The joys of the juveniles

Something’s rocking the theater scene in Manila. Youthful spirit, impressive dancing and exhilarating music are let loose at the Meralco Theater. If you’re ready to dance on your seat – if not on your feet – go watch Stages’ Footloose the Musical and start shaking the world with some of the ‘80s hits. Never mind if you have two left feet.

Footloose, for the uninitiated, is a stage adaptation of the 1984 hit movie starring Kevin Bacon and originally staged on Broadway in 1998 with Stephen Lee Anderson playing the lead. From the ingenuously crafted script of Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbly, Footloose posits on the ventures of Ren McCormack, a Chicago teen who, together with his mother who was just abandoned by her husband, finds a home in his uncle’s place in a small, conservative town called Bomont in "Anywhere, USA." Ren, whose penchant for dancing is insatiable, rocks the faith of the whole town and consequently earns the ire of the ultra-conformist people, particularly Reverend Shaw Moore. Dancing, unlike in Ren’s former city of Chicago, is not allowed in Bomont. He questions this repressing rule and instead of submitting himself to the limiting dogma of the young once, he instead entices the young ones to dance. Ren and the rest of the teenagers in Bomont dare to dance until the ban is lifted and the whole town is liberated from the bondage of repression.

The musical, though pumped up with escalating energy, is a desiccating commentary on religious rigidity. Even if Reverend Shaw has been the "Bible" of Bomont for years, his being the ultimate voice and conscience of his little town is no match to the big dream of Ren who aspires to express juvenile freedom by mixing dancing with one’s faith.

The cast of the Philippine-run Footloose – thanks to Audie Gemora’s Stages for producing it – proves that Filipino talent is truly never second best. They sing and dance in this high-energy musical, leaving the audience panting and wanting for more even after the curtain call.

Even if Jonard Yanzon (the other Ren McCormack apart from Jay-R) and the rest of the company started on the wrong foot, err, delivered a rather low-energy opening scene singing and dancing the supposedly energy packed Footloose, they successfully managed to turbo-prop their energy level in the succeeding scenes. From then on, never mind if at times Yanzon danced off beat, the ball started rolling and theater spectators were glued to what these thespians would do on stage. Yanzon, according to some insiders, did the opening night last week instead of Jay-R. Could it be true that Jay-R has not yet memorized his speaking lines? Oh well… If this is the case, Stages needs a hero, the way Footloose characters need one when they sing Holding Out For A Hero. Just in case the production needs a hero, Giancarlo Magdangal (who currently plays the dance-challenged Willard Hewitt) can definitely save the day. Meanwhile, let’s wait and see when the so-called Prince of R&B finally displays his thespic skills this weekend.

Theater veterans Audie Gemora, who played the seemingly unbending religious autocrat Reverend Shaw Moore, and Philippine theater’s first lady Carla Martinez as Ethel McCormack delivered a tour de force performance. Gemora’s display of character shift from being a ruler to a "follower" of the youth was impeccable as evidenced by his I Confess rendition. On the other hand, Martinez and Agot Isidro (as Vi Moore, the patient wife of Shaw) both displayed vocal prowess and acting adeptness in Learning To Be Silent. In Can You Find It In Your Heart?, Isidro tackled pain so poignantly her voice would find its way to crack the deepest recesses of your heart. Pain had never been this beautifully rendered.

Though Iya Villania (as Ariel Moore, the unfazed and rebellious daughter of Shaw and Vi Moore) proves that she, too, can be a stage performer (apart of course from being a VJ and a host of a noontime show), the fact still remains that she needs more guidance to truly call the world of the performing stage as her next playing field. She was awkward many times in her dancing scenes. But let’s give it to the girl for it is her first foray in stage acting. Nevertheless, she, too, proves that she can carry a tune or two, just like the next Pinoy in the audience.

Nikki Valdez is a total revelation. This small-but-terrible girl has a roaring stage presence. She breezes in her scenes like a graceful leopard before venturing into a kill. As Wendy Jo, one of the three loyal friends of Ariel, Valdez delivers a killing performance. One wonders if she, too, will get to play Ariel Moore in the future. And yes, Kyla Rivera (Urleen) and Caisa Borromeo (Rusty), as the other best friends of Ariel, deserve the same felicitations.

At some point, I thought I was watching a technical rehearsal – I saw the matinee last Saturday – especially when the spotlight was not speckled on Yanzon’s and Villania’s faces as they sang Almost Paradise, the part where the young lovers expressed to themselves what they meant for each other. It was such a scene of romantic comedy when, instead of their faces being highlighted, the spotlight was focused on other parts of the actors’ bodies. Several times, too, the performers’ lapels went kaput or crackled. It was a good thing, however, that the voice box of the players were powerful enough they could go on singing without the aid of microphones.

The hitches, however, were not enough to dampen the mood of the audience. The musical was able to convey a myriad of messages: love and loyalty, dedication and devotion, friendship and fidelity. By and large, the cast was able to rub its soaring spirits and infectious inertia to theater spectators. And yes, so to speak, everybody in the house went Footloose.