Mindanaotoday.com | Gitamondoc re-stages ‘Zephyrin, The Musical’ Friday at SM Seaside
By: Jack Biantan
CEBU City — Cebu’s prime songwriter, record producer and musical director Jude Gitamondoc, will once again direct one of his masterpiece, ‘Zephyrin, The Musical’ on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 10, 11, 12) at the Centerstage, SM Seaside, Cebu City.
According to producer and rector of Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) in Punta Princesa, Lebangon, Cebu City Rev. Fr. Randy Figuracion, showtimes are at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
He added that tickets for the Musical is available at DBTC and interested patrons can contact his secretary Amy Zamora at 09467150599 for reservations.
Gitamondoc is a multi awarded Cebu based songwriter, record producer and musical director. He won several awards including two Awit Awards, ABS-CBN’s Himig Handog Award, TFC Choice Award, Star Studio Readers Choice Award, Cebu Pop Musical Festival and Golden Screen Awards.
He is best known for championing Visayan Pop music (Vispop) and wrote the popular Visayan song ‘Hahahasula’.
COMPOSER OF STARS
Jude also wrote songs for the country’s top music artists like Regine Velasquez, Piolo Pascual, Toni Gonzaga, KC Conception and Gary Valenciano.
Jude hails from Surigao del Norte and his musical interests started early when he was six years old. He studied high school at the Don Bosco Missionary Seminary in Lawaan, Talisay Cebu where the Salesians taught him songwriting and playing the piano.
Jude wrote several Musicals including Siddharta: A Musical Journey to Enlightenment, in 2007, Song of Bernadette: A Musical of Our Lady of Lourdes Story in 2008, You’ve Been Facebooked in 2013, ‘Gugmang Giatay’ in 2015, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and The Addams Family in 2018.
In 2018, he wrote and produced the original songs of ‘Zaphyrin, The Musicale’. On Friday at SM Seaside, through the help Rev. Fr. Randy Figuracion, they are re-staging the Musical but this time Jude is the director.
ABOUT THE MUSICAL
According to Jude, ‘Zephyrin, The Musical’, is a re-telling of the life of Ceferino Namuncura, the son of the Mapuche native chief Manuel Namuncura, leader of the Araucano tribe in Argentina.
“His father groomed him to take his place as the leader of their tribe. Seeing the advantages of education with the Huincas (the Mapuche word for the white settlers), Manuel sent Zephyrin to Buenos Aires to study under the Salesians of Don Bosco.”
He said that while in Buenos Aires, “Zephyrin prospered to become a model student, exemplary for his piety and leadership, imbibing the Salesian pedagogy of “doing your ordinary work extraordinarily well.”
He was brought by his mentor Bishop Cagliero to Rome to meet Pope Pius X as an ambassador for their mission work in Argentina. Unfortunately, he died from tuberculosis just a year later at oanly eighteen years old, he added.
He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and is wildly popular as a cult figure in Argentina, Jude said.
According to the producer of the Musical, Rev. Fr. Randy Figuracion, the Musical is about making the most out of life by pursuing a meaningful, regret free existence.
He said that the Musical is also about “Kindness is the revolution and forgiveness is key to healing.”
Fr. Randy also said that it is also about leadership, “We inspire change when we teach by example. Everyone can be a saint, a hero and a leader.”
Salesians of Don Bosco Southern Province Provincial Superior Rev. Fr. Fidel Orendain has added some stories and lyrics to the Musical.
Jaggy Gomez is the choreographer, stage manager Paul Lambert David, lighting design and technical director is Lee Anthony Pada.
In charge of the orchestrations are Jad Bantug and Sean Gonzales, sound engineer Erwin Batucan, costume and make-up design Laurie Tul-id, and set design Architect Myk Sanchez. (jackbiantantambok@gmail.com)
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