Monday, January 30, 2006
Echaves: Tonight’s moonlight
By Lelani P. Echaves
I KNEW I couldn’t watch them tonight, and so I snuck them into my Saturday night’s schedule. I missed their performance here in the Philippines eight years ago, and I wasn’t going to do that again. So, to the Araneta Coliseum I went, to gift myself with an evening with “The Lettermen,” particularly for the breathy vocals of its founder and only remaining of the three original singers, Tony Butala.
But the two other singers were a treat themselves. Close friends Donovan Tea and Mark Preston both joined The Lettermen when there was a double vacancy in 1984. Before then, they had successful singing careers of their own, particularly in nightclubs, hotels and major cruise ships.
Song after song, they regaled us, as they must have done in other concert tours in Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, France, South America, Canada, Mexico and even Saudi Arabia. And while those 45 years have seen changes in composition, the songs that audiences everywhere clamor and swoon for remain the same. “Maria” from the Broadway musical “West Side Story” is a crowd favorite. “In every show wherever we went, I’ve been asked to sing ‘Maria.’ You can imagine...how I hate it,” Butala says. Of course, the audience laughs, pre-empting his “Just kidding.”
Then going personal, he peers through the spotlight and looks for a Maria in the audience. The whole coliseum is filled to the rafters; that meant all of the 16,000 seats were taken. One lady approaches; he asks, “Is your first name Maria?” No, she replies; it’s Anna Marie. I’m sorry, Butala says; I’m looking for a Maria. He searches once more, and another lady volunteers. Her name is Maria Lourdes, she says, and her father is a lawyer, Atty. Rivera. Tony brings her to the front of the stage, and he croons the beginning lyrics “The most wonderful sound I ever heard...Maria...Maria...Maria.” Donovan and Mark echo, “Maria Lourdes, Maria Lourdes, Maria Lourdes Rivera.” And Tony continues, “Maria Lourdes...whose father is a lawyer.” That brings the house down, of course.
Pros they are, at pleasing the audience. Noticing people taking photos with their cameras or cellphones, Butala encourages people to go up the stage and pose for souvenir photos. A lady writes “My name is close to Maria; it’s Marixi.” They oblige and sing “The most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard...Marixi.”
And how they ran up and down the coliseum, singing and pumping hands to the tune of well-loved songs like “Copacabana.” Back on stage, Polish-born Preston huffs and puffs, saying “Oh boy, this place is big!” But The Letterman band tickles two notes and he sings “If Ever I Should Leave You,” his rich baritone casting a spell over everyone. Donovan also huffs, says “I’m tired, I’m tired...because this year I turned 50.” Everybody’s face bears a question mark? Did he say 50? Impossible! With his long blond hair tied neatly back in a ponytail, he looked like a Viking or an older version of Orlando Bloom.
Wit and humor punctuate the singing, and at the most unpredictable of moments. Preston introduces Butala as “the short version of The Lettermen.” And Donovan recounts how one day his mother sat him by the TV set, pointed to Butala as the Lettermen performed, and said, “Now look here, son, that’s your father.”
They have recorded in over 14 languages, it’s said. You believe that as you hear them flawlessly with their “Dahil Sa Iyo,” “Sapagka’t Kami Ay Tao Lamang,” and “Ikaw Lamang.” But their prayerful “I Believe” hushes the audience like no other.
The lights go full and the audience knows the end is near. They shout “More! More! More!” Donovan says, “Okay, one more, but you’ve got to promise... to go.” And Butala says, “Yes, una mas and vamos!” The crowd sings, too, as lighted cellphones and roses sway in the air.
It was a good show, soothing to one’s whole being. The songs celebrated simple joys and desires, harmony and love. Among their most memorable accolades is that The Lettermen sound is “the best thing that happened to romance since moonlight.”
Tonight, they’re in Cebu, but just for one night. Go listen, whether or not there’s moonlight.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 30, 2006 issue)
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