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| Isay Alvarez |
Right
off the bat during the opening musical number, Ang Entablado ay Mundo, I could immediately see and feel that the
Meralco Theater stage has indeed become the world for Isay Alvarez and the rest
of the cast during Spotlight Artists Centre’s second run of Katy! which
concluded it’s limited two week run earlier this month.
Unlike
their first run at the Cultural Centerof the Philiippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) last
January, the company had more room to move around, was more energetic during
their boogie and tap dance numbers and was able to form a single line
encompassing the whole width of the stage without getting cramped. And also,
they finally made the jeep look more believable instead of looking like a
cardboard cutout. Another major difference in this latest run was that the
transitions in between scenes had become faster and more seamless. Whenever
there were long scene changes audience, old film clips were shown and/or music were
heard which was a lot better than being left in the dark. Yes, they were still a
few blackouts now and then but I think that these served more as pauses giving
the audience time to breathe and soak things in before shifting over to the
next scene.
 |
| Tirso Cruz III |
Thankfully,
the cast remained almost unchanged. There were five additions to the chorus
amid some minor changes but the leads practically remained the same. Isay
Alvarez who played the title role of Katy de la Cruz, looked fuller and not as
frighteningly thin as before and she seemed to have left her health concerns
behind her. She danced with more assurance and held her own while being with a
relatively younger cast. I could not recall if she performed the lift during the Aba, Ba, Ba Boogie back then
or if this was a new addition to the choreography for this run.
 |
| Aicelle Santos |
I
was pleased that it had been months since the previous run which meant that
there was enough time for the show to fade from my memory enabling me to
anticipate it more when I saw it again. As the show went on, the fond memories
from months ago came back and I started to look forward to some of the numbers
like the laugh riot of Bituing Tahimik
featuring the trio of Hanna played by Tricia Jimenez, Patsy played by Celine
Fabie and the young Katy played by Aicelle Santos, the spine tingling duet Minsan ang Minahal ay Ako by Aicelle and
Olivia portrayed by Dulce, and the very emotional Isa na Namang Paalam by Tatay portrayed by Tirso Cruz III. Gian Magdangal (Peping), Epy Quizon (Young Dolphy/Ompong), Lou Veloso (Direktor), CJ
Mangahis (Mary Walter) and Leana
Tabuñar (Batang Katy) all delivered solid performances just like before. I
felt bad that I remembered too late to take note when the band took over from
Gian Magdangal’s piano playing during the Awit
Ko Para Sa Iyo. I asked Gian about it before and I challenged myself to
take note of it if ever I saw the show again. But I failed to do so which now
makes me wish that there’ll be a third run in the near future.
 |
| Gian Magdangal |
As
always, it’s such a treat to have live music accompany shows like this and music
director Mel Villena and the rest of AMP Big Band brought the show to life. I was
also glad to read composer Ryan Cayabyab’s notes in the souvenir program which
gave a lot of insight regarding the music forms used in this musical.
 |
| Epy Quizon |
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| Sheng Belmonte |
During
the preview, I was able to see among the audience Ms. Celeste Legaspi, who
along with Girlie Rodis (Actors Studio East Production, Inc.) originally produced
Katy! that premiered back in 1988. They, along with Jose Javier Reyes
(libretto), Ryan Cayabyab (music) and director Nestor Torre were the ones
responsible for coming up with a masterpiece that is forever embedded in
Philippine musical theater history. And around 25 years later, a new generation
finally got the chance to see Katy! to make sure that treasures like Katy de la
Cruz (and many others who shared the bodabil
stage with her) will never be forgotten.
