Why direk Bobby Garcia took a chance on K-La

If anyone ever doubted that some things are meant to be no matter what, then they’ve not heard about how K-La Rivera landed her role in Atlantis Productions’ upcoming offering In The Heights.

 K-La was spotted by In The Heights director Bobby Garcia on ABS-CBN’s Star Power early this year. After placing fourth place in the tilt, Bobby invited K-La to audition for In The Heights which was set two days later. K-La spent the next day rehearsing and lost sleep that night thinking about the audition.

Come audition time, K-La forgot her lines and bungled up the lyrics of her audition piece. “I was so nervous that I wasn’t able to check on my lyrics sheets. When I flipped the page, I was staring at a completely different song. I was thrown off,” she recalled with a grimace.

K-La said that at the time, there were still about 30 people who were vying for the role. Seeing that the competition consisted of TV and theater actors, her heart sank. “I didn’t think I’d make it. I was so…raw,” she said.

But, it was this very rawness that got her the job. Days later, K-La learned that Bobby “took a chance” on her because he felt that because she was new, she was willing to go the extra mile over those who already have theater experience. “Bobby told my road manager, ‘If she’s willing to work hard, I’m willing to train,’” she said, smiling.

K-La can relate to Nina, the character she plays in In The Heights. K-La hails from Calgary, Canada and like Nina, she left behind family, friends and all things familiar to chase after her dreams. K-La admits that back in 2009, during her first months here, she has had bouts with feelings of loneliness and uncertainty.

“There came a point when I realized that it was all up to me, that I was on my own. Of course, my family back home was very supportive and they told me that I can always return if things fall apart. But in my heart, I knew I couldn’t bear letting them down,” she said.

K-La’s initial goal was to become a singer. Now that she has worked on In The Heights, she is open to branching out to different things as long as these would allow her to entertain people and hopefully impact their lives positively.

In the Heights took Broadway by storm when it opened in 2008 garnering an astounding 13 Tony Award nominations and winning four Tony Awards including the Tony Award for Best Musical. It tells the story of three generations as they struggle to forge an identity in a neighborhood on the brink of transition. The score written by Lin Manuel-Miranda touches on hip-hop, salsa, merengue and soul music.

Others in the cast are Nyoy Volante, Jackie Lou Blanco, Ima Castro, Tex Ordoñez, Calvin Millado, Felix Rivera, Jimmy Marquez and Jay Glorioso. In The Heights runs from Sept. 8 to 18 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. For more info, visit www.atlantisproductionsinc.com.

Most innovative musical spectacle

Stomp, a high-energy, percussive symphony, coupled with dance, will be staged at the CCP in October

Stomp, the most invigorating and innovative musical spectacle, that has gotten the world clamoring for more, is finally coming to Manila! The highly-anticipated show that features a unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, will be staged at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, CCP from Oct. 18 to 23 for a limited season only.

Presented by Visa, Stomp is a high-energy, percussive symphony, coupled with dance. Although Stomp is played entirely on non-traditional instruments, such as garbage can lids, buckets, brooms and sticks, it transforms the stage into a pulsating, witty and utterly irresistible theatrical event. It has little or no melody in the traditional sense, so it doesn’t matter if your taste in music is jazz, classical, dance or pop. Stomp has no word yet, everyone can understand it.

Founded in Brighton, UK, in the summer of 1991, Stomp was the result of 10-year collaboration between its creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. Stomp was previewed at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and premiered at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it became the Guardian’s Critic’s Choice and won the Daily Express’ Best of the Fringe award.

Stomp began its run at the Orpheum Theatre in New York in February 1994 and quickly went on to win both an Obie and a Drama Desk award for Most Unique Theatre Experience. By the summer of 1994, the first American cast was in place at the Orpheum, freeing the original cast for sell out tours of North America and Japan.

Stomp, now on its ninth year in London’s West End and its 17th year on Broadway, sets its unique feet stamping, fingers drumming and adrenaline rushing feel good sensations to audiences totaling more than 15 million in 48 countries across five continents, producing pure stage magic.