It was a luminous, golden night, dahlings, as some of the country’s top theater actors from Repertory Philippines lit up the stage to celebrate the anniversary gala “Rep: 50 Years of Telling Stories,” recently held at The Theatre at Solaire.
Rep’s current board of trustees, including Mindy Perez-Rubio, Joy Virata, Bart Guingona and Miguel Faustmann, were on hand to take part in the milestone event.
Over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, guests mingled before the show unfolded.
The musical extravaganza, composed of seven segments and under the direction of Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Raymond Lauchengco, Audie Gemora, Jaime del Mundo, Freddie Santos and Michael Williams, featured select numbers from Rep productions over the past 50 years.
Among the 130 performers, aside from the directors themselves, were Noel Trinidad, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Monique Wilson, Anton Juan, Mitch Valdes, Jorge Ortoll, Miguel Faustmann, Bart Guingona, Joy Virata, Sheila Francisco, Pinky Amador, Caisa Borromeo, Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Cathy Azanza-Dy, pop singer Morissette Amon, Cocoy Laurel, Rem Zamora, Karla Gutierrez and their younger counterparts, Red Nuestro, Steven Hotchkiss, Joaquin Valdes, Becca Coates, Myke Salomon, Hans Eckstein and Abi Sulit.
The show was a fabulous and fitting way to commemorate the golden anniversary of the country’s premier theater company.
Take one more well-deserved bow, all my Rep palangga. Bravo!
‘French Kusina’
Renowned sportswear brand Fila Philippines sponsored the launch of French chef Xavier Btesh’s book, “French Kusina,” at the exclusive Manila House.
The book features mouth-watering, easy-to-make French and Mediterranean recipes perfect for intimate gatherings at home.
The guests were treated to calamansi mint coolers, as well as red and white wines. The place was filled with adorable Fila picture frames, along with new Fila products.
Fila Philippines’ chief executive officer Cris Albert, stunning in a Josie Natori Spring-Summer Collection outfit, congratulated Xavier for his book. She and Xavier are longtime friends.
Lawyer Andrea Pasion-Flores, general manager of Anvil, the book’s publisher, talked of how Xavier worked really hard after college, learning skills from famous chefs such as Pierre Marchesseau and Firmin Arrambide and discovering and loving the Philippines where he decided to settle down.
For the guests, Xavier served samples from “French Kusina,” including potato gratin and bell pepper salad, chicken lemon tajine, pesto linguini and tarragon chicken.
The chef was successful in keeping the guests’ appetite hearty. After dinner, they stayed on and listened to good music while sipping drinks courtesy of Fila.
The room was filled with lively conversation that touched on hot topics. But my lips are sealed, palangga.
