Backstory
Thank you, thank you!
By Lea Salonga
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:44:00 08/27/2008
Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Music, Theatre
MANILA, Philippines—We had our final performance on Aug. 24, and we have three weeks before we sing those wonderful Rodgers and Hammerstein songs again. Some of the cast are off to Boracay, some are taking day trips and walking tours to points closer to the metropolis, and others are, like me, just resting and catching up on seeing friends and doing errands. There is much I need to do before I set off for China.
So, before I go, allow me to say a huge “Thank You!” to everyone who brought “Cinderella” to life everyday. Of course, there are our presenters and sponsors (ACA, the City of Pasay, Broadway Asia Entertainment, the Dusit Thani Hotel and many others), but there are those who were responsible for making the magic happen night after night, and twice on Saturday and Sunday:
Tireless orchestra
To FILharmoniKA, our tireless orchestra that brought Richard Rodgers’ melodies to life. It was especially thrilling for me to hear the gavotte and the waltz so playfully and exquisitely played. Thanks, too, for allowing our musical director Michael Duff, his assistant (and second keyboard player) Janet Roma and our traveling percussionist Gene Roma for playing with you everyday. You have no idea how you’ll all be missed. Your generosity and humor were so welcoming. I have a feeling that all I’ll hear from Michael while we’re on tour is “FILharmoniKA this, FILharmoniKA that.” Mabuhay kayong lahat! Many thanks to Gerard Salonga and DJ Salonga, and everyone at Ambient Media and Carmel House Studios.
To all the ladies and gentlemen who took care of our costumes … everyone at the CCP costume shop worked tirelessly to keep those Balestras looking fresh. Beads and sequins tend to fall on a regular basis, and there are many men’s shirts that need pressing and mending, plus last minute additions to costumes that just make it to opening night. Thanks, too, to Virginia, Kit, KaLing and Lynn for your leadership and friendship! (KaLing and Lynn will prove themselves invaluable on this tour, particularly in mainland China. Aside from their wardrobe prowess, they’re going to turn into unofficial interpreters.)
To the fantastic and fabulous wig and hair people! To Shannon Garvey, Deni Tan and the team of hair people for taking care of us. Many members of the cast needed to keep a quirky, off-kilter look to them, and your expertise, tons of hair spray, lots of hair dryers working at the same time, and many bobby pins, French pins, wig caps and whatever else, made all that happen.
To our dressers, for making sure that we wore the right thing at the right time with the right underwear. I saw a more petite dresser able to handle the very tall Prince and King, and one ladies’ dresser that knew exactly how and when to remind her wards to put on particular (and necessary) props and costume pieces that were integral to the show. We also had quite a few quick changes in the show … in the dark … and I personally would like to thank Sheilla Habab (my own personal assistant who will be touring with me throughout Asia, thank goodness), and everyone who helped us during some of those lightning-fast transformations … in the dark.
To stage management (hi, ASM Wowie), the Ninja Boys in the backstage crew, the guys in the sound department and everyone in lights! We have our touring team that’ll be with us for the whole nine months (stage manager Kevin, Noah, Jen, Smitty, Domenica, Lynn, Deniz and Clara), but at every venue is a local crew that will be hauling sets and pushing props, and the guys at the CCP were just great. (Oh, how did they get their name? Well, they had to wear all-black outfits that included a ninja mask, so that they wouldn’t be seen during onstage scene changes.)
To those who worked in the company office for deftly and expeditiously handling all of our needs — from ticket requests to tourist adventures, visa applications and transport, as well as taking lunch orders on very rainy rehearsal days—you kept us all happy, well-fed, and taken care of.
Those rats
Thanks, too, for making sure we’re all getting paid on time. Yes, that matters! Same to Jamey, Mamita Merita, and their Manila angels Chynna, Sheryl and Perky! A huge, huge thank you to Liza Camus, our Manila production manager, for being very efficient at getting things done, and for being incredibly persistent and insistent when needed. And boy, was she ever needed.
To everyone at Front of House … ushers, merchandising (thanks, Vinnie!), food selling, security… to all of you who took care of our audiences at every performance. (Trivia: The rats outsold every other piece of merchandise… they outsold the souvenir programs, CDs, and T-shirts. Heck, my own daughter has a rat!)
To our transportation guys! There were buses, vans and cars that made sure everyone got to the CCP on time and intact… thanks for keeping everyone safe and happy. Thanks for our luggage tags, too!
And finally, the hugest THANK YOU goes to our audiences! You have inspired, informed and energized us during our four weeks at the CCP! Thank you for coming to see our show!
Our first show after Manila will be in Xi’an, China on Sept. 11. Personally, I will miss each and every person I got to work with from the Manila crew, and will take this entire experience with me to every tour stop. I sincerely hope our paths cross again, and that we’ll work together on something special in the future.
In the meantime, goodbye and good luck with everything that comes your way!
Shameless plugs
On Sept. 5, West Side Story opens in Manila. It stars Christian Bautista as Tony, and Joanna Ampil (in her Manila musical theater debut) and Karylle as Maria. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo directs… so flock to the Meralco Theater! Don’t miss it! Oh yeah, FILharmoniKA will be playing, conducted by Gerard Salonga.
Speaking of FILharmoniKA, its latest CD release, “Kumpas,” is now out on sale. It’s an orchestral celebration of Pinoy Rock music and includes guest performances by Jett Pangan, Sampaguita, Noel Cabangon and Wally Gonzales. Also check out their previous releases, Lahing Kayumanggi (celebrating the music of Maestro Lucio San Pedro) and Ugnayan (bringing forth the big band sound of Angel Matias-Peña). These are definitely worth having in any music collection. For more information, visit www.musikanatin.com.
|
