Power ballads, politics and fierce Filo pride
While rock ’n’ roll and punk shaped the sound of protest in the West, Filipinos found an emotional outlet in the sky-high vocals of Whitney, Celine, and Mariah, transmitted across the airwaves from an idealistic, Americanised future.
Against a turbulent political climate, from the 1986 People Power Revolution to the massive waves of migration that followed, these songs were belted down the (Magic Sing) mic at every family function and karaoke bar across the diaspora. They became a collective coping mechanism while grappling with political unrest, displacement, and the complexities of cross-cultural identity from the 80s to today. Christina O’Neill (All About Eve, My Brilliant Career) leads a trio of Filipino-Australia divas in paying tribute to their heritage in an evening of power ballads, politics, and fierce Filo pride. Under the musical guidance of cabaret goddess extraordinaire Victoria Falconer (HOUSE OF ROT, My Brilliant Career) and co-created with Artistic Director Dean Bryant, MAGIC SING explores how the soaring, defiant heights of the Western power ballad became the soundtrack for Filipino survival, identity, and community-building.
