Cruising with Reuben Laurente

Curtain-raisers:

•  Did you know that before he “trapped” the celebrity mother, an equally controversial celebrity guy first eyed the daughter? Is that why up to now, the daughter hasn’t really forgiven the guy and openly resents her mom’s relationship with him?

•  You know that the 2010 fever is heating up when smear campaigns against presidentiables (dozens of them!) start to fill up your e-mail and your celfone’s inbox with muckraking. Among the victims are an actually happily-married couple who are being linked to partners who are likewise happily-married couples. Warning: Don’t swallow those “hate” items hook, line and sinker; take them with a grain of salt and a shrug.

• An actress-politician vehemently denies that she’s pregnant, courtesy of a city official linked to her. Maybe she is, just like everybody else, suffering from the oppressive summer heat that’s why she has reportedly not been attending meetings.

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Performing on the 142,000-ton luxury liner Marine of the Seas, the fifth ship in Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Voyager class and the largest ship to sail from Port Canaveral and the South American horn, was a true experience of a lifetime.

“Hard but memorable,” said former The CompanY Reuben Laurente who, for five months, was the only Filipino in the group performing at The Savoy the liner’s 1,350-seater art-deco-style theater. “And lots of fun. One time, I almost fell off the stage while walking on the semi-arched ramp measuring 30 inches in width because of the big waves. Luckily, the stage was designed with safety measures.”

Two more Filipinos are performing on two other luxury liners from the same company, Anna Fegi on Radiance of the Seas and Roy Rolloda on Majesty of the Seas.

Reuben’s group included Patty Dessources (said to be America’s next diva), Joel Walker (also a part-time model from Virginia) and Amanda Avila (one of the American Idol finalists, together with Carrie Underwood who finished No. 1), along with 11 dancers from the USA and Canada. They were known as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) Mariner Cast of 2008-2009.

The itinerary included the Caribbean Islands (Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, US Virgin Islands, St. Martin of the Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts and Barbados), Central America (Mexico and Costa Rica), and South America (Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru).

“What made the cruise more memorable was the support of Filipinos working in the ship,” said Reuben. “They were proud of me as the first Filipino featured entertainer on the Mariner.”

After passing the audition at the Halili-Cruz dance studios in Manila in April last year, Reuben trained for the shows at the Royal Caribbean Production Studios in Hollywood City, Florida, under Ben Bryant (as vocal director) who played Luntha in the Broadway production of The King & I.

Their group performed in two production revues, Front Row (a tribute to the key entertainment venues in America) and Pure Energy (a tribute to ’80s music). Solo, Reuben also performed for the Captain’s Reception Ball, the Summer Breeze and at the Ellington Bar (jazz sets). 

“It was exciting because we were performing before an international audience. I had five costume changes for Front Row and nine even more death-defying costume changes for Pure Energy.”

Here not just for a breather but to promote his new album, Heartblends (produced by Henry Onglatco of Real Talent Entertainment) which carries 13 covers (Too Many Walls, It Must Have Been Love, If Ever You Change Your Mind, All At Once, I Honestly Love You, Miss You Like Crazy, Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, Never Give Up, Wishing On The Same Star, Never Should Have Let You Go, I’ll Never Get Over You, Out Here On My Own and Words Get In The Way).

In June, Reuben will fly to Florida to prepare for his next stint, this time on the Navigator of the Seas, which will cruise around the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Europe.

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