REP: Review of THE GREAT CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE-OFF!: Delectable and Delightful

November 16, 2021

This year, the Repertory Philippines (REP) Theatre for Young Audiences (RTYA) comes back after a year-long hiatus secondary to the Covid pandemic with a holiday musical "The Great Christmas Cookie Bake-Off!". To make this occasion even more special, it is also the first Filipino production to be made available on the Broadway On Demand streaming platform. This is the first Filipino theatrical musical production that had been specially filmed to be streamed on n international online streaming site. 

Eight kids have been chosen to join the Great Christmas Cookie Bake-Off to be televised on the Kitchen Network for a chance to win P50,000 cash and a cookie cookbook deal. They were: Disney addict Amy (Justine Narciso), over-achieving perfectionist Ana (Jillian Ita-as), rich bratty Gabe (Jep Go), insecure video gamer Javi (Tim Pavino), nerdy science whiz Josh (Stephen Hotchkiss), confident culinary student Julian (Luigi Quesada), homey Granny's girl Patty (Becca Coates) and pretty in purple Samantha (Rachel Coates). 

The over-the-top celebrity panel judges include: notoriously mean desert chef Michael Holmes (Arnel Carrion), the fabulous Kitchen Runway hostess Isabel Guevara (Carla Guevara Laforteza), and flamboyant Mohawked pop star Del Ray (Jamie Wilson). The show's bespectacled master of ceremonies is Larry (Hans Eckstein). Some family members of the contestants would also show up to give their support: Gabe's father (also played by Carrion), Ana's mother and Patty's grandmother (both also played by Laforteza). 

The mechanics of the bake-off involved the kids coming up with original cookie creations based on the special secret ingredient to be revealed only right before the baking time of 40 minutes begins.  There would be three rounds, with only three cookie chefs left in the final round to vie for the big prize. There were breaks after each round when the audience get hints who will most probably be making it to the final three. Some awkward tentative transitions were felt during these breaks in this video version. 

This musical with music, book and lyrics by Broadway-based American composer, lyricist and musical supervisor Rick Hip-Flores, who also worked on acclaimed shows like 2017's Tony favorite "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812." The music was generally cheerful and Christmassy, just right for its juvenile target audience. A classic Christmas carol "We Three Kings" used as the music for one song by the three judges. For this local adaptation, the names of characters and places were changed to give a more Filipino flavor.

Like most cooking programs on TV, we were treated with mouth-watering close-ups of the various cookies the kids came up with, all with descriptive names which whet our sweet tooth even more. How we wish Rep could share the actual recipes of these scrumptious cookies, especially the winning cookies, with their audience. I am sure many kids will want to take up baking after this show, and more importantly, they will also learn the valuable lessons of love for family, gaining confidence, learning from mistakes and playing it fair. 

Veteran RTYA Creative Director Joy Virata directed the play for the stage, with "Master Chef"-inspired sets by Ed Lacson and colorful costumes by Bonsai Cielo to complete her vision. The lighting was designed by John Batalla. After a month of Zoom rehearsals, the final video was shot by movie director Treb Monteras and his Silver Media crew on the final day of a 4-day bubble period at Rep's home stage at OnStage Theater in Greenbelt 1. I wish there had been subtitles since we have gotten used to this convenience on most streaming sites. 

Ticket prices are P700 (Regular) and P1,000 (Family) available directed from Broadway on Demand (LINK), or from local outlets Ticketworld (LINK) and Ticket2Me (LINK). Each ticket gives 24-hour access (for Regular) or 48-hour access (for Family) to the musical, which can be accessed via computer or mobile device via the Broadway On Demand app on App Store and Google Play. Broadway On Demand is also available on AppleTV and Roku. 

For updates, log on to www.repertoryphilippines.ph,like and follow Repertory Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.Educators and school representatives who are interested in the show can email sales@repphil.org.