Imelda musical goes mainstream in Broadway

Houston, Texas — Yesterday we wrote about an article that we got from Rappler about the presence of that Melbourne-born Musa Cerantonio who has been dubbed as the most influential Jihadist "Inspirators" in the civil war in Syria and the up and coming civil war in Iraq and that this person has been confirmed by Philippine and Australian authorities as living in the Philippines. So yesterday I searched The Freeman and Philippine Star headlines and found out that there was no report about this? Why, is there some kind of gag on mainstream media regarding this story?

Please don't tell me that the Rappler report was inaccurate and I merely reprinted an inaccurate report. If I find this story very alarming albeit disturbing, only Rappler got the report. Police intelligence should tell us the real score about this man and what he is doing in the Philippines. If this fellow, who encourages his fellow Muslims to fight the legitimate Iraqi government from his hideout in the Philippines, is famous in Syria and Iraq, there must be something more we ought to know about this man.

Again, let me remind you of an incident way back in 1994 when a bomb was exploded near SM and the police were baffled about the incident. Then a few weeks later, on Dec.11, 1994, Ramzi Youssef put a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, which was bound for Tokyo from Manila, with a stopover in Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority before it proceeded to Japan. Youssef got down in Cebu but left his bomb on the PAL plane, which detonated over Okinawa. Luckily only one man, a Japanese businessman was killed in that explosion, which his body absorbed and spared the plane's fuselage, otherwise the decompression could have caused the plane to crash. Luckily, the pilot landed the plane safely in Okinawa.

If you didn't know the man, Ramzi Youssef was related to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the 9/11 terror bombings. I just came from New York City and saw the 9/11 Museum and this is why these things are still fresh in my mind when I read that Rappler report. So back to the question, "Why is this issue not a big story in the Philippines? Is there some kind of news blackout on this story?" Abangan!

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If you've been subscribing to the New York Times, you would have read a nice report entitled "Here Lies Progress: Asian Actors Fill the Playbill" written by Patrick Healy that came out in June 22, 2014. The report says, "After decades of inching toward center stage, Asian-American theater actors are facing something that they've rarely enjoyed in New York…demand! An unusual bonanza of jobs is in the offing from new shows as well as two anticipated Broadway revivals, "The King and I" and "Miss Saigon."

More plays and musicals are also telling stories from Asian viewpoints, a long-held goal of Asian-American artists. And increasingly, Asians are landing roles that traditionally go to non-Asian actors. The biggest game-changer is "Here Lies Love," one of those rare musicals that became critically acclaimed commercial hits Off Broadway and have an open-ended run. Even uncommon, it's all about an Asian character. The subject is Imelda Marcos. With a cast of 17, the show is the first in years to offer the prospect of steady employment to Asian-American actors.

Productions of "Here Lies Love" are also in the works for San Francisco and London this fall, with Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver and Sydney and Melbourne, Australia under consideration." Indeed many of us would have wanted to see Imelda in that Off Broadway plays. But now this has become mainstream and Pres. Ferdinand Marcos is portrayed by Jose Llana and Imelda is played by Ruthie Ann Miles, a Korean-American. Sayang it should have been a Filipino stage actress who should have played Imelda. But at least Jose Llana is a Fil-Am. So the next time we go back to New York City this would be one of the shows that I would certainly like to watch.

I was truly amazed reading this article because we've always known that Filipinos are amongst the most sought after employees of the world. Way back in 1986, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce, Inc. travelled to Germany for the cooperation program with the Chamber in Kassel, Germany. When we arrived in the City of Koblenz where the Meuse and the Rhine River meet, it was already late for dinner and as we entered the bar, the band playing there came from Mandaue City and the members knew me.

Travel around the world and you will see Filipino singers in nightclubs and bars or in hotels and restaurants. Yes only a rare few make it to the top like Leah Salonga when she did "Miss Saigon." So finally, Fil-Ams and of course, Asian Americans are getting the recognition due them by landing juicy roles like the re-run of King & I and Miss Saigon. Yet we don't even have a real music conservatory in Cebu. We are fueled by pure talent! Just imagine if we had a music conservatory here in Cebu!

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