Rockwell's New Proscenium Theater Promises Uncompromised Sound with Natural Acoustics

The quality of sound makes or breaks any show. We've seen it happen in a small black box theater, where dialogues are drowned out by cymbals and the bass drum; and in a proscenium, where music from the orchestra just doesn't reach the back of the hall. A regular theater-goer in Metro Manila can easily pinpoint which performing arts venues in the city has notoriously bad acoustics.

So when Tracey Castillo, Vice President for Marketing of Rockwell Land, said during a press conference last September 3 at The Balmori Suites that the soon-to-open Proscenium Theater at Rockwell Center put a premium on sound quality and acoustics, best believe that we now have high expectations. And that we're all ears (pun intended) when 9 Works Theatrical's The Bodyguard, the Musical opens at the new performing arts theater on September 26.

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The Proscenium Theater is equipped with an acoustic shell, according to Rockwell.

The Sound of Perfection

Castillo explained that the main hall, with its 780 seats, is the "only theater in the country with natural acoustics." This feature, she said, allows for performances by "orchestra, choirs, symphonies, all with no microphones, no amplification."

The test performances that included a full choir and symphony orchestra delivered an immersive soundscape courtesy of the custom-engineered acoustic shell, they said in a statement. Alice Reyes Dance Philippines' Pasasalamat, a one-day, by-invitation dance showcase, also graced the Proscenium Theater's new stage last August 1.

While they haven't exactly tested out a musical theater performance at the new venue, The Bodyguard's concert-heavy format is probably the perfect way to flex its features. This includes the fully automated fly lines that are supposed to make scene changes and set designs effortless and efficient with the push of a button.

The building also houses a second space, the Black Box, on the sixth floor. This smaller, more intimate venue is equipped with a different, but equally advanced, system. It features an "electro-acoustic digital system called the Vivace," making it a versatile space for different types of productions. Spring Awakening, the next production by 9 Works' sister company The Sandbox Collective, will be the inaugural performance at the Black Box.

The theater has also acquired a significant number of grand pianos from the German-American company Steinway & Sons.

"We're the only ones now with a Steinway piano in the country. So we're able to attract more foreign artists who require a Steinway piano," Castillo said. 9 Works Theatrical Executive Producer Santi Santamaria noted that while they recommended the theater to get "at least a Steinway piano," Rockwell "got four."

"Nabudol ng Steinway," they both quipped.

A Full Circle Partnership

These inputs from a theater practitioner's perspective were made possible through a partnership between Rockwell and 9 Works Theatrical. It is one of a relationship "more than 10 years in the making," as Castillo described it, beginning even long before the groundbreaking of the Proscenium.

Santamaria recalled their early days, when they would hold their rehearsals and auditions at different places within the Rockwell Center, such as the Manansala Tower. This history makes the opening of the theater feel like "a natural progression" and a "full circle" moment, he said.

In 2016, 9 Works Theatrical officially came on board as a consultant. Santamaria said they "kind of pitched it already and placed our inputs." Castillo admitted that Rockwell, a company with 30 years of experience building residential and retail spaces, "wanted to have the best people on board because this is something very new to us."

And while this is 9 Works Theatrical's and The Sandbox Collective's "new home," as Santamaria put it, "we welcome everybody and experience the Proscenium Theater."

Opening of The Bodyguard, the Musical

All of the efforts in building the Proscenium Theater culminate in the grand opening with The Bodyguard, the highly anticipated musical that will serve as the venue's first major production.

Headlining the show are Christine Allado, who returns to Manila as Rachel Marron following her stints in the West End (as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as Julie Jardon in a concert performance of Carousel, as a performer in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, and as Peggy Schuyler in Hamilton); and Matt Blaker as Frank Farmer, the bodyguard.

The songs are timeless and the movie is a classic, and Director Robbie Guevara admitted they aren't necessarily "targeting Gen Z," as they did with their original Liwanag sa Dilim and their stagings of Rent and Once On This Island. The initial audience for The Bodyguard will likely be "Gen X up because we grew up with Whitney Houston," but they also want the younger audience to connect. The challenge, he said, was to help the younger generation "not only appreciate the musical as written, but more importantly, how they can see themselves in it."

To achieve this, the production team re-evaluated the original material. Guevara explained that while the popular songs were added to the musical, the focus shifted to romance, whereas the movie was a thriller. He and his team decided to "put back the thrillerness of it" to make it "more or less equal to the romantic aspect of the show." This approach is supposed to make the local production "very different from how it was staged in London."

Guevara's vision extends to the core of the show's story. His central thesis is that "the title is The Bodyguard, it's not The Star." In his view, "everybody in the show is a bodyguard somehow." He cited examples like Tim Yap's character, Sy Spector, who acts as a bodyguard by protecting the star's reputation. The show's tragedy, he explains, "happens because that person didn't get a bodyguard, didn't get guarded, didn't get protected." Guevara hopes this approach "adds that dimension to the show that makes it interesting to everyone."

The team also made efforts to modernize the production for today's audience. He noted that the original musical script only mentions Instagram, which is dated, given the vast landscape of social media today. Without revising the script, they will "make use of visuals and show the effect of social media today." The goal, he said, is to stage a classic that is still "appealing to the current crowd of audience goers."

The stage is set.

The Bodyguard, the Musical runs from September 26 to October 19 at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center, Makati. Tickets are available on Ticketworld, with prices ranging from P4,120 to P6,695.