The life and times of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong will be told by Larry the Musical, which will have its world premiere March 16 in San Francisco.
With a cast and production team of Filipino Americans, the musical of a real historical figure has been years in the making building support and anticipation among the Filipino American community.
“This is probably the most meaningful project of my career as a Filipino American theater artist,” said veteran director Billy Bustamante.Larry the Musical was created by a Filipino American creative team led by Gayle Romasanta, writer and executive producer, and Bryan Pangilinan, composer and executive producer. Inspired by the book "Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong," authored by the late historian Dr. Dawn Mabalon and Romasanta, the musical pays homage to Itliong's remarkable legacy.
The San Francisco premiere will be March 16 at the Brava Theater and run through Aparil 4.
Itliong's key role in the formation of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez is not well known outside of the FIlipino American community despite California declaring Oct. 16 as Larry Itliong Day. A handful of cities celebrate the day and a few schools have been named honoring the labor leader.
In order to find financial support, the creative team had to educate the funders of the importance of Itliong's role in US history.
A grant from the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) allowed the creators and artists continue their work on the musical with 20 songs and dance numbers.
“We first heard about Larry The Musical from an online fundraising event they were hosting,” said Don Young, Director of Programming at CAAM. “We attended and were just mesmerized by the musical numbers, but as importantly, just so inspired by the team and their commitment to both creating great art and building a community foundation for the future. We decided we had to do what we could to be part of this amazing collaboration and support their efforts as best we could.”
Larry has since received grants from other organizations such as the San Francisco Arts Commission, SoMa Pilipinas, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more. They’ve also received support from individuals within the Filipino American community, as well as the wider Asian American community.
A grant from the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) allowed the creators and artists continue their work on the musical with 20 songs and dance numbers.
“We first heard about Larry The Musical from an online fundraising event they were hosting,” said Don Young, Director of Programming at CAAM. “We attended and were just mesmerized by the musical numbers, but as importantly, just so inspired by the team and their commitment to both creating great art and building a community foundation for the future. We decided we had to do what we could to be part of this amazing collaboration and support their efforts as best we could.”
Larry has since received grants from other organizations such as the San Francisco Arts Commission, SoMa Pilipinas, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more. They’ve also received support from individuals within the Filipino American community, as well as the wider Asian American community.
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FACEBOOK Appropriately, the cast of 'Larry the Musical' are all union members. |
Other producers include community activist, publisher, and filmmaker Mona Lisa Yuchengco; Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, professor of Ethnic Studies, Filipina/x/o American Literature and Art at San Francisco State University and founder of Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP); and Dr. Kevin Nadal, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, psychologist, author, activist, and President of the Filipino American National Historical Society.
Both Romasanta and Pangilinan have previous background experience in theater, particularly with the San Francisco-based Filipino American theater, Bindlestiff Studio.
The creative team of Larry the Musical includes Director and Choreographer Billy Bustamante (assistant director, Here Lies Love; assistant choreographer of Stephen Sondheim’s last musical Here We Are on Broadway), music director and co-composer Sean Kana (music director, Hippest Trip - The Soul Train Musical, associate music director, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations), and writer Kevin Camia (Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Frankie Quinones Show, The Dress Up Gang).
The creative team of Larry the Musical includes Director and Choreographer Billy Bustamante (assistant director, Here Lies Love; assistant choreographer of Stephen Sondheim’s last musical Here We Are on Broadway), music director and co-composer Sean Kana (music director, Hippest Trip - The Soul Train Musical, associate music director, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations), and writer Kevin Camia (Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Frankie Quinones Show, The Dress Up Gang).
Larry comes a few months after the close of Here Lies Love on Broadway, created by Broadway veterans David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Despite the all-Filpino cast and the infusion of celebrated Filipino and Filipino American producers, the Broadway musical stirred a debate within the Filipino American communitiy for supposedly glamorizing Imelda Marcos, the wife of the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
The responsibility of proper representation is not missed by Romasanta. She feels the responsibility of spotlighting a story that has implications, both politically and culturally. “So it’s a lot [of] trying not to feel all the pressure, but it is a huge ask; a huge, huge ask that we didn’t know that we were going to tumble into. But here we are.”
Bustamante adds: The musical “can help fill the integrity ingredient in representation. ... This will be the first time I’ll have been a part of an all-Filipino American theater project where that doesn’t just put Filipino bodies on stage, but puts words and notes and ideas, visual creativity that come from other Filipino Americans that they get to share. That has been a missing piece, that idea of who’s writing the words, who’s writing the notes.”
The responsibility of proper representation is not missed by Romasanta. She feels the responsibility of spotlighting a story that has implications, both politically and culturally. “So it’s a lot [of] trying not to feel all the pressure, but it is a huge ask; a huge, huge ask that we didn’t know that we were going to tumble into. But here we are.”
Bustamante adds: The musical “can help fill the integrity ingredient in representation. ... This will be the first time I’ll have been a part of an all-Filipino American theater project where that doesn’t just put Filipino bodies on stage, but puts words and notes and ideas, visual creativity that come from other Filipino Americans that they get to share. That has been a missing piece, that idea of who’s writing the words, who’s writing the notes.”
FYI: Larry the Musical will be playing at the Brava Theater in San Francisco from March 16 to April 14. Get more information and buy tickets at Brava.org. Some performances are already sold out.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.
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