Nine is a 10

I watched the Atlantis production of Nine last Friday at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater at the RCBC Plaza in Makati and I went home thinking “dodo me, dodo me, how come I never saw this on Broadway.” I still do not know how on earth I passed up on Nine, although I distinctly recall New York visits during which I watched almost anything.

Because of that lapse, my first encounter with Nine was at the movies, with the Rob Marshall production that starred Daniel Day-Lewis and one of the most incredible groups of female actors ever assembled. Not bad. Sophia Loren met all expectations. She looked beautiful and there were MTV-worthy musical numbers.

But it was no feel-good experience like Marshall’s Chicago and it was quite a stretch trying to see Day-Lewis as a sexy womanizing Italian film director. For heaven’s sake, the guy is Irish and he once won an Oscar acting with his left foot. I could not see how anybody was going to think of him as Marcello Mastronianni or as somebody who can take a Mastronianni role and make it his.

Mastronianni was the first actor to play the iconic part of Guido Contini in Federico Fellini’s 81/2. Nine is a Tony-winning musical based on the movie with words and music by Maury Yeston. The story takes place in a spa in Venice during a crisis in Guido’s life.

His producer Liliane La Fleur is breathing down his neck to start his film in three days. But Guido has not even written the script or has any idea about what to do with the picture. His mistress, Carla Albanese, wants to get married and is nagging him about his divorce. His wife Luisa does not want to nag anymore. She has decided to leave him. Worst of all memories of his childhood and the voice of his mother from the grave have returned to torment him.

Guido is at the end of his rope but I have never seen writers expressed with such delightful insight as in Nine, the musical and not the movie, or as imagined for the local stage by director Bobby Garcia. In a way, I was also glad that I never saw the musical on Broadway. That way, everything about the show was a wonderful surprise.

What a set! Created by the Tony-winning designer David Gallo, it was functional in every way but was also evocative of Italy. What costumes! And I was glad to find out that those clothes were by Filipino designer in New York, Robin Tomas. And what a cast! Now Garcia is not only an excellent director. He really did a great job with this one. He also has this knack for casting, effortlessly blending competence with box-office appeal. And he really assembled quite a bunch for Nine.

Of course, I was not really surprised, they all came on board when Garcia called, the roles in Nine are the sort that actors would die for. Stage divas Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Guido’s wife Luisa, Carla Guevara-Laforteza as the mistress Carla Albanese, Yannah Laurel as the movie critic Stephanie Necrophorus; and Jay Glorioso as Guido’s mother turned in extraordinary performances. You sort of expect them to be good because such is their reputation but they did even better.

TV’s favorite bad girl Eula Valdez as Guido’s muse Claudia Nardi was a lovely sight and gave a heartfelt rendition of the show’s famous ballad Unusual Way. She should do more musicals. I didn’t know the bossa nova girl Sitti Navarro also has those high, sweet tones she showed off as the Lady of the Spa. Jape Treopaldo as Guido at nine years old is a natural on stage and has a golden voice. And Ima, dear Ima Castro, as the prostitute Sarrghina who corrupted the young Guido sent the audience home all wanting to Be Italian. I now believe she can do anything.

The evening though, belonged to Jett Pangan as Guido. It was his official anointment as the local theater’s No. 1 leading man. Though on stage throughout the show, he breezed through his paces with ease, singing and dancing, alternately funny and agonized, and never missing a line or a beat. It must have been hard work but he came through with flying colors.

That is why I sort of feel bad that he could not totally own the night. No way that can happen when Cherie Gil as the film producer Liliane La Fleur is around. The incredible Cherie va-va boomed her way through Folies Bergeres and stopped the show.

Congratulations, everybody. Love you guys. You made this Nine an amazing 10.