MANILA, Philippines - There is no storm and no warning when the Super Ferry unexpectedly sinks off the coast of Zamboanga province. We are bombarded with news of amazing criminal acts that seem to multiply daily. We read Juan Mercado’s piece on Fr. James Reuter, recalling his role in Radyo Bandido during EDSA 1, and of how he dedicated his life as writer, theatrical director, broadcaster, teacher to make mass media and the performing arts a force for good in the country.
We find ourself at a children’s play N.O.A.H. when we don’t normally watch juvenile theater, and marvel at the consistency with which Trumpets has pursued its gospel ministry through the years. Surely, these simultaneous happenings in our life could only point to one thing. The day of reckoning has indeed come upon us. It is time to shape up or drown along with the billions in the great flood that an angry God had foisted upon mankind trillions of years ago.
As far back as 2003, Carlo Orosa had suggested that Trumpets develop its first musical puppet show. With Jaime del Mundo writing it and Rony Fortich composing the music, it became Mr.Noah’s Big Boat and had Gary Valenciano and Bituin Escalante doing the vocals of Mr. and Mrs. Noah for the series at the Music Museum.
Today, the Meralco Theater was filled with chattering children and their parents as the morality play unfolds. It tells of a good man named Noah (Carlo Orosa), married to a cheerful woman (Shiela Francisco) who loved to cook but didn’t do it very well, and of God’s challenge to Noah to follow his commandments. Noah is told to build an ark, fill it with the male and female of every animal on earth, and finally bring along Mrs. Noah and their three kids Japheth, Shem, and Ham (real brothers Marek, Enzo and Ruiz Sison) into the ark leaving everything on earth behind.
Without understanding much about God’s commandments, Noah resists, has questions and doubts, before finally putting his faith and trust in God. This must be how Noynoy Aquino felt, when he was being asked to heed the voice of a certain majority to run for the highest post in the land. The 40 days and 40 nights of rain began as stated in Genesis, while the Noah family and the animals inside the ark try to make the most out of their perceived imprisonment, and the world outside was being besieged by flooding, the magnitude of which has never been seen before.
Finally, the rains and flooding abate and Noah leads his entire entourage out to an earth cleansed of garbage and wickedness to begin anew.
As the first project of Audie Gemora, Trumpets’ president since its formation in 1991 who has returned after a brief hiatus, N.O.A.H. (No Ordinary Aquatic Habitat) couldn’t have been a better choice. Audie reports that for this year’s production, they decided on an updating of their successful puppet show Mr. Noah’s Big Boat using real actors this time and with additional songs. Jaime del Mundo, who wrote and directed the material is known as one of the most prolific Filipino librettists in English with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Little Mermaid as his most successful. For N.O.A.H. he collaborated with first-time composer Rony Fortich who works currently as music director of Hong Kong Disneyland.
Audie points out to Little Mermaid as the most successful commercially of an entire Trumpets inventory that also includes Joseph The Dreamer, First Name, Fables and Parables, Pamilya Maleta, Young King, Widows Orphans and Wildebeests. Although 70 percent of the original puppet show version was used in the current version, Audie says that using actors with fleshed out characters still makes this show entirely different.
As the only theater company with a gospel-based ministry, Trumpets has bravely ventured into the arena of original Filipino musicals in English and has been so successful at it for Audie to state unequivocally, “I guess Trumpets is already established for its family entertainment. It’s like the local Disney. I am also confident that one day soon, we will be able to sell our material abroad.”
In casting for the musical, Audie admits “You need well-known performers to draw interest and the crowds. We originally wanted to cast Gary V. and Bituin because they recorded the voices for the puppet show. But neither were available. So we sent for stage veterans/Trumpets stalwarts — Carlo Orosa and Shiela Francisco who I think are absolutely perfect for the lead roles. We threw in Sam Concepcion as the Narrator/God to draw a younger crowd. The rest of the cast came via open auditions. We are fortunate to have three real life brothers play Noah’s sons because their rapport is so natural.“
Carlo who wears many hats as events head, talent manager, Trumpets’ board member, Playshop teacher wore his actor hat last in 2003 for the play Honk. That’s a long time for a talented performer to be away. Of course Shiela will always be known for having floored everyone at London’s Royal National Theatre run of South Pacific as Bloody Mary; having been reviewed by Variety in the same breath as Dame Judi Dench; and performing in various musicals in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Bangkok, Brunei and Malaysia. The Gospel singing Sison brothers won the 12th WCOPA championship with 11 golds, 16 silvers, a bronze for individual vocal and acting events and group vocals.
Next to the singing and dancing actors or perhaps even before the actors as far as the kiddie audience is concerned is the attraction of a gigantic ark with a moving platform and an upper deck that wades into the stage and life-sized animal puppets in brilliant colored costumes that do not always look like the animals they portray but matter least to the captivated audience. Charged with this huge task is production designer Mio Infante who dressed up the animals through the use of thin rattan frame structures with fabric and feathers carried by members of the chorus. A designer for Broadway, off Broadway, Repertory Phil., Atlantis, CCP Tanghalan, Ballet Philippines, ABS-CBN, Carousel, Ma-yi Theater, and of course Trumpets, Mio pursued BA in Interior Design at the UP, then finished his Master in Scenography/Theatre Design at the Wimbledon School of Art in London.
The young audience enjoyed most the animal shadow play and the parade portion of the play where they get to perform in production numbers. A delightful participant is minute six-year-old Carl Alexander Acosta who portrayed a little pig and was discovered through TV5’s Talentadong Pinoy where he was part of the group Freestylers, one week winner which won the grand prize at a Talentado Night on Shall We Dance?. Carl has already appeared in Kiddie Kwela, A.S.A.P., Midnight DJ and other live performances at the CCP and Joseph the Dreamer. The dancing chore was given to Audie with co-choreographers Gerard Mercado, Patricia Borromeo and Alfred Lauzon.
As far as content, Audie is confident that the kids in the audience are familiar with “the Noah story and the lesson it brings that God had to rid the earth of bad people through a flood and saved Noah, his family and animals to start anew. In our version, the lesson of a kid obeying a father is very easy for the children to pick up. For the adult, you have more profound messages dealing with sin, environment, trust in God.“
N.O.A.H. runs through Sept. 27 at the Meralco Theater. For details, call Trumpets at 631-7252.
(E-mail the author at bibsycarballo@yahoo.com)