From human to cat

“You’re joking!” exclaimed James Cooper when I told him that there were James Cooper salons in Manila. “I can’t wait to go there and I should meet him!” he added before showing us how the Cats makeup is applied backstage.

James plays two roles in the musical that will hit Manila in July — Plato and Macavity. He demonstrated before the Filipino press how he could transform himself into Plato by putting makeup in just about 10 minutes. “I used to do it in 20 minutes but I’m used to it now,” he explained. At the demo, James worked quite quickly, proving he had done this several times. He finished his makeup and put on Plato’s wig... there we had a cat!

A group of journalists was sent via Philippine Airlines to Adelaide, Australia to watch the Tony award-winning musical Cats, based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Cats will be staged in Manila starting July 24 at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, CCP, for a limited run.

The all-Australian cast, orchestra and crew will be joined by Olivier and Tony award-winning performer Lea Salonga who will be playing Grizabella. Cats is presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises and Concertus in association with The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific.

Sponsors included Smart Infinity, OOCL, Dusit Thani Manila, All Youth Channel, Entertainment Channel, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, The Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Business World, U92, 105.1 Crossover, Dream FM and Monster Radio RX 93.1.

(Call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or log on to www.ticketworld.com.ph for details. Still more to come on Cats in this column soon)

Ray-aw: Christmas in Ilocos

The Gameng Foundation held Ray-aw, a one-day event at the Rockwell Tent, to raise funds for Museo Ilocos Norte. The museum, acknowledged as one of the best provincial museums in the country, displays aspects of Ilocos life and culture — crafts, music and history — in both permanent and seasonal exhibits. The museum was established during the first term as governor of Bongbong Marcos, who is currently the representative of the second legislative district of the province.

Aside from the pioneering power-generating wind turbines in Bangui, then Gov. Bongbong also started the Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center, which is about to be completed and ready to serve the tourists who are discovering the beauty, heritage and charm of the province.

Ray-aw, which means celebration, brought the Ilocano Christmas to the metropolis, with food and delicacies interpreted and styled by the creative team of Glenda Barreto of Via Mare and Claude Tayag; traditional Ilocano music and dances and the graceful customs of the hardworking Ilocanos.

The food included insarabasab, grilled pork strips with salt, vinegar and calamansi, chopped bagnet on mustard leaves with shallots, Ilocos bagoong and tomatoes, dinuguan aspic on skewers; and Laoag garlic longaniza on toasted pandesal. These were perfectly accompanied by San Miguel Premium All-Malt Beer, Viva Mineral Water, Mixkila, Grand Matador, Antonov Vodka, Infinit and the wine provided by Ralph’s Liquor Store.

The festivities opened with songs by the UP Madrigals, followed by vignettes of life in a northern town by actors from UP and Ateneo directed by Alex Cortez. The script was written by Floy Quintos, an Ilocano. The Cumbancheros, a quartet of musicians from up north, accompanied the presentations. The Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group presented their Pastores Suite — a reenactment of the visit of the shepherds and Three Kings to the newborn Christ. The Edralins, a band from Baguio, charmed the appreciative crowd with a series of Beatles’ hits from the 1960s.

The Gameng Foundation also brought a wide selection of Ilocos arts and crafts, notably the hardy and durable Ilocano abel fabrics, together with famous Ilocos food products like bagnet, longaniza, sukang Iloko, cornick and panocha. Designer Melissa Dizon of Eairth offered comfortable and stylish clothes made of 100 percent cotton, some of which incorporated various abel patterns. Designer Lito Perez of the Camp Suki fame brought Circa 1890, a photo studio where guests can put on period costumes and have sepia pictures taken.

(Visit www.museoilocosnorte.com for more information about the Museum and Ilocos Norte.)