Jhett Tolentino Productions
Bringing a ‘Very Broadway Christmas’ to Manila
By Earl D.C. Bracamonte
A new theater company, Jhett Tolentino Productions, will
bring to Manila a different concept of a Christmas concert this holiday season.
Dubbed “A Very Broadway Christmas,” the one-night only show will unfold on Dec.
11, 7 PM at the newly-opened BGC Arts Center in Taguig City.
“It’s quite difficult to bring Broadway talents here and
Filipino artists to Broadway because Equity regulations, albeit with gray
areas, are strict. We need to follow the 600-point regulation. We are lobbying
for the recognition of our proposed point system.
“There are 15,000 actors in New York alone that’s why it’s
hard for Asians to penetrate the theater scene,” revealed Jhett.
Theater aficionados from Western Visayas may also catch the
concert in Iloilo City on Dec. 17 at the Rose Memorial Hall of the Central
Philippines University. Produced and directed by Jhett Tolentino, the only
Filipino producer on Broadway, the concert will feature a mix of holiday tunes,
Broadway anthems, as well as a surprise mix of Original Pilipino Music. Under
the musical direction of Ceejay Javier, the repertoire will have a new and
fresh rearrangement for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
Jhett Production shows are different because of Broadway
training but with local artists performing. “We complement the existing theater
productions. Team members share our mission to enhance the Philippine theater
scene and create new venues especially in the provinces,” he continued.
An accountant by profession, show producer Jhett Dizon
Tolentino is a Pinoy Pride who was born, raised, and educated in Iloilo City.
He had won three Tony Awards for producing Broadway shows, making him the
second Philippine-born Tony Award recipient, after Lea Salonga.
He is the first Filipino Tony Awards voter among the 27
million theater goers in the United States. He is also a Grammy Awards voter.
In 2014, Jhett received the accolade as The Outstanding Filipino-American – New
York (TOFA-NY) for Entertainment at the Carnegie Hall.
“In a recent audition we undertook, we realized the
tremendous talent of Pinoy performers. Although some lack technique as well as
control or simply stay in place, some have enunciation problems. But all these
can be rectified with exposures to the right vehicles,” he added.
In February 2016, Jhett was recognized by the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts with Ani
Ng Dangal for bringing
international honor to the country. Currently, he is the Deputy Chapter
Commander of the Knights of Rizal – NY Chapter, and a delegate to the 5th
Filipino American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro).
The show’s repertoire include Holiday (It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot
Like Christmas, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, River, Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, All Those Christmas Cliches, Let It
Snow, and Red Ryder from A Christmas Story), Broadway (Santa Fe
and Letter from the Refuge from Newsies; Everlasting and Top of the
World from Tuck Everlasting; I’m Not That Smart from Spelling Bee; Feed the Birds from Mary
Poppins; Proud of Your Boy from Aladdin; and What I Did For
Love from A Chorus Line), and OPM
(Pasko na Naman, Sana Ngayong Pasko and Kumukutikutitap) classics.
“Nobody starts as an expert but as a newbie all the time. Leave
your accolades at home. Everybody starts as a beginner,” intoned Jhett at the
close of our colloquy.
For tickets, simply call TicketWorld at tel. no. 891-9999.
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