Rama Hari

Christian Bautista

Karylle

The first staging of Rama Hari happened more than 30 years ago when I was still way too young to watch at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Throughout the years, I’ve heard so much about this pop musical ballet based on the ancient epic Ramayana. I learned that this was a work of collaboration by Ballet Philippines’ founder Alice Reyes (choreography), Maestro Ryan Cayabyab (music), National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera (libretto) and Salvador Bernal (set and costume design). I was able to see Rama at Sita, a musical adaptation of this ballet more than a decade ago and yet this only served to heighten my interest on the original Rama Hari. Fast forward many, many years later, at the time when my appreciation of dance in general is on a high, I finally get to see this production which is already considered a classic masterpiece in Philippine dance.

Jean Marc Cordero

Carissa Adea

I admit that despite my excitement, I’ve had a bit of reservation on whether pop singers Christian Bautista and Karylle would be able to pull off the singing roles of Rama and Sita respectively They do have big shoes to fill following the footsteps of Basil Valdez and Kuh Ledesma who originated the roles. Composer Ryan Cayabyab assured me otherwise that they would do great and would bring freshness in this production. Seeing videos of the two of them singing the signature songs from the production (Rama’s Tagistis ng Ulan and Sita’s Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal) eased my mind and yet the two of them managed to surprise me during the opening night.

Robert Seña

First of all, Christian Bautista’s voice was noticeably thicker, richer and darker in tone compared to what I hear in his albums and even in the recent recording/music video of Tagistis ng Ulan. I don’t know if he plans to use this timbre in his mainstream recordings but if he doesn’t, then one had to catch Rama Hari to see what I mean. Karylle was also a surprise as she channeled a Bollywood feel with her ornamentations that gave the music more Indian flavor. I immediately asked Ryan Cayabyab and musical director Jed Balsamo if those ornamentations/turns were part of the original score. Well, they weren’t. Karylle later told me that the embellishments she did during Ginoong Ermitanyo were suggested by Robert Seña who played Ravana while they were rehearsing that song number. And I made sure to thank Robert Seña for that suggestion since that added detail made listening to the music a lot sweeter. Ryan Cayabyab himself was pleased with these additional touches.

Ryan Cayabyab and Jed Balsamo

National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera

Christian, Karylle, Robert along with Amparo Sietereales (Soorpanakha/Kooni), Noel Rayos (Lakshmana/Dasaratha), Brezhnev Larlar (Hanuman), and Melani Ligot (Kaikeyi) served as the narrators while the dancers from Ballet Philippines carried out the action. Principal dancers Jean Marc Cordero and Carissa Adea danced as Rama and Sita with choreography that is different from the classical ballet that I am used to. Instead of adhering the classical lines with the upper body ideally held upright, the dancing by the leads and the rest of the company showed more shapes, curves and levels contrasting nicely with the mostly angular, bare and minimalist stage design. Richardson Yadao (Ravana), Earl John Arisola (Lakshmana), Rita Angela Winder (Soorpanakha), and Charmaine Bianca Perez (Kaikeyi) were the other featured dancers in this production.

Alice Reyes (2nd from left) relaxes with some cast members

Obviously, two of the most awaited song numbers in this production were the timeless ballads Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal and Tagistis ng Ulan presented elegantly and without any unnecessary elements that might be a distraction rather than an enhancement. Other numbers that I enjoyed also were those that were heavily influenced by Indian music. And having the Manila Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Solares along with the UP Concert Chorus made it sound a lot better. It would be unacceptable to have a production of this caliber performed with a pre-recorded backing track. Ryan Cayabyab knows me well and yet I have to admit that some of the upbeat numbers that utilized street language and sung by the villains felt dated. I am aware that it tried to capture what was hip and contemporary back then. But hearing it now felt like it didn’t stand the test of time compared to the ballads that I’ve mentioned above.

Kalila Aguilos, Ryan Cayabyab, OJ Mariano and Christopher Marbella

Before the show ends its two week run, I do hope that I’ll be able to find the time to catch the alternate cast’s performance with OJ Mariano (Rama), Kalila Aguilos (Sita) and Christian Marbella (Ravana) along with principal dancer Katherine Trofeo (Sita). I’ve seen OJ and Kalila in other roles before and I am very much aware how strong performers they are. I would like to thank Ballet Philippines for giving me the opportunity to see Rama Hari during the opening night. Rama Hari resumes its run at the CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) this December 5, 2012 and will have its last show on December 9, 2012.