Proof that Filipino artists will never run out of surprises

JETT Pangan

Wonderful revelations at the “Ryan Cayabyab and Friends” concert last week at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater lead us to believe that Filipino artists will never run out of surprises.

At an earlier press con for the show, Cayabyab said he had handpicked Dulce, Bituin Escalante and Jett Pangan because their talents perfectly suited the repertoire that he had in mind. Turned out, his concept wasn’t really new, except that its execution was so refreshing, the numbers looked and sounded very original.

Cayabyab chose to downplay his own compositions, doing just one, “Hibang sa Awit” (lyrics by Jose Javier Reyes), as the show opener with the Ryan Cayabyab Singers (RCS). The notion of being “hibang” or crazy over music infected the audience all through the night.

Moving on to a Burt Bacharach medley (still featuring RCS)—which Cayabyab said he uncovered from his stack of old material—the result was a perky warm-upper that illustrated his brilliance as an arranger.

Mentioning in his spiels that he loved even older music, Cayabyab proceeded to spotlight Dulce in a medley of “In Despair” and “Stardust.” Now, the more familiar version of “In Despair” is Victor Wood’s, and combining it with a Hoagy Carmichael jazz standard like “Stardust” could have gone a little off. But it worked, seamlessly, with Dulce caressing the lyrics like a forlorn soul missing her lover.

Vaudeville flavor

The George Gershwin suite didn’t quite fit RCS, or maybe it was too Broadway for the group. But the last few songs from “Porgy and Bess” saved everything,

BITUIN Escalante

with Bituin Escalante’s earthy presence on “Summertime.” She owned the stage with the next several numbers from Cayabyab’s theater musical work, “Katy!” The songs’ vaudeville flavor was not lost and a happy vibe bounced from stage to audience as Escalante embraced the melodies and rhythms with relish.

The “Rama Hari” segment may have bordered on the boring for those not familiar with the musical, but the nimble Hotlegs Dancers kept it interesting.

We did not expect what happened next. Towards the last song in another Broadway medley entered Jett Pangan—his booming baritone livening up the hall with “Stranger in Paradise.”

Following that up with a medley of “I Have Dreamed”/“I Dreamed a Dream” (switching to tenor mode) the reality of a rock singer transforming himself into a talent ripe for musical theater unfolded. Pangan has, of course, appeared in a few local stage productions, including “Rent” and “Next to Normal,” but watching him at Newport was like seeing, pardon the pun, a new dawn rising for a hot artist of the legitimate stage.

The Raon Street medley starring RCS was quite amusing, the group’s pseudo-theatrical antics counterbalanced by beautiful shots of the songs’ album and single sleeves flashed on Newport’s majestic video screen.

Again, we weren’t prepared for the next number: Escalante singing Aegis’ “Basang Basa sa Ulan” and “Halik,” and then Pangan joining her onstage with his version of April Boy Regino’s “‘Di Ko Kayang Tanggapin” and Father and Sons’ “Miss na Miss Kita.” It was awe-inspiring.

It must be stressed that we’ve seen Lea Salonga and Ogie Alcasid doing exactly this same stuff in their previous concerts: Salonga’s interpretation would usually add elegance to an otherwise gritty set of tunes; Alcasid’s rendition would skirt his usual comic stance.

What set apart Escalante’s and Pangan’s approach was the way they injected soul into the numbers. Suddenly, the songs were no longer baduy and deserved to be listened to for their bleeding-heart sentiments.

Dulce had her own shining moments on a Willie Cruz suite, her powerful lungs obviously still in fine form, even as she stopped short of belting out all the way to kingdom come.

Two more sets of medleys from the songs of George Canseco and “Les Miserables” followed, with the whole company teaming up for the requisite grand finale.

But the strongest points had been made early on, and Cayabyab and company should be commended for pulling off a fantastic feat. What they did was practice the art of recycling the old with a gung-ho attitude— not unlike saving leftover adobo in the fridge and then eating it again after a few days—it’s even more savory.

Should we expect a repeat in the near future?