By 

Sam L. Marcelo, Associate Editor

BOY CAMARA, a 69-year-old retired rock star and college heartthrob, was hanging out
in New Jersey when he received a random message from Alice Reyes. Would Mr.
Camara like to join the restaging of Tales of the Manuvu, inquired Ms. Reyes, the
founder of Ballet Philippines (BP) who returned to the company in 2017 as its artistic
director.
The offer was a time machine that brought Mr. Camara back to his 1970s heyday: when
he sang with his band, The Afterbirth, in discos and clubs along Roxas Boulevard for
P20 a night; and he played the title role in a bootleg production of Jesus Christ
Superstar that opened a month before the Broadway premiere. Fun times. Caught up in
wistful remembrance, he said “yes” immediately (besides, who says “no” to a National
Artist?). With Mr. Camara on board, Ms. Reyes moved on to more urbane matters:
Would Mr. Camara like to join her for lunch in Brooklyn? The answer was, of course,
another “yes.” She prepared chicken. He assisted.
A few days after that surreal series of events — which took place thanks to the magical
Rolodex that is the Internet — Mr. Camara realized what he had gotten himself into.
This was no gig in a dimly lit club; this was Tales of the Manuvu, the closing
performance of Ballet Philippines’ 49th season at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center
of the Philippines. “Tales of the Manuvu brings you back to a time when everything was
good and everything was aplenty,” he said. “After the excitement died down, I started
asking myself: Can I still do it? I got nervous,” he said.

‘THE HOTTEST THING’

In the canon of Ballet Philippines, the original staging of Tales of the Manuvu (1977), is
legendary. The company’s dancers are still regaled with stories of lines snaking around
the block; audience members sitting in the Main Theater’s aisles and blocking the exits,
prompting a post-performance visit from the fire department; and rapturous applause.
A rock-opera ballet that tells the creation story of the Manobo tribe from
Mindanao, Tales of the Manuvu is based on an article written by historian and
anthropologist E. Arsenio Manuel. It represented a change of pace for Ms. Reyes, whose
early work consisted of dramatic women-centered historical pieces such as Amada. “I
wanted something a little bit more fun, a little bit more happy and childlike. When I
read his stories, I thought they were perfect for me to try and use as a dance story.”
She assembled a stellar team: Bienvenido Lumbera, who was awarded the title of
National Artist for Literature in 2006, wrote the libretto; Dero Pedero, the jingle-meister
behind the catchiest commercials of his time, composed the score in collaboration with
Mr. Camara and The Afterbirth. “He was the hottest thing,” said Ms. Reyes of Mr.
Camara, who was 27 when he assumed the role of “the First Man” in Tales of the
Manuvu. Fashion designer and Coco Banana club owner Ernest Santiago designed the
costumes; Monino Duque volunteered to do the lights and sets.
“It was really fun. We had no idea that it would do as well as it did. Who would have
thought? Literally, you couldn’t see the aisles,” said Ms. Reyes. “What made this
striking was that it was all-Filipino and the Filipino-ness, I think, hit a nerve.”
The production spawned a hit, “Noong Unang Panahon” (later recorded by Kuh
Ledesma), and boosted the profile of its stars: Mr. Camara, Celeste Legaspi, and Leah
Navarro. Ms. Legaspi, like Mr. Camara, is joining this production 42 years after being
part of its premiere.
Of her desire to recapture the magic of 1977 by featuring members of the original cast,
Ms. Reyes said: “I’m very nostalgic and sentimental. I hope I reach that generation and
that I’m speaking to those who are still around… Talent is talent is talent. Hindi
kumukupas (it does not fade).”