Repertory Philippines' brings contemporary take, 21st century perspective with Carousel

A few years ago, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel came to my attention with the news that opera superstar Renée Fleming has made her musical theater debut in the 2018 Broadway revival of this musical. I also learned that her character, Nettie, is the one who actually gets to sing You'll Never Walk Alone, which for the longest time, is the only thing I know about this musical.

Lorenz Martinez, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Karylle, and Gian Magdangal

Considering that Time Magazine has deemed Carousel as "The Greatest Musical of the 20th Century", my extremely limited knowledge of this musical is simply embarrassing.

So when Repertory Philippines (REP) announced that they would stage Carousel for their comeback season opening on November 26, 2022, it was the perfect opportunity for me to widen my knowledge of musical theater especially those by the duo of Robert Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. And knowing that this production will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' newly unboxed Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Blackbox Theater) sweetened the deal for me, since Makati has become a lot farther for me with the worsening Metro Manila traffic.

Karylle and Gian Magdangal

With this in tow, I was able to savor the announcement of the cast led Karylle and Gian Magdangal who are both making their REP debut playing Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow respectively. REP veterans Lorenz Martinez and Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante join the two leads as Enoch Snow and Carrie Pipperidge.

Obviously I highly anticipated who would play the role of Nettie, eventually revealed to be Mia Bolaños, one of the few in the country who has both musical theater and opera credits under her belt. Other familiar faces in the cast are Viva Voce members Roxy Aldiosa and Roby Malubay, who like Bolaños also have musical theater and opera experience, and Ballet Philippines Company Artist Gia Geguinto who is making her theater debut with Carousel.

Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante and Lorenz Martinez

Rounding out the cast are Red Nuestro, Julio Laforteza, Gia Gequinto, Noel Rayos, Paula Paguio, Steven Hotchkiss, Cara Barredo, Czar Decena, and Kyla Rivera-Soong.

Sealing the deal for me is director Toff de Venecia's vision for Carousel. His staging will come from a 21st century perspective dealing with the misogyny, violence, and other "landmines" in the text. Also piquing my interest is the music direction under Ejay Yatco. A 2 piano reduction of the orchestral score, with a technical difficulty similar to a concerto, will be used instead of the usual orchestra/band. The two pianists will be Yatco and Jed Balsamo.

This edgy and contemporary take on a classic material is reflective of Repertory Philippines' bold new direction as the company moves forward under Artistic Direction of Liesl Batucan-del Rosario.

Toff de Venecia, Lorenz Martinez, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Karylle,
Gian Magdangal, Liesl Batucan-del Rosario, and Ejay Yatco

Repertory Philippines' production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel opens in November 26, 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. It will run on weekends until December 18, 2022. Tickets are available at TicketWorld outlets and at the CCP Box Office.