I Was Here… with Audie Gemora

Audie Gemora

People may find it hard to believe but I only really got to know Audie Gemora when he directed Tanghalang Pilipino’s Noli MeTangere, the Musical back in 2011. Although I am aware of who he is and his vast theater experience, I wasn’t that much into the theater scene only until recently, so I missed a lot of his performances throughout the years. Thankfully, his concept concert entitled I Was Here… with Audie Gemora allowed me to catch up with him and his impressive 35 years as one of the big guns in the theater industry.

With the weather cooperating, there was no problem heading over to the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) was packed with mostly people from the tight knit theater community. And it’s this familiarity that made the concert, directed by Jaime del Mundo, such an intimate affair thanks to Audie’s superb rapport with his audience. Accompanying him was a jazz piano trio led by the concert’s music director Rony Fortich. Double bassist Vincent dela Cruz and drummer Karmi Santiago made up the rest of the trio.

One thing that really impressed me about this concert was that it showed what a great storyteller Audie Gemora is. Each of the songs and the entire concert as a whole, told Audie’s story and it didn’t matter if one had been following him since the beginning or just like me, arrived late in the game. His first song, Corner of the Sky from the musical Pippin recalled his beginnings in theater and his last song, Bluebird of Happiness from the upcoming Bluebird: A Magical Musical, gave a glimpse to the future. And everything in between revealed facets of his career that was a joy to discover.

Highlights of the concert for me include the Roles Along the Way Medley that recounted his early days in theater. I am not a huge fan of concerts that are full of medleys but Audie and his team made this work by having it tell a story through the songs included in it. I was also impressed with Sheila Francisco’s heartfelt performance of He Opens a Window which told how Audie welcomed God in his life. Audie also had a chance to poke fun of himself while looking back at his pop music phase via the song Loving You. I find it odd that I can’t remember this song which was released when cassette tapes were still in circulation. He even showed the audience a cassette copy of his album which was still sealed in plastic meaning that it wasn’t sold. Another guest artist in his concert is Sam Concepcion who has grown into a young man. Audie and Sam went back around a decade as they performed Deep Within from the musical The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which was when Sam had his musical debut. Possibly, the most anticipated part of the concert was his duet with Regine Velasquez-Alcasid for the song Matimyas Mabuhay sa Sariling Bayan from Noli Me Tangere. This number gave me goose bumps and evoked fond memories of the most recent staging of this musical which as I’ve said before was how I got to know Audie personally in the first place. I also echoed Regine’s desire to have a concert staging of this musical accompanied by an orchestra with a possible reunion of all cast members from various runs. The most touching moment for me in the entire concert was when Audie dedicated the song Fight the Dragons to his son Richard. He said that among all the roles he has played throughout the years, his most favorite is that of his real life role of being a father.

The concert was indeed very entertaining and one that didn’t have to resort to any unnecessary gimmicks and hysterics unlike what I normally see on television. Seeing I Was Here… with Audie Gemora made me feel bad again for missing Nonie Buencamino’s concert weeks before. But I’ll make sure that I won’t miss the last concert of the Triple Threats: Leading Men and Women of Philippine Music Theater series featuring Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo happening this August 15, 2013, 7:30 PM.

Text by RAd

Photo by Karla Gutierrez

Musical theater concert series at the CCP continues with Audie Gemora

July 5, 2013, 2013, 7:30 PM

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Stage, television and film actor Audie Gemora takes centerstage in the second concert of the Triple Threats: Leading Men and Women of Philippine Musical Theater series on July 5, 2013, 7:30 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

This concept concert, billed as I Was Here with Audie Gemora boasts of Rony Fortich as its musical director along with John Batalla doing the lighting design. Special guests for this concert include theater actress Sheila Francisco, Sam Concepcion, one of the youngest triple threats in the country and a special surprise guest who has worked with Audie in a musical before.

Audie Gemora

I find it very odd that while I’ve seen Audie Gemora a lot of times for the past few years, I cannot recall the last time I’ve seen him perform live onstage. I failed to see Repertory Philippines' No Way to Treat a Lady and The Sound of Music over at Resorts World Manila. Looking back, the ones that I’ve seen lately involving him were productions that he has directed like Camp Rock and Next Fall for Rep and Noli Me Tangere, The Musical for Tanghalang Pilipino. Thanfkully, his turn in this musical theater concert series is an opportunity for me to see him perform onstage and for him to prove that he belongs to that distinguished breed of performer known as a triple threat (can act, sing and dance).

Nasty weather plagued the opening concert of the series featuring Nonie Buencamino. And it was impossible for me and many others to go to the CCP with the whole of Metro Manila getting flooded. I’ve heard some people ask if Nonie would have a repeat performance. I would also love for him to restage that show again if it is possible. But what I certainly don’t want a repeat of is that horrible weather happening during Audie’s concert. It would be very cool  to arrive at home comfortable, in high spirits and most importantly, dry from the performance and then eventually saying I was there with Audie Gemora.

The Triple Threats: Leading Men and Women of Philippine Musical Theater wraps up this August 15, 2013 with a solo performance by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo.

Ticket prices:

P800 Orchestra Center

P600 Orchestra Side

-50% student discount

-20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

CCP Box Office 832-3704

Next Fall

At first glance, the play Next Fall seems to be a magnet for controversy. This play, written by Geoffrey Nauffts, centers on a homosexual couple with different beliefs (one is a Christian while the other is an atheist who rather believes that he has various illnesses) as they go through the ups and downs of their relationship. But Repertory Philippines took a chance and decided to stage this as their initial offering for their 2012 season celebrating their 45th year. And I was able to see a performance of the play during its preview night at Onstage at Greenbelt 1 thanks to director Audie Gemora and his little contest.

Over the course of the play, the relationship between the atheist Adam (Bart Guingona) and the devout Christian Luke (David Bianco) is put to its ultimate test when the latter figures in an accident. Adam, Luke’s parents, Butch (Miguel Faustmann) and Arlene (June Henares), along with friends Holly (Liesl Batucan) and Brandon (Niccolo Manahan) gather in a hospital room and tension arises as secrets are revealed amidst the uncertainty of Luke’s condition. And to offer a breather to the tense scenes, flashbacks are interspersed throughout the play showing the relationship between Luke and Adam from its beginning up to the present day at the hospital.

Repertory Philippines' Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, director Audie Gemora,

Miguel Faustmann, Juno Henares, David Bianco, Bart Guingona,

Liesl Batucan and Niccolo Manahan

Right from the beginning, I was able to establish the relationships and the connection between the characters which is a good thing. Many times in previous plays that I’ve seen, I had to check the souvenir programme during the intermission to figure out who’s who and how they are related to each other. But I encountered no such trouble with this and comprehended the play  completely despite the numerous flashback scenes. One of the things about this play that resonated in me was the constant search of the characters for a connection. One small detail about the play about connecting that I found so interesting was Luke’s parents trying to contact their other son at the beginning of the play. And at the end, it was Adam who finally was able to connect. This final scene was so powerful to me because of an earlier one when Butch didn’t want to connect with Adam at all despite him knowing of the true nature of their relationship. It made me feel that despite the grim situation, there is still a glimmer of hope in the future because of this new connection that was formed.

I don't want to give spoilers like how the story unfolded and how it eventually ended since it really has to be seen in order to be fully appreciated. The play is an honest depiction of an unconventional relationship that points out sensitive issues that people don’t normally want to discuss. But after watching this, I felt the urge to discuss these issues with someone else but I was with no one else since I was the only one who won the preview ticket. I used to have reservations with straight plays, especially those in English and set in some foreign country since previous plays that I saw left me unconvinced. But Next Fall’s material and its themes transcended language, setting, nationality, gender and beliefs. It presented the truth that applies to everybody that love is indeed what connects us all.

I'd really like to thank Mr. Audie Gemora once again and also Mr. Bart Guingona who was instrumental in my victory at the contest. It was truly a nice experience seeing this play that really stimulated my mind and forced me to reflect on my values which I did as I made the trip home. Next Fall runs for two more weeks until February 5, 2012. I do recommend seeing it with friends and be prepared for a lengthy discussion afterwards.

The Noli Me Tangere, the Musical Experience Part 2

The Opening Night

I’ve had my first taste of the music during the J.P., ang Gig ni Rizal show with Erik Santos and Rachelle Ann Go. And then the actual leads had their turn in showing a sampler during the Tanghalang Pilipino press conference. A few weeks later, I was very fortunate to be able to drop by their music run through with no other than Ryan Cayabyab. And I was able to have a quick view/listen of their rehearsals a couple of times afterwards. Finally, the moment that I’ve been waiting for has arrived; Noli Me Tangere the Musical finally had its highly anticipated opening night at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

Ribbon cutting opening the exhibits

The opening night of the musical also signaled the opening of a couple of exhibits in keeping with the theme of Noli Me Tangere and of its author Jose Rizal whose 150^th Anniversary is celebrated this year. The first exhibit is a display of costumes by National Artist Salvador Bernal while the second one is a display of Rizal themed jewelries by noted jeweler Hans Brumman. Select pieces of jewelry will be up for auction as well. Both exhibits will be open for viewing during the entire run of the musical. And in keeping with the celebrations and the theme, I was dressed in native formal wear (Barong Tagalog). I was fortunate to be able to experience and blog about the progress of this play leading to this night so I really felt that I had to dress up to the occasion.

The Hans Brumann exhibit

Finally, I was able to see the production as a whole and whatever words that I may be able to write about it can not even give it justice since one need to experience the production first hand. Any stage adaptation of Noli Me Tangere could’ve easily fallen into the trap of pandering to the level of high school juniors who are required to read the novel. But the libretto by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera and the music by Ryan Cayabyab clearly avoided that route and created a timeless masterpiece instead. The music consisted of memorable themes that remained in my head for days after hearing them. I must’ve looked like a fool whenever I find myself humming the melodies of the songs in the musical like the song when Crisostomo Ibarra finally saw Maria Clara once again after many years of being apart. And I also had to restrain myself from joining in with the chorus whenever they sang Sa Labas ng Bayan. This song and some others like the exquisite theme that ended the musical were already familiar to me but there were still some tunes that I’ve never heard before like the song of the Leproso that was accompanied by the chorus. And this song had some excellent harmonies that delighted the music lover in me.

The Salvador Bernal exhibit

The opening night had Gian Magdangal as Crisostomo Ibarra. He exuded a refined, polished and a very romantic Ibarra and was able to handle the demanding vocals with such clarity and relative ease. Cris Villonco playing the role of Maria Clara surprised me once again. I was very impressed by the tone of her middle register that was as creamy as a thick milkshake. And this middle register was in full force during the second act where her part had more meat. The rest of the cast were also equal to the task like Bodjie Pascua whose portrayal of Padre Damaso totally ruined my childhood memories of Kuya Bodjie. I grew up with Batibot and it was not easy for me to see him portray a character as bad as Padre Damaso. Angeli Bayani as Sisa was another surprise for me. I wasn’t able to see her when I dropped by the rehearsal so I really paid attention during her solo. I found it more haunting since it was a very subdued song and it didn’t resort to the usual Crispin, Basilio routine that has been done to death.

John Arcilla and Audie Gemora

The stage design was rather simple and it heavily featured hard, right angles of the stairs that dominated the stage to the sliding capiz windows adorning the walls. These hard angles provided a crisp contrast to the organic, flowing and the soft lines of the costumes. The costumes were mostly in monochromatic shades of gray so that splashes of color, like the peach ensemble of Maria Clara, the heavy makeup of Doña Victorina and the deep red accents in the costumes of the ensemble were able to stand out. I felt that this production strived for clarity in story telling and they succeeded in that aspect. For some, the stage and the whole production might seem bare but for me, it was uncluttered instead.

National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera

Ryan Cayabyab

I was able to ask director Audie Gemora about the differences between this version compared to the previous stagings of the musical. He said that they had made changes to the story and made it more linear. And he also added that as the director, he had more responsibilities in the current production unlike the time when he was just concerned with his role as the original Crisostomo Ibarra.

Gian Magdangal and RAd

Soon after watching the opening performance, I got interested in re-reading Noli Me Tangere and I do hope that others will also have the same urge. But I find it extremely disappointing that there aren’t any good versions of the novel in Filipino available in bookstores right now. The only ones that I was able to find are watered down versions that are used as high school textbooks. And the most decent version out there is an English translation that was published overseas.

RAd with the cast of Noli Me Tangere

I am extremely grateful to Tanghalang Pilipino for giving me the opportunity to experience Noli Me Tangere the Musical. It reminded me how beautiful our music and our language are, it reminded me of how talented we are as a people and most important of all, it fueled my sense of nationalism.

This production of Noli Me Tangere, the Musical is co-presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corporation (Cocolife).

Another Ibarra (Mark Bautista) has yet to perform on stage so my Noli Me Tangere, the Musical experience is not yet over.

Part 1 The Music Run Through with Mr. Ryan Cayabyab

Part 3 The Other Ibarra and Other Scenes
Part 4 The Closing Night