A musical straight from the kitchen

SINGAPORE — It was a gastronomic and musical midday as The Kitchen Musical screened its pilot episode at the Republic Polytechnic. If it were a scrumptious meal, The Group Entertainment-produced TV series had me at my first bite. As an appetizer, however, the first episode didn’t disappoint to titillate my palate to ask for the main course to be served pronto, and the dessert to culminate the “gastro-musical” experience. It will premiere in October on Studio 23, Indonesia’s MetroTV, Malaysia’s nTV7 and AXN Asia.

The Kitchen Musical has the right mix of music, food and drama peppered with MTV-inspired monologues of the main cast. It looks tempting and tastes good as an entertainment fare. What makes The Kitchen Musical extra special is the Pinoy talent in it. Lead stars are Karylle, Christian Bautista and Arthur Acuña. Thou Reyes and Ikey Canoy play support roles. AJ Lacuesta is the assistant choreographer while Gerard Salonga is the musical director-arranger. Gerard sets the perfect ambiance to reveal every character’s mood — giving popular tunes with a twist. It’s comforting to know that Filipinos can have a slice of Asia’s entertainment pie.

“We do love to sing. It is something I’ve always known of a Filipino,” offers Karylle. “When it comes to that, it’s a given. I’m just happy that this opportunity opened up for us... We are grateful. It will open even more doors. There will be more musical shows (to be produced). That can really showcase a lot of Filipino talents.”

“It’s amazing when you think about it that they put a lot of trust in Filipinos,” adds Christian. “Our musical director is Gerard Salonga who is an integral part of the show.”

Christian Bautista: I can identify with my character Daniel Ray

In the 13-episode TV feature, Karylle is sous chef Maddie Avilon who works in her family-owned restaurant, The Avilon. Her entry seems unpalatable to head chef Alex Marcus played by British actor Stephen Rahman-Hughes. He thinks The Avilon’s kitchen “is my kitchen and people come for my food.” This creates tension between Alex and Maddie, especially when the latter wants to update the resto’s menu. One of the two things Alex hates is to experiment and concoct a new dish. The other one is to fall in love. Getting rid of Maddie in Alex’s way is a tall order since her name is on the restaurant.

Sous chef Daniel Ray (Christian), on the other hand, is a shoulder to cry on to Maddie. He and Maddie are childhood friends. Adding spice to the storyline is The Avilon’s sommelier named Selena Argon (Hong Kong-based Rosemary Vanderbroucke). She is a go-getter and knows how to use her assets to ease out Maddie in the picture and win Alex’s attention. Overseeing The Avilon’s daily operations from dining area to the kitchen is GM Harry Shaw (Arthur). On top of that, he plays the buffer between Maddie and Alex and knows the reason why Maddie is working for The Avilon.

“There’s a little of that in me,” answers Karylle when asked if she is as pushy as her character. “When it’s kulitan time, I’m really makulit. What’s good about Maddie is even if she’s rich and bratty, she has a lot of creative ideas that should be known to the world. She has good intentions why she is fighting for an idea. But her approach is wrong. I like that she’s highly creative. In this world, I think it takes somebody to be brave. You need to be brave to be creative. I think that’s what also the show is all about.”

For Christian, he can identify with Daniel’s work ethics. Daniel has been working hard since he was 13, says Christian. He has worked his way up. When they fall in love, Christian and Daniel are all out. Both are also focused at work. Daniel, however, has a problem striking a balance between his personal and professional life. He feels that love might stand in the way of his work, and vice versa.

Karylle records a song while Christian listens to his voice recording

As the title of the show suggests, The Kitchen Musical is a triple treat. The actors sing, dance and act. Although it may look and sound like Glee, it is a totally different TV show to spice up one’s TV viewing.

“Can’t you believe that? I found it amazing,” says Christian of his dance moves in the show. “It’s a little bit stiff but it is getting there. If you just believe, I think you can and especially when you are surrounded by talented people like our choreographer Jason Coleman… He just knows how to bring out the best in the person.”

“Every number is almost like a music video,” he continues. “There are about five music videos (each episode) and not just songs. (The Kitchen Musical) is savory, spicy and beautiful. It is a collaboration of Asia’s entertainment talents.”

 “I’m a big Gleek,” shares Karylle. “I think Glee opened the door for the musicals to come back (on TV). I remember I was on the set of a horror film and I wished I were in a musical. But it was not the era of musical then. Now, it’s back. To compare, I think the issues (tackled by the show) are different because the characters are older than those of Glee. The topics are different. The jokes are different. The humor is different. It is set in the kitchen. A lot of attention is also put into the food. It’s a different world. Since they are in the glee club, it is more of competing and there’s a lot of chorale singing. For The Kitchen Musical, it is more of expressing your feelings during the day or what’s going on in your head when you suddenly get into your fantasy mood. This sometimes happens to us. I guess that’s the difference. We do not perform.”

Both Karylle and Christian work with a multi-racial cast and crew from sun up to sundown. Working here for the past two months and a half has given Karylle a different perspective about life. She is a first-time OFW unlike Christian who has done work in Indonesia before.

“All my life I’ve been small minded in a sense that I’ve always been home,” she says. “All my best friends work abroad. I could never understand then why they left the Philippines. For me, it’s not about leaving. It’s just about opening your mind to other things. There’s more to the world than just home.”

Karylle and Christian should be on the set at 7 a.m. and wrap up everything by 7 p.m. They should be up at 5:45 a.m. and the van is ready to pick them up at 6:15 a.m. They also attend dance rehearsals and audio recordings. Everything is done fast-paced and well-planned. Everybody gets a good night sleep. That’s why “no one is getting sick. No one is going to the hospital,” says Christian. Sunday is their “Me Day.”

 “The things that are happening are amazing,” says Karylle on the new development in her career. “I always think that God is a generous God. We should not limit the blessings that we receive. We have a saying back home that goes, ‘You can’t have it all.’ But you can. You just have to be thankful. And be open to the idea that if now is not the right time, it will come in God’s time. And for me, this is it. I waited patiently… To my surprise, it’s my first lead role and an international one. I’m very thankful.”

After watching The Kitchen Musical’s first episode, one can’t help but say, “Bon appetit.”