Bravo, ‘Katy’!

EPY QUIZON as Dolphy and Isay Alvarez as Katy do a tap dance routine.

After the preview of “Katy” last week, Fanny Serrano, who designed the costumes, was in tears.

It was his first time to take part in a theatrical production. Actually, he almost quit.

“I had to create 150 costumes. And I had only four mananahi (seamstresses).”

Plus, he had barely a month to finish everything—and he had to keep adjusting some dresses, as lead star Isay Alvarez kept losing weight after an illness.

All told, it was a labor of love for Serrano who caught the original musical at the Rizal Theater in 1987.

“Fanny and everyone in the cast and crew went beyond the call of duty,” said Dulce, one of the show’s stars. “We felt passionate about this project. (Director) Nestor (Torre), Isay and I

BODABIL babes (from left): CJ Mangahis (Mary Walter), Celine Fabie (Patsy Patchochay), Tricia Amper-Jimenez (Hanna San) and Aicelle Santos (Teenage Katy)

want today’s youth to know more about Katy and bodabil.”

Celeste Legaspi, who produced and acted in the original, said: “My main fear was that the words and music would come across as old and dusty. But the audience loved every minute.”

(“Katy” runs until Sunday at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.)

Photos by Jude Bautista