Pinoys in Disneyland

Whatever people say about the exodus of theater people from Manila to Hong Kong, for Bobby Garcia, now Disneyland Hong Kong show director, "it will bring nothing but good to Manila’s theater scene."

Bobby likens it to the drain Miss Saigon caused back in the 1990s when Broadway and West End recruited Filipino actors by the dozen. "Anytime people are given the opportunity to perform elsewhere, it allows a new crop of people who were never given the chance to perform because there was a steady group of people performing. It allows them to suddenly come up and shine."

Besides, when the actors eventually go back to Manila, "they come back with so much experience and knowledge, having worked with different cultures. I think it’s just wonderful."

Having made his name producing and directing provocative plays in Manila, first with Monique Wilson’s New Voice Company and later with Atlantis, Bobby made the move last year and is now part of the team that conceptualizes live entertainment in Disneyland.

Now living in an apartment in Central Hong Kong, he is one of the many Filipinos working at Disneyland. A Disney exec involved in human resources tells us there are 500 Filipinos of the 5,000 employees of the entire park. The Pinoys in Disneyland are spread out in the different departments – from entertainment to food and beverage.

In The Festival of the Lion King, a stunning Broadway-type production that spared no expense in both the theater venue and animatronics in the show, there are 22 Filipinos in the 90-member cast (30 members perform for each show). Wendy Panganiban Calderon is one of the performers, playing the Spirit Bird, a short but dramatic role that sees her flying up in the air just when Simba prepares to reclaim his kingdom.

Also the dance captain of Lion King, Wendy was trained in classical ballet, first with the Ballet Philippines, and then she spent 10 years dancing with the Hong Kong Ballet, doing productions such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Nutcracker. She is married to fellow ballet dancer Amuer Calderon, also an alumnus of Ballet Philippines and Hong Kong Ballet.

Why did she make the move from classical ballet to Disneyland? Wendy laughs and says, "Should I say this? I cannot dance en pointe anymore from too many injuries. Pure classical ballet is hard on the body."

Wendy and the cast of Lion King began rehearsals in June and are set to do eight shows per day on weekends and holidays and five shows on non-peak days.

Does she miss classical ballet? "I don’t miss the pain," she says with a big smile.

Another show getting the most crowds in Disneyland is The Golden Mickeys, an Oscars-type musical revue with Disney characters singing their theme tunes – including a very buffed-up Tarzan swinging on the ropes. The show is hosted by Bebe, a news entertainment journalist, alternately played by two Filipina actors: Sheila Valderrama and Pheona Baranda. If you didn’t know they were Pinoys, you’d take them for Chinese because they speak the language so convincingly. Other Pinoy actors in Disneyland are Repertory’s Noel Rayos and Ralion Alonso, New Voice Company’s Rabbi Gannaban, Analiza Zialcita and Mackee Serra.

Bobby says, "The Filipinos are doing great. You know what, the most powerful image in The Festival of the Lion King is that final tableau when they’re all in a circle. There, you see all the cultures together. I think that sums up our experience in Disneyland."