Ima is back on the Phl stage

It has been almost a year since Ima Castro last appeared on the Philippine stage. The pop singer and former Miss Saigon earned raves for her portrayal of Kala in Disney’s Tarzan where her rendition of You’ll Be In My Heart was one of the highlights of the musical.

She returned to London soon after Tarzan closed to continue performing in shows, including a solo concert titled Full Circle that celebrated her 20th anniversary in the business.  

Now, she returns to Manila to star as storefront psychic Oda Mae Brown in Atlantis Productions and Ten Bridges Media Corp.’s staging of the highly-anticipated musical Ghost, based on the Academy Award-winning film, which runs from April 25 to May 11 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.

Ghost is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Adapted from the hit film by its Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Bruce Joel Rubin, Ghost The Musical follows Sam and Molly, a young couple whose connection takes a shocking turn after Sam’s untimely death. Trapped between two worlds, Sam refuses to leave Molly when he learns she is in grave danger. Desperate to communicate with her, he turns to a storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, who helps him protect Molly and avenge his death. Ghost was nominated for three Tony Awards and five Olivier Awards.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in 1990, Ghost won numerous awards worldwide and is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. It starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker. Rubin’s script won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film’s iconic love scene at a potter’s wheel was famously performed to The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody. Ghost The Musical features an original pop score from multiple Grammy winners Dave Stewart (one-half of the ’80s pop duo, the Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (co-writer with Alanis Morissette on the multi-platinum album Jagged Little Pill, among many other notable credits and collaborations). The Philippine premiere also stars Christian Bautista as Sam and Cris Villonco as Molly.

Bobby Garcia, who directs the musical says, “It is always great fun to work with Ima. I have been working with her for close to 15 years and it has always been a memorable experience. She is one of the most talented performers that I have worked with and also one of the kindest people I know. I think she is going to be phenomenal as Oda Mae. I can’t wait for audiences to see her.”

We were able to ask Ima some questions before she gets into the daily grind of rehearsals for the soon-to-open musical.

What have you been up to since we last saw you on stage in Tarzan?

“Well, after the run of Tarzan in July last year, I flew back to London to do several shows leading up to my 20th anniversary concert called Full Circle which happened last December in London.”

What do you enjoy most about coming back to Manila to perform?

“Having been in London this time around for over five months, I did numerous shows there that reminded me how responsive and generous the UK audiences are. Since returning to Manila last month (February), I’ve done a couple of shows and Filipino audiences are more reserved but they intently listen to the performer and at the end of each song, that’s when they show their appreciation. It’s always a thrill to get to perform for both audiences because it keeps you on your toes.”

The revival of Miss Saigon will be opening soon in London with several Filipinos in the cast. How do you feel about this?

“I’m very excited for all the Filipinos in the revival of Miss Saigon. It has been a huge part of my life and has made me who I am today as an actress and as a person. Having been given the chance to see the world doing what I love and getting paid for it was amazing. Of course, the experience and life-long friendships I’ve made are all priceless and I hope they all experience this as well and learn so much from it. I just hope it doesn’t go to their heads because no matter how talented you are, your attitude and work ethic matter most to your colleagues and bosses.”

How does it feel to have been a part of Miss Saigon’s 25-year history?

“I have been hired and rehired for different productions of Miss Saigon globally and ended up doing it for four years in total until we closed the UK tour in 2006. I am forever grateful to everyone at Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s office for believing in me and appreciating all my hard work, commitment and dedication to the show.”

What was the most challenging thing about playing Kim? Any advice for the new cast members?

“I would say keeping it fresh every show as if it’s the first time you encounter every scene, song and person in the story. Honesty and clarity in the storytelling are very crucial. There has to be a generous amount of sincerity to affect your audience in every show. Despite the vocal demands of the role, it came to a point where I stopped worrying about how I would sing each song and deliver a word or phrase. I simply became Kim and lost Ima for three hours every night. My advice would be to not forget why they are there in the first place. They are not on holiday. They are there to work. And work hard. They get paid a lot of money to be there. A lot of actors would kill to be in their shoes so I hope that they don’t take it for granted and that they give it their all in every performance.”

Were you a fan of the movie Ghost?

“I am the biggest fan of the movie! I have seen it lots of times.”

You will be playing the role of storefront psychic Oda Mae Brown, famously played in the movie by Whoopi Goldberg in an Oscar-winning performance. Tell us about this character.

“Hah! I believe this character will be my most challenging after Kim. It is going to require huge comedic timing which I had the chance to try out in The Full Monty and Piaf last year, but the scale of Oda Mae’s character is just crazy! I believe Whoopi set the bar high in the film. She was amazing in it! I remember when I was at the opening night of Sister Act The Musical in the West End. Whoopi went onstage after the show for her speech as she was the producer of the show. I was in awe and not quite myself, thinking, I am in the same room as her, the one comedienne I truly admire because of her performance in Ghost! I am going to try to create an Oda Mae that is unique and different but that pays homage to her as she is one of my idols.”

Tell us about the stage version of Ghost.

“Plot-wise, it is pretty much like the movie but it has some beautiful pop music added to it. As I was reading the script, I noticed the minimal alterations like changing the venues of some of the scenes which makes more sense for the stage version and less gory for one particular death scene as it’s not necessary this time. I love all of Oda Mae’s songs and I especially love Molly’s song With You...I cried the first time I heard it and it still gives me goosebumps each time I listen to it.”

Ghost is about true love, fate and destiny. Do you believe in these things?

“When I was much younger than I am today (hehehe) and less experienced, these things were all the ingredients for a romantic fairytale. Now that I am, I would say, a bit older but a lot wiser and with what I’ve been through in life, I still believe in these things but on a deeper level. True love is what you make of a person, place or thing. The same goes with how you live and see your life. We create our own destiny and however we live our lives and the choices that we make end up as our fate. Some of us won’t even get the chance to figure out or realize whether we have found our true love in our lifetime. It’s the same with happiness, it’s a decision to be happy not something to search for.”

(For tickets to Ghost, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078.)