The Grand Dame

Inaugurated in December 1931, the Manila Metropolitan Theatre (MET) has been the place to be for opera, ballet, symphony concerts, theatrical productions, and films. It has earned the moniker, "The Grand Dame of Manila," being not only a cultural institution frequented by the elites and cultural workers but also for its splendid art deco architecture and design, thanks to the prolific architect Juan M Arellano. Even during the Japanese Occupation, the MET continued to house concerts. The destructive Liberation of Manila in 1945 obliterated most buildings surrounding the MET, except for it but was left at such a depressing state albeit intact.

A grand lady of the Philippine high society, Conchita Sunico revived the theatre in the Seventies, by producing modern Filipino musicals. For the latter part of the 20th Century, it has been the mecca of then aspiring artists who would eventually turn out to be widely renowned locally and internationally. In 1973, the MET was named a National Historical Landmark and in 2010, the National Museum of the Philippines declared it as a National Cultural Treasure, in spite of being closed since 1996. Recently, it underwent a comprehensive restoration and rehabilitation and finally opened its doors last 2021, in time for the Quincentenario celebrations of the country.

Read also: Inside the Manila Metropolitan Theatre's Restoration

The Grand Reveal

In time for Gray's birthday week celebrations, The Grand Reveal was posted on her YouTube channel as well as NCCA's Facebook page. We see her, touring us inside the cultural treasure and also in jaw-dropping gowns and outfits that echo the various periods in the MET's storied past.

At the lobby, Gray stands by the staircase, in perfect symmetry to Francesco Monti's sculpture of Eve and a reproduction of the lost Fernando Amorsolo's History of Dance mural. In two varying black and white classic couture ensembles by Adam Pereyra, Gray welcomes us to the restored MET—a nod to the lavish gala nights and soirées that once filled the hallowed halls of the theatre.

Inside the theatre, Gray transforms into an opera singer, wearing a "Sentenerya" couture piece by Neric Beltran and rocaille earrings by Earl Gariando. On the video title card, it names Jovita Fuentes as the segment's muse, as well as "countless opera singers who have performed in the MET". The video also highlights the masterful work of Isabelo Tampinco on the ceiling with bas relief in tropical fruits and foliage motif.

Having been also a cinema for some time and a frequent venue for award shows from the 1980s to 1990s, we find Gray walking to the theatre seats to watch a classic black-and-white film. We see her in an 80s inspired ensemble, wearing "Dorina" couture dress by Neric Beltran which got its name from Sharon Cuneta's character from the iconic film Bituing Walang Ningning.

Gray was also wearing white pearl hand gloves by Kat Ong as a neckpiece. For her hands, she wears silk opera gloves by Miel Avena and completes the look with a pair of shimmering earrings by Farah Abu. Not everybody knows that the final scene of Bituing Walang Ningning, which was a concert showdown between Dorina and her idol-turned-mortal enemy Lavinia, was filmed on this very stage of the MET.

With the MET being home to the ballet recitals of the defunct ballet company Manila Moderne Ballet, Gray embodies a prima ballerina's spirit in the video wearing a silk taffeta dress by Alrey Rosano and a headpiece by Miel Avena. 

Gray also transforms into a Manila Carnival Queen, paying homage to the predecessor of the country's numerous beauty pageants. For the younger generation who might've not known Sunico, the MET's earlier mentioned executive director during the Marcos administration, was a Carnival Queen herself. Before she became the mother figure of then 'it' girls Chito Madrigal, Elvira Manahan, Chona Recto Kasten, and Mary Prieto, she herself was an "it" girl of her time. In this segment, Gray revives the vaudeville era when Sunico was a young Carnival Queen of 1935, wearing a "Dikya" ensemble by Neric Beltran, corset by Candice Arboleda, and earrings pinned on the headpiece by Kat Ong.

Read also: Remembering Conchita Sunico: The Philippine Society's First "It" Girl and Grand Dame

Finally, we see the MET's curtains go up and find Gray on spotlight, wearing "Gintong Kabalyero" couture terno dress and gracefully holding an ostrich feather fan by Adam Pereyra in collaboration with Arwin Meriales. Completing the look is a beautiful porcelain hair piece by mirth&yift. This classic thespian look is a tribute to the hardworking Filipino performing artists who have graced the stage of the MET like the zarzuela queen and National Artist for Music Honorata "Atang" de la Rama.

Read also: The National Artist Awards: Controversy, Winners, and its Significance

The epic, visually-striking video by Gray is a testament that Philippine arts and culture not only has a rich foundation every Filipino must discover, cherish, and preserve but also has elements that can live on up to this day. Ever relevant, the Philippine art scene is a dynamic sector where artists and creative forces of various backgrounds ceaselessly contribute.

With the MET finally being reopened with productions available online and on the pipeline, traditional and classical Filipino arts has a promising future to thrive alongside modern and contemporary arts. Perhaps this is also a birthday wish from the NCCA ambassador herself, that we also appreciate the arts—our local Filipino arts.

Read also: The State of the Philippine Art Scene During the COVID-19 Pandemic