MONDAY EVENING AT THE SOFITEL Philippine Plaza, theater and dance artists came together for a very special show in honor of a very special guest. These were artists who had a unique and memorable connection with the United Kingdom?as students (in drama, dance or design) or performers (in shows such as ?Miss Saigon? or ?South Pacific?), and who kept a very soft spot in their hearts for that wonderful country.

As far back as the third quarter of 2008, during my stint with ?Cinderella,? Freddie Santos called to ask if I would be interested in performing for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, should he, indeed, visit the Philippines in March 2009.

My initial reply was one of regret, since I would be on tour until way past April. Fast forward to December 2008: I was told that our tour would end in January instead. As soon as I was home, I sent Tito Freddie a text message, asking if there was still a spot for me on that roster of performers. Thankfully, there was.

The performance (part of the 2nd Annual Infinity Awards given by Smart Infinity) would last for about 40 minutes and would include numbers by Isay Alvarez, Pinky Amador, Analin Bantug, Sheila Francisco, Audie Gemora, Robbie Guevara, Mio Infante, Carlo Orosa, Robert Seña, Michael Williams, Philippine Ballet Theatre, and myself. Tito Freddie would direct, with music direction by Gerard Salonga.

Repertoire

Several production meetings were held to determine the repertoire. All the songs had to be either written by British composers, or come from a production staged in the UK, or be derived from a work based on a British novel.

Practice, practice

We had rehearsals scheduled over four days, covering music, script, technical elements and blocking. I had to go over an audio-visual presentation that required live narration. On the last two days of rehearsal, we ran through the show at least twice a day. On performance day itself, we had a stage adjustment and sound check before running over the entire program twice.

As Tito Freddie told us over and over again in rehearsal, ?Practice makes permanent.?

All of us spent the afternoon getting into hair and makeup. The actual awards ceremony, hosted by Johnny Litton and Tessa Prieto-Valdez, was under way. Once downstairs in our hot-colored finery, it was time to get the game face on and focus on the task at hand. The ?game face? would be different for each cast member: some were introspective, quietly rehearsing their songs and blocking; others were chatty and ebullient, to keep nerves at bay.

After a round of ?Break a leg? greetings, I said a little prayer, went over my lyrics and spiels, and tried to stay focused and hydrated.

Once the show opened with ?Fortune Favors the Brave? from ?Aida,? it just kept going. Tightly paced and compact, it was one song and spiel after another (I sang along with a lot of it, especially with ?Awake, O Narnia? from ?The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?).

Mr. Blair was incredibly appreciative?which, in turn, was incredibly encouraging. I was proud of all the singers and dancers that night. They were fine examples of Filipino artistic excellence.

Many thanks to Julie Carceller and everyone from Smart Infinity, and to Tito Freddie for the phone call. I had an absolutely fabulous time!

C-H-E-E-R-S

Congratulations to Atlantis Productions for its current hit, ?The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee?! As a guest speller on opening night (along with The Dawn front man Jett Pangan), I had a blast! The show is incredibly funny.

I?ll definitely be back for another helping. I LOVED it.

Pinay In Action

Sen. Pia Cayetano send me this invitation, and I would like to send it to you in turn.
To mark the International Women?s Month of March, Pinay In Action is inviting women to join the country?s biggest and only all-women?s run on March 29, 6 AM, at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds.

This event, now in its fourth year, will showcase booths on women?s rights, empowerment, health and wellness. Awards and prizes are at stake. Call 0927-404-5187 or 0917- 855-4489; email pinayinaction@gmail.com, or visit www.pinayinaction.com.