Katy will be back soon

The sad news is that Katy ended its 10-day run at the CCP Little Theater last Sunday, Jan. 27, with many people missing it.

The good news is that it will have a repeat sometime in August, according to Isay Alvarez who made the announcement at curtain call while wiping away tears of joy amidst a standing ovation from a full-house audience.

“Your presence here simply means that Philippine theater is alive,” said Isay who gave a sterling portrayal of Katy de la Cruz, the country’s Queen of Jazz and Bodabil, first played by Mitch Valdes in the first staging of the musical in 1988 at the defunct Rizal Theater. The CCP Little Theater presentation was directed by Nestor Torre, with Joey Javier Reyes as scriptwriter/writer/lyricist/ and music by Ryan Cayabyab.

Isay Alvarez and Gian Magdangal (as Peping) with Tirso Cruz III as Katy’s over-protective father. Right: Dulce gives a powerful performance as the has-been Olivia.

Every song number was greeted by the audience with deafening applause. Isay’s rendition of Katy’s naughty songs, especially Balut, was memorable and her finale number, Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako was heart-wrenching. Isay fleshed every inch of the late Katy, down to her legendary throaty voice.

When Dulce as Olivia came onstage with her drunken “sermon,” she reminded us of the has-been cat Grizabella in Cats (performed by Lea Salonga  in the CCP staging). For a while when Dulce started to sing, I was afraid that she would swallow the whole stage; her voice was so powerful that, without her meaning to, she shrank the Little Theater stage.

Tirso Cruz III as Katy’s endearingly over-protective father was, to us, a revelation. His wife Lyn Ynchausti told us that Tirso has done a few musicals but we were seeing him in theater-acting for the first time and he was as natural as he was in his Guy & Pip flicks singing the iconic doll Maria Leonora Teresa to sleep. He made it appear as if theater is his habitat. More of the same, Tirso!

Epi Quizon made his late father Dolphy come alive and watching him was a great delight. He was so “very Dolphy” that we were convinced that the Comedy King “possessed” Epi during his moments onstage.

Gian Magdangal, a familiar theater denizen, was dashing as Peping, the playboy pianist who gave Katy all the heartaches she could take, sexy in movement and seductive in his singing.

Actually, all the performers (including Lou Veloso as the entablado manager, and the Leana Tabunar as Little Katy and Aicelle Santos, the Pinoy Popstar winner of the GMA talent search, as the teenage Katy) deserve a standing ovation.

What I’m trying to say is that when Katy returns in August, be sure to fall first on the ticket line. It’s a must-see.

Where’s Booster?

What’s this buzz about Booster, the pet dog of Derek Lorenzo (photo), missing? Celebs are tweeting non-stop to help Derek find his lost dog. You see it on social media (Twitter, etc.).

Anyway, if you want to check it out, it’s on Facebook.com/dereksdad.

Or you can wait until Saturday when the new Anna Banana commercial is launched.

What’s up?

From reader Rod Vincent Yabes: In the Entertainment Section of the January 28, 2013, issue of The Philippine STAR, the story about Kim Atienza celebrating his birthday with the launching of his father, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza’s biography, mentioned that former Mayor Atienza was the first mayor to be elected to three consecutive terms. Correction: The late Arsenio H. Lacson was the first Manila mayor to be elected to three consecutive terms. He was elected in 1951, got reelected in 1955 and was reelected again in 1959.

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