Katy! The Meralco Theater Run

Isay Alvarez

Right off the bat during the opening musical number, Ang Entablado ay Mundo, I could immediately see and feel that the Meralco Theater stage has indeed become the world for Isay Alvarez and the rest of the cast during Spotlight Artists Centre’s second run of Katy! which concluded it’s limited two week run earlier this month.

Unlike their first run at the Cultural Centerof the Philiippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) last January, the company had more room to move around, was more energetic during their boogie and tap dance numbers and was able to form a single line encompassing the whole width of the stage without getting cramped. And also, they finally made the jeep look more believable instead of looking like a cardboard cutout. Another major difference in this latest run was that the transitions in between scenes had become faster and more seamless. Whenever there were long scene changes audience, old film clips were shown and/or music were heard which was a lot better than being left in the dark. Yes, they were still a few blackouts now and then but I think that these served more as pauses giving the audience time to breathe and soak things in before shifting over to the next scene.

Tirso Cruz III

Thankfully, the cast remained almost unchanged. There were five additions to the chorus amid some minor changes but the leads practically remained the same. Isay Alvarez who played the title role of Katy de la Cruz, looked fuller and not as frighteningly thin as before and she seemed to have left her health concerns behind her. She danced with more assurance and held her own while being with a relatively younger cast. I could not recall if she performed the lift during the Aba, Ba, Ba Boogie back then or if this was a new addition to the choreography for this run.

Aicelle Santos

I was pleased that it had been months since the previous run which meant that there was enough time for the show to fade from my memory enabling me to anticipate it more when I saw it again. As the show went on, the fond memories from months ago came back and I started to look forward to some of the numbers like the laugh riot of Bituing Tahimik featuring the trio of Hanna played by Tricia Jimenez, Patsy played by Celine Fabie and the young Katy played by Aicelle Santos, the spine tingling duet Minsan ang Minahal ay Ako by Aicelle and Olivia portrayed by Dulce, and the very emotional Isa na Namang Paalam by Tatay portrayed by Tirso Cruz III. Gian Magdangal (Peping), Epy Quizon (Young Dolphy/Ompong), Lou Veloso (Direktor), CJ Mangahis (Mary Walter) and Leana Tabuñar (Batang Katy) all delivered solid performances just like before. I felt bad that I remembered too late to take note when the band took over from Gian Magdangal’s piano playing during the Awit Ko Para Sa Iyo. I asked Gian about it before and I challenged myself to take note of it if ever I saw the show again. But I failed to do so which now makes me wish that there’ll be a third run in the near future.

Gian Magdangal

As always, it’s such a treat to have live music accompany shows like this and music director Mel Villena and the rest of AMP Big Band brought the show to life. I was also glad to read composer Ryan Cayabyab’s notes in the souvenir program which gave a lot of insight regarding the music forms used in this musical.

Epy Quizon

Sheng Belmonte

During the preview, I was able to see among the audience Ms. Celeste Legaspi, who along with Girlie Rodis (Actors Studio East Production, Inc.) originally produced Katy! that premiered back in 1988. They, along with Jose Javier Reyes (libretto), Ryan Cayabyab (music) and director Nestor Torre were the ones responsible for coming up with a masterpiece that is forever embedded in Philippine musical theater history. And around 25 years later, a new generation finally got the chance to see Katy! to make sure that treasures like Katy de la Cruz (and many others who shared the bodabil stage with her) will never be forgotten.