My favorite things

I grew up with The Sound of Music. No, I was not born in the theater. My father had many Broadway albums in his LP collection (that’s long-playing, compared to the smaller sized 45s  if you can’t figure out what I’m talking about, you’re too young, so Google it). Even before the Hollywood hit with Julie Andrews, I could hum, if not sing, most of the tunes on the Mary Martin version (Google her, too).

That’s the beauty of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical. It is timeless. The musical has been mounted every decade since it gained popularity from the ‘50s onwards. That’s half a century and at least two or three generations of audiences worldwide. It was and still is a popular musical here in the Philippines, too.

The sad fact, however, is that I have never seen the musical on stage. It was not playing in New York or London the few times I visited those cultural capitals. When I heard that it was playing here in its full production glory, I took my better half and the kids and herded them off to Resorts Worlds Manila (RWM).

We had spent a Holy Week vacation in the complex (staying at the then newly- opened Marriott Hotel) a few years back. Twink and I were surprised at how the complex has expanded and grown more vibrant in just two years. There are two more hotels, an all-suite Maxim’s and the value hotel Remington.

The 1,500-seat Newport Theater is now hosting The Sound of Music. Soon, The King and I.

There are now also a plethora of restaurants to choose from, aside from a modestly sized but complete mall for the shopping-inclined, the Newport Mall. The complex is topped now with a couple of cinemas, always a draw but in the last year or so, another entertainment amenity has emerged as one of its tops attractions — The Newport Performing Arts Theater.

The1,500-seat theater hosted Kaos, which brought in the public in droves. The 1,000 slot machines and 300 table games in the gaming section of the complex were an attraction for sure, but the Filipino market is different and seems to balance its entertainment requirements with the need to be entertained with song, dance and spectacle.

The original RWM production was a Las Vegas-meets-Broadway type of spectacle that drew audiences from even north and south of the country. RWM’s location beside NAIA 3 has made it even more attractive for travellers from the rest of our 7,100 islands. They would arrive in Manila and within half an hour be checked in and strolling around the complex.

Local folks also like the complex’s accessibility. SLEX and EDSA make the complex close to many of the metropolis’ cities. The several thousand parking slots available in the complex are another reason people are drawn to the complex (large enough, by the way, to be called a whole urban district on its own).

Back to the musical. We had heard great reviews of the performances of top theater and music artists Joanna Ampil as Maria, Audie Gemora as Captain Georg Von Trapp, Pinky Amador as Baroness Elsa Schraeder and Leo Martinez as Uncle Max Detweiler (My wife Twink remembers he had already played the same character eons ago). And the cute littlest Von Trapp daughter Gretl, played by Alexa Villarroel.

We hoped to catch the show with this full cast but we had opted for a matinee and as it turned out it was Ariel Rivera who played Captain Von Trapp. No matter, he turned out to be a revelation. He and the rest of the cast delivered wonderfully cohesive performances. Ampil was flawless, Amador was tailor-fit for her role, and Leo Martinez was all-show biz Uncle Max. The Von Trapp kids were great and the nuns of the abbey delivered a religious experience.

The world-class Newport Theater in Resorts World, Manila

We watched the show with six kids (two ours and their rest cousins). Normally restless unless distracted by a small screen or video game, the younger ones amazingly were captivated by the live staging. I remember my first experience with musical theater was later in my life than most. I was 16 and it was Mass at Meralco theater. I recall being enthralled by the performances and by the novelty of feeling the music and not just listening to it on the Hi-Fi set (younger ones, look this up).

Our mini Von Trapp group had as much fun as the cast seemed to have. Of course it helped that we were in an eight-seat VIP box with lazy boys and eat-all-you-can popcorn. The theater experience has evolved. On stage too, technology has caught up with theater. The Newport facility boasts the country’s largest indoor LED screens. They provided the changing scenery that brought us to pre-war Austria, the old abbey, the Von Trapp estate and the hills that were digitally brought to life complete with birds flying and clouds drifting across the blue sky.

We came out completely satisfied with the experience, Juancho, our bunso, didn’t want to leave the comfort of his seat. We were only able to pry him loose with a promise to go find pizza (we did better by going to the buffet that we love at the Marriott).

The show and theater piqued my interest and I arranged to meet the main cast a few days later; also because I wanted to catch up with Audie and Pinky, who I knew (from ages ago when I was peripherally in show biz — yeah, look that one up too guys) and with Joanna Ampil, who, I met in Singapore sometime in the ‘90s.

Theater-goers pose with the standees outside

I had an interesting time with the three stars, discussing a wide range of topics from the state of theater in the Philippines (improving), the availability of venues (also improving), the pool of talent (expanding because of a resurgence fuelled by popular TV like Glee and such). All expressed anticipation of new opportunities for future roles and larger productions. Joanna wants to play Mary Poppins. Pinky and Audie talked about the upcoming production of The King and I. The Sound of Music production itself is extended to May 27.

We got into a lively exchange about theatrical venues in Manila. The discussion centered around the need to design many theaters to properly accommodate the needs of various types of productions, from straight plays to large musicals and even operas. I’ll leave this subject for a future article I’m developing and after I’ve tracked down more people involved in the cultural scene.

All this will be all the more relevant taking into account the success of RWM’s productions and a trend that may arise (thankfully) of incorporating actual theaters and performance venues in large private developer-led projects. This will only serve to add vibrancy to districts and the whole metropolis as well. I hear that the driving force behind RWM and Megaworld is planning an even larger and more fully-equipped venue for performances in another new district in the metropolis.

With the resurgence of musical theater and the performing arts in Manila, our corner of the world may become one of the favorite things included in tourist must-visit lists. We have the natural advantage of world-class performers, production people, directors, choreographers, art directors, set and lighting designers, and other creatives. I hope too that these new venues being designed use Filipino architects and designers and that local artists and producers are consulted to make sure that we will be the capital of culture of Asia.

Maria and the Von Trapps: Playing at Resorts World Manila

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Feedback is welcome. E-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com. For information on the Sound of Music or The King and I please contact Resorts World Manila at +63(2)908-8833 or TicketWorld at 811-9999.