Dreamgirls on Cebu Stage

For years, Al Evangelio dedicated his life in the literary and performing arts and the achievements he had garnered could not be duplicated by any other artist engaged in the same venues of expression. The Palanca Awardee in full-length play and the only writer to have won two top awards in the Open Asian Literary competition sponsored by the Philippine Centennial Commission in 1998 (2nd for screenplay and 3rd for musical play), never tires in developing local artists to graduate from the realm of the amateurs through personalized dramatic undertakings like A Chorus Line, Rashomon, Oedipus Rex, Inday, Paabota Ako Sa Langit, Adarna’s Song, Ka Pepe, Calamba Joe, etc. which were all critically acclaimed.

Al Evangelio has been winning awards in thespic competitions, like the one held at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he won 11 out of 12 awards in a drama and festival competition, besting seven other competitors. However, he laments the wrong orientation of the local actors – “they cannot stand discipline and they want the production to adjust to their whims when it should be the other way around.”

Dozens of awards after, one of them as Centennial awardee as Best Individual Cebuano in Arts and Culture given by City Hall, Al Evangelio is celebrating his 45th year anniversary with the staging of Dreamgirls, the multi-awarded Broadway and movie musicale popularized by Beyonce Knowles. It would be the first time that the famous play would be staged in the Philippines.

Assembling the cast was a long and tedious process with trainees dropping out more than 30 hopefuls unable to sustain the slave driving process and exploding temper! Only the strong willed and those determined to learn remained. Thus only Christine Gentica, Marnie Victorillo, Dr. Grace Balankig, Vanessa Latonio, Johar Lapasaran and Ana Mikaela Mante are holding on tight with the support of Al’s veteran performers Eman Jones Mante, Carlo Carvellida, Yenzo Evangelio, Elsie Legaspi and GMA-7 Birit Prince Jefferson Gayo.

Dreamgirls will be staged on March 5, 6, 7, 13 and 14 at SM Cinema One on specified time schedule. For ticket reservations, call 0918 4435671.