A starry Equus premiere

MANILA, Philippines - Broadway star Lea Salonga and West End star Joanna Ampil showed up on Onstage Greenbelt to support Repertory Philippines’ Equus. At the premiere last Thursday, July 8, Lea even gave the production a helping hand by reading the pre-announcements (“...please turn off your cellphones and electronic devices....”) while she sat in the audience holding a mic, minutes before curtain call. The night Lea came to watch, theater newbie Marco Mañalac played the young lead Alan Strang.

Lea’s thoughts on Marco’s performance: “There is something brewing in his portayal of Alan Strang... I pray and hope he finds those who can help him harness it. With more experience and training, this kid could be lethal.”

The following evening’s opening night, Joanna arrived with her manager Girlie Rodis, to see the play. That night, Red Concepcion (Sam Concepcion’s older brother) played Alan.

This is what she had to say about Red and the production: “For someone who really isn’t a fan of straight plays, I thought it was a very good piece. The cast and the team behind it did an excellent job at executing the story. Credit goes to the cast, especially to Red who had the right amount of passion, intensity and lunacy the character needed. I admire him for baring his soul and more for the part.”

People are buzzing and raving about the play, written by Peter Shaffer who was inspired to write Equus, when he heard of a crime involving a 17-year-old who blinded six horses in a small town near London. Shaffer wrote a fictional account of what might have caused the incident, without really knowing any details of the crime. The play runs somewhat like a detective/mystery story, as Dr. Martin Dysart takes on the medical case of Alan Strang to better understand the cause of the boy’s actions while struggling with his own sense of purpose.

Directed by Audie Gemora, Rep’s Equus also stars Miguel Faustman, Jaime del Mundo, Tami Monsod, Pheona Baranda, Roselyn Perez, Dido dela Paz and Katski Flores.

Rep’s Equus runs On Stage at Greeenbelt Makati on July 16, 17, 23 and 24 also at 8 p.m. Matinees at 3:30 p.m. are on July 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25. For details, call 887-0710 or log on to www.repertory.ph.