MANILA, Philippines — Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is back for the second time in Manila, with South African actor Jonathan Roxmouth reprising the title role in the international tour of the longest-running Broadway musical.
Phantom recently added two more weeks to its Solaire’s The Theatre run, which now ends on March 31. It was first successfully staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 2012.
Jonathan was only 25 years old then, when he was first cast as the disfigured musical genius who falls in love — nay, becomes obsessed — with a young soprano. Now 31 and backed by varied work in the last seven years, such as Che in Evita and the Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the stage star is adding the depth and confidence of experience to his portrayal. Still, some things stay the same.
“I think my voice has changed a little,” said Jonathan during a media call last Tuesday. “Certain things might have changed here and there,” he continued, noting that the biggest change would have to be the new company — or new family — he’s traveling with. But The Phantom of the Opera wields the same effect on him. He called it the “mic drop of all musicals.” “Because who follows The Phantom? Once The Phantom of the Opera has bowed and the show leaves, I would hate to be the musical after The Phantom of the Opera. The bar is set so high... Honestly, I’ve done quite a few shows now, but I’ve yet to see a musical that does what this musical does to an audience. It’s on its own level. That you just sort of go (drops imaginary mic) hahaha!”
As for essaying the Phantom again after a lengthy gap, he said, “The minute it starts, it just happens.”
Watching Jonathan perform for the second time around and the standing ovation the audience readily gave him at the curtain call last Tuesday night, it did feel like... “it just happens.” It wasn’t hard to see the role was meant to be — and perhaps, will always be — his. His deep, richly-textured voice brought back all the feels and the “power of the music of the night.” The Manila crowd, at least on that Tuesday night, obviously experienced that.
“Manila was my first big international city in a role like the Phantom. But I’ve traveled a bit since. The thing that I’ve always compared back to, is just the warmth of people in Manila. More than that, the thing that I adore and was most excited getting back to is the respect for the arts in the Philippines, the respect for music. The fact that everyone in the Philippines can sing well, it’s amazing!” Jonathan said.
He further heaped praises on the Filipino audience. “Often, in other parts of the world, if you say that you’re an actor, they’ll say, ‘Oh, when are you going to get a real job?’ Whereas in the Philippines, the minute I say I’m a singer, people are like, ‘Oh, that’s wonderful!’ I thought that was the most wonderful feeling of acceptance and respect to what I’ve chosen to dedicate my life to. I haven’t come across (anything) in that degree in other countries that I’ve traveled to, I have to say. I got back to Manila and thought, is it going to be the same? And the first person I spoke to (says) yep, the Philippines is exactly as I remembered.”
One of Jonathan’s favorite moments on stage is when he comes out on a boat and looks at the audience at The Theatre. “You can feel everyone is going, ‘Let’s do this together.’ They are part of the show. They’re not just watching. They’re also not distracted. They’re with you. That hardly happens (in other shows). I remember that being the case in the (first show at the) CCP in 2012, and I’m seeing it again here. It’s quite special.”
Jonathan doesn’t run out of things to say about his experience working with some Filipino musicians and stage crew hired in Phantom. He gave special mention to the tenor Dondi Ong, the only Filipino in the international cast of the previous Phantom run. “We chatted and everything. It was fascinating to see his reverence for his work. And I think, we tend to be a bit bogged down, ‘Oh, this job, this job,’ but Dondi reminded us that this was something really special, not just being Phantom, but also being an actor, being a singer.”
He looks forward to working with an all-Filipino crew when he headlines The Musicals in Concert on April 13, also at The Theatre at Solaire, after The Phantom closes. “I’ll work with a fully Filipino orchestra and I’ve heard them play certain bits and I’ve never heard the music played that way before, so it inspires me to be different.”
Jonathan believes more Filipinos can make it to international productions, Broadway or London’s West End. He said, “When opportunity meets talent and hard work, the right thing will happen. It is scary to make that leap, but I dare say, with what’s in the Philippines, it’s worth everything.”
He cited Lea Salonga and Rachelle Ann Go as sterling examples that it’s possible. “Look at Lea! C’mon, it’s very clear that there’s something very special here in the Philippines. And in your blood. Something just happens with music. With Filipinos, it’s incredible!”
As for Rachelle (who’s now in the West End cast of Hamilton), Jonathan follows her on Instagram and has viewed her Miss Saigon video clips on YouTube. “She’s a marvel and at the same time, so respectful of Lea, acknowledging that Lea was the original… She’s tiny but a powerhouse on stage. She’s living proof that it will and it can happen (for Filipino artists). I hope the Philippines is proud of her as I think you should be.”
But his biggest praise was reserved for Lea, who performed in US singer Josh Groban’s concert last weekend in a wheelchair because she broke her leg in a ski accident in Japan. “First of all, for Lea Salonga to be able to sing the way she does, in a wheelchair, in a broken leg, she was my hero before, now she’s my superhero!” he said, adding, “There’s so much to say about Lea Salonga. And I don’t want to sound like a ridiculous fanboy but I come from a little country as well, and she did it. She went to Broadway, she had a show written for her (Miss Saigon). She worked for the guys who wrote Les Mis. She’s a genuine star.”
For Jonathan, Manila is the place to be for international shows and artists. “Manila is attracting a show like Phantom, or a Josh Groban, it should tell you... how Manila is the place to come for the arts, is the place to start a tour, it’s a place to discover new ways of doing musicals. That’s no coincidence.”
He gives all credit, again, to the Pinoy audience and theater fans who are, in his words, “unlike any other fans in the world.” “People (here) are special. They give as much as you give. They meet you halfway, there’s a collaboration from the stage. With your Lea, with your Josh, with your Phantom of the Opera, I think we’re all lucky to perform for Filipino audiences. It’s inspiring! You think you’re giving your best and you can feel the audience. And you just give your extra 10 percent that you never knew was there. That’s an audience. My goodness, that’s an audience!”
(The Phantom of the Opera is brought to Manila by Concertus Manila, produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and presented by PLDT Smart. For tickets, log on to ticketworld.com.ph.)