Meet Mr. Noah

After years of bringing fantastic worlds and wondrous characters to life on stage, from Joseph the Dreamer to Little Mermaid, can Trumpets top itself this theater season? The much-anticipated answer will finally be staged at the Music Museum this wekend–a rousing musical adventure about faith and family called Mr. Noah’s Big Boat.

Filled with a zany, chaotic family of characters, this rare theatrical treat will take audiences of all ages on an unbelievably joyous musical ride through one of the most beloved Bible stories of all time. This time, however, Trumpets’ talented actors will be taking a backseat to the real stars of the show–life-sized puppets!

Known for raising the bar on original and adapted musical works, Trumpets bravely treads new ground with Noah’s amazing puppet world. With a creative team greatly inspired by a healthy mix of Japanese Bunraku puppetry as well as Sesame Street, the results, you can imagine, are nothing short of magical. The ark-building scene alone is truly something to watch out for!

Helming this ship is prolific actor-director-writer Jaime del Mundo, who gives in to a childhood passion with Noah. "Way before I even thought about being a theater actor and director, I wanted to be a puppeteer," he reveals. "My mother made my first puppet, and my father built my first stage. Bil Baird, the creator of the puppet sequence in The Sound of Music, was my hero, and his book The Art of the Puppet was my bible."

Now drawing on a very different Bible for inspiration, del Mundo met the challenge of shaping Noah’s rather serious theme into family-friendly fare with great enthusiasm. "Without sacrificing the integrity of the story, we had to think of a way to present the darker elements–the flood wiping out sinners, the ‘death’ of the old world–in a simpler way that young audiences can relate to," he explains. "We realized that using metaphors was the way to do it. Instead of Sin, the world would be full of Garbage. And Noah is the environmentalist who keeps trying to get his destructive neighbors to clean up and pick up their trash."

Of course, half of the magic in Noah is its music. "I am grateful I was able to work with composer Rony Fortich, a true collaborator whose artistry and enthusiasm I have great respect for, " adds del Mundo.

At only 27, Rony Fortich blazes trails with his work in Noah. It takes a certain maturity and level of intelligence to write music for children, and Fortich’s music is bound to appeal to the older crowd as well. "My best inspirations for this show are still Sesame Street and The Muppets Take Manhattan," he laughs. "It’s a lot of head-bobbing, finger-snapping music. You’ll hear some big band, swing, jazz, a few ballads, and even gospel."

Also the show’s musical director, Fortich can’t say enough about the pleasure of working with the recording cast, especially Gary Valenciano and Bituin Escalante whose voices will be heard as Noah and Mrs. Noah. "Their singing was awesome, and we all had a great time in the studio," says Fortich.

Few artists (and theater companies) would risk such untried territory as puppet theater in the Philippines, and on this scale. Mr. Noah’s Big Boat is already a big hit with the fortunate few who have seen the excerpts. Del Mundo and Fortich credit the show’s tireless puppeteers, the talented recording cast, puppet designer Niel de Mesa, puppets makers Benny and Liz Batoctoy, scenographer Mio Infante, and choreographer James Laforteza for making the job of believing a wonderful boat ride for audiences young and old.

Trumpets’ "Mr. Noah’s Big Boat" runs at the Music Museum on July 17, 24, 31 and Aug. 7. For tickets call 633-5010 or 636-2842.