Bobby Garcia continues to wear his multi-hyphenate hat

Stage director and producer Bobby Garcia, who founded Atlantis Productions and turned it into one of the most successful theater companies in the Philippines producing some of the country’s biggest theatrical hits, was lucky enough to have continued to direct shows abroad at the height of the COVID pandemic.

The world was put into lockdown the day he was scheduled to open the international premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical The Band’s Visit in 2020 in Manila and Bobby barely made it back to Canada, where he lives when he is not doing shows in Manila. In fact, he got on one of the last flights out of Manila before NAIA was shut down.

Bobby recalled, “It was scary and tense. I did not know if I would be able to get on a flight. But I made it back to Canada on one of the last flights out of Manila and watched the pandemic unfold second by second. It was a difficult time as I lost some good friends to the pandemic. I count my blessings each day that I am here.”

Being back in Canada allowed him to regroup and resettle even through uncertain times. He was immediately picked up for representation by one of Canada’s finest theatrical talent agencies and opened Beneath Springhill, an original Canadian play with music, at the height of the pandemic with an audience cap of 50 people and strict rehearsal distancing and masking protocols. Beneath Springhill went on to become a hit and Bobby has opened the show in three Canadian provinces to date. Next year, it goes on tour in British Columbia.

He immediately followed that with the Canadian premiere of Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, which marked the first big musical back on a Vancouver stage since the start of the pandemic, and also became a huge hit. The company even received opening night flowers from Dolly Parton herself.

Bobby is currently directing a hit production of the Broadway musical, Million Dollar Quarter and will soon direct the Canadian premiere of Lauren Yee’s spellbinding Cambodian Rock Band, which has been hailed as one of the great new plays of the decade so far.

He said, “I was fortunate enough to keep directing throughout the pandemic. And I am really excited that I will soon get to direct Cambodian Rock Band, which is a timely, potent and powerful piece of theater. We just finished casting and we have some of the finest Asian Canadian actors and musicians in this show.”

Aside from a flourishing career directing shows in Canada, Bobby has also continued to wear his multi-hyphenate hat and is a co-producer and casting consultant for the Broadway production of Here Lies Love, a musical about the Philippines during the Imelda Marcos years and the People Power Revolution of 1986.

Bobby has been involved with Here Lies Love since it premiered at the National Theatre in London in 2014.  Back then, auditions for the London production were held in Manila, and from those auditions, Mark Bautista would be cast among several others. When plans for a Broadway production began to surface during the pandemic, the show’s director, Alex Timbers, reached out and put him in touch with the new producing team of the musical.

“It’s a brilliantly conceived musical that has its roots in Greek political theater, which is really the genesis of our art form, and mashes it up with the contemporary musical theater structure. It moves the dial forward with innovation, technology, and dynamic energy. It’s a thrill to see the origins of our art form come to life with a 21st-century heartbeat. I think Here Lies Love is quite possibly one of the most unique theatrical experiences to have ever made it to Broadway. And its message is extremely timely, given how quickly the world seems to forget its lessons,” he says of the David Byrne/Fatboy Slim immersive musical that opened on July 20 at the Broadway Theater.

Much has been made of the all Filipino-American cast of Here Lies Love, a first in Broadway history, but it also needs to be noted that Here Lies Love is a milestone for the numerous Filipino producers and investors involved.

Two of the shows lead producers are Tony Award winner Clint Ramos (who also designs the show’s costumes) and Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas. Tony Award winner and pride of the Philippines Lea Salonga, who will also do a limited run performing in the show as Aurora Aquino, and actress G Tongi are also co-producers of the musical. Other notable names on the producing front are H.E.R., Jo Koy, Apl.de.Ap, and Dj CehrishTheLuv.

Bobby asked his friend and colleague Girlie Rodis to join forces as co-producing partners under their joint mantle Garcia at Rodis. “It’s such an empowering feeling to know that Filipino and Fil-Am producers and investors have a  voice on Broadway through Here Lies Love. This is just the beginning. We have lots to keep working on and improving but our foot is in the door and we are here. I am proud to be amongst these wonderful people,” he said.

One other thrill for Bobby is that he gets to open the door for more Filipino performers from Manila to take over the Aurora Aquino role once Lea leaves the production. The show envisions a rotating roster of artists from the Philippines taking over once Lea’s five-week commitment is done. “It has been a mission of mine since I started in theater over 30 years ago to find ways to open more doors for Filipino performing artists and showcase the abundance of talent in the Philippines. I am glad I get to continue that with Here Lies Love,” he shared.

With Bobby’s busy career in Canada and the US, does this mean there will be no new shows from Atlantis Productions for a while? He said, “I have always been a believer of perfect timing. The stars need to align to make things happen. There are a couple of shows we are considering and we are just waiting for the right moment.”

Break a leg to Bobby for his many upcoming opening nights.