Recap of ANYWHERE WE SING IS HOME: The CCP's 54th Anniversary Gala

September 10, 2023

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is celebrating its 54th founding anniversary this month. However, since it is currently being renovated, the whole CCP proper is not available to stage a major gala concert to be held to celebrate the milestone. Therefore this special event was instead held in the Samsung Performing Arts Center in the Ayala Circuit Makati Mall for two performances, September 9 at 8 pm and September 10 Sunday at 3 pm.  

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra played the music conducted by no less than by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab. For each artist who sang in the show, their spiels revealed what year their first time to perform on the CCP stage was and on what production. They will then relate their own stage experiences with more personal detail with nostalgic effect. The show was directed by the ever-fabulous Floy Quintos.

Headlining the gala this year is Joanna Ampil, who was prominently in theater news lately for portraying the Engineer in the latest revival of "Ms. Saigon" in the UK. Not only that she was the first female to do so, the fact that she had played Kim before made this inspired casting even more remarkable.  (Ironically, Ampil did not get to sing any song from "Ms. Saigon" in this concert, be it a Kim song nor an Engineer song.)

Wearing a shiny black suit and pants ensemble, Ampil opened the concert by coming down a spiral flight of stairs on stage right, singing "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from "Sunset Boulevard." She followed this up with an energetic rendition of the sassy "Don't Rain on My Parade" from "Funny Girl." She then introduced the next two singers, both "Ms. Saigon" alumni abroad like her, to sing the next medley of Filipino songs with her.

After singing a triumphant "Nais Ko," Ampil left the stage. Gerald Santos sang "Hahanapin Ko," followed by a visibly expecting Aicelle Santos in a white maternity gown, singing "Narito Ako." Aicelle went on to sing "What I Did for Love" from "A Chorus Line". Gerald came back on to sing "Hanggang," his winning song when he won "Pinoy Pop Superstar" 2005, which he won over Aicelle. The two ended their set with "Ms. Saigon" most famous duets -- "Sun & Moon" and "Last Night of the World."

Ampil came back out on the stage wearing a bright green body-hugging gown with fuschia designs and a matching scarf on her head to sing "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from "Jesus Christ Superstar." Then she introduced Sheila Francisco, and they sang a slowed-down arrangement of "Happy Talk" and the ethereal "Bali Hai," both sung in "South Pacific" by Bloody Mary, a character they've both played in the UK. Francisco then took centerstage to sing a powerful, gritty and show-stopping rendition of "Some People, " a song by a character she longed to play onstage, Mama Rose of "Gypsy." 

Ampil returned onstage to introduce her next three younger guests, who had never performed in musical productions abroad yet -- Arman Ferrer, Reb Atadero and Gab Pangilinan (the only one of them who had not actually sung on the CCP stage yet). The four of them sang a medley of dreamy songs by Michel Legrand, including "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" and "The Summer Knows" (love theme from the film "The Summer of '42").

Three songs composed by Ryan Cayabyab for Filipino musicals were next, so Toma Cayabyab came out to replace his father to conduct the orchestra for this segment. With her rich soprano, Pangilinan led off by singing "Magbalik Ka Na Mahal," then duetted with Ferrer in "Iisa ang Tibok," both from "Rama Hari." Ferrer then brought the house down with an impassioned "Awit ni Isagani" from "El Filibusterismo" with his robust tenor voice, then ending on an exquisite head tone key switch in his final note.

Reb Atadero returned to sing "Being Alive" from Sondheim's "Company," then gushed about his surreal experience of having Mr. C playing piano for him. He then reintroduced Ampil, who had now changed into an elegant silver evening gown. She sang two big ballads from her most iconic Broadway roles -- Fantine's "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miserables" and Grizabella's "Memory" from "Cats." All her guest artists, this time dressed in glittering black, returned to the stage to join Ampil to sing Wency Cornejo's "Next in Line" as their inspirational finale, dedicated to the artists who will grace the CCP in the future.