Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

NEW YORK—The audience rewarded the cast of Imelda, A New Musical with a standing ovation after the curtain call on opening night Wednesday, September 30. It was a mixed crowd, with a huge percentage of Filipinos who came in droves to support the all-Filipino cast.

Community leader and businesswoman Loida Nicolas Lewis was among those who cheered for the cast.

"It is an amazing production. It did not trivialize Imelda’s life, in fact it humanized her. Despite her character flaws, she was able to do some good things in the Philippines because of her devotion to arts and culture, and this musical showed that," Lewis remarked.

Consul General Cecilia Rebong, along with Deputy Consul General Millie Thomeczec were also among those who watched during opening night.

"Our community should be supporting this historic endeavor. It is very heart-warming to watch an all-Filipino cast in a musical. I hope they will be able to bring it to Broadway so that more people can watch it," ConGen Rebong said.

The production was quite ambitious.

Capsulizing the life of Imelda Marcos, one of the most popular and polarizing figures in the Philippines is certainly an impossibly tough task.

Sachi Oyama’s book focused on almost four decades of Imelda’s life, and began when she joined Miss Manila in 1952 and ended when she and her husband, the strongman, were driven out of Malacañang and into exile in 1986.

Costume changes were also a-plenty, but for some members of the audience, it wasn’t quite as they expected.

"There should have been brighter and more colorful ternos (the Filipino dress which Imelda made famous)," quipped Ave Pimo, who was also expecting to see Imelda’s fabulous gowns. Other than that minute detail, Ms. Pimo was happy with what she saw.