Rama Hari: Still fresh after 32 years

MANILA, Philippines - In this day and age when revivals still seem to be the rage, it’s nice to find that Rama Hari, first staged in 1980, has found its own place in the sun, and is none the worse for wear, even after 32 years.

Running for two weeks at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (the run ends on Dec. 9), the pop ballet musical is the product of the collaboration of Alice Reyes, Ballet Philippines’ founder for the choreography, maestro Ryan Cayabyab setting the story to music, National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera writing the libretto and National Artist Salvador Bernal doing the set and costume design. While Kuh Ledesma and Basil Valdez were the original voices of Sita and Rama, respectively, the current revival has Karylle and Christian Bautista, ably assisted by the likes of Robert Seña, Lani Ligot, Noel Rayos, Amparo Sietereales, Brezhnev Larlar and Christian Marbella. The principal dancers are Jean Marc Cordero, Richardson Yadao, Carissa Adea and Katherine Trofeo.

Based on the Indian epic Ramayana, Rama Hari is an exhilarating tale of courtly intrigue, romance, courage and destiny. The music soars, teases, beguiles, and at one juncture, drives one to laughter; while the dance component consistently impresses, adding texture and a visual interpretation that brings forth the wonder of dance. Structurally, there is so much more to the second act, as introductions have been dispensed with, and the plot twists and turns can now enjoy free rein. I especially enjoyed the villain Ravenna, and his flighty accomplice, the enchanted witch/bird. The appearance of the monkey tribe who assist Rama and Zita is another highlight, the song about monkeys ‘ape-ing’ humans has a delightful Jungle Book feel. And with Karylle and Christian both exhibiting a newfound maturity in their voices and delivery, there’s so much to be impressed by, and love in this staging. 

While I’m all for the likes of Phantom, The Sound of Music and The King and I enjoying box-office success here, I do feel that it reflects poorly on us that we are so ready and eager to queue up and watch these foreign-created musicals; and yet, a wonderful, homegrown Filipino musical such as Rama Hari can only run for two weekends. We should show our support for good theater, great music and impressive performing no matter whether the material comes from a foreign source, or be one we can say is Filipino. I would have loved to write “proudly say is Filipino” in the last sentence, but the truth is, it’s still a struggle for this Rama Hari to find an audience of significant proportion. Do yourself the favor of catching a performance.