A little more mascara
bugle beads,
ostrich plums
when it's a beaded
lash
that you look
through”
For its 2015 season opener,
GawadBuhay award-winning theater company 9 Works Theatrical hearkens back to
the sequins, costumes, feathers and glamorous fervor of the 70s as the company
that brought you Grease, They’re Playing
Our Songand Sweet Charity brings
to life one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals – the three time Tony
Award-winning musical hit, La Cage Aux
Folles.
Literally meaning “the cage of
mad women,” with folles being a slang
term for effeminate homosexuals, La Cage
Aux Follestakes asumptuous dip into the love story ofGeorges (played by TV
and film actor Michael de Mesa), owner of a popular nightclub in Saint-Tropez,
and his life partner Albin (played by veteran stage actor Audie Gemora) who is
the club’s star attraction.
Set against the backdrop of the
70s and the French Riviera, a time when the gay revolution was high and nigh,
the musical in which the Robin Williams’ Hollywood hit Birdcage was based on, has earned critical acclaimworldwide including
the Tony and the Olivier through its many-storied glossy productions around the
globe.
The musical is based on the 1973
French play by Jean Poiret and ignites when Georges’ son Jean-Michel (played by
TV actor Steven Silva) brings home his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents to
meet him and Albin who he affectionately calls ‘mother.’ Mayhem erupts, role-playing
and hilarity ensue, and family ties and personal beliefs are put to a boiler,
leaving no feather unplucked and no sequinunpolished.
'Cause when I feel
glamorous
elegant, beautiful
the world that I'm
looking
at's beautiful too
Whilst 9 Works Theatrical
artistic director and La Cage
director Robbie Guevara and 9 Works Theatrical associate artistic director and La Cagescenographer Mio Infante have
assembled a who’s who from the showbiz, dance, ballet and theater world to
breathe new life into this production, a huge impetus fell upon the duo’s
hands. Besides the music and characteristic flair, how could you besttransport
the audiences of today into the sparkly goodness of the 70s?
One word: costume.
So when my spirit
starts to sag
I hustle out my
highest drag
And put a little
more mascara on
“While Robbie used
the song ‘I Am What I am’ as a springboard for the production, visually I
decided that the song ‘A Little More Mascara’ would be a good entry pointormise-en-scene,”
intimates 9 Works Theatrical’s associate artistic director Mio Infante. In the
process of digging deep into the psyche of Zaza, Albin’s frivolous, fabulous
stage persona, and his ravishing10-person corps de ballet otherwise known as LesCagelles,
the duo opted to manifest thenostalgia and mystique of the drag shows of the
70s and 80s as opposed to drag as we know it today.
“Drag then was more
feminine. They really imagined and believed themselves as women,” shares Infante–
the characters of Georges and Albin having themselvesworked for the famedLido de Paris cabaret show along theChamps-Élyséesbefore
arriving at Saint-Tropez. It is this proclivity for enchantment and‘illusion’
that the two characters bring to their own parochial revue.
For inspiration, Infante looked towards
the FoliesBergère,
a cabaret music hall that was very much rooted in the zeitgeist of the 1890s,
the Belle Epoch, all the way through the Annéesfolles (or the golden twenties).
Mio also found himself drawing upon the likes of turn-of-the-century
Russian-born French artist and designerErté,
and closer to the time, the flamingo showgirls from Las Vegas,to addboddess and
authenticity to the scenes involvingtheCagelles.
“We wanted to hark back to
the 1987 London production of La Cage
– the glitz, the glamour, and femininity of the follesas opposed to the 2010Meneir Chocolate Factory production
which transferred to Broadway.” It was a version that, although very much well
receivedafter bagging the Tony and Olivier, was pluckier and scaled down. “We
want to dazzle audiences with the full, sparkling regalia of the Cagelles,”
shares Robbie Guevara.
And everything's
ankle straps, Maribou, Shalimar
It's worth sucking
in my gut and girdling my rear
'Cause
everything's ravishing, sensual, fabulous
When Albin is
tucked away and Zaza is here
To elevate thisact of nostalgia,
Robbie and Mio approached the prestigious Fashion Designers Association of the
Philippines (FDAP), headed by Edgar San Diego, to weave together elaborate, one-of-a-kind
creations for La Cage Aux Folles’ iconic
musicalfinale – “what will surely be a treat for our audiences as these talented
and well-respected designers are as much a part of ourhistory as they are creative
horsepower,” shares executive producer SantiSantamaria.
Among the famed designers whose
creations you’ll seeonstage are John Abul, Danilo Franco, GenerGozum, Edgar
Madamba, Ole Morabe, Oscar Peralta, Lito Perez, NholiePilapil, RholandRoxas,
Edgar San Diego and Fanny Serrano.
“We’re truly honored to have
them onboard,” sharesInfante, adding that Repertory Philippines and theater
stalwart Baby Barredo has opened her company’s costume trove to this production
of La Cage Aux Folles. “We will be
unearthing costumes from Rep’s 1988 production, and from other shows like M.
Butterfly as well.” A visual tour-de-force and theatrical spectacle indeed!
So when it's cold
and when it's bleak
I simply rouge the
other cheek
For I can face
another day
In slipper satin
lingerie
Appearing alongside Audie Gemora, Michael de Mesa and Steven
Silva are some of today’s most respected and up-and-coming theater performers.Theater
veterans Raul Montesa and Sheila Francisco star as Jean-Michel’s ultra
conservative in-laws Monseiur and Mademoiselle Edouard and Marie Dindon. Miss Saigon alumnaAnalinBantugreturns to
the stage as restaurant owner Jacqueline while Hong Kong Disneyland performer Noel
Rayosplays Jacob the butler.
Joining them are rising stars of the ballet world Missy
Macuja-Elizalde and Joni Galeste alternating in the role of Anne, Jean-Michel’s
fiancée while the iconicLes Cagelles will be played by JP Basco, Mara Celine
Javier, Randi de Guzman, Carlos Deriada, Chesko Rodriguez, DindoDivinagracia,
CheenoMacaraig, James Stacey and TV and film starRafaSiguion-Reyna.
La Cage Aux Folles
will be directed by Robbie Guevara, with scenic and costume design by Mio
Infante, and special participation of the Fashion Designers Association of the
Philippines; choreography by Arnold Trinidad, PJ Rebullida, and YekBarlongay;
musical direction by Joseph Tolentino and Sweet Plantado-Tiongson; lighting
design by Martin Esteva; technical direction by Dong Calingacion; hair and
makeup design by Myrene Santos; and additional costume execution by Twinkle
Zamora; photography by Leo Castillo and graphic design by Larry Palma.
Heading the production team is executive producer
SantiSantamaria, with Anna Santamaria as company manager; Toff de Venecia as PR
director; GM Hernandez as marketing manager; Jonjon Martin and IssaTuason as PR
managers; Randy Salvador as production manager; and Mikey Garcia as stage
manager.
La Cage Aux Folles
will be shown at the RCBC Plaza, Makati on February 28, March 1, 7, 8, 21, 22,
27, 28, 29, 2015, with Friday and Saturday galas at 8:00pm, selected Saturday
matinees at 3:30pm, and Sunday matinees at 4:00pm.
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