Tex Ordonez returns to the Stage
MANILA, Philippines - One of the finest voices in Philippine musical theater, Tex Ordonez, returns to the stage in Atlantis Productions’ staging of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical In the Heights which runs from Sept. 2 to 18 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.
Tex Ordonez is a former resident actor of Tanghalang Pilipino and garnered critical acclaim in productions such as Paglayang Minamahal, Luna, Illustrado, and Carmen. Her one-woman performance in One Hundred Songs of Mary Helen Fee earned her even more accolades. She has also appeared in Macbeth, Ang Sinungaling, Crime and Punishment, El Camino Real, Tsinoy, Sino ka ba Jose Rizal?, Pinoy Agonistes, EJ and Dreamgirls for Atlantis Productions. She recorded the theme song to the hit movie Mano Po with Gary Valenciano and played the role of Violet in the ABS-CBN soap opera Bituin. In 2005, she joined the opening cast of Hong Kong Disneyland and in 2008 she performed in the musical Around the World in 80 Days, also in Hong Kong.
In In the Heights, she plays Daniela, the outrageous owner of the neighborhood salon where the girls gossip all day. She is forced to move to the Bronx because of rising rent. It marks her return to the Philippine musical stage after many years. She says of being back on the stage in a musical as prestigious as In the Heights, “It’s a mixture of excitement and a bit of nervousness. It’s like having to warm up all over again. Very similar to reconnecting with a past boyfriend that you still feel so much for, it’s mixed feelings actually, but all good. And my role, I’m so ‘chismosa’ here, I guess it’s so close to real life — of course, I’m just kidding, it’s just pure, simple fun.”
Tex worked with critically acclaimed director Bobby Garcia on Dreamgirls in 2003, where she brought down the house as Lorrell Robinson, and then once again worked with Garcia as part of Hong Kong Disneyland’s opening team in 2005. She says, “I feel this wonderful reconnection with the people behind Atlantis Productions, a company I have so much respect for. When I did Dreamgirls with them years ago, they made me feel so much at home, and the respect they give their actors is something I value.”
In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood — a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. In the Heights is the winner of four 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The New York Times calls it, “A musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home, with enough energy to light up the George Washington Bridge. It features a star-studded cast that includes Nyoy Volante, Jackie Lou Blanco, Ima Castro, K-La Rivera, Calvin Millado, Jimmy Marquez and Felix Rivera.
Tex says of her co-stars and of the musical, “I am also excited to be performing with a cast that I have very high respect for. The songs and dances are also something I get excited about. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music is really exciting!”
Despite many years of honing her craft as a musical theatre actress, she feels every show presents it’s unique form of challenges, “I guess that for a non-dancer like me, the choreography is the biggest challenge — but with all the love and support and high level of professionalism shown by the cast and production, I guess I’m able to dictate to my body parts to dance with the music – and mind you, learning hip hop and salsa is something that can be both grueling and nerve wracking at the same time.”
Presented in co-operation with Delta Airlines, In the Heights is directed by Bobby Garcia, choreography by Cecile Martinez, set design by Mio Infante, lighting design by Jay Aranda, costume design by Twinkle Zamora, musical direction by Ceejay Javier and vocal direction by ManMan Angsico. It is presented through a special licensing agreement with Rodgers and Hammerstein Entertainment and Broadway Asia Entertainment. For tickets, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187.
