ARDP’s Carmina Burana and ‘Dugso’ get rare restaging

NATIONAL Artist for Dance Alice Reyes encourages the public to first listen to the music of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana before they attend a performance of Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ (ARDP) latest staging of its dance interpretation of the piece.

“People should listen to the music before they come to watch, so they know just how grand it is. Then they can also see the differences of the live piece from the recorded music,” said Ms. Reyes, whose passion for Carmina Burana has never wavered even after staging it multiple times over the decades.

A cantata, the piece is inspired by medieval poetry set to a majestic score. It tells of the joys of life, drinking, and love, through exuberant, erotic, and pagan movements.

One of ARDP’s iconic pieces — most recently staged in 2022 — this version is set to be the largest. It will feature live music by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and the Philippine Madrigal Singers (Madz), with guest soprano soloist Lara Maigue. The production will also feature the Kilyawan Boys Choir and dance trainees from the University of the East’s Silanganan Dance Troupe.

At open rehearsals held in the first week of June at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila, Ms. Reyes told BusinessWorld that she simply can’t get enough of the piece. Even while watching the dancers prepare for a run-through, she waxed poetic about the brilliance of Carmina Burana.

“We’ve been working in a small studio downstairs, so when you sit back and see the dancers up there [on the main stage] finally pouring their heart out to the audience, it moves you. It’s quite an experience. You see the kinesthetic energy of the dancers, how technical the dance is. So you can imagine how amazing it will be with full costumes, lights, and the set, the magic of theater,” she said.

The sets and costumes for Carmina Burana were designed by the late National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal, which makes the production a collaboration between two National Artists. It also explains in part why it takes so much effort to put up, with only seven stagings so far since it first premiered in 1975.

“Another reason I tell people to catch it is because it’s so hard to do. It’s hard to get the company and the sets prepared, plus the PPO and the Madz and the Kilyawan altogether. So don’t waste it,” said Ms. Reyes.

For younger audiences who have not encountered it before, Carmina Burana is a “magnificent musical piece to start with,” she added. “When translated into dance, it provides the story and atmosphere of the period that the composer was writing about.”

“It’s not a boring thing. It will move them.”

A LOT ON THEIR PLATE
Also featured in the dance program are Norman Walker’s “Summer’s End,” August Damian’s “After Whom,” and Ms. Reyes’ “Dugso.”

The latter work is particularly interesting, inspired by rituals performed by the tribes of Bukidnon, Mindanao, and set to National Artist for Music, Dr. Ramon Santos’ choral piece “Ding Ding nga Diyawan.” First performed in 1972, the groundbreaking collaboration was last staged in 1990. This makes the upcoming performance the first for a new generation of audiences.

“‘Dugso’ was so long ago. What’s difficult about it is that it wasn’t archived properly, so the video recordings were unclear. I had to fill in gaps in the choreography with the help of Dr. Santos who did the music,” Ms. Reyes said.

While the open rehearsals that day were mainly for ARDP’s Independence Day performance at Manila’s Rizal Park — which was held on June 10, ahead of the actual celebration — they also practiced excerpts from Carmina Burana and “Dugso.”

“They actually have a lot on their plate,” said Ms. Reyes of her dancers for the free Independence Day production. “The dancers have 12 numbers in all for this Independence Day piece, and they have to do it non-stop. They go off to change into costumes and are back in. It’s a lot.”

This is where her love and pride for the ARDP company shines through. Amid rehearsals, she steps in to ensure the dancers snack on hard-boiled eggs and drink Berocca multivitamins to keep energized. Only then are they able to perform to the best of their abilities.

“When it comes to dance, you get to see through their movements what the music is all about, whether it’s Carl Orff’s cantata or Ramon Santos’ choral piece,” she said.

“Even to me, I still go ‘wow’ when I see my brilliant dancers onstage.”

Carmina Burana will be staged on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. and on June 15 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati. Tickets are available via TicketWorld and the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Box Office. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

IN 1960, director Roger Corman fulfilled a dare to make a film in two days by coming up with the black-and-white horror comedy Little Shop of Horrors. That short span of time gave birth to an iconic quirky world where a Skid Row flower shop raises a strange carnivorous plant.

It was later adapted into an Off-Broadway show, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman (a duo known for their work with Disney). But it really achieved worldwide success when it was turned into a musical film in 1986.

The story follows Seymour Krelborn, a down-on-his-luck flower shop assistant, who discovers a mysterious plant with an insatiable appetite for human blood. As the plant, named Audrey II, grows and gains fame, Seymour finds himself tangled in a web of love and moral dilemmas.

Theater director Toff De Venecia believes it’s about time to revisit this unique story, which The Sandbox Collective was supposed to do in 2020, but which was derailed when the pandemic hit.

“I’m so happy that this finally happened. I got to direct this musical in 2011 for Ateneo Blue Repertory, and it was very special to me because, while I was sort of familiar with it, I didn’t realize just how beautiful this musical was. In that show I discovered my voice as a theater director, that I have an affinity for absurdist works and themes of grief. For this 2024 version, we wanted to retain a lot of that spirit and essence, but of course on a bigger scale,” said Mr. De Venecia at a June 5 press conference for the musical.

The very first time he saw the show was in 2004, when Repertory Philippines staged it at Onstage Greenbelt. A few weeks after being awestruck by the musical, his sister died in a house fire.

“It was then that I pondered a lot about death, grief, and the absurdity of the world that we live in, and somehow that made its way into the kind of stuff we choose for Sandbox and the kind of material that we gravitate to,” he said.

Little Shop of Horrors, opening in July, is part of The Sandbox Collective’s 10^th anniversary season. The audience can expect to hear memorable songs such as “Suddenly, Seymour” and “Somewhere That’s Green,” which have become iconic in the musical theater canon.

FULL CIRCLE MOMENTS
The cast will feature a mix of people who have done the musical before and those who will be working on it for the first time.

It features Reb Atadero and Nyoy Volante alternating in the role of the lovelorn Seymour, Sue Ramirez and Karylle Tatlonghari sharing the role of the unlucky-in-love heroine Audrey, Markki Stroem and David Ezra alternately playing the villainous dentist Orin, Audie Gemora as the flower shop proprietor Mr. Mushnik, and OJ Mariano as the bloodthirsty plant Audrey II. Mikee Baskiñas, Abi Sulit, Paula Paguio, and Julia Serad play the Street Urchins.

“We were more intentional about the text, the choices, and we just had more tools at our disposal to explore, to create a crazy surrealist playground for the actors to play in. I see myself more as an orchestrator than a director to the cast,” Mr. De Venecia said.

For Mr. Atadero, who was in the 2011 production, it was a no-brainer to take the chance to revisit the material.

“I was in high school at the time!” he said. “Coming from Rent, we’re fatigued and tired of course, but what carries us through is the amazing opportunity to be part of yet another iconic musical.”

Those familiar with the show can also expect to see something different visually this time around, according to scenographer Mio Infante.

“I actually did the set for the Little Shop of Horrors staged by Rep in 1989, my second professional show. I was also still in high school. So, it’s interesting to do something different with it after 35 years. You’ll see something unique for this one, a totally new take that you have to see for yourself,” he said.

One of the things to watch out for is the puppetry by Kayla Teodoro, known for her work in the West End in London. She’s one of the people on the team who are having a full circle moment in this production, having interned with The Sandbox Collective in 2014 before she became a professional puppeteer.

Musical director EJ Yatco reminisced on the use of minus ones in the 2011 production. “Now we’re going to do it with a live band. I’ve been dreaming about that for a decade. Toff and I have grown together, so our life experiences have prepared us for this version,” he said.

A STRONG CAST
Little Shop of Horrors is known for its quirky cast of characters, this time brought to life by faces old and new. Audrey, for example, is played by actresses who are known for their television work.

“I had to unlearn everything, everything. In theater you’re encouraged to make mistakes, unlike in TV where it’s fast-paced and you have to do things in one take. The rehearsals have been fun because we’ve all been making mistakes and improving as we go,” said Ms. Ramirez. This is her first stint in theater.

While she may be a newbie in this particular line of work, her voice wowed the audience at the short press preview. “I love singing and I’m learning a lot about theater, but I still have a lot more to go,” she said.

Ms. Tatlonghari, on the other hand, has had more experience, plus a lifelong obsession with the musical.

“I had a laser disc of Little Shop of Horrors back then. I always thought I was the only one who liked this show; I could even sing the whole thing from top to bottom! I later ended up liking Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and it turns out the same musical genius duo of Howard Ashton and Alan Menken also did them,” she said.

Mr. Volante, who plays Seymour, noted that a lot of fellow actors from television are now excited to go into theater and vice versa.

“That’s a thing that’s happening now — people crossing over from one medium to the next. It’s something to encourage. Please support the shows because we want to see more of the entertainment industry coming together,” he said.

GEN Z SENSIBILITIES
In the villainous role of Orin are Markki Stroem and David Ezra, the latter coming from playing leading man-type roles in Disneyland. The two actors, each playing eight roles in the musical aside from Orin, observe that Gen Zs will resonate with the intelligent way the story tackles toxic relationships.

“The younger generation, in this day and age, have started to really call out abuse and red flags. This will definitely showcase that,” said Mr. Stroem.

More than anything, the cast is excited about adding another title to the many theatrical experiences lined up this year. Audie Gemora, who will take on Mr. Mushnik, invited everyone to watch as many shows as possible. “I’m happy because theater is so alive. I don’t know if you noticed but Gen Zs are so lucky. There are shows all year round, and they’re all selling very well!”

Mr. De Venecia added that the staging of Little Shop of Horror, now more intentionally, will lean into mental health as a theme.

“It wasn’t really a thing in 2011 when I did it last, even less so when the musical was first made. But there are actually lines from the show that say, ‘oh I’m depressed,’ showing depression as the status quo. There’s a lot of that, so we just really leaned into it a bit more, to make it a communal experience,” he said.

“That’s the ethos of Sandbox, now that we’re 10 years in the industry. We want to create a space where people can lean into this stuff.”

Little Shop of Horrors will run on weekends from July 6 to 28 at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. There will be shows at 3 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and 8 p.m. on Fridays. — Brontë H. Lacsamana