Spelling glee
Follow six youths in this riotous musical set in a comedy of errors of a spelling bee contest. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is theater at its simplest, freshest and funniest! And they’re back for a limited holiday run.
If you’re feeling the holiday blues, theater provides a great escape. I actually saw this show in New York with Filipino Broadway star Jose Llana as Chip Tolentino. Here in our shores, Atlantis Productions has been trailblazing the way with modern musicals and edgy plays — all good material to uplift the spirits of the Filipino audience. Director Bobby Garcia and company have been pushing the envelope in terms of marketing and producing great work. Their sold-out runs prove that the Filipino audience clamors for more.
Now on its 3rd run starting December 4 until the 14th at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza Makati, expect a fireworks display of great theatrical work by nine of the best actors in the industry.
Supreme gathered the cast of Spelling Bee for an impromptu spelling session with Mongol pencil accessory creations by Chi Kotur.
Meet the brightest and the best — learn and laugh with them. Word.
Spell my name! www.twitter.com/iamtimyap
Carla Guevara-Laforteza
Me as a word
Introvert. n: keeps things to myself.
Perfectionist. Adj: obsessive-compulsive; wanting everything perfect in every way.
Bet you can’t spell
Elanguescence, the slow death of a soul.
My favorite word
Love. Simple as it is, it is the essence of my life. I love my work, I love my family. I love my life.
My least favorite word
Impossible. I have erased this word in my vocabulary because I believe anything is possible. You just need to be resourceful and hardworking.
In this show, I play
Olive Ostrovsky. She is a loner, her best friend is her dictionary. She was abandoned by her mother and neglected by her father.
In the future, I intend to play
Elphaba in Wicked. It is my dream role. Come 2010, I will be playing Maureen in Rent and Linda in Wedding Singer. Eponine in Les Miserables is another dream role.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
There were more funds to stage the shows. Quality theater schools and more original Filipino-written plays and musicals.
* * *
Felix Rivera
Me as a word
Schizo. Every actor, in a way, has more than one personality.
Bet you can’t spell
Cochraine — original measure for the faster-than-light speed before its conversion to warp face in the Star Trek universe.
My favorite word
Go. There’s always something to gain in doing something new.
My least favorite word
Hopeless. There’s always something that can be done about something or someone.
In this show, I play
Chip Tolentino. He’s the kid who’s undergoing some physical changes, which will prove detrimental to the competition.
In the future, I intend to play
Jamie from Last Five Years. Aside from the lovely music, it would be a challenge to carry a show with just two actors.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
Original works were funded to undergo further workshops and stagings and if better theaters were built here, with the proper equipment.
* * *
Cathy Azanza-Dy
Me as a word
Neurotic. Adj: You kind of have to be a little off-center to be an actor.
Bet you can’t spell
Syzygy, when the Earth aligns with the moon and sun.
My favorite word
Commensalism. I won my fourth grade spelling bee because of that word.
My least favorite word
Nice. Just because it’s one of the most overused adjectives.
In this show, I play
Rona Lisa Peretti. She is Putnam County’s top realtor and has hosted the spelling bee for nine consecutive years. She is also a spelling champion herself.
In the future, I intend to play
I would like to do a lot more Tagalog/Filipino material. I’ve only done one sarswela so far and I’d certainly love to find myself in more of them. I think Filipino is a beautiful and highly expressive language on the page and on stage.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
People made it a habit to catch at least two shows a year. It would also help the industry greatly to have more schools to train so many young and talented artists.
* * *
Johann dela Fuente
Me as a word
Star, in my own right.
Bet you can’t spell
Capybara. Well, I always get rodents to spell in the show.
My favorite word
Wow pronounced by me as Huwaww! I just say it a lot, usually after every sentence I say it.
My least favorite word
Sorry. Enough said.
In this show, I play
Leaf Coneybear, he’s a slow learner in life. But very happy-go-lucky, and always looks at the brighter side of things. He has a very unique way of spelling, which you have to catch in the show.
In the future, I intend to play
Anything on Broadway! But my own dream roles are to be part of Wicked, Hairspray, and maybe another run of Spelling Bee in Broadway!
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
The government would allot more money for the arts, most especially theater. Filipinos shouldn’t just be recognized as superb actors abroad. If we had a bigger budget, better shows, Manila’s gonna be the next Broadway.
* * *
Joel Trinidad
Me as a word
Pilgarlick. n: a bald man.
Bet you can’t spell
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian, which means “pertaining to long words.”
My favorite word
Destiny — I don’t believe in it, but I love how it sounds.
My least favorite word
Regret. It is the most frightening thing I can think of. I also hate the word, tambucho, but only because it sounds so bad.
In this show, I play
Vice principal Panch. I am on medication that is sadly, not always effective.
In the future, I intend to play
More roles that do not suit me.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
There were more support for it, more support would mean more money which would mean better production values, better shows, better marketing, and this is crucial, higher talent fees.
* * *
Pheona Baranda
Me as a word
Over achiever. Adj: will do whatever it takes to get a trophy.
Bet you can’t spell.
Fuchsia.
My favorite word.
Love. Cheesy, but I just love it! It makes me feel good and conquer anything.
My least favorite word
Loser! It shouldn’t be in my vocabulary.
In this show, I play
Logainne Schwartandgru-Benniere, she has two gay fathers who always want her to be on top.
In the future, I intend to play
Princess Fiona from Shrek The Musical.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
If we had more shows to do to make it your full-time job and be rich, too.
* * *
Sheila Valderrama-Martinez
Me as a word
Obsessive-compulsive; overly cautious.
Bet you can’t spell
Qaimaqam, a general in the Ottoman empire.
My favorite word
Exag!
My least favorite word
The word shit in Tagalog.
In this show, I play
Marcy Fark, an overachiever child struggling to be free from living up to people’s expectations.
In the future, I intend to play
Jo in Little Women, Julia in Wedding Singer, and Elphaba and Nessa Rose in Wicked.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
There were more money for rights, production, and talent fees.
* * *
Lorenz Martinez
Me as a word
Maniac.
Bet you can’t spell
Apartheid. I think it means executing or killing off a race or subgroup of people.
My least favorite word
Annoying. Bobby always says it.
In this show, I play
Bartee and I think he is the smartest kid in the spelling bee. He is chubby, pimply, confident, and rude.
In the future, I intend to play
Billy Elliot.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if:
They stopped hiring incompetent showbiz actors, if we had more funding for our shows, if the government helped in the funding, if PAGCOR started producing Broadway shows, if they hired me in every show, and if there were more schools for theater.
* * *
Noel Rayos
Me as a word
Convict/Parolee
Bet you can’t spell
Dawg, that’s my gang name.
My favorite word
Pardon, that’s what my lawyers are working for; I hear it’s on Vogue here in Manila.
My least favorite word
Guilty. I hate it when the judge says that.
In this show, I play
Mitch Mahoney, the ex-con “comfort counselor” for the spelling bee kids. Also, Logainne and Olive’s dads.
In the future, I intend to play
Bobby in Company (Sondheim). Anything from the Lloyd Webber mega-musical era.
Theater in the Philippines would be better if
There were more of it in a professional setting — properly defined jobs, properly paid producers, production managers, directors, choreographers, real actors, stage managers, etc.
