Fil-Am star of ‘Godspell’ charms critics

ANNA Maria Perez de Tagle: A revelation in “Godspell.” RUBEN NEPALES

LOS ANGELES—Mark Kennedy, drama critic for Associated Press, summed it up best among those who reviewed the current revival of “Godspell” on Broadway: “Anna Maria Perez de Tagle from ‘Hannah Montana,’ who is tiny and beautiful and yet seems game for anything… delivers a stirring ‘Day by Day.’” Kennedy also described Anna’s rendition of the most popular song in Stephen Schwartz’s musical as “gorgeous.”

In her Broadway debut, a fulfillment of one of her most cherished dreams, Anna bursts with energy as one of the 10 cast members who take on various characters as they enact Jesus’ parables from the gospel according to St. Matthew.

We caught the show last Sunday evening at the Circle in the Square.

Surprise!

Whether playing the father (using her long hair as mustache) of the prodigal son or portraying one of the Apostles in the Last Supper, Anna holds her own amid the cast, all of whom are talented and command attention. A wonderful surprise unfolds when Anna speaks several Tagalog lines during a Tower of Babel scene.

ANNA Maria Perez de Tagle signs autographs for fans at the Circle in the Square on Broadway. photos by ruben nepales

Updated to contemporary times and with new lyrics by Stephen, this “Godspell” is a fresh revival of the rock musical that debuted in the 1970s.

As The Wall Street Journal’s Terry Teachout wrote in his review, “Skeptics be damned: ‘Godspell’ is a joyously noisy romp that goes off like an extra-long string of firecrackers. It took 34 years for Stephen Schwartz’s once-ubiquitous rock musical, in which the gospel according to St. Matthew is enacted as a circus-like vaudeville turn, to make it back to Broadway, and by all rights the results should have been dated beyond hope of resuscitation. But Daniel Goldstein, the director of this revival, has blown all the dust off ‘Godspell,’ and the result is not a stale exercise in boomer nostalgia à la ‘Hair’ but a fizzy, family-friendly show that deserves to run… well, forever.”

Terry added, “It helps, too, that everyone in the cast is funny, especially George Salazar, and that nearly everyone sings well, especially Celisse Henderson and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle.”

CAMILLE Mana and Justin Bartha after their “Asuncion” performance at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York

Several critics also cited Anna:

New York Times’ Charles Isherwood: “The show’s hit tune, ‘Day by Day,’ is led effectively by Anna Maria Perez de Tagle…”

Backstage’s David Sheward: “Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is button-cute and gives the Top 40 hit ‘Day by Day’ an innocent sweetness.’ ”

“The Epoch Times, Judd Hollander: “The rest of the cast all have at least one song in which they have a chance to shine, from De Tagle’s haunting ‘Day by Day’…”

New Jersey Newsroom.com’s Lori Sender: “Especially noteworthy was Anna Maria Perez de Tagle donning an adorable second-hand-store find of powder blue tutu, singing an ethereal version of ‘Day by Day’; Lindsay Mendez with her belting voice and cowboy boots; and Telly Leung, who when sitting at the piano and quietly singing, made me long for a soulful night just of this.”

While “Godspell” is overall a humor-tinged romp through some of the parables that benefit from David Korins’ simple yet ingenious scenic design and Christopher Gattelli’s choreography, some scenes, including the Last Supper, the crucifixion (where Hunter Parrish, as Jesus, is most effective) and a few others moved some members of the audience to tears. Model turned singer-actress-producer Bessie Badilla, who watched the show with us, admitted to wiping away a few tears, too.

After grandma

JESSE Eisenberg told the Inquirer that “Asuncion,” which he wrote and stars in with Justin Bartha and Fil-Am Camille Mana, might be staged in Manila next year

After the performance, which earned a standing ovation, we stayed inside the theater to congratulate Anna who clearly has inherited her grandmother Sylvia La Torre’s talents.

Shy and quiet as usual, very different from the “game” performer she was just minutes ago (that’s acting for you), Anna said the show’s somber scenes never fail to touch her.

We also congratulated Telly Leung —who also plays Wes, a Warbler on “Glee”—for his own standout moments, especially on “All Good Gifts,” and when he sang and played the piano on “Learn Your Lessons Well.”

Incidentally, Asian Journal’s Momar Visaya reported that the mother of another cast member, George Salazar, is a Filipina from Tanay, Rizal while his dad is from Ecuador.

Last Saturday evening, we also met Anna for dinner in between her matinee and evening performances. It was a fun get-together of Los Angelenos who happened to be in New York, including Oliver Tolentino, who designs most of Anna’s red carpet ensembles, and his business manager, Andrew Caruthers.

Anna herself is based in LA but she told us that she is enjoying living in the Big Apple during “Godspell’s” run, along with her gracious mom, Evelyn, and brother, King.

Off-Broadway debut

After that dinner, we rushed to catch “Asuncion,” Jesse Eisenberg’s off-Broadway debut as a playwright that stars him, Justin Bartha, Filipino-American actress Camille Mana and Remy Auberjonois.

As we’ve previously written, “Asuncion” chronicles what happens when Stuart (Remy) drops off Camille’s Pinay title character to stay temporarily with his brother, Edgar (Jesse), and the latter’s friend, Vinny (Justin) in their New York apartment.

Edgar and Vinny are liberals but react differently to the funny, attractive woman who comes into their lives. Edgar, who likes to tout that he’s been to Cambodia, guesses that their new Asian roommate is a mail-order bride while Vinny simply delights, making no presumptions whatsoever, in her presence.

This is probably Jesse’s most physical role although he still gets to mouth his Woody Allen-esque ruminations. The play, as written by Jesse, also allows Justin to act more with his body. Justin is a natural in the Vinny role—a cool and laid-back professor—as opposed to Jesse’s Edgar, a progressive journalist wannabe but who is actually insecure and ignorant.

Justin’s role requires him to have more chemistry with Camille and he does just that. They are fun to watch together.

Camille, who is making her New York stage debut, acquits herself well in the company of these actors, all of whom have more stage credits. The New York Times’ Charles Isherwood, in his review, described her as “the buoyant, lovely Camille Mana” while The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney cited her “appealing performance.”

Variety’s Marilyn Stasio concurred and wrote, “…A blithe spirit in Camille’s Mana’s animated performance.”

The audience rose to its feet at the end of “Asuncion,” which marks an auspicious debut for Jesse as a playwright. In the theater lobby, Jesse, who told us in a previous interview that he has a Filipina friend, said that she probably inspired the Asuncion character although it’s not really about her.

Then “The Social Network” star revealed an exciting development—someone from the Philippines has approached him to stage “Asuncion” in Manila next year. It’s still very much in the planning stage but Jesse looked excited about the prospect.

“Asuncion,” extended for three additional weeks until Dec. 18, is drawing crowds as “Godspell” is. By all means go see both if you happen to be in New York.

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