Musical Journey
Director Roxanne Lapus has a deep, dark secret: she hates “Sound of Music.”
“Even since I started directing, I never really went for "Sound of Music"' I hate that play. I would always say it is so corny, so saccharine sweet and, well, so disgustingly wholesome. I like plays like "Les Miserables", "Phantom of the Opera" and, my favorite, Sondheim’s "Sweeney Todd"' As you can see, they are all very dark,” says the director.
She continues: “If I decide to do straight plays, I like strictly comedy and parse. It is either I’m rolling down the seat with laughter or I’m intrigued by the darkness of the human spirit. I don’t go for wholesome, very traditional plays, with songs for children.”
But the director learned that one should refrain from saying never because soon enough she was faced with the very thing she said she would never do.
One day, last February, after doing a series of directorial jobs, Roxanne had her fill of so many corporate events and was so exhausted. During one of her quiet moments, she talked to the Lord asking for something different, creative and theatrical to do.
After two days, Christine Manalang of Ultimate Entertainment, whom Roxanne hadn’t seen since the '80s, called and asked her point blank if she wanted to direct “Sound of Music.”
She didn’t answer just yet, and told Christine if she could get back to her after 30 seconds. She put down the phone, looked up, and said, “Lord, ikaw talaga. You really have a good sense of humor. Here you go again, playing tricks on me.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time that He did this. He always gives me something that I would loathe. But you see, I knew that it was a blessing,” shares Roxanne.
After a while, she returned Christine’s phone call and accepted the job. And since then, it has been one artistic journey. She enjoyed herself in the rehearsal, challenged with the creative process and realized that she had missed much for not tackling the play before.
"“Sound of Music" is a musical that has so much to offer and say,” she enthuses, who believes that the message of the play is the most important thing that it has to offer.
“If Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t have the story to tell and a message to impart, they would have just written the songs and did a concert. But they did not. They created a play. They wanted to imbue messages that would strengthen the value system of the people who are watching. I realized it wasn’t about the children. It wasn’t about the music. It was about messages that were carried through the children, through the music.”
Roxanne believes that the play has two outstanding messages that were imparted through the main characters, Maria and Capt. von Trapp: “the best way to serve God is to do His will” and “the true worth and measure of a man is his integrity.”
But still, what could she do more with “Sound of Music,” a play that has been done, redone and overdone in the Philippines?
“I want the play to have the elements of the movie. Majority of the people who are familiar with it know about it through the movie. Only a few have seen the play, but many have seen Julie Andrews as Maria. We have to bring these elements, the scenes like the Alps, the rolling hills, the Abbey, the villa, all that are tattooed in the mind of the viewers. So, I told Christine that I’d like to use a LED screen. Luckily, the Newport Performing Art Theater has the biggest LED screen in Asia,” shares the director who will use modern, state-of-the-art technology to make the classical musical come alive again with a certain newness to it and, of course, with the help of Paul Soriano as video director.
Roxanne will be using the LED wall in the scene where Maria travels from the Abbey to the villa. As she walks on the stage, the screen will move as she moves, turn when she turns. It will show the journey from the gate of the Abbey to the gate of the villa.
“We will have humongous sets because this is the biggest stage, 70 feet wide and 27 feet high. I believe that you need to wow the audience as soon as they sit down. The first set must be amazing to them. You don’t have a second chance to make the first impression. The first 10 seconds is to really delight the audience. Otherwise, you lose them. That first impression becomes the basis for the audience appreciation for the entire show.”
Aside from the LED screen and huge sets, Roxanne will make the local version move at a faster pace. She had already identified five scenes which allow for costume changes and she thinks are not necessary.
“Remember that at the time they were written, the scenes have to be done that way because the technical facilities then were not like the ones now. But when you take them out, the play will still be the same. But even if I have cut five scenes, the play is still considerably long,” shares Roxanne who is known as the doyenne of dinner theater in the Philippines.
But audience shouldn’t worry about the length of the play because there are many surprises along the way, such as the inclusion of two more "Sound of Music" songs “I Have Confidence” and “Something Good,” which Maria (to be portrayed alternatively by Joanna Ampil and Cris Villonco) and Georg (to be played by veteran theater Audie Gemora, who played the same role almost 30 years ago, with alternates Ed Feist and Jon Joven) sang when they admitted their love for each other.
Catch “Sound of Music” ongoing until December 11, 2011, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with matinee performances, 3 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila in Pasay City. For more information, call (632) 836-6333 or 908-8833. - Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
