Review: DELIA D. Misses Authenticity

Manila, Philippines—"Delia D,” the latest original Filipino musical presented by Newport World Resorts, had its gala night earlier this month. True to its promise, the Dexter Santos-helmed stage production delivered the daring and dazzling dream of a drag queen, Just Delia (Phi Palmos), whom TV stalwarts have renamed Delia D in the course of the two-act show.

Since the musical features the hits and newly-written songs by Jonathan Manalo, interspersed across the book by Dolly Dulu, it had the potential of making it more authentic only if Delia’s portrayal was not limited to lip-synching and churning out novelty songs alone, but instead had real singing chops—which Palmos is gifted with in real life. That was the show’s misgiving, mainly when Delia competed in the “Idols of the Galaxy” reality competition.

Depicting Palmos’ Delia as someone inferior [in terms of musicality] to her opponents was already too defeating. Thus, when Delia was pitted against her rival, a real diva, Kiki (Shaira Opsimar), the supposed competition fell flat due to inauthenticity and lack of tension. Palmos's character could have been more relatable if she hadn't been portrayed as a mediocre singer, which could work better with actors like Lance Reblando or Adrian Lindayag.

The big question was: how exactly did Delia win the public's hearts to vote for her, and eventually win the singing competition? Yes, there were scenes in which she had the full support of her drag friends. But was that enough to persuade the audience she was deserving to win over Kiki (who also has the singing chops to begin with)? Unless the proceedings were rigged, which was suggested in the later part of the story.

(L-R) Shaira Opsimar plays Kiki; Phi Palmos, Delia D.

Suppose Delia was dreaming of making it big as a legit singer. She should have been portrayed similarly to Filipino drag queens with outstanding singing abilities, like Maxie Andreison, Marina Summers, Minty Fresh, and Precious Paula Nicole. These queens have showcased their musical prowess through live performances, single releases, and appearances on “Drag Race Philippines.”

In essence, capacity is about the resources available, while capability is the practical ability to use those resources effectively. Delia may have suffered from anxiety. As a character, she must have failed to differentiate her capacity and capability to deal with and win over challenges. There could have been scenes to establish how she's dealing with such anxiety, and finding ways to be a better singer than auto-tuning a recording session, for instance. Sadly, the D in Delia D personifies defeat instead.

Nevertheless, two standout performances were rendered by John “Sweet” Lapus and Mimi Marquez as Mama Eme and GVB, respectively. Through brief exposures and recurring ones, the two performers had their moments to save some drowning moments of the production. Lapus's solo, “Queen with Many Crowns,” was moving, while Marquez's “Twinkle, Twinkle” was breathtaking. The songs were among Manalo's 10 new compositions made for the production.

Overall, “Delia D” is a more realized undertaking than Newport World Resorts’ previous original musicals. It attempts to help oneself by identifying the “self,” the “power,” and the “source.” It teaches the audience that anxiety, like what Delia went through, was triggered because she failed to control the alarm system that insisted she would never be enough.