With the new season kicking off, it’s all razzle-dazzle in New York City’s theater district. The perennially crowded area between 7th Avenue and Broadway is packed as ever with audiences from all over the world waiting to be wowed. The Philippines’ pride, Tony winner Lea Salonga, is sure to be familiar with this scene as she has conquered Broadway as Kim in Miss Saigon, Mei Li in Flower Drum Song and Fantine in Les Miserables.
But Lea is not the only Filipino who has made it in this arena. Two Filipinos are standing out this season with major roles in hit shows. Teresa Victoria “T.V.” Carpio is weaving her way to the top as Arachne in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and Adam Jacobs is proudly roaring in his new role as Simba in Disney’s The Lion King.
T.V. Carpio was first seen as Prudence in the film Across the Universe. In Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, a rock musical with music and lyrics by Bono of U2 and the Edge, she plays Arachne, the Goddess of Weaving. Act one involves Peter Parker’s character writing a research paper on the Greek Myth of Arachne, and it is this Greek goddess who eventually guides Peter as he realizes his destiny as Spiderman. The show features highly technical stunts, including actors swinging from cables and fight scenes at great heights. Carpio can be seen dangling at least two stories high from the ceiling of Foxwoods Theater in every performance. Seeing her belt out the high notes, especially in her rendition of the song Rise Above, while suspended in mid-air, is something to behold. Originally, the Pinay actress was given a different part in the musical. But because the previous Arachne actress, fellow Fil-Am Natalie Mendoza, left the show after a backstage accident that left her injured, Carpio assumed the role.
Just recently, Fil-Am singer and actor Adam Jacobs joined the almost-entirely-African-American cast of The Lion King. His Playbill profile tells of his excitement at finally playing his dream role of Simba. This may be his first lead role, but Jacobs is no newbie in the New York theater scene. In 2006, he played Marius in the classic hit musical Les Miserables alongside part-Pinay singer and actress Ali Ewoldt as Cosette. Among other songs, Jacobs delivers a top-notch performance of the favorite hits Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata in this Tony award-winning production that combines ingenuity in puppetry as well as costume and set design. The Lion King has been Broadway’s pride since 1997 making it one of its longest running shows.
T.V. Carpio and Adam Jacobs join the lineup of Filipino Broadway stars which includes big names like Jose Llana (The King & I, Spelling Bee, The Flower Drum Song, Wonderland: A New Alice), Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables), Emy Baysic (Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia!), Angel Desai (Company), Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables, West Side Story), Rona Figueroa (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables), Lydia Gaston (The King & I, Miss Saigon, The Red Shoes), Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures, Miss Saigon), Paolo Montalban (Pacific Overtures, The King & I), Emily Morales (Lincoln Center’s South Pacific), Jennifer Paz (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,), Catherine Ricafort (Mamma Mia!) and of course, Lea Salonga.
There’s a long list of Pinoys on Broadway as it is. Add the part-Filipino Darren Criss of Glee to that. Criss is set to make his Broadway debut as the main character J. Pierrepont Finch, a young and ambitious window washer who makes it to the top of the business world in the remake of the ‘60s comedy-musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe currently plays the part and Criss is set to replace him after Radcliffe bows out of the role in January 2012.
Pinoys are known to be big aficionados of music and anything that involves singing and dancing. For this reason, many Filipinos love Broadway. Well, guess what? The feeling is mutual. Pinoys are well loved over there, too.
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E-mail: katrinaanntan@yahoo.com / www.katrinaanntan.ph