Fallin’ in love with ‘They’re Playing Our Song’

MANILA, Philippines - After taking a brief sabbatical last year, 9 Works Theatrical is back for an exciting season of musicals as they stage the Pulitzer Prize-winning romantic comedy They’re Playing Our Song just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Indeed, a fitting celebration of the month of love, the production is set to tug at the heartstrings of its audience with the light-hearted tale of offbeat lyricist Sonia Walsk and witty composer Vernon Gersch. “We felt that, since it’ll be staged in February, (the play) had to be romantic,” said Santi Santamaria, managing director of 9WT, at the press conference for the production held at The Peninsula Manila. “My wife and I watched it before, and we just fell in love with it.”

Originally staged in 1978, They’re Playing Our Song is loosely based on the show’s award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager’s then-real life relationship as written by Neil Simon. The play has since stood the test of time as one of the best musicals ever written, popularizing well-loved love songs such as Fallin’ and I Still Believe in Love.

In its very own take on the modern classic, 9 Works puts singer-actress Nikki Gil and stage actor Lorenz Martinez at center stage under the direction of Robbie Guevara — also Gil and Martinez’s director in Sweet Charity and Rent respectively.

“Nikki was really top of mind when I was thinking of someone to play Sonia,” shared Santamaria. It has been almost two years since her last venture in theater, but the company is confident that she’s more than fit for the part. “I thought it would be perfect to have her bring whatever she learned from Sweet Charity to They’re Playing Our Song,” he said. Guevara added, “Nikki’s character, Sonia, is very eccentric — very Nikki.”

Now, Gil is now faced with an all-new challenge. Apart from the fact that she’s casted as the female lead, a role that her idol Lea Salonga has also portrayed before, she is confronted with the demands of an essentially two-character play.

“The show is dialogue-heavy,” said Gil. Though they will be sharing the stage with male and female ensemble players Noel Rayos, Reb Atadero, James Stacey, Anna Santamaria, Peachy Atilano, and Jill Pena as their inner voices, “I would say, 50 percent (of the dialogue) is mine and 50 percent is Loy’s (Martinez). It’s a challenge because it’s physically and mentally taxing to memorize a two-hour conversation — plus, the music,” she said.

This “two-hour conversation” between Sonia and Vernon, which makes up the entire book of They’re Playing Our Song, will remain faithful to the way it was originally written, according to Guevara. “This is something that we always do with our productions,” he said. “I did think of modernizing it, but the script won’t work. It won’t be as funny anymore.” Thus, the revival will still be set in 1981, when phone booths were still one of the main means of communication, as it was first produced.

To bring the staging up to today’s standards, however, theater-goers will be treated to more contemporary musical arrangements care of musical director Joseph Tolentino. “It will have a modern feel,” revealed Guevara. “We’re not changing the way Hamlisch wrote the songs, absolutely not, but we’re changing the way we attack the instrumentation with our orchestra of 13.”

Since the play’s setting will not be updated to 2013, Guevara is focused on emphasizing scenarios that are most relatable to audience members in order to give them a more meaningful experience.

“We’re still in the process of exploring the many approaches for the role because there are so many ways that we can do Sonia,” said Gil. “I think Sonia today, as we rehearse, will be very different from Sonia on closing night. I’m looking forward to going through a journey with the character.”

With that, one of the things to really look forward to in 9 Works’ They’re Playing Our Song is how Guevara will help Gil and Martinez draw out the script to make a lasting impact on its Filipino audience.

Guevara revealed that, at rehearsals, they are delving deeper and deeper into the songs everyday because “They’re not just songs to be sung. They’re supposed to push the story forward, they’re supposed to communicate emotions — and we’ll really perfect those things,” he said. “The music is beautiful, as well as the story. It’s very basic, but it’s so real,” agreed Gil, describing the musical’s core perfectly. “It’s so easy to relate to it. I’m sure, at one point in the story, (the audience) would be like, ‘Yes, I did go through that.’ In that sense, it’s very timely — perfect for Valentine’s Day.”

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Discover how 9 Works Theatrical brings this much-loved musical back to the Philippine stage beginning Feb. 8 until March 3 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at RCBC Plaza. For tickets, call 586-7105 and 0917-5545560 or call TicketWorld at 891-9999. For information, visit www.9workstheatrical.com.