| Article Index |
|---|
| Stephanie is ready for her close up |
| Page 2 |
| All Pages |
Stephanie Reese opens her show with a Broadway medley, which is what is probably expected of any singer who has gone through a couple of musicals, including of course Miss Saigon, The King and I, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The show, which was held at a non-descript Makati nightclub, was a benefit for Gawad Kalinga, an organization that helps poverty-stricken communities and survivors of national disasters. Except for the pianist, Stephanie is alone on the stage wearing a glittery dress that sparkles whenever the spotlight hits her. It was, in some way, very theatrical and well, expected. What is unexpected, however, is for someone like her, who has performed in countless of shows in London and Germany, to sing the songs with as much passion as someone who is still new in the business. She could’ve phoned it in by all means but instead she seems to be giving her all in every song. No wonder then that the young Filipino-American singer is slowly making a name for herself in the US music industry.
Perhaps, credit should go to her family for raising an entertainer with a less than diva-ish attitude. Like most singers, Stephanie has been belting her heart out since she was little. "My parents and grandparents always treated me as if I was a great singer so I assumed that I was," she says. It was, apparently, all the encouragement that she needed. At four years old, she was already performing for her relatives and when she turned eight she joined a choir that let her sing all over the world. "I think it was a calling," says Stephanie, "because lots of people enjoy singing but for whatever reason I actually pursued it."
Of course there is also the fact that she was actually good at it. In fact, Stephanie was so good that opportunities kept opening up for her, giving her career a continuous push forward. When she was still in the university studying theater arts, she and her friends made a trip to New York during one spring break. "It was there where I auditioned for Miss Saigon," she recalls. "They asked me to be part of the German company and I said yes so I left school."
But even before she had set foot on the Miss Saigon stage as Kim, she was able to snag another role, that of Esmeralda for the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which would be staged the next year. "And from Hunchback I auditioned for The King and I, which brought me to London," she added. "My mom is still waiting for me to get a degree."
But then again, it was an education that only a very few get to experience. For almost five years, she went on stage eight days a week. It was a bit exhausting but for Stephanie it was worth it. The experience was so rich that when she went back to the US she was able to put up a show based on her European adventure. "It was a one-woman show called The Journey," she says. "Basically, it’s a story about a singer and her voice. (In the show) I speak to this ethereal light, which represents my voice. It’s sort of my friendship between me and my gift."
| Comments |
|
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
