Believe The Pop Musical will fuse film, theater, and music

Believe The Pop Musical will combine film, theater, and music in a production that aims to inspire viewers to overcome their fears. This unique presentation will be staged at the Music Museum tomorrow, October 6, 2009.

It will be topbilled by international artist Keith Martin, Star Magic talent Guji Lorenzana, soul diva Radha, Kuh Ledesma's daughter and singer Isabella, indie actor and co-producer Marq Dollentes, and Cebu's Benjie Layos and Mae Ann Araneta.

According to the producers, Believe was initially mounted to be just a concert, but because it became a full-blown musical, they had to create several characters with different levels of fear to follow the show's concept.

Isabella says that she has tried doing musical workshops in different places, but admits that Believe is her "first major venture into theater." She also adds that all of the cast members were easily able to relate to their characters because their roles fit their personalities to a tee. "It's like when [Marq] gave us our roles, we said, ‘this is me!'" she exclaims.

Keith Martin, on the other hand, had his training in a performing arts school in the States. But according to the international R&B singer, this is his first time to act on stage in a long while. Martin, who has been staying in the Philippines for about five years now, admits that he loves everything about the country. "Even the typhoons," joked the soul singer who popularized the phenomenal song "Because Of You."

Other cast members like Radha, who is a belter for the band Kulay, has had extensive experience in singing.

Since they all staged Believe in Cebu last July, the cast members are already comfortable with each other and know their respective characters by heart.

In a press conference held last September 28 at the Music Museum, producer and cancer physician Bill Ramos, says he and Dollentes came up with Believe after putting up a show headlined by Radha and Keith Martin two years ago.

Ramos called the idea a "divine inspiration" and tasked partner Dollentes to contact the artists who could potentially collaborate. After everyone had agreed, Ramos took it as a good sign and went on with the plan. "It was a mission that was given to me," he informed PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal). "I had to make it happen, together with all these people who are collaborating."

Having known one another for quite some time, the cast members all attest that Believe is a musical collaboration among friends. The cast members were personally handpicked by the producers themselves to star in the musical play.

Originally staged in Cebu, Believe received an overwhelming response from Visayan viewers and was received with much acclaim. The Manila run this October will showcase the same theme, the same songs, but with a video background included this time. And so with these new improvements, the cast and producers are hoping to receive the same--if not better--kind of response.

The musical is titled Believe "specifically because we wanted to give people a new way of dreaming," explains Dollentes. "I think that's what [people] have lost: the ability to dream and to know that we can actually achieve our dreams." He also points out that the premise of the musical is anchored on fear "because that's the one that really cripples us from achieving our full potential on earth."

He adds, "Love magnetizes everything to you. If you have that in your heart, everything else comes together. Without that, then it would be a world of fear. It's all possible for all of them who believe, so you just have to believe."

Believe, which, along with fresh versions of popular songs strung together by topnotch arrangers, also makes use of video support done by filmmakers to add in dramatic shots for a more realistic stage background.