‘Newsies’ Seizes The Day

I got really excited when I heard that Disney’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Newsies, inspired by the real-life ‘Newsboy Strike of 1899,’ was going to be staged in Manila by NineWorksTheatrical. I was a bit concerned with how they were going to mount such an ambitious production where the level of dancing was on a totally different magnitude. Finding the right cast that can do tap, jazz, ballet and up to a certain level of gymnastics was the main requirement. Well after watching the “Meet The Cast/Training Ground” series on YouTube, my concerns immediatley went away. The four month journey of intensive rehearsals and training gave me a whole new perspective on what is possible in Philippine theatre with the right support and funds to go with it.

Opening Night was a resounding success. I could not get over on how beautiful and spectacular the show was, from the musical direction of Daniel Bartolome who along with his orchestra brought to life the music of Alan Menken and Jack Feldman with tenacity and vigor, to the impressive moveable set designed by Ed Lacson, to the costumes of the great Eric Pineda, the technical expertice of Martin Esteva (Lights), Rards Corpuz and Jaime Godinez (Sound), GA Falarme (Video & Projection) and Dong Calingacion (Technical Direction). But all of this would not have been possible if not for the direction of Robbie Guevara and the choreography of PJ Rebullida who are changing the landscape of musical theater in the country by showcasing the talent of the Filipino artist in the three disciplines of musical theatre (sing, act and dance) in a way it has never been done and seen before. You have to watch the show to know what I am talking about,

PJ’s choreography is simply spectacular. The Manila staging of Disney’s Newsies is a shining example of excellence in the performing arts that inspires.

Gian Magadangal was magnificent as Jack Kelly whose uplifting rendition of Santa Fe captivated the audience. Aside from Gian’s inspiring performance what really impressed me was that I could not tell who the dancer was from the actor and the singer. The men of Newsies clearly defined what a ‘Triple Threat’ is which is evident in their show-stopping numbers Seize The Day, King of New York and Carrying The Banner. Their voices harmonized so well without even hearing them pant while dancing their hearts out. The future of Philippine musical theater shines so bright with the likes of Gawad Buhay Awardee Jef Flores who played Davey Jacobs, Luis Marcelo (Crutchie), Alex Diaz (Race) and Daniel Drilon (Les Jacobs). A special shout out to Chesko Rodriguez, Jon Abella, MC dela Cruz, Vyen Villanueva, Kedrick Ibasco, Anton Posadas, Ian Ocampo, Erick Arcenas, Ronelson Yadao, Mark Anthony Grantos, Jourdan Bartolome, Clark dela Riva, Jan Mayo, Jim Ferrer, Stephen Viñas, Melissa Bell and Joni Galeste for giving exceptional performances. Danielle Chopin was a joy to watch as the feisty and charming Katherine Plumber. Not to be missed are the stellar performances of stage stalwarts Pinky Marquez, Ariel Reonal, Raymund Concepcion, Greg Dulcie and Franz Imperial.