photo 1: TheStageDoorCanteen.tumblr.com]

Sa Wakas--nothing less than a prototype for the Pinoy jukebox musical

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04.27.2013

While we’re waiting for the definitive original Pinoy rock musical to appear, this production, borrowed music and all, will do–gloriously

OF THE 20 SONGS by Sugarfree featured in “Sa Wakas,” the jukebox musical woven around the music of the late great pop-rock band that’s on its last weekend at the Peta Theater Center, nearly every other number has been a chart-topper, or at least a staple of the radio-music TV loop for years.

Only one new song was written specifically for the show—“Bawat Daan,” the thrilling anthem that closes Act 1 which, weeks before the musical’s opening, had also made the rounds of social media via a well-produced music video.

And yet, despite the sheer familiarity of the songs, which envelops “Sa Wakas” in an electric wall of sound for close to three hours, not a hint of staleness or exhaustion marks the musical. The sensation felt is more like a blast of fresh air—at the way the show’s creators have transcended the limitations of the jukebox musical, the bold thematic and stylistic choices they’ve made, and, not least, the vitality of the young breakthrough talent on display.

For the record, “Sa Wakas” is not the first Pinoy jukebox musical. That distinction goes to Tanghalang Pilipino’s “EJ: Ang Pinagdaanang Buhay nina Evelio Javier at Edgar Jopson,” which used the songbook of the seminal rock band The Dawn to retell, in a fictional intertwining, the lives of two towering Atenean freedom fighters during the Marcos era.

The 2008 musical, as we wrote then, was waylaid by a didactic, hagiographical script, but “It did get one thing right: The Dawn. The pioneering band’s thrillingly rangy, full-bodied music, a creature of more recent vintage, perfectly captured the restless, activist spirit of the Marcos years. The exploding drums, the twanging guitar, Jett Pangan’s astonishingly forceful vocals—they galvanized to surging life the rage and mayhem, the fear and confusion of the country’s long dark night under martial law.”

Vibrant ensemble
Unlike Pangan, who played Jopson (opposite Ricky Davao’s Javier) in “EJ,” Sugarfree’s songwriter and lead vocalist Ebe Dancel hasn’t deigned to try his hand at musical theater by belting out his own songs in “Sa Wakas.”

Instead, he has let a vibrant ensemble do the honors for him, in a musical that, while honoring the music it borrows with imaginative reconfigurations of Sugarfree’s songs, also manages to show off the solid first-time efforts of creator-producer Charissa Ann Pammit, writers Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan and Marianne A.R.T. Abuan, and Pamintuan’s own thoughtful, unflashy direction.

For a measure of the youthful cheek that informs “Sa Wakas,” the show’s makeshift playbill (itself a model of its kind with well-written program notes and hip visuals) is a good starting ground. On its inside back cover is a quote from “Our Time,” the closing song of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along:” “Something is stirring, shifting ground/It’s just begun. Edges are blurring all around/And yesterday is done.”

One may take the lyrics as simply the producers of the show (Culture Shock Productions and FringeMNL) artfully announcing their entry into the local theater scene, with “Sa Wakas” as their inaugural effort. Seeing the show, however, reveals a deeper explanation—and ambition.

“Sa Wakas” takes not only after the inverted-time structure of the Sondheim musical, where the story moves backward in chronology and incident, but also its thematic preoccupation—the evolution of youthful hopes into grown-up disappointments (a subject the titan of American musical theater has delved into more than once, from “Follies” to “Into the Woods”).

Pat assumptions
In “Merrily We Roll Along,” it’s a trio of 1950s college graduates and fast friends transitioning into sellout versions of themselves by the ’70s. In “Sa Wakas,” the set-up is similar, though more tightly focused: three individuals—a struggling artist-photographer (Topper, played alternately by Victor Robinson III and Fred Lo); his fiancée of six years (Lexi, a neurosurgeon—Caisa Borromeo and Laura Cabochan); and the free-spirited woman (Gabbi, a writer-editor—Kyla Rivera and Justine Peña) who comes into their lives and, over the course of a few months, nudges the pat assumptions of their relationship into free fall.

Act 1 is a big chunk of exposition, as the messy aftermath of Topper’s infidelity plays out in scenes of recrimination and fury, Dancel’s loping melodies meanwhile providing commentary, elaboration or punctuation to the characters’ emotional states.

The matching of music with mood and scene is exemplary. In “Wala,” Lexi and Topper rage at each other to a rocking score that sears the mind and heart— though, occasionally, the pre-existing lyrics trip up the enterprise. In the middle of the tumult, for instance, the audience titters at Lexi singing “Wala nang Lotlot sa iyong Monching, wala nang Romnick sa aking Sheryl, wala nang Gabby sa ating Shawie.”

Ejay Yatco’s musical direction (he leads a five-member band onstage), while starting out strong with a soaringly rearranged and sung first number (“Kwarto”), raises early worry by settling quickly into a rather rote formula: The musical numbers typically rise to a climactic big moment, then taper off to an a cappella or pianissimo finish.

Fortunately both the story and Dancel’s music have legroom for stretching out. In Act 2, as the narrative moves from the one-note anguish of the early scenes to brighter, sunnier moments in the characters’ younger lives, the sound gets more agile and variegated, and the true breadth of Yatco’s reimagining of Sugarfree’s songs, from the grandly harmonic (“Mariposa”) to the sweetly delicate (“Tulog Na”), is admirably laid out.

Sincerity and wit
Pamintuan and Abuan’s book could stand some trimming, if not care (Gabbi at one point says she’s become the “feature editor” of her magazine, a line uncorrected in all three shows we saw; it’s “features editor”).

But whatever the sags here and there, the good-natured sincerity and wit of the material carry the day (the ubiquitous “Hari ng Sablay,” for instance, is utilized in unexpectedly delightful ways throughout the story). And the characters’ lines have a practical, commonsense ring to them. Take Topper: “Minsan kasi ang sarap lang malito. The idea of being in between and not choosing makes perfect sense.”

The topical pull also derives in part from the writers’ apparent trawling of experience close to their own skin. When Topper mentions going off to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, that’s Pamintuan—a habitue of such art fests—talking.

References to “hipsters,” Cubao X, Joss Whedon and Star Cinema movies populate the dialogue, imparting persuasive texture to the characters’ young-urban-professional milieu—while also turning the pop-culture shorthand into moments of ironic humor meant to blunt any whiff of either TV soap (Gabbi: “Ano ba tayo, nakikiuso? Teleserye, kabit movie?”) or rom-com treacle (Topper aping John Lloyd Cruz’s dramatics in “One More Chance”) souring the narrative.

Terrific actors
Pamintuan has kept the proceedings on a rigorously naturalistic plane, the artifice reduced to a minimum—not a single dance step or piece of choreography in any of the musical numbers, for instance, and the actors framed by a spare, impressionistic set (by Julian Vincent Cayabyab). The salutary effect is to bring the music into high relief, and the (mostly) terrific actors who sing it.

As Topper, Robinson and Lo are a study in contrasts. The latter has a clean, high, dashing sound in a charming dreamboat package, and brings a more pronounced actorly range to his conflicted character. But Robinson, who incarnates a darker if stiffer version of Topper, has the true rock star’s voice, an instrument so powerful and resonant that, whenever it is unleashed, the musical finds its most elemental, and exhilarating, reason for being.

The four girls, meanwhile, have uniformly vigorous voices, though a couple of songs meant for Gabbi (notably “Hintay” in Act 1) sit too low on Rivera and Peña’s vocal registers. Cabochan has a particularly gorgeous sound, but it’s Borromeo who creates a fully realized Lexi, her line readings as accomplished as her singing.

A four-member ensemble of three girls and one guy acts as a sort of Greek chorus-backup group. One deserves special mention for a memorable solo moment: Hans Dimayuga, as Topper’s OFW brother in the poignant number “Dear Kuya,” blows the roof off with his unexpectedly formidable pipes (Dimayuga used to be a child actor with Repertory Philippines, but, before “Sa Wakas,” has not appeared in a musical for years). When he and Robinson blend their voices, the musical reaches its most explosive aural moment.

Crossroads
For the care and integrity with which it has managed to merge contemporary Pinoy pop-rock into the musical-theater form (bypassing the traditional hallmarks of the local variety, from the requisite big themes to the larger-than-life staging and the indispensable takeaway moral at the end), “Sa Wakas” should mark a crossroads in the development of the Filipino musical.

In 1989, Inquirer editor in chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, then still writing a column for the paper, hailed “Katy!” and its makers (music by Ryan Cayabyab; libretto by José Javier Reyes) for having succeeded in creating “the prototype for the Filipino musical.”

“Sa Wakas” extends the envelope a bit further—as the prototype for the Filipino jukebox musical. If this genre is here to stay, think of the wealth of material out there—the music of the Apo (“I Do Bidoo Bidoo” is a movie musical quite itching for a stage counterpart), the Eraserheads, Gary Granada, Freddie Aguilar, George Canseco, Vehnee Saturno, Rey Valera, Odette Quesada, Willy Cruz, Joey Ayala, the Manila Sound pioneers (Viva Atlantis Theatricals has announced it is developing a musical based on the music of the Hotdog band), Ryan Cayabyab’s pop hits, the entire Viva songbook, and yes, The Dawn...

So, while we’re waiting for the definitive original Pinoy rock musical to appear, something like “Sa Wakas,” borrowed music and all, will do—gloriously.

Culture Shock Productions and FringeMNL’s “Sa Wakas” has remaining performances today and tomorrow, 3 and 8 p.m., at Peta Theater Center, 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City. Call 9115555 or visit www.sawakas.com.

[All photos by JORY RIVERA except #1 and #4]