Just saw the 1st episode of The Kitchen Musical at ABS-CBN 2 and I can’t help but review this sizzling new show.
I guess everyone is familiar already with the American hit TV series “GLEE” that I think started this trend. It’s actually the same with The Kitchen Musical except this one is more serious and focuses on the lives of people working in a posh restaurant – the chef, the general manager, the staff, etc.
As a brief introduction to The Kitchen Musical, it is a Singapore-produced Pan Asian musical drama television series which premiered today in 19 countries across Asia (especially in The Philippines) and Europe. Its casts includes some of Asia’s talented actors comprising both veteran and upcoming new faces from around the region. The 13 one-hour long episodes features re-arranged and re-recorded popular hit songs animated with dance sequences. According to Studio 23’s program head Vince Rodriguez, every episode will also feature a menu of delicious dishes and dessert that promises to be as luscious and addictive as the series itself.
And Vince Rodriguez was right. The 1st episode shows a promising start. The premiere issue starts off with the making, behind the scene and some interviews of the cast and production.
To give you an idea who’s playing who in this delicious show, here are some of the major casts of The Kitchen Musical:
KARYLLE TATLONGHARI as MADDIE
Maddie is a rich girl who graduated from a cooking school in Paris and is the sous chef in The Avilon, her father’s restaurant.
She believes the restaurant menu is due for a major overhaul but has to contend with the tyrranical head chef (Alex Marcus) and other colleagues in her journey.
STEPHAN RAHMAN-HUGHES as ALEX
Alex Marcus is the Head Chef of The Avilon who is notorious for his ruthless pursuit of perfection.
He will not expose and risk his kitchen nor his heart to failure -especially not to Maddie who happens to be the restaurant owner’s daughter!
CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA as DANIEL
Daniel is Maddie’s childhood friend and her shoulder to cry on. But he is a wild card.
While he is the unassuming and supportive yet he would have the most to gain if Maddie leaves. After all, he is the
other sous chef!
ROSEMARY VANDENBROUCKE as Selena Argon
Selena is The Avilon’s sommelier who stops at nothing to get what she wants. A fiercely unapologetic vamp who elicits terror and lust in equal doses among the men of Avilon. A MANEATER!
A gorgeous temptress with an agenda- to rid of Maddie and win back Alex’s heart.
ARTHUR ACUNA as HARRY SHAW
The General Manager of Avilon, Harry is having a hard time keeping secrets from Maddie about her father’s
real motives letting her work in his restaurant, and at the same time Harry has to play buffer between Alex and Madeline.
But, as Christopher Avilon, the unseen manipulator of the story constantly reminds Harry, a debt is a debt.
In my opinion, this show is well made. I love the editing and the cinematography and direction. Most of the music they did is like watching a music video. I get tired though with the length of the music because they’re actually using the whole song instead of just clips of it (like what Glee is doing). It would have been a fast-paced episode if they will lessen the ‘production numbers‘.
One thing I like with this show too is that they feature and explain the food/dishes they serve. For a Food Blogger like me, that is heaven to see. I love how they focus on the food and show how it’s plated.
Acting-wise, Stephan Rahman-Hughes stands out in this show. I am not familiar with him yet but he has depth in his acting. His voice is also versatile as he can switch to rock and bollywood music. Stephan Rahman-Hughes is very convincing as a strict chef (he reminds me actually of Chef Gordon Ramsay of Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares) minus the swearing of course! And it’s a plus that this guy is good looking as well. I am pretty sure many girls will be mesmerized by him. Who cares if he notorious and ruthless, it’s about time we see some sexy cook! PICK UP! :-p
Rosemary Vandenbroucke, on the other hand, is a good choice to play the villain. She acts well and her face is just beautiful. I love how she registers in my TV monitor. :-) Except I think she needed to learn more on the dancing part because I was expecting some seductive movements from her when she performed Nelly Furtado‘s “Maneater“.
And two (2) of the actors/artists that makes me proud are Karylle Tatlonghari and Christian Bautista. Both are well-known in the Philippines having so many achievements already with their musical career and for being part of some hit local movies and TV shows. I am convinced that they are good singers but to see them as actors, that’s something that I think will grow on me. I was actually anticipating they will utter some Tagalog words but then again, it wasn’t established in the show what country they came from. But I am still happy that not only Karylle and Christian made it in the series but also Pinoys like Arthur Acuña, Ikey Canoy and Thou Reyes.
I am also liking the other casts because they included different races/nationalities to this show especially Juan Jackson who’s playing one of the Line Cook. That black guy is funny! Looking forward to see him in many scenes…. and maybe in the big screen!
I hope ABS-CBN changes their mind and show The Kitchen Musical at ABS-CBN instead so that it will get more viewers and support. But if they didn’t, I’d still watch this over Studio 23. This is the kind of show we shouldn’t miss. Filipinos can easily relate to this because not only we love to sing, we also love food. This show is plain genius. I think I got hungry now and can’t wait to see the future episodes.
In the meantime, here’s some video clips I found at Youtube:
P.S. I also want to share this video coverage I did when the Pinoy cast held its press conference a few months ago:
