Centerstage Family KTV and Resto Bar opens at SM Mall of Asia Grounds

When recording artist, actress and tv host Karylle launched the music video of her latest single Found My Smile Again at the Centerstage Family KTV & Resto Bar located at Timog, she mentioned that a new branch would be opening soon. She further added that she would invite everyone present at the music video launch there when it opens. A few months later, Karylle welcomed the newest party hub in town as Centerstage Family KTV & Restobar opened its SM Mall of Asia branch. And I was fortunate to witness and be part of the celebrations during its grand opening.

Tim Yap, Karylle and Iza Calzado

Karylle herself graced the grand opening of Centerstage KTV. One of the main highlights of the opening was the Centerstage Idol singing competition that was hosted by Tim Yap and Iza Calzado. Contestants in the competition were comprised of guests who eagerly signed up. After they sang their hearts out, they were trimmed down round after round until one emerged as the winner. I was urged to be a contestant upon entry but I chickened out knowing that there would be far better contestants than I am. And those who made it to the final round sounded like they’ve already cut a record or two.

Karylle with guests Venus Raj (2nd from left) and Rap Fernandez (rightmost)

Speaking of records, there were a handful of recording artists who took part in the celebrations that evening like Yael Yuzon and the rest of Sponge Cola, JayR, Robin Nievera, Dee Jay Poblete, and Jimmy Muna. Other spotted celebrities were Audie Gemora, Rap Fernandez, and Venus Raj. It was a pleasant surprise seeing young director Gino “The Animals” Santos along with writer Jeff Stelton there as well. And it's very likely that I've missed other celebrities and personalities present that night also.

The SM Mall of Asia grounds is fast becoming an entertainment force to reckon with and the addition of Centerstage KTV is one welcome addition to that. Boasting 17 rooms that can accommodate various guests and budgets, one can step up from being a bathroom singer and be a rocker or a diva through the impressive sound system and extensive number of foreign and local songs available while enjoying the scrumptious food, drinks and cocktails served there. Other branches of Centerstage Family KTV & Resto Bar are located at Timog Avenue in Quezon City and at Jupiter Street in Makati.

Karylle as Sita in Ballet Philippines’ Rama Hari

While Karylle is enjoying the success of the opening of the newest branch of Centerstage KTV, she can’t afford to rest since she’s also scheduled to open Ballet Philippines’ restaging of the classic Rama Hari. This modern classic featuring the choreography of Ballet Philippines founder Alice Reyes, the libretto of National Artist for literature Bienvenido Lumbera and the music of Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, and set and costume design by National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal, will have its opening night on November 30, 2012, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). Joining Karylle who plays the singing role of Sita will be her Kitchen Musical co-star Christian Bautista who plays the singing role of Rama. Rounding the cast are Robert Seña, OJ Mariano and Kalila Aguilos alternating as Rama and Sita in certain performances, Cristian Rey Marbella, Noel Rayos, Lani Ligot, Amparo Sietereales and Brezhnev Larlar.

Joining the powerhouse vocalists are Ballet Philippines’ principal dancers Jean Marc Cordero and Richardson Yadao essaying the role of Rama, Carissa Adea and Katherine Trofeo as Sita, and the rest of the BP company. This production also features the live music of the Manila Symphony Orchestra for its entire run. Ballet Philippines’ Rama Hari will run from November 30, 2012 up to December 9, 2012.

Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical showcases the future of Philippine theater

November 16, 2012-December 16, 2012

Onstage Theater

2nd Level, Greenbelt 1, Greenbelt

Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center

Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

Right now, one of the biggest news in the Philippine theater scene is the upcoming auditions for the West End Revival of Miss Saigon. It is expected (and dreaded as well) that there will be a mass exodus of local theater’s top talents who would make the cut. And the theater companies would just have to bear with those who would be leaving their roster for a significant amount of time. But one such theater company, Repertory Philippines knows that there will always be new and fresh talents out there who will be the future of Philippine theater. And these new and exciting discoveries will be the main highlight once they stage their last offering for this season: Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical. The show opens on November 16, 2012 and will run until December 16, 2012 at Onstage in Greenbelt 1.

The cast of Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical

Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical is based on the hit Disney Channel original movies Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam that starred the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. Repertory Philippines’ production boasts a cast of 35 with about half of them making their theater debut. The cast is led by Markki Stroem, Nacho Tambunting and Jeff Flores will portray the Gray brothers Shane, Nate and Jason. Star Factor alum Morisette Amon plays the role of Mitchie Torres. Other cast members include Cheska Ortega, Justine Peña, Nel Gomez, Cara Barredo, Mica Fajardo, David Shawn Delgado, Kiara Dario, Justin Valiente, Hans Braga, Karyl Factora, Eric Mercado, Rem Zamora, Hans Eckstein. The young ensemble consists of Jin Dimson, Jazmine Zabala, Alex Reyes, Chaye Magg, Shalee Vicencio, Eddie Thompson, Jim Ferrer, Sam Aquino, Steve Hotchkiss, Kelly Nicolas, Fran Jose, Antonio Lane, Daniel Delgado, Erika Pangan, Aly Wijangco, and Arianna Norton.

I can still remember almost a year ago when I overheard Markki Stroem express his interest to be part of Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical. Since then, Markki has seen his career flourish through his steamy pre-valentine concert Make Me Sweat, his much talked about walk down the runway for a magazine’s event, his impressive debut record Thousands of Pieces and also his upcoming independent film Slumber Party wherein he portrays a gay role. So it’s very interesting to see him portray a squeaky clean, wholesome character this time around after pushing the envelope in his past projects.

Markki Stroem

One major thing that astounded me about this production is the abundance of such a young and inexperienced cast. I asked the show director’s Audie Gemora if it was challenging to work with them. He diverted the question to his assistant director Topper Fabregas who seemed to bear the brunt of working with newbies. But Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo stressed that while most of their cast members are young, she sees in them the passion and dedication to the craft. And that she believes that everyone from them can make it big if they decide to pursue theater as a profession. It’s no wonder that despite the impending loss of talents because of the Miss Saigon auditions, Repertory Philippines don’t seem to be too worried since they pride themselves as the training ground for theater actors. I admit that I am neither a fan of the Jonas Brothers nor of the source movies where this musical came from. As for me, it will be a chance for me to see the young ones show what they’re made of. I remain optimistic that when these kids make it big years from now, I can brag that I’ve seen them back then when they were in Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical.

Ticket prices:

P1000 Orchestra Center

P800 Orchestra Side

P500 Balcony

For inquiries:

Repertory Philippines 571-6926, 571-4941, info@repertory.ph

Ticketworld 891-9999

Stageshow Closing Night

Roeder Camañag and Liesl Batucan

To say that Tanghalang Pilipino’s Stageshow had a rough first week was an understatement. First of all, it had to contend its opening week with the last week of the much touted Phantom of the Opera. And it didn’t help much that the publicity for Stageshow was scarce also. So it broke my heart to know that it got clobbered by the Phantom in terms of audience turn out during its first week. But somehow, the dozens of people who had seen Stageshow became very vocal and rallied behind the show, urging people to see it before it ends its very limited two week run. And it worked since the attendance picked up considerably on its second week.

Roeder Camañag

I did manage to catch a performance of Stageshow during its second week. More specifically, I was able to catch its last performance. I was glad that I got to see a different set of leads during my second viewing. For the closing performance, Liesl Batucan and Roeder Camañag played the roles of Ester and Tirso respectively with May Bayot portraying the role of Magdea. Right from the opening number of Mambo Magsaysay, it was already noticeable that Liesl and May are very good singers enabling the Tres Dahlias (with Angelina Kanapi as Chabeng) to do three part harmonies which I really loved. Liesl also provided a sense of lightness and optimism that radiated even when her character went through hard times. I believed that things would turn out right for her in the end because Liesl’s Ester who believed it too convinced me. Roeder, on the other hand, exuded swagger and sexiness as Tirso. He delivered competent vocals which was expected since he’s had extensive musical theater experience and a recording career at one point to boot. Liesl and Roeder also were light on their feet and exhibited good carriage during the tap dancing sequence. I don’t want to say which Tirso, Ester or Magdea was better. All I can say is that I am one lucky chap to be able to see different actors portray the same roles. Seeing both sets of actors gave me a more complete experience with Stageshow.

And something a little extra was on hand after the show as well as Nanding Josef, Tanghalang Pilipino’s artistic director gave out awards to Bayani Casimiro (received by his son Tony Casimiro), Pilita Corales and German Moreno. These three are some of the celebrities who have had some experience performing at stageshows. And German Moreno was very emotional when he received his award since he was greatly affected with what he saw with Stageshow. His lengthy acceptance speech was littered with anecdotes during his stageshow days which entertained the audience.

Stageshow cast members with Pilita Corales and German Moreno

I do hope that others who failed to see Stageshow during its initial run will get to see it when it gets re-staged for the National Theater Festival. This production, directed by Chris Millado is the last play written by the late Mario O’Hara. Catch Stageshow on November 7, 2012 at 8:00 PM and November 8, 2012 at 3:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

Razorback’s XXII Anniversary Party

Razorback performs at their XXII Anniversary Party

I’ve always liked to say that I am afraid of rock musicians who beat up classical music geeks like me. This has been what I’ve always used to express my apprehension in attending rock concerts and my discomfort being around rock musicians of any sort. But I am not getting any younger and I knew that there would come a time when I need to face this fear and try to overcome it.

Razorback at Radio Republic’s Live @ 2299

Basti Artadi interviews Razorback

Radio Republic, the online video streaming station (and one of the happiest places on earth) was instrumental in helping me overcome this fear. For one, it’s unavoidable since rock musicians also consider it as one of the happiest places on earth as well. Sandwich frontman Raimund Marasigan’s occasional visits to the station often cast a dark cloud of fear whenever I happen to be there as well. People say that he’s a nice guy (and I do believe them) but I just couldn’t help but feel this way whenever he’s around.

During Wednesdays, Radio Republic broadcasts a show called Rock Bato hosted by Wolfgang’s Basti Artadi. This program is devoted solely to rock music which explains why I’ve never been to the station on a Wednesday. But I gathered up my courage and uncharacteristically dropped by when the band Razorback was the featured guest. For almost a year now, the band’s manager Patrick Pulumbarit of Redbird Rockstar Mgt has been urging me to take the plunge and step into the rock world. And what better way to take that first step than through Radio Republic?

Unfortunately, Patrick had a health scare and wasn’t able to accompany Razorback when they appeared on Rock Bato. But it didn’t matter since I’ve had a great time listening to the very insightful interview conducted by Basti which really surprised me. I’ve had this notion that rock stars only talk about getting drunk and high. But Basti really delved into interesting territory like the band’s gig history and how they manage to send each other signals to give each other cues while performing full blast. And the band also performed a handful of songs as well.

Tirso Ripoll, Kevin Roy, RAd and Brian Velasco

After the show, I’ve had the privilege to hang out and share a few drinks with Basti and Razorback although only vocalist Kevin Roy, guitarist Tirso Ripoll and drummer Brian Velasco remained. Bassist Louie Talan and guitarist Manuel Legarda had to leave late into the program as they had to head to other gigs later that night.

Overall, it was a giant first step for me to be able to survive this experience. It was just too bad that Patrick wasn’t there to witness it. But I knew right from the start that this was just my way of preparing for something much bigger and more rocking experience that happened less than a couple of weeks later.

Razorback’s XXII Anniversary Party

Last year, Razorback released their album Three Minutes of Glory at the Music Museum that I unfortunately missed due to illness. That was supposed to be my initiation towards the rock world but I guess that it wasn’t meant to be at that time. Thankfully, the band has fallen into the routine of having a major gig sometime at the end of October to commemorate their anniversary. And for this year, their 22^nd as a band, they held their anniversary concert/party over at Googel Bar and Grill.

Remarkably, things fell into place with nary a hitch when it came to this event. First came the Rock Bato appearance at Radio Republic which I considered as a dry run for the Googel Bar and Grill anniversary concert which was truly the main event. For this one, I knew that I would be outside my comfort zone and in the midst of people who live, breath, eat, drink, and sleep rock music. And a very impressive crowd did turn out at the venue prompting the owners of Googel Bar to place more tables and chairs to accommodate the patrons who kept on arriving before the concert started.

Once the show started, I initially watched from a distance at the table specially reserved by Patrick for his guests and guests of the band. But around half an hour into the show, I had the urge to join the other revelers right in front of the stage. Once I got there, I somehow felt like an infiltrator who could be caught and be exposed at any moment by the long time fans of Razorback in there. And there I was, the newbie who don't know much about the band's discography among the hardcore fans who practically knew every line of each song that was played. Soon enough, I found myself nodding my head to the beat of the music and feeling elated with the bass thumping through my veins. One of the songs that really caught my attention that night was Ikot ng Mundo which was made possible through its very interesting drum line.

Louie Talan, RAd, Manuel Legarda and Brian Velasco

After the two hour long concert, I told the band that I’ve drunk a lot more back in Radio Republic but I felt more high during this night instead. After the concert, I found myself at the band’s dressing room/holding area and managed to drink way more than I did back in Radio Republic. For someone who has never been to a rock gig before, spending the time after the concert drinking with the band was really something. I admit that this didn’t turn me into a hardcore rock fan. Of course, I do listen to Razorback, especially their Three Minutes of Glory album. But for me to suddenly adapt a rock lifestyle is something that’s totally out of my character. It was still a mission accomplished for me since not only did I gain this memorable experience, I also learned to appreciate more this genre of music. And most important of all, I finally overcame my fear of rock musicians. So seeing me in another rock gig should no longer surprise people.

This experience won’t be possible without the generosity, understanding and patience of Patrick of Redbird Rockstar Mgt and also to the awesomeness of people of Radio Republic. I will always be grateful for all the opportunities you’ve given a classical music geek like me.

Three Minutes of Glory

Tracks

1. Daan-daang Dahilan

2. Ayon sa Kanya

3. Amused

4. Atin-atin Lang

5. Three Minutes of Glory

6. 29

7. Wonderful Life

8. Mea Culpa

9. Earthbound

10. You and Your Sins

11. Necromantic

12. Father’s Day