A tapestry of talents

A good show always deserves a repeat performance. I had seen (and recommended to you guys) St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos when it first opened in July this year. The show ran for 34 performances, with numerous extensions. So, you can imagine just how excited I was to hear that producer Lisa Banares of Great Events@Manila, had taken an interest in the show, and was bringing it to the AFP, where it runs until this weekend.

I made it to the premiere and the dress tech despite my hectic schedule. The play’s director Alex Cortez, a good friend from my theater days, told me members of the original cast had moved on to other projects, and had to be replaced. I knew I would miss Leo Rialp’s sensitively-nuanced Niederlein and Jake Macapagal’s haunted Fred Tinawid. What would theater stalwart Jaime del Mundo and tenor Glen Gaerlan do to the role of Niederlein? And how would Franco Laurel and Joaquin Valdez do as Fred? Much of the performances of these original cast members would be missed, new actors would undoubtedly bring their own gifts to the show.

And bring gifts they do, I am glad to say. The new cast members, as good actors always do, have their own attacks for their roles. Alternating as Fred Tinawid, Franco and Joaquin bring youth and vitality to the pivotal role of the play’s narrator. As for the Niederlein role, let me say that Jaime del Mundo, better known to today’s generation of theater goers as the director and creator of The Little Mermaid, is still one of the finest stage actors we have today. Gaerlan sings the role much better. But Del Mundo has the gravity and the sadness that make the role unforgettable. Of course, in the brief but important role of Momayon, Isay Alvarez is absolutely incandescent.

But all these memorable performances are part of the huge, dazzling tapestries of talents that is St. Louis… And the brightest of these is Arnold Reyes, who almost never leaves the stage, as the show’s lead Datu Bulan.

Arnold shuttled between Noli at the CCP, where he plays the lead role of Ibarra and St. Louis… which both opened on the same week. A lesser actor would have crumbled under the pressure, but Arnold thrives under that kind of creative rush.

As Bulan, Arnold has found a signature role. Unlike his alternate Miguel Castro, who plays Bulan in broad, noble strokes, Arnold has imbued his Bulan with a wild and feral sensitivity, truly a tribal man lost in a new world. But the real test of St. Louis… is the second act, where Bulan wanders America in the Depression years as a bum. Arnold is alternately comic and tragic, finally succumbing to a defeat that is heart-breaking.

Catch Arnold and the new cast of St. Louis… It’s like seeing a masterpiece reinterpreted. This won’t be the last time as this is one show that will continue to evolve and grow. And thank goodness, too, for the live orchestral accompaniment by the UST Symphony! St. Louis… is truly better now!

I said it before and I’ll say it again. See the show. St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos is going to be one of the greatest musicals of our time. Don’t forget to grab a CD sampler of the show’s songs, if only to hear Arnold sing the most memorable number Pusong Naglalakbay with Isay Alvarez and Maean Valentin. It’s a must-have.

Peter and Gordon

They are called the Everly Brothers of the British Invasion. They are Peter Asher and Gordon Waller, the British duo who have made hit singles after hit. That is, well, aside from the Beatles. The duo’s hits include A World Without Love, True Love Ways, and 500 Miles.

Peter and Gordon is coming to Manila for a concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 1, 8:30 p.m. and another show at Hard Rock Café in Makati on Dec. 3.

Billed World Reunion Tour, it is the first concert tour of the duo after 37 years. Audiences will be treated to a ’60s music nostalgia trip as Peter and Gordon sing their hits, A World Without Love, I Go Places, True Love Ways, Nobody I Know, Soft As the Dawn, If I Were You, among others.

Peter and Gordon first started singing together for their own entertainment, sometimes at parties or alone by themselves. When Capitol signed them up, Peter and Gordon took Paul McCartney’s composition A World Without Love to the No. 1 spot. McCartney had written it earlier in his career. The duo scored another hit in the Lennon McCartney songs, Nobody I Know and I Don’t Want To See You Again which were left unused by the Beatles and Woman written by McCartney using an alias.

Peter and Gordon went their separate ways in 1968. Peter Asher became the A and R director of the Beatles Apple Records while Gordon Waller came to America to pursue a solo career.

With the release of their greatest hits album in 2001, a renewed interest of the ’60s music was triggered among the new generation of fans.

Peter and Gordon’s World Reunion Tour is mounted by Steve O’Neal Productions.

Tickets to the Araneta concert are priced at P2,200, P1,800, P1,600, P800, P500 and P200 and available at Ticketnet outlets (891-9999) at SM department stores. For reservations on the Hard Rock show, call 893-4661-64.