Katy! the Musical

Katy! the Musical is a Filipino–language biographical musical based on the life of Katy de la Cruz, considered the "Queen of Philippine vaudeville and jazz"^[1][2] with music by Ryan Cayabyab and story and libretto by Jose Javier Reyes.^[3]

The musical was commissioned by Musical Theater Philippines (Musicat), produced by Girlie Rodis and Celeste Legaspi.

Katy de la Cruz was invited to watch the show during the original run. "We arranged for her to arrive in a Rolls Royce, wearing a fancy gown by Ernest Santiago. It was always magical when she would come up the stage, looking regal and svelte at 83, wearing three-inch heels," said Rodis.^[4]

Synopsis

Act 1

Scene 1

Katy, already old, visits the theater where she used to perform in her heyday and learned that it will be closed down, suddenly memories of her past flashed back ("Ang Entablado ay Mundo").

Scene 2

The scene opens with Mr. De la Cruz (Tatay) searching for his daughter, the young Katy, who is hiding inside a big chest. He scolds her for hiding in the chest as the last time it happened, Katy almost fainted. The young Katy tries to convince her father to go the Plaza instead of going with her parents somewhere else. Tatay and young Katy then banter back and forth until Tatay finally concedes to take his daughter to the Plaza. ("Tale, Tale").

Scene 3

At the Plaza, a very excited young Katy drags her father around the very lively atmosphere. The band starts playing, and young Katy joins in on the music and starts performing ("Pahiram ng Kanta"). The crowd watches her in amazement, and as the song ends, they shower her with loose change for her performance. While young Katy collects the change, the crowd asks for one more performance but Tatay drags her out of the spotlight.

Scene 4

Back at their residence, Tatay is confronted by Katy's teacher regarding her attitude at school. It turns out that young Katy is not focused in her studies; rather, she is prone to playing around with her schoolmates. After the teacher finishes her speech, Tatay tells her that he will discipline his daughter regarding the issue, only to end up in shock when he finds out that his daughter has been kicked out of school. When Tatay angrily calls for young Katy, she is found to be hiding in the chest again. Tatay scolds Katy for being hard-headed and tells her that nothing will happen for her if she continues to act this way. Young Katy tells her dad that she will sing instead, since she is good at it and that she makes a lot of money. As they continue their bantering, an Empresario (Spanish for Entrepreneur) enters the scene and asks Tatay if he could hire the young Katy to be a singer.

Scene 5

The scene quickly changes to a cockfighting arena, where the young Katy performs for the people ("Tupada"). As the song ends and she starts to collect the loose change they throw at her, a rich man gives her a 20 peso bill for her performance. Shocked, she tries to return the money to the man, but he insists that the money is for her. Young Katy then screams and proceeds to run home to her father, telling him that they will be rich.

Scene 6

At the cinema, Tatay is standing behind the curtain, still trying to convince the now 15-year-old Katy to pursue something else other than performing. Teen Katy tells her father that she is making more money now and that she can afford to buy her parents anything they want. Tatay explains to Katy the difficulties in the theater life, especially for women. Katy then tells her dad to not worry, and that the both of them can take on any challenges that lie ahead. They are interrupted by a voice telling Katy that it's her turn to sing again. After her performance, she goes back to where Tatay is standing. Tatay then tells her that an American came by to ask him if Katy could perform in Teatro Lux. When Katy starts to get excited again, Tatay tells her that she needs to learn the songs and their lyrics.

Scene 7

At Teatro Lux, Katy, now a woman, is being watched by the amused cast and crew of the theater while singing ("St. Louie Blues")

Musical number

Main characters

Productions

Dancers, 1989 Cultural Center of the Philippines Production

References