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Sweeney Todd meets Tony Bennett on Valentine’s

by Bibsy Carballo

MANILA, Philippines – From among the inexplicably large number of Valentine shows this year despite the economic crisis, everyone will be promising to be different from the rest. What shall spell the difference? The biggest names? The best performers? The price of tickets? Track record? The unique concept?

Competing for the audience on the 14th are Charice with Ryan Cayabyab, Kuh Ledesma with Christopher de Leon and Jomari Yllana, Ai-Ai de las Alas with a bunch of guests, the eternal Valentine un-couple Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez, and the brother-sister tandem of Raymond Lauchengco and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. It is anyone’s guess who will emerge big winner. However, Sibling Revelryat Rockwell Tent, including a four-course dinner to die for looks like the biggest bargain in town, considering such significant talents, a great repertoire, and a 300-seating capacity where everyone gets prime view.

Eating and chatting are from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., after which the show starts promptly at 8 p.m. And we can bet, whether or not there are late-comers complaining about the traffic, the show will start as announced. Some habits are just difficult to break especially since Raymond and Menchu had been reared in the legitimate theater.

Holding Valentine shows yearly on Valentine’s Day itself had become traditional with Raymond since 2006. The back-to-back with Ate Menchu conceptualized by Raymond’s wife and self-confessed greatest fan Mia Rocha has been on the blueprint for some time. It will be a first for the two of them which they will co-direct, with Raymond choosing the music, Menchu doing the choreography.

“We used to sing together all the time as kids; we were a team like Donnie and Marie, inseparable. We even had our beds adjacent to each other. And later in the ’80s as part of the Pepsi New Generation we performed on stage together. But then we went solo and our separate ways. I realize now though that as different as our worlds have become, our common denominator is still music and the joy of performing.” Raymond muses.

Throughout Raymond’s career in mainstream show business, his love affair with music never really dwindled; he just got seduced by other interests like acting, movies and television, photography, but his one true love for singing always claimed him, especially every Valentine’s Day.

Menchu, similarly, is happiest when performing on stage. As part of Repertory Philippines, they were together in her early musicals like West Side Story, Fantasticks, Sound of Music, the 1982 Sweeney Todd.(She recently gained rave reviews with her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in 2009’s Sweeney Todd.). She got Raymond started in theater when accompanying her to the auditions of King and I he got cast and she ironically didn’t.) The following year, she got into Fiddler on the Roof.

It is in the choice between theater and concert singing that they differ. Raymond explains that while both use music to tell stories, in a play you do a role singing a single storyline; in a concert you play yourself singing multiple stories. “Because I tend to get bored doing the same thing over and over, naturally I prefer concerts,” he declares.

Menchu, on the other hand, states, “I’m really not comfortable just standing on stage singing as Menchu. I’m most comfortable doing ‘acting’ songs if I need to just stand and sing. But I’m learning how to make that transition.”

So fun it will be when the siblings cross swords on Valentine’s — he who has done 40 solo concerts since he started singing, and she who has played over 50 lead roles in theater and now has been bestowed the title of First Lady of Philippine Musical Theater.

Nine session musicians under musical director Jun Austria will reproduce the big band sound of the era of Tony Bennett who remains Raymond’s very favorite singer of all times. The show promises music from Sinatra, Streisand, OPM songs, and naturally Broadway and the West End. Raymond will sing his favorites, and Menchu the theater-based songs like What I did for Love, Don’t Rain on My Parade, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered. There will be many duets like in the Carpenters and Osmond medleys, As Time Goes By, Lullaby of Broadway, More Today than Yesterday, and dancing numbers ala Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, or maybe Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa? And naturally singing and dancing from Bagets, the movie catapulted Raymond into matinee idol status.

Both have won awards too numerous to list. Raymond has recorded eight albums with more coming. There are things they still have to do. Raymond would love to compose and learn to play the piano. Menchu would love to do a recording “while I still have the voice” and do a teleserye if the role is interesting and challenging and her Tagalog would pass muster. After all, she confesses she has always believed herself to be “an actress who can sing rather than a singer who can act.” She has also never yet played a lesbian and a man onstage. So many more things to do, and so little time.

Sibling Revelry someone told us was also used by the Jonas Brothers and Ann Hampton and Liz Callaway in their concerts, but the Lauchengcos will be something altogether different. Raymond confesses, “It seems that every show I do gets bigger than the last one. Not particularly in scale but in the challenges I pose for myself.”

A chat with Raymond will never be complete without talking about Tony Bennett. “To sound that good at that age is a singer’s dream. But then, it’s not even his voice that I’m crazy about. It’s the joy he puts into his music that has given him both his identity and his longevity.” While influenced by classical singers in college at UP Conservatory, Raymond eventually went for those who crossed over, sang in Broadway soundtracks, Elvis and MJ. But in terms of phrasing and musicality, he goes back to Tony Bennett with a little bit of Sinatra.

His last album Full Circle: the Big Band Album from Viva had music reviewer Pocholo Concepcion applauding. “ Though it’s purely an all-covers set, the concept that gave life to it is so beautifully executed, that this may well be the standard by which succeeding ‘revival’ projects will be measured.” Raymond is so taken by the Big Bang sound he adopted it in his Valentine show two years ago.

It was therefore a matter of course that it would similarly dictate the sound of Sibling Revelry. A four-course, sit-down dinner has been designed and prepared by Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Him Uy de Baron of Chef Cuisine (which we in the press launch sampled courtesy of Imarflex/Cuisinart/Saeco). Major presentor is Chevrolet. Tickets are at P3,300 (inclusive of dinner).  For free delivery of tickets within Metro Manila, please call (0939) 128-6569. Tickets are also available at TicketWorld with tel. no. 891-9999.

(E-mail me at bibsycarballo@yahoo.com.)

Lauchengco siblings in a rare Valentine show at the Rockwell Tent

Premiere balladeer Raymond Lauchengco and first lady of Philippine musical theater Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo perform in a back-to-back concert for the very first time this Valentine’s Day.

‘Sibling Revelry’, a dinner-concert to be held at the Rockwell Tent on February 14, brings together two of the country’s most talented musical siblings in a rare evening filled with big band standards, soulful ballads, and the most loved songs from Broadway and the West End.

‘It’s going to be a fun, musical evening performing with my sister,’ says Raymond.  ‘It’s not often that we get to share the stage…and to think she was my first-ever singing partner!’

Menchu continues, ‘Growing up, we spent a lot of time singing together, in front of family and friends…it’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that.  It’s always been fun to do that.  I think the last time we shared a stage before a concert audience was in the 80s, when we were both New Generation artists.’

Suffice it to say that the siblings have indeed come a long way.  Since appearing as Louis when he was twelve years old in the Repertory Philippines’ staging of ‘The King and I’, Raymond pursued a singing career, recording a total of eight albums (the latest of which is ‘Full Circle’, his big band album) and performing in concerts around the country and the world.  Meanwhile, Menchu proceeded to conquer the stage with one memorable performance after another in dozens of musicals, including the role of Ellen, the wife of American soldier Chris, in the Manila staging of ‘Miss Saigon’.  Her recent portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in ‘Sweeney Todd’ is considered among her finest performances.

Raymond and Menchu will be accompanied by an eight-piece band comprising of two keyboardists, one bassist, one drummer, two trumpeteers, one trombonist, and one saxophonist under the musical direction of Jun Austria.

Prior to the concert, a four-course, sit-down dinner with a menu designed and prepared by Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Him Uy de Baron of Chef Cuisine will be served to guests.

‘To be able to sing the songs that we love, the songs we grew up with, is a real treat for us,’ Raymond says.

Adds Menchu, ‘And we hope that when we do sing those songs, the audience will see why we fell in love with them, making the concert a treat for them as well.’

Unforgettable voices, beautiful music, unmatched elegance, sophisticated charm, quick wit and a dash of humor are the elements that make ‘Sibling Revelry’ the show to watch this Valentine season.  With music from Sinatra to Streisand, from the Carpenters to the Osmonds, from Broadway to the West End, the Lauchengcos are sure to make February 14 a night to remember.

Sibling Revelry will be held on February 14, 2010 at the Rockwell Tent.  Dinner will be served from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.  The show promptly begins at 8.

Sibling Revelry is presented by Chevrolet and is also made possible by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, BusinessWorld, 105.1 Crossover, Yellow Door Gallery, Empire Macarons, Chef Cuisine, Terra Wellness Spa, Pink Wheels Car Insurance for Women, Rajo Laurel, JC Buendia and Team Big Wave.

Tickets at Php 3,300 (inclusive of dinner).  For free delivery within Metro Manila, please contact (0939) 128-6569. Also available at TicketWorld 891-9999.

First you start with fresh focaccia bread with olive tapenade…

…or fresh pomodoro with basil.

Then it’s duck meat parcel with arugula and mixed greens in raspberry dressing.

My sister-in-law was so bowled over by this salad that she forgot to take a photo of the slow-roasted tomato soup with basil oil.  She regained her composure when this six-hour braised beef with lemon gremolata, haricot verts, and truffle-infused mash was served…

…then you finish the meal with Le Kitkat (homemade Kitkat bars) with strawberry sauce.

…and then the other show begins!  (The one with me and Menchu.)

Hope to see you on the 14th!

Sibling Revelry: Big band. Ballads. Broadway.

February 14, 2010

Rockwell Tent, Makati City

Dinner will be served from 6:30pm to 7:45pm.  Show promptly begins at 8pm.

Tickets at Php 3,300 each (inclusive of dinner and two drinks).

For free delivery within Metro Manila, please contact (0939) 128-6569.

Also available at TicketWorld 891-9999.

Dinner menu by Chef Him Uy de Baron:

Fresh foccacia bread with fresh pomodoro and olive tapenade

Duck meat parcel with arugula and mixed green salad in raspberry dressing

Slow-roasted tomato soup with basil oil

Six-hour braised short ribs with lemon gremolata and truffle mash

Le Kitkat with strawberry sauce

Accompanied by an eight-piece band featuring a live blowing section under the musical direction of Jun Austria, Raymond will be performing big band standards, Broadway love songs, pop classics and his 80s big band hits such as ‘Just Got Lucky’ and ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-go’ from his latest album, ‘Full Circle’.

Raymond began as a theater performer at the age of 12 but shot to fame as one of the lead stars of the Pinoy film classic, Bagets, and having sung the movie’s love theme ‘So It’s You’ established himself as one of the country’s most soulful balladeers. Having shed off his teeny-bopper, matinee-idol image, Raymond re-emerged as a sensitive and engaging performer, garnering an Aliw Award in 2006 for his performance in the concert series ‘The Best of Us’, with Ayen Laurel. Raymond has since focused his repertoire on standards, Broadway hits and big band music because of its classic and universal appeal.

Tickets are available at Php 1,500 each. For inquiries, please contact Teatrino at 721-0635 or 0917-3700395.

Taken during the Father’s Day concert at the Mega Atrium, Sunday, June 21.  

A very memorable 2nd Father’s Day for me.