Co-written by Jude Cartalaba
Ateneo de Manila University alumnus-turned-stage actor, musical director Reb Atadero first appeared in Blue Repertory's 2006 production of "Hope for Flowers," a rock musical inspired by Trina Paulus' book of the same title. Apparently, Reb fell in love with the process of putting on a play, and since then has kept the ball rolling. By attending workshops handled by stage veteran Robbie Guevara, he studied musical theater, which he admitted was initially unknown to him. However, right after seeing the video version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's seminal rock musical "Jesus Christ Superstar," he said to himself, "Where have you been all my life, musical theater? Such a progressive art form is a fantastic medium for telling stories!"
Prior to Reb's first foray into a musical production, he shared with BroadwayWorld.com that he had been singing in bars, family gatherings, and the bathroom since he was four. "My passion for music originated from my dad's side of the family. My great grandfather was generous enough to pass down the gift all the way to me; and I'm sure it's also a God-given talent."
Pretty confident with his innate musicality, Reb's equally talented friends give him that extra boost to follow the footsteps of his musical genes. "I also took a lot of inspiration from my friends. I would see them do so well on stage, and I get this insatiable hunger to be on stage, and do well too. I think musical artists call that 'the itch'," he said.
"I vowed from day one that I'm going to push myself to excel in this craft because it's something that I love so much. Who knows, maybe one day – fingers and toes crossed – I'd get to do 'Jesus Christ Superstar.' It's my dream to play the role of Judas," he added.
Since "Hope for Flowers" with Blue Repertory, he has been working with the campus-based theater organization as one its actors and musical directors. To date, he has done Disney's "High School Musical," "Summer of '42," "Zanna, Don't," "Stages of Love" (an original musical by Rony Fortich and Andrei Pamintuan), "All Shook Up," "Rock 'N' Rule," "Little Shop of Horrors," and "Bare." The multi-talented musician also acted in Repertory Philippines' 2008 production of Off-Broadway musical "Altar Boyz," and in Dulaang UP's original Filipino production of "Rizal X," which presents the life and works of the Philippines' national hero, Jose Rizal, through mixed popular media.
Even though Reb considers all his past musical theater projects were immensely close to his heart – it is almost impossible to single out a particular production because he has peculiar ways of categorizing the shows that he was a part of – he always has these thoughts crossing his mind: "I love this production because I made a lot of friends;" "I love this musical because it was fun;" or "I love this material because it stretched me so far as an actor."
However, if he had to choose only one, he would pick "Rizal X." "The friendships and relationships I developed during the course of that production will last forever. 'Rizal X' tested me in ways I never would have imagined. Its director, Dexter Santos, was a brilliant director. Nevertheless, I'm eternally grateful for each and every production I've done," he said.
As Guy in "Once" and as Jason in "Bare"
On Soundcloud.com, Reb recently did a cover version of the song titled "Say It To Me Now," from the 2006 independent movie musical "Once," which is now a critically-acclaimed stage production on Broadway. "I remember watching the movie for the first time. 'Say It To Me Now' opens the movie, and the lead actor, named Guy (Glen Hansard), starts singing. The song is so poignant and tender. Then all of a sudden, he goes into the chorus in which he screams his lungs out with so much passion," he recalled. "That's my kind of music! If it changes, hits, or affects something in you, it's worth listening to."
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 Oliver is about to earn his M.S. degree in public relations and corporate communication from New York University while serving as regional editor for BroadwayWorld.com.Over the past 18 years, Oliver has been handling public relations and corporate communication for numerous brands (including Pepsi), Broadway shows, Broadway stars, non-profit organizations, and mainstream celebrities. He also teaches public relations at De La Salle University-Manila. Follow Oliver on Twitter: @OliverOliveros |
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