The homegrown Filipino musical, which was originally helmed by five National Artists, will have its opening night at the Metropolitan Theater on September 15 and closing show at The Samsung Performing Arts Theater on September 24. Joining Shiela is Arman Ferrer as Rama, Audie Gemora as Dasarata and Poppert Bernadas as Ravana.
Photos by Jojo Mamangun
Seasoned stage performer Shiela Valderrama-Martinez is keeping her calendar busy with projects and performances even in the last quarter of 2023. After nearly three decades in the entertainment business, Shiela, who started out quite young, is now busy rehearsing for the restaging of the homegrown musical “Rama Hari.” She plays the coveted role of Sita.
“Rama Hari,” apart from its enduring quality and universal appeal, holds the distinction of being the product of collaborative work between five giants in Philippine theater who went on to become National Artists. They include Alice Reyes for direction and choreography, the late Salvador Bernal for production design, the late Bienvenido Lumbera for lyrics and libretto, Ryan Cayabyab for music and the late Rolando Tinio for the English translation.
“To play the role of Sita is a dream of mine,” Shiela admitted. “Not only because of the role itself, but the once in a lifetime opportunity to do this gorgeous masterpiece and get to work personally with two National Artists – Alice Reyes and Maestro Ryan Cayabyab.”
Shiela was originally going to do Sita for the 2020 production of “Rama Hari,” but its staging was shelved indefinitely because of the pandemic.
“So when they invited me to do the role of Sita again, I was ecstatic,” Shiela said.
For this run of “Rama Hari,” Shiela will headline the opening night at The Metropolitan Theater on September 15 and the closing gala show at The Samsung Performing Arts Theater on September 24.
She will be joined by Arman Ferrer as Rama and, from the original 2020 cast, They will be accompanied by the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth led by Toma Cayabyab.
Shiela won best female host in the Aliw Awards 2022. She shortly joined 1LitCorp roster of hosts managed by Issa Litton. As an actress and performer, she is managed by David Cosico under Stages Management.
She was also one of the lead female vocalists in the Disney Orchestra live concert held in Kuala Lumpur last May and performed for the Mega Pride Ball on Independence Day.
In her quest to try her hand at new genres, she did her first zarzuela, “Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela,” at the CCP Black Box Theater last June, directed by Dennis Marasigan.
Shiela is equally at home in front of the cameras. Her new project helmed by director Erik Matti will start shooting later this month and will be shown on Netflix.
Moreover, Shiela is scheduled to perform in upcoming live events in Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur until the end of the year.
