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Your inside look at 'Carousel' by Repertory Philippines
It was an exhausting three hours.
Yes, the Repertory Philippines’ staging of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel ran just minutes longer than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But while the Marvel movie had lots of action sequences to get audiences revved up, the musical only had dialogue, drama and dance going for it. And honestly, those were more worthwhile than what the superhero film had to offer.
Dubbed 'the greatest musical of the 20th century' by TIME, Repertory’s first and only production for 2022, demanded emotional investment. And to think that the plot wasn’t even that uncommon: boy, in this case, a carefree carnival barker named Billy Bigelow, meets girl, a sweet and naive millworker Julie Jones. They fall in love and as a consequence of their relationship, find themselves unemployed, which becomes the root of their strained marriage. When he discovers that she’s carrying their baby, he resorts to extreme measures to be able to provide for his family.
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It’s a familiar Romeo and Juliet kind of story—love that leads to tragedy—and yet, the talented cast, as directed by young Toff de Venecia who injected whimsy and novelty into the play (by way of selfies and TikTok dance moves), managed to get me so involved that I stepped out of the theatre drained and weary.
The pandemic had something to do with it. Repertory obtained the right to produce Carousel back in May 2020 and they had planned to roll it out in a grand way. They had a big cast and the Manila Symphony Orchestra was going to provide the music, as conducted by the much-celebrated Gerard Salonga. But COVID struck and the promise of a great staging got dissolved.
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As a consequence, the original venue, OnStage Greenbelt, was replaced by a smaller albeit more intimate venue, CCP’s Black Box Theater, which only allowed for a short catwalk of a stage that’s limiting but not limited to an audience of less than 300, just half of what Greenbelt can hold. From a large ensemble, music was reduced to two brilliant pianists—Joed Balsamo, and musical director Ejay Yatco. And from an initial troupe of 30, they were down to 16, several of whom portray several roles. It may seem like the Repertory tightened its belt for its maiden post-pandemic production but it definitely worked to their favour as its prudence made for a more profound and penetrating performance, as if it was always meant to be that way.
Bigelow requires Gian Magdangal to act on a range of qualities—from tough and almighty as the quintessential ladies’ man slash bad boy, to weak and sensitive as a boy in love and a father-to-be—and the decorated actor does so with much ease and comfort. As the anti-hero protagonist, he does the role justice by allowing the crowd to hate him for beating his wife, an unthinkable act in the #MeToo era, seen mostly in the latter part of the two-act show where the audience embraces him for his flaws and vulnerability.
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Of the two leads, it was Karylle Tatlonghari who stood out and drew the most emotion from me. The role of Julie Jordan, soft-spoken and sweet, fits her like a glove. From the way her face crumpled with longing and hope as she denied her growing feelings for Biggy, to the grip of her glossy eyes, marked with loss and despair from the death of a loved one, she grabbed my gaze and had it locked in long after the lights left her. Between Carousel’s couple, it was Julie who was truly strong and capable (Billy’s demise was the ultimate form of weakness), and Karylle portrayed that muted strength in spades until the very end.
The musical’s abrupt ending caught me off guard and as the whole cast slowly marched to the tune of its final song (“You’ll Never Walk Alone”), I found myself still entangled in a web of emotions.
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This was exactly what I expected Black Panther to deliver but failed. What’s a film if not to make you move to feel something?
I certainly got my fill from Carousel, which is what people should be lining up for.
Repertory Philippines’ staging of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel will run at CCP’s Black Box Theater from November 26 to December 18, 2022. Tickets are available on Ticketworld.
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