In this corner: Broadway vs Filipino musicals

The other day, a friend involved in theater was complaining about the difficulty of getting sponsors for an original Filipino musical or zarzuela, as against the reportedly many corporate sponsors who back up Broadway musicals staged by other companies.

And one critic-columnist has bewailed the preponderance of Broadway musicals in our midst, attributing this to colonial mentality. There should be a 50-50 balance, he asserted.

These relevant or irrelevant thoughts were percolating in my mind during the recent press conference by 9Works Theatrical (at The Loft, Manansala Building, Rockwell Center, Makati City) to announce the forthcoming Broadway musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

So I brought up the issue during the question-and-answer session.

Santi Santamaria, 9Works Theatrical executive producer, noted that from the outset, “we decided to focus on Broadway musicals because, in my opinion, people already know what they (Broadway musicals) are supposed to be.”

But, according to him, when it comes to a Filipino musical, “they still don’t know what it is. You have to be very good to market this.” And, Santamaria indicated, organizations like Peta and Tanghalang Pilipino are doing this with distinction.

Hard to come up

And Mio Infante, scenographer and costume designer, observed that “it is a fact that in the Philippines it is hard to come up with a musical. It takes too much time to come up with a new musical. For a big musical (presumably Filipino), it takes time.”

On the other hand, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” one notes, is a “little” musical, based on the iconic comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz, much acclaimed since it was first staged in New York in 1967, and popular with smaller drama groups here and abroad.

Show dates are Feb. 11, 18-19, and 25-26; and March 2-3. There are one or two performances (3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.) depending on the dates. Venue is the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City.

The play is directed by Michael Williams and stars Robbie Guevara as the naïve but kindhearted Charlie Brown; Carla Guevara-Laforteza as crabby Lucy; Franco Laurel (with Toff de Venecia as cover or alternate) as the insecure Linus; Tonipet Gaba as the precocious Schroeder (he plays the piano and adores Beethoven); Sweet Plantado as the “neurotic” Sally, Charlie’s younger sister; and Lorenz Martinez as the cute dog Snoopy.

During the press con, the cast talked about their roles and the challenges confronting them.

“Children have no inhibitions,” said Laforteza, “so we are actually playing it like that. It’s good for us.” For Plantado, however, the vocal technique (speaking like a child and singing) was the most important challenge.

“Isip bata ang galing natin dyan (we are good at childlike thinking),” opined Gaba. “The solution is with them (children), so if you can get into the mind of a child…”

“I have kids,” Laurel shared. “One is 9 years. I ask myself, how would my kids react? I get my inspiration (from them). The material is adult, so you have to strike a balance.”

For lead actor Guevara, Charlie Brown, with all his depression and vulnerability, “symbolizes the goodness which should be in everyone. You cannot be depressed all the time, so he is optimistic.”

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