PETA’s interactive musical comedy Charot! lets the audience cast the vote

At a time when comedians make more sense and politicians are a joke comes the interactive musical comedy Charot!, the 51^st season ender of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) running from February 8 to March 17, 2019 at the PETA Theater Center.

Directed by Maribel Legarda and written by J-mee Katanyag and Michelle Ngu with music by Vince Lim and additional songs by Jeff Hernandez, Charot! is a millennial friendly new musical that utilizes laughter to drive a serious sociopolitical message across. Set in the not so distant future of May 2020, Charot! follows a diverse set of characters ranging from a selfie obsessed millennial to a Zumba practicing “Tita of Manila” as they head to the precincts to vote on a plebiscite for charter change. But on their way, with the closing of the voting centers looming, they encounter a couple of the Philippines’ eternal problems: heavy traffic and bad weather. As they figure out a way to reach the precincts, they shed light on the pros and cons of Federalism within the Philippine context. But through an interactive feature in the musical, the audience gets to vote ultimately deciding the outcome of the elections.

Papsy (Jack Yabut) leans to give Nanay (Kitsi Pagaspas) a kiss

A pre-show activity will familiarize the audience with the technology that will be used to cast their votes during the actual show. There will also be a post-show debriefing that will facilitate a dialogue about the pressing issues presented in the production. The country has been coping with numerous problems through humor for far too long. One has to realize that charot alone cannot solve the nation’s ills and one has to start thinking critically and acting immediately.

Former child actor CJ Navato, making his stage debut, leads the cast which is a mix of theater newbies and veterans. The rest of the cast include Jason Barcial, Meann Espinosa, Gio Gahol, Rhapsody Garza, Bene Manaois, Jimma Nariz, Gie Onida, Kitsi Pagaspas, Icee Po, Norbs Portales, Lemuel Silvestre, Gardo Vicente, Teetin Villanueva, Gold Villar-Lim, and Jack Yabut.

The cast and creative/production team of Charot!

The creative team of Charot! is composed of J-mee Katanyag and Michelle Ngu (playwrights), Maribel Legarda (director), Vince Lim (musical director), Jeff Hernandez (additional songs), Ian Segarra (choreographer), Boni Juan (set designer), Julio Garcia (set supervisor) Gio Gahol (costume stylist), Denise Nayve (associate costume stylist), Gerhard Daco (technical director), Jonjon Villareal (lights designer), and Ellen Ramos (video and animation).

Charot! also kicks off PETA’s Stage of the Nation creative campaign running through 2019 that aims to engage audiences and artists contribute to the discourses that concern the nation. Succeeding productions in this campaign include Dulaang UP’s The Kundiman Party, Third World Improv Theater’s Manila Improv Festival 2019, the 5^th anniversary show of Words Anonymous, and a Human Rights Film Festival.