Care Divas gives PETA’s 50th year a glittering start

Eric dela Cruz and Vincent de Jesus
with some of the cast and creative team of Care Divas

The Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) 50^th year celebrations is off to a glittering start with the return of the hit musical Care Divas. At the press preview, original cast members Melvin Lee, Vincent de Jesus, Ricci Chan, Buddy Caramat, and Dudz Teraña didn’t miss a beat as if years have not passed since they last donned their Care Divas wigs and heels.

Ricci Chan in a Miss Universe moment

Written by Liza Magtoto and directed by Maribel Legarda, Care Divas follows the lives of Chelsea (Lee), Shai (de Jesus), Kayla (Chan), Jonee (Caramat), and Thalia (Teraña) who work as caregivers in Israel. But they moonlight as drag queen performers offering them some respite from their day jobs. The misadventures that they go through are prime material for some major laughs. And the tight group's spot on comic timing ensured that the punchlines still packed a punch even if one has seen the show and heard the jokes before.

Watching the musical again felt like revisiting old friends whom I haven’t seen in ages and yet realizing that time hasn’t weakened the bond a bit. The musical numbers, with songs composed by de Jesus, felt cozy and familiar with the tight cast assuring that they would hit all the notes and remain in harmony.

Buddy Caramat, Dudz Teraña, and Ricci Chan

But not all was familiar as something new was offered in this run as well. New to the cast is Gold Villar as Nonah, the divas’ female friend. Gold, who possesses a great set of pipes, provided a much welcomed female voice to the predominantly male chorus. And Sherry Lara, with the dual role of Sarah/Adara, was so ruthless making her so easy to hate. Also part of the cast at the preview include Paul Holme, Myke Salomon, Eric dela Cruz, Eko Baquial, and Joseph Madriaga.

Succeeding shows will see the other divas namely Red Concepcion as Chelsea, Gio Gahol as Kayla, and Thou Reyes as Jonee joining Ron Alfonso as Shai and Jason Barcial as Thalia. And just like in Rak of Aegis, there will be a different mix of new and original divas in every performance thus making it so tempting to see the show multiple times. Other cast members joining the fold are Joan Bugcat, Leo Rialp, Jeff Flores, and Jakub Krajger.

Y O Y O Y

Aside from the gayness and the laughter, there was also a great deal of political commentary with Care Divas. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, illegal immigration, gender discrimination are tackled within the musical. Eerily, these issues remain relevant today especially with what’s going on with the US and their new President Donald Trump. And this makes Care Divas such a hit among audiences and yet still remaining true to what PETA stands for.