The dreamweavers of Philippine theater

These courageous, unsung heroes who work in theater are modern-day storytellers who weave dreams and magic onstage. Dreamweavers, they are.

In the business of creating dreams is stage director Bobby Garcia, the same innovative artist behind the triumphant local productions of such Broadway classics as Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and most recently The Rocky Horror Show.

In a way, theater allows Bobby to pursue his life-long fascination with the arts. Even as a kid, he was already thinking of mounting several dream plays. One such dream play is, of course, Dreamgirls. "I’ve always wanted to do Dreamgirls. It has always been on the backburner for us."

So when the right time and the opportunity presented itself, Bobby didn’t hesitate to hook up with other theatrical dreamweavers to fulfill his long-cherished wish. To successfully mount such a demanding musical like Dreamgirls, Bobby explains, you need the best artists on your team.

"You have to find the right people," Bobby intones. "Vocally, it’s a very difficult piece. The female characters in Dreamgirls are but some of the most challenging roles in musical theater, next only to Eva Peron in Evita and Kim in Miss Saigon."

So when he got the chance to meet and work with such fast-rising young divas as Bituin Escalante, Anna Fegi, Lana Jalosjos, and Tex Ordoñez, Bobby realized that he had his Dream cast all revved up to go Onstage, literally. "This is not the kind of show that you can have tailor-made for a specific singer-actress," Bobby asserts. "We don’t believe in transposing the piece. They need to sing it the same way that the original Broadway performers did. We feel strongly about remaining true to the material. That’s why it is very important for us to get artists who can measure up to the challenge."

On that note, Bobby is in safe hands with the likes of Bituin, Anna, Lana, and Tex. "These girls can do it," Bobby gushes. "Their voices are even higher pa nga."

Bobby has high hopes for Dreamgirls. "It will be so much fun," he attests. "We’ll be having four of the best female singers in the country. We’ll be having three former Rent girls – Bituin, Anna, and Lana – and a new Atlantis discovery – Tex. You should hear these girls sing. It’s exciting!"

Bobby will also be working with equally scintillating collaborators and dreamweavers behind the scenes. For the fabulous ’60s-’70s costumes required by the show, Bobby turns to renowned young designer Rajo Laurel, as well as to Sky Manapat for additional costuming requirements.

Bobby last worked with Rajo in the wildly successful staging of The Rocky Horror Show last year. Needless to say, Rajo made waves and drew raves with his flamboyant costumes (colorful corsets for Calvin Millado and all-black S&M ensembles for Mylene Dizon) for Rocky Horror. As such, Bobby thought it wise to tap Rajo once again for his Dream musical. "The spectacular Supremes-inspired gowns that the girls will be wearing will all be by Rajo," Bobby remarks. "We were so pleased with his work in Rocky that we decided to ask him again to help us in Dreamgirls. He’s versatile and he loves theater as much as I do."

Aside from the period costumes, the music is another nostalgic component of the play. "The sound is very much of that time," Bobby volunteers. "It’s Motown, soul, ’60s-’70s pop."

To make the music as vital and fresh as it was when it was first staged in the ’80s, Bobby decided to join forces with a youthfful and dynamic musical director – in the person of Gerard Salonga.

Gerard, who previously worked on such big-time musicals as Carousel (under Repertory Philippines) and They’re Playing Our Song (under Maxi-Media International) and composed two songs for Miong (also under Repertory Philippines), is perfect for the job," says Bobby.

"He will supervise the music," Bobby pipes up. "I will work mostly with the musicians," Gerard chimes in. "For this musical, we will be having an 18-piece orchestra. We will be having more brass and wind instruments, to capture the musical’s distinct sound."

Bobby and Gerard share the same work style. "We both believe that we should focus on our work and entrust our co-workers to do whatever it is that they do well," Bobby reiterates.

Choreography will be handled by Andy Alviz and vocal direction by Manman Angsico. Andy also worked with Bobby in the Manila staging of Miss Saigon at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Manman is a frequent Atlantis collaborator.

With such kindred dreamweavers on his team, Bobby can do no wrong. The usually gregarious Bobby is at a loss for words when asked to describe the unique fulfillment he derives from theater. "It‘s hard to explain," Bobby enthuses. "It’s the inner joy you feel when you’re actually doing it. I can’t imagine life without theater, without music. It could also be because of the constant inspiration you get from working with very talented people."

That, in a nutshell, is what Dreamgirls is all about – it’s the story of dreamweavers.

(Dreamgirls will be mounted by Atlantis Production on March 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, and April 4, 5, and 6, at Onstage in Greenbelt Makati. For ticket information, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or Ticketworld at 891 5610.)