One of the things we definitely missed during the height of the pandemic is seeing live theater on stage. That’s why aside from our “revenge travels,” now is the best time to catch the productions that have now returned to the stage, whether it’s a local play or an international one.
One such production is Broadway International’s The Sound of Music, which has now arrived in Manila and will run until March 26 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. The Tony Award-winning musical from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II is brought to the Filipino audience by the Broadway International Group in partnership with GMG Productions.
The Sound of Music follows the true story of Maria, who changed the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by bringing music back into their lives, and culminating their flight across the Austrian mountains as the impending World War II looms. The cast includes Jill Christine-Wiley, Trevor Martin, Lauren Kidwell, Josh La Force, and Lauren O’Brien, with Karylle Tatlonghari and Markki Stroem joining them during its Manila run.
Just before their Gala Performance this March 10, members of the Philippine press were given a sneak peek of the iconic performances from the musical, including The Sound of Music, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, How Can Love Survive?, and Climb Ev’ry Mountain. Check out some photos and clips below:
Jill Christine-Wiley and Trevor MartinJosh La Force and Karylle TatlonghariMarkki Stroem and Lauren O’BrienLauren Kidwell
The Sound of Music opened at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati last March 7 and will run until March 26, 2023. The production is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute interval between the two acts. Tickets are now on sale via ticketworld.com.ph, with prices ranging from around P1,500 to P6,800.
National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin’s award-winning Filipino dance masterwork, ENCANTADA, returns to open the 2023 dance season.
A collaboration with Joey Ayala for music, Al Santos for libretto, and National Artist Salvador Bernal for production design, ENCANTADA features the artists of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Professional Artist Support Program and Alice Reyes Dance Philippines.
To celebrate Earth Month, ENCANTADA goes on stage at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater on April 14-15 and at the Metropolitan Theater on April 21-22, with evening shows at 7:30 PM and matinees at 2:00 PM.
Presented by the Metropolitan Theater, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Carmen D. Locsin Foundation, the production was last staged in 2011 to critical acclaim, garnering 10 Gawad Buhay Awards, including Best Modern Dance Production, Best Choreography, Best Musical Composition, Best Production Design, as well as citations for Georgette Sanchez-Vargas for Female Lead Performance and Carissa Adea for Female Featured Performance. Both of them will reprise their roles for the current 2023 production.
Also joining the cast is Kris-Belle Paclibar-Mamangun, former member of Cirque du Soleil, who will be alternating the role of Babaylan with Carissa Adea.
The season continues with Alice Reyes’ RAMAHARI (Sept. 15-16), CARMEN AND OTHER SPIRITS (Oct. 27-28, Nov. 3-4), a mixed bill featuring Alice Reyes’ CARMEN and new works by young Filipino choreographers, and the celebration of Paskong Pinoy with PUSO NG PASKO (Dec. 2-3, 8-9).
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With award-winning productions that feature masterpieces from the Filipino dance repertoire and brand-new works by young choreographers, the Metropolitan Theater and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, featuring artists of the Professional Artist Support Program (PASP) and Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP), present a new and exciting season of Dance.
ENCANTADA
April 15-16, 2023 | Samsung Performing Arts Theater April 21-22, 2023 | Metropolitan Theater
In celebration of Earth Day, the season opens with ENCANTADA, a Filipino masterwork Directed and Choreographed by National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin with Music by Joey Ayala, Libretto by Al Santos, and Production Design by National Artist Salvador Bernal. It tells the poignant tale of the repercussions that come with man’s destruction of nature.
RAMA, HARI
September 15-16, 2023 | Metropolitan Theater September 22-23, 2023 | Samsung Performing Arts Theater
A Filipino modern rock opera ballet, RAMA, HARI is an acclaimed collaboration among five National Artists – Alice Reyes for direction and choreography, Ryan Cayabyab for music, Salvador Bernal for production design, Bienvenido Lumbera for the libretto, and English translations by Rolando Tinio. An adaptation of the Sanskrit epic poem Ramayana, this masterpiece features renowned singers in the Filipino music industry and incorporates traditional theatre, song, and dance devices found and shared among Asian nations.
CARMEN AND OTHER SPIRITS
October 20-21, 2023 | Samsung Performing Arts Theater October 27-28, 2023 | Metropolitan Theater
The passion and high drama of Bizet’s opera ignites the stage with Alice Reyes’ CARMEN. This bold piece top bills a program that showcases the artists’ dynamism and bravado in modern, contemporary, and neo-classical genres. It features iconic gems in the Filipino Dance Repertoire and the premiere of choreographic works by the new generation of top Filipino choreographers including a suite of dances exploring the rich culture of the Bicol Region.
PUSO NG PASKO
December 1-2, 2023 | Metropolitan Theater December 22, 2023 | Samsung Performing Arts Theater
For valued subscribers, a special treat with the full-length PUSO NG PASKO is being offered. An acclaimed and well-loved production that premiered in 2022, PUSO NG PASKO returns as the new Filipino holiday tradition for the family. This year, it expands the world of Tres Reyes as it continues to explore and incorporate more of the different festivities in the Philippines.
PUSO NG PASKO tells the story of Lolo Val, now living in New Jersey, as recalls to his young granddaughter, Angelita, the magical Christmases of his youth with the barkada in the old hometown of Tres Reyes. From parols to puto bumbong, Simbang Gabi to parties in the town plaza, young love to nostalgia via Zoom, the true spirit of Paskong Pinoy is celebrated to the timeless music of our favorite Filipino Christmas carols arranged by Ryan Cayabyab.
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After PETA’s two-year break from live theater, they return with a bombastic show that is meant to celebrate the joys of the theatrical experience. Walang Aray is, as playwright Rody Vera calls it, “a tribute and a spoof’ to the Severino Reyes zarzuela ‘Walang Sugat.’ It is an irreverent show that takes the form of the zarzuela and the plot of ‘Walang Sugat’ and infuses with modern sensibilities for a hilarious romp that pokes fun at our history, and invariably ourselves, while utilizing the best of Filipino humor.
Photo courtesy of PETA
Directed by Ian Segarra, ‘Walang Aray’ is set in colonial era Philippines where two lovers, the zarzuela star Julia and her freedom-loving paramour Tenyong, find themselves separated by the circumstances of the times. Tenyong’s parents perish at the hands of the cruel friars while Julia’s mother, Juana, wants her daughter to be married to Miguel, one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. But the love triangle of this story is not between Julia, Tenyong, and Miguel, but between Julia, Tenyong, the revolution as Tenyong leaves to join the Katipuneros and Julia must fend off the advances of Miguel.
Photo courtesy of PETA
But from the opening number, which is a song sung by three women (two women and one man in drag, to be precise) about how they have to sing the opening number because the star of the show is missing. It’s hilarious and funny and gets the energy going. It tells us exactly what we are to expect and that nothing is going to unfold like a regular zarzuela. Sure, the play is set during the revolution but it’s never heavy-handed in its portrayal of it; the play recognises some of the country’s ills that wonderfully reflect current issues as well (autocracy, a failure in governance, etc) but it takes a light-hearted approach to it all. As cruel as the friars may be, they are still fans of Julia (which can sometimes reflect current-day fandoms; the effect is hilarious). There are moments when the show would even break to endorse a real sponsor of the show and these breaks just reinforce the joyous nature of the show.
At the heart of it is Julia, played by Alexa Ilacad in the show I saw, and she just imbibes this character. She flits from scene to scene effortlessly and nails every song. Julia is infused with modern lingo and Ilacad throws these punchlines so seamlessly that it really helps sell it. Her alternates are Marynor Madamesila and Shaira Opsimar. On the flip side, Tenyong is played by KD Estrada (with alternates Gio Gahol and Jon Abella), who seems like he is still feeling his way around the stage. But when he’s paired up with Ilacad, there is magic there. Their chemistry fills that stage and their harmonies are quite gorgeous. Hilariously, the character of Tenyong disappears in most of the second act, as he is with the Katipuneros, and it really becomes Julia’s play through and through.
Photo courtesy of PETA
While Miguel (a hilarious Jarred Jaicten with alternate Bene Manois) makes his advances, the real third party in this is the pressing revolution that is causing Julia a lot of stress. As her planned marriage to Miguel looms near, Julia is forced to push her hand and most of the second act becomes a showcase for the other characters of the play. At some point, it’s a revue more than a full-on show and we don’t mind because each part is full of laughs and great singing.
The only unfortunate thing about the show is that it’s staged to favor only those on the center of the audience. This is the first PETA show I saw on the side where I felt that I was missing out on the show. The choreography, the blocking, the tableaus, and the set design make it hard for those sitting in the sides to see all that’s happening in the story and I wish it was directed more outward so that we were all included into the fun. Also, there’s a joke near the end where a character’s coming out is used as a punchline. While I understand that it may work thematically with the mindframe of a zarzuela, I really wish that homosexuality wouldn’t be used as a punchline in future productions.
Photo courtesy of PETA
But aside from these little issues, ‘Walang Aray’ is just such a joy to watch. The original songs by Rody Vera and Vince Lim are wonderful (and a great argument against jukebox musicals). There are lots of laugh-out-loud moments and even its deus ex machina ending feels earned and warranted when you realize how irreverent the play has been all-throughout. Lots of spirited performances by Ilacad, and the ensemble (with other standouts including Kiki Baento as Julia’s companion Monica, Johnnie Moran as the wickedly funny Padre Alfaro, and Neomi Gonzales as Juana).
Photo courtesy of PETA
Coming from its 2-year break, it’s great for PETA to be back with something fun and funny and irreverent. ‘Walang Aray’ and its unapologetic happy-ending is so in tune with how today’s world just wants happy endings at whatever cost. Even in that little concept, they are on point.
My Rating:
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Walang Aray runs at the PETA Theater Center until May 14. Buy your tickets here.
Broadway International Group and Broadway Asia are pleased to announce that Karylle Tatlonghari and Markki Stroem will be joining the International Touring cast for its Manila Season of The Sound of Music.
Karylle Tatlonghari who is taking on the role of Baroness Elsa von Schraeder; the beautiful, cosmopolitan woman who has her eyes set firmly on the Captain. Markki Stroem will be playing the handsome Rolf, the delivery boy who has his eyes on the beautiful Liesl in “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Karylle and Markki into the company.” says producer Marc Routh, “Having done many shows in Manila over the years with stars like Lea Salonga in Cinderella, Filipinos are known around the world over for their spectacular talents – so we when the opportunity for us to cast two roles out of the Philippines, how could we say no?” he continues, “…we are so excited to see them both step into these iconic roles. We have so much confidence in their abilities as performers and we are really looking forward for Filipino audiences to come and see them on stage.”
“When I found out that I got in, I started tearing up in front of my colleagues at the radio station – Tears of joy!… One of my greatest dreams is manifesting in front of my eyes. I am so excited to learn and grow from the International touring cast”, shares Markki. “My love of musicals began when I watched the movie Sound of Music as a 4-year-old, it was aspirational, I memorized all of the songs and dreamed of one day being part of this wonderful classic. “
Karylle and Markki will begin rehearsals in Manila over the next couple of weeks, and will be joined by the rest of the touring company at the end of the month.
“Imagine how I feel right now, I cannot contain my excitement.” Karylle says when asked about how she feels “I guess when a childhood memory becomes a reality, you are transported back to that time when you first fell in love with musicals – this is the moment when my childhood dreams and reality meet… in the most Bongga way!”
“I’ll be performing with Markki Stroem who I feel is equally thrilled. We’ve been planning our jogs around Circuit Makati to be in tiptop shape. And of course, the international touring cast, a first for me. I feel so good about it especially seeing the excitement of everyone who is excited to experience The Sound of Music to keep that child in them happy.”
Karylle and Markki will be joining Touring company members Jill-Christine Wiley as Maria Rainer, Trevor Martin as Captain von Trapp, and Lauren Kidwell as Mother Abbess, and Lauren O’Brien as Liesl. The Von Trapp children starring in the musical will join the company for the first time during the Manila production.
To enable more Filipinos to enjoy this highly acclaimed production, starting February 15, BPI credit cardholders can get up to 15% off on tickets to Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday evening performances. The following discounts apply for every card variant: 15% discount for BPI Visa Signature Card; 10% discount for BPI Platinum Rewards Mastercard and BPI Amore Platinum Cashback Card; and 5% discount for BPI eCredit Mastercard, BPI Blue Mastercard, Petron-BPI Mastercard, BPI Edge Mastercard, BPI Amore Cashback Card, BPI Gold Mastercard, and BPI Corporate Mastercard. These offers are valid until March 6, 2023.
“BPI is supportive of the arts and its many forms. Not only does it give immediate gratification for the senses, but it also enhances our relationships with ourselves and with our loved ones. The availability of these offers to our clients is one way of rewarding them,” said Jenny Lacerna, BPI’s Head of Unsecured Lending and Cards Sales and Products.
Tickets are available online at ticketworld.com.ph and TicketWorld outlets.
Theinternational tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC, is presented by Broadway International Group, Broadway Asia, AMA Group of Companies, in association with GMG Productions.
The Sound of Music will be arriving soon in Manila from March 7th to March 26th 2023. The brand new international production is set to be staged at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
The Manila season is supported by BPI, Seda Residences Makati and Ayala Malls.
Pioneer Filipino theater company, Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), award-winning creative content agency, Indie.Go Media, and premiere talent management, Star Magic, are coming together to bring forth Rody Vera’s all-original Filipino musical, Walang Aray, from Feb 17-May 14, 2023 at the PETA Theater Center.
This unique partnership between the three companies, comes after the displacement of the creative and cultural sectors during the height of the pandemic. PETA alone had to close its theater doors for nearly three years, and this is the first-time that the company is staging a live public performance in its home theater since March 2019.
“We are coming from a period where art was deemed non-essential,” PETA artistic director Maribel Legarda explains. “We need partnerships, we need community, and we need to come together. This partnership with Indie.Go Media and Star Magic blurs the borders and allows for collaboration to happen between artists and creatives from various sectors and organizations,” she adds.
Indie.Go Media founder-CEO and veteran advertising director, Jun Reyes, has been the driving creative force behind Walang Aray, since he first commissioned it as a film script in 2007. As a fourth-generation descendant of Walang Sugat playwright Severino Reyes, his dream was to be able to transform his great-grandfather’s 125-year-old zarzuela into an original musical comedy for modern audiences. “My grandfather was the great Filipino storyteller of the 20th century, both through his plays and Lola Basyang stories,” says Reyes.
“When Indie.Go and I collaborated with Rody [Vera] to create a screenplay based on Walang Sugat, we wanted to honor his creative legacy by turning his century-old masterpiece into a movie musical with OPM songs. The Indie.Go film never got made. But thanks to PETA and Star Magic, we’re happy the script will finally see the light of day on the stage, for today’s generation to enjoy.”
With Star Magic as a partner, PETA is also able to continue its tradition of inviting television and film artists to bring in new audiences to the theater, which began from the time of the late National Artist and former PETA Executive Director and member, Lino Brocka.
Legarda recalls, “Lino always felt that it’s good for film actors to come and do theater because their experience of the theater will improve their craft as performers, and at the same time, their give back, is that they lend their celebrity to help theater become more popular to new audiences.”
Walang Aray features Star Magic’s “hottest musical couple” KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad — a.k.a KDLex, who will make their theatrical debut as the leads Tenyong (KD) and Julia (Alexa), alternating with theater triple threats, Gio Gahol and Marynor Madamesila.
Star Magic Head, Lauren Dyogi, shares his enthusiasm regarding the collaboration: “We are thankful to PETA for this partnership. We know this experience will help our artists, Alexa and KD, in their craft. This joint venture will surely be fruitful not only for PETA and Star Magic, but also for the entire industry, and most importantly for the artists who are part of this production.”
With Walang Aray, PETA hopes to celebrate the joy of our little victories as artists and citizens. “We need to re-energize ourselves and move forward,” says Legarda. “It’s healthy and important in terms of strengthening whatever ideas we have of ourselves as a nation and as individuals.” Even with Walang Aray’s historical narrative, its message rings true and relevant to today’s generation: that despite whatever repressions Filipinos may face, there is strength and victory in community when we clamor for change and fight for our dreams.
Walang Aray is hilariously clever, with irreverent tongue-in-cheek humor. “After three years of what we went through – not only the pandemic, but also the elections – that’s actually what I think people need right now. People need a space to laugh and allow themselves to have fun and enjoy,” Legarda quips.
The entertainment value of Walang Aray, together with how it pays tribute to our history and culture, and how it makes social commentary by weaving the past and present, make for a musical that will surely leave audiences with a reignited love for theater and nation. It is an echo of what Walang Aray calls for: TUMINDIG at UMIBIG! “That’s the whole idea of ‘tumindig’,” says Legarda. “Standing up and moving forward.”
Walang Aray will run at the PETA Theater Center from Feb 17-May 14, 2023. Tickets are available via TicketWorld.com.ph starting December 10, 2022. For bulk tickets and showbuying inquiries, contact Mitch Go at 0917-539-1112.
The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), makers of the hit musical Rak of Aegis, is returning to the theater for full live performances featuring a brand-new original musical, Rody Vera’s Walang Aray!
Walang Aray was chosen to launch the company’s comeback and cap the company’s emerald year after waiting in the wings since its first laboratory performance in 2018 and 2019.
Why Walang Aray? “It’s necessary, after three years of what we went through — not only the pandemic, but also the elections — to do something irreverent and funny. I think that is what people need right now. They need a space to laugh, to sort of allow themselves to have fun and enjoy something,” shares PETA artistic director, Maribel Legarda.
“But of course, in PETA, it’s not just having fun,” Legarda adds, “PETA believes that good comedy makes you think and reflect, and Walang Aray is exactly that.”
Presented by PETA with Indie.Go Media in partnership with Star Magic, Walang Aray is a genre-defying adaptation of the screenplay of the same name, based on Severino Reyes’ classic zarzuela Walang Sugat.
“We must evolve. We cannot do things over and over the same way, we must change, challenge, and chase forward. That is why Walang Sugat evolved to Walang Aray, from the stage, adapted to screenplay, and back to the stage— and we tried to make the comeback different,” Legarda explains.
Legarda describes the new musical as “a play that is really entertaining but at the same time, reflective of us as Filipinos and our own histories.” Walang Aray richly mashes the timeless classic with contemporary language, funk and pop tunes, and tongue-in-cheek humor.
Playwright Rody Vera shares what he hopes audiences will take away from the musical: “It feels like we’re doing this play produced by ‘the mechanicals’ in Act 5 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where at that point, all that was strange and horrible is now past, that while we’re aware these things indeed happened and may happen again, we’re also here to remind people that theater, always… ALWAYS dies and is born anew,” he says. “I wish they’ll have as much fun watching as the prod team had mounting it.”
Walang Aray is top billed by Star Magic’s “hottest musical couple” #KDLex, KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad, alternating with triple threat theater artists Gio Gahol and Marynor Madamesila as Tenyong and Julia.
The cast also features PETA artists Jarred Jaicten, Kiki Baento, Carlon Matobato, Gie Onida, Norbs Portales, Neomi Gonzales, John Moran, Yeyin de la Cruz, Ayla Garcia, Ada Tayao, Tom Bienvenida, Donn Boco, Gerard Dy, with Gardo Exconde and Csai Habla as the swings.
Walang Aray will run at the PETA Theater Center from Feb 17-May 14, 2023. Tickets are available via TicketWorld.com.ph. For bulk tickets and showbuying inquiries, contact Mitch Go at 0917-539-1112.
For more information about Walang Aray, follow PETA’s social media pages: @petatheater.
Now in its 18th year, the Virgin Labfest, the annual theater festival of unpublished, unstaged, untried and untested works, is now open for script submissions for its 2024 edition.
Deadline for submission is on February 28, 2023 at 12:00 midnight. Submit your entries in doc or pdf format only to thewritersblocinc@gmail.com.
The call for script submissions is open to all Filipino citizens ONLY. Entries should have a maximum running time of 40 minutes. The festival is open to various themes and genres.
All submitted works must NOT have been previously published in book form, staged commercially for more than two (2) performances (staged readings and/or one-time workshop productions are allowed), or have not received any recognitions and awards in competitions and the likes.
Script entries may be in Filipino, English, Cebuano, Hiligaynon or Ilocano; but should be submitted with accompanying Filipino translations. Entries in other Filipino languages will also be considered based on availability and capability of performers.
A partnership project of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, The Writer’s Bloc, and Tanghalang Pilipino, Inc., the theater festival will select twelve (12) new one-act plays. The playwrights of the selected plays must be willing to undergo a script development process with the creative team of the festival.
The finalists will be formally announced at the end of the VLF Year 18, slated this June 2023.
AFTER three years of cancellation and online editions, the CCP Pasinaya Open House Festival – the largest multi-arts festival in the country organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines – returns this year on February 3 to 5, 2023 in various venues inside the CCP Complex, located along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.
The festival highlights the different outdoor venues such as the CCP Front Lawn, Liwasang Kalikasan, Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez and its surroundings, and parade ground of Vicente Sotto Street, among others.
“This year, Pasinaya follows the theme ‘Piglas Sining.’ We are breaking away from the notion that the CCP is just the building. We are emphasizing that CCP can be anywhere,” said CCP artistic director Dennis N. Marasigan.
Pasinaya continues its experience-all-you-can, pay-what-you-can scheme. For a suggested donation price of P50, participants may go in and out of the different CCP venues to attend the 30-minute workshops in various art disciplines conducted by leading artists, resource persons and teachers, or watch as many shows, screenings, and activities as they can.
Registration starts at 6:30am, at the Bukaneg side of the Front Lawn and at Vicente Sotto Street.
On February 3, there will be a Pagtitipon, an invitational gathering of the Kaisa sa Sining (KSS) regional partners. There are 59 regional partners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in the KSS network, with three new partners joining. A program of the Cultural Exchange Department, the KSS aims to further strengthen the CCP linkages and cooperations with local organizations in the different regions of the country.
Palihan and Palabas happen on February 4 and 5, with the opening salvo kicking off at the CCP Front Lawn with a parade and special program. In Palihan, audiences can join the different workshops; while they can watch unlimited shows, featuring more than 3,000 artists from different art fields, in Palabas.
Festival programmers and art groups will meet in Palitan on February 4 and 5, on-site at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) and online via Zoom.
The open house festival partners with various galleries, museums and art spaces around the metro to put the spotlight on communal artistic spirit and collaborations. For this segment, the Paseo Museo, there will be hop-on, hop-off shuttle vans that will go around the participating arts spaces for free on February 4 and 5.
Through the Pasinaya, the CCP aims to provide a platform for the artists and cultural groups to showcase their talents while nurturing the broadest public and creating new audiences through interactions and performances. Attracting more than 27,000 people with approximately 75,000 audience viewership pre-pandemic, Pasinaya is undoubtedly the biggest multi-arts festival in the country, and still getting bigger and better on its 18th year.
Follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for the latest updates.
Are you ready to see the Von Trapp family on stage?
One of the most iconic and celebrated Broadway musicals, The Sound of Music, is heading to Manila this March. And before its official tour, the lead cast of the production met with the Philippine media in a press conference to invite everyone to see the beloved musical on stage.
Happening from March 7 to March 26, 2023 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati, The international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is brought to the Filipino audience by the Broadway International Group in partnership with GMG Productions.
(L-R) Producer Marc Routh and cast members Jill Christine-Wiley, Trevor Martin, and Lauren Kidwell
To the uninitiated, The Sound of Music follows the true story of the joyful and vibrant governess Maria Reiner who changed the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by bringing music back into their lives, and culminating their flight across the Austrian mountains as tensions rise due to an impending World War II.
With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, the musical won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Show Album. Some of the most beloved songs from the musical include Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, and The Sound of Music to name a few. Next year, the show is also celebrating its 65th birthday, so now’s the best time to appreciate it on stage!
Q&A with the cast of The Sound of Music
During the recent press conference last January 19, producer Marc Routh and the production’s stars Jill Christine-Wiley (Maria Reiner), Trevor Martin (Captain von Trapp), and Lauren Kidwell (Mother Abbess), shared some of their thoughts about the timeless musical.
“The variety of music from the songs of the children to The Sound of Music to Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Edelweiss, it’s just a great great score,” producer Marc Routh tells the media about what makes The Sound of Music such a successful musical.
“And then on top of that, you have a very accessible story that really is universal and is something that we can all relate to. It’s a story about self-discovery, a story about a really deep romantic love at the heart of it, and also about supporting these children who are growing up in this sort of a harsh environment and giving them love and doing that through the medium of song, which is a such a wonderful methodology, if you will. It’s very theatrical, so I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s such a successful musical. It actually uses the art form of music to basically unlock the story,” the producer adds.
Meanwhile, Jill Christine-Wiley shared her personal experience with the show, revealing that The Sound of Music was the first theater show she’d seen live on stage when she was 5 years old, and after meeting the person who played Maria, and it seemed to have inspired her to pursue the path of a theater performer, and she soon played Marta in her first The Sound of Music casting.
“I feel like I do the show every night for the little 5-year-old Jill sometimes, just for my little Jill heart that is very proud of coming so far and being here today. And looking at the Von Trapp children that we have at our show, and see that reflection of it, I was like I was once where they were and perhaps one day, little Marta or Gretl or whomever, [they’ll] step into Maria’s shoes. It’s very exciting, full circle,” said the actress.
As for Lauren Kidwell, she told the press what she loves most about playing Mother Abbess in the show: “What I love about The Sound of Music more than anything is its juxtaposition of an incredible story and a wonderful, fantastic Rogers and Hammerstein’s score, both of those things combined together. For me, I love singing with Jill, my favorite thing is actually between Mother Abbess and Maria, and so being able to access my own character in a way that I think is surprising to a lot of people who have gone to see our show, and just getting to play and access a fun, child-like enjoyment of music through my own character is something I really really love discovering every night on stage.”
Trevor Martin also shared his insights on the political themes surrounding the story:
“[The Sound of Music] was written 70 years ago about a very specific time and a very specific country, but the themes of the story are accessible through today. The same situations happen over and over again. Not just within the family, dealing with grief and trying to come to some kind of reconciliation within that which happens obviously all the time… But the political climate, the undertone that becomes the main story at the end of the show is something that’s still happening today in many countries. I think that that part of it for me makes it feel fresh and new every single time. Because every time someone gets to watch it, they can replace any of the actors, or any of the stories or country names with many different situations and make it mean something to them, right there at that moment.”
Catch The Sound of Music at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati from March 7 to 26, 2023. The production runs for approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute interval between the two acts. Tickets are now on sale via ticketworld.com.ph, with prices ranging from around P1,500 to P6,800.
