PRIDE month is coming early for fans of both the art of drag and musical theater — the brand-new musical Delia D.: A Musical Featuring the Songs of Jonathan Manalo will combine both in a grand, bedazzling onstage showcase.
The jukebox musical from Newport World Resorts’ production arm Full House Theater Company (FHTC) will have performances at the Newport Performing Arts Theater from April 25 to June 8.
The show features a unique blend of camp, comedy, and drama, while highlighting the values of perseverance, family bonds, and the pursuit of one’s passions. The musical revolves around its titular character, Delia D., a magnetic drag performer pursuing a dream to make it big.
Songs penned and arranged by the most streamed Filipino songwriter-producer of all time, Jonathan Manalo, will fill the musical with passion and emotion.
In March, he was ranked 140th among the top music producers in the world by Los Angeles-based music credit platform Muso.AI (and is the only Filipino on the list). All the songs he has helmed in the past two decades have amassed over 8 billion streams in total.
Some of his songs in the musical are “Tara Tena” (a 2001 Himig Handog winner), “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw” (recorded by Sheryn Regis and reprised by Morissette), “Pagbigyang Muli” (sung by Erik Santos and Regine Velasquez), “Boom Panes” and “Rampa” (both sung by Vice Ganda), and many more.
Mr. Manalo told the media at a March 13 press conference that he never imagined that his music would make this journey into musical theater.
“My music is in good hands,” he said. “I’m excited and super proud of the outcome, though hindi ko pa nakikita nang buo (I haven’t seen it in full) since rehearsals are ongoing. But I’ve seen bits and pieces of greatness.”
He added that Delia D. is a hybrid musical, which means it will contain a mix of existing hits and new material. There will be 40 songs from the catalog of Mr. Manalo, and six brand-new songs that he wrote specifically for the musical.
Following FHTC’s two previous productions, which were hit jukebox musicals, lead actor Phi Palmos expressed the importance of representation on such a big stage.
“It is such a big opportunity to represent my community. I am an advocate and a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual plus community), and my advocacy is pushing for nuanced, sensitive, and truthful representation in media,” he said.
Mr. Palmos pointed out the title being Delia D. is a powerful message, akin to the weight of other musicals with lead characters in the title — Evita, Sweeney Todd, Annie.
“Hindi na aasamin ng isang batang bakla na maging Kim sa Miss Saigon. Aasamin na niya maging Delia D. (Little gay boys won’t have to yearn to be Kim from Miss Saigon. They will yearn to be Delia D.),” he explained.
Aside from the titular role, the musical is filled with a colorful cast of characters, from Delia’s family members and fellow drag performers to music label executives and singing show contestants.
The supporting actors are Floyd Tena, Tex Ordoñez de Leon, Omar Udin, John “Sweet” Lapus, Shaira Optimar, Joanna Yap-Co, Joshua Cabiladas, Mimi Marquez, Rapah Manalo, Miah Canton, Alfritz Blanche, Natasha Cabrera, and Chaye Mogg.
For Mr. Tena, a gay actor who has been playing straight roles all his life, Delia D. is a huge opportunity. “It’s my first time to play a fully gay character,” he said. “I always tell my director to please guide me, because I know I’m gay but I don’t know how to play a gay character — which is weird, right?”
Mr. Palmos added that the show goes beyond using representation as a buzzword. “You have to see a manifestation of that dream. For me, I aim for this to be like a Lea Salonga Miss Saigon role, where years later I will see other Delia D’s,” he shared.
“In terms of the requirements of the stage, we’re showcasing different worlds. We have the drag world, the showbiz world, the world of the family, and the world of the singing contestants,” said director Dexter Santos at the press conference.
“We want to create all of those worlds as closely to reality as possible, so that we can see the delineations, the juxtapositions. And you can expect a lot of back-to-back numbers,” he added.
The production’s creative team includes playwright Dolly Dulu, musical arranger Vince Lim, choreographer Stephen Viñas, and many more.
Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Michael Williams, co-artistic directors of FHTC, told the press that the musical may be a triumph for the LGBTQIA+ community, but it is still “a story for everyone.”
“Anyone can relate. A parent, a child, a friend, anyone with a dream. Everybody is represented here,” said Ms. Lauchengco-Yulo.
Delia D. will run at the Newport Performing Arts Theater from April 25 to June 8. Tickets, ranging in price from P1,000 to P3,500, are available at all TicketWorld outlets, HelixPay, and the Newport World Resorts Box Office. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
