About Rent, other musicals

2010 is only in its early days but it has already figured and will still figure in two important events in musical theater. One is the 9Works theatrical presentation of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, which plays its final weekend at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza, on Ayala Ave. in Makati, this Feb. 26 to 28.

The enduring appeal of Rent has not ceased to boggle my mind. I do not see how Pinoys can relate to the play. I can’t. It is set in the underbelly of New York with AIDS stricken characters and is devoid of eye candy glamour. Then you know how hit songs can make or break concerts and musicals. These are what audiences look for. But Rent has only one, Seasons Of Love, a favorite with local groups. Check out the poignant version by the Broadway cast in the soundtrack CD that is now available from MCA Universal.

Despite these though, Rent continues to thrive. It is still playing on Broadway after many years, has been translated into several languages and made into a movie. If I remember right this must be the third or fourth production with a Filipino cast. Making out like the impoverished artists this time around are stars Gian Magdangal, Fredison Lo, OJ Mariano, Job Bautista, Nicole Asencio, Carla Guevarra-Laforteza and others. Director is Robbie Guevarra.

Now also available on CD is the soundtrack of Cats which opens at the CCP on July 24. Get one so as to familiarize yourself with the songs before watching the show. Everything comes off better when you know the songs. Like Rent, this musical has only one hit, Memory, which has been recorded by Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow.

However, Memory is so popular that a big star is often recruited to play the aging cat Grizabella and perform the showstopping number. The local production has Lea Salonga in the role. She will surely stop the show with Memory, so get ready to give her a standing ovation if you are watching the show.

Cats can certainly use Lea’s presence. Take note that although, the music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this musical really has no story. It is based on T.S. Eliot’s poems in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and has cats singing and dancing about their lives during one evening in a back alley. But it makes up for the lack of a plot with dazzling sets and costumes and charming performances. Don’t forget to bring the kids to the show. They will love those cats.

Still on musicals. Here is one soundtrack to watch out for. The show is Love Never Dies by Lloyd Webber. and it is coming out next month. You know Lloyd Webber. Aside from Cats, he also wrote shows like Joseph & His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevard and truly one of the most successful musicals of all time, The Phantom Of The Opera.

Love Never Dies is the sequel to Phantom and tells of what happens 10 years after the Phantom leaves the Paris Opera and goes to haunt the fair grounds of Coney Island in New York, USA. The Phantom in Coney Island! I always have misgivings about sequels. In this case, why tamper with a perfect original? And putting the Phantom in an amusement part can be the pits!

But then this musical was composed by Lloyd Webber and when this guy’s music plays, we have no choice but to listen. Let us wait and see what happens to Love Never Dies.

Now also available is the soundtrack CD of the acclaimed movie version of Nine. This one was based on the Tony-winning stage success of the same title, that was in turn based on the classic Fellini movie 8½. It is about this Italian movie director taking stock of his life, particularly of the women who have played and continue to play a big part in his life. 

I like it that, everybody in the cast, including the unexpected names, sing in the movie. And everybody here means lots of big names. Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Sofia Loren, Penelope Cruz, Judy Dench, Marion Cotillard, Fergie and others. Sweetest of them all though is Kate Hudson, who sings Cinema Italiano, the film’s new song. This is her first singing role and she acquits herself very well.