Trumpets N.O.A.H. Is Singing in the Rain

Certainly, the presence of rain in the story of Noah is assured, but, the Trumpets production of the famous biblical story became a tribute of sorts to the classic MGM film Singing in the Rain when it made its unofficial world premiere on 02 September 2009 at the Meralco Theater in Ortigas Center.

Before the show, N.O.A.H. director Jaime del Mundo went onstage and explained to the eager crowd that lead actress Sheila Francisco, who has no understudy or alternate, woke up that morning without a voice. Therefore, N.O.A.H. vocal coach Sweet Plantado will be helping out the ailing actress, and, the respected director, scriptwriter and actor requested for the audience’s understanding and hoped that the situation will not interfere with their enjoyment of the performance.

I had signed up for Ark duty, meaning, I was seated onstage, so, I was in a unique vantage point that evening because I had a view of both the action onstage and backstage. How The Company member Sweet Plantado helped out West End actress Sheila Francisco became clearer during the numerous musical numbers in N.O.A.H.

While Sheila Francisco bravely forged through the spoken lines with a carefully placed voice, Sweet Plantado sung the lyrics of Mrs. Noah’s songs backstage while Sheila lip-synched onstage.

Although it might seem incongruous, I must assure you that it was a privilege to witness the fruition of a professional and personal relationship that has been in existence for more than a decade. With Sweet’s intimate knowledge of Sheila’s rhythm and personality, she managed to inject Sheila’s characterization of Mrs. Noah into her singing while being blind to the action onstage (no TV monitor backstage). On her part, Sheila, armed with a familiarity of Sweet’s vocal abilities, continued performing and owned the voice emanating from her stage left.

It was a marriage of a special bond between two actors who know each other so well that they merged in a theatrical triumph that overcame all impediments. Brava Sweet! Brava Sheila!

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