Arthur Manuntag: The front act who (often) steals the show
I was floored the first time I watched Arthur Manuntag in a concert at the Big Dome a few years ago. He was the front act for Dionne Warwick and, without his trying to, he stole the show much to the approval of the audience who screamed, “More, more, more!” after his set that was extended and lasted for one half of the whole concert.
Arthur’s medley of ballads by nine icons (Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Luther Vandross, James Ingram and Michael Bolton) won our hearts. He didn’t just sing portions of the songs, he sang them sounding exactly like each of the originals and cast a magical spell on the audience that had forgotten the 30-minute delay of the show. The “front act” turned out to be the “main event” and he was worth much more than the admission price.
Recalled Arthur, “Dionne was very kind. While I was doing my act, she was seated behind the curtain on one side of the stage, palakpak nang palakpak. When I went in, she was in T-shirt and maong pants and I didn’t recognize her because she was in rollers. Bigla niya akong niyakap, saying, ‘You were wonderful, wonderful! You have to go to the US and show them what you’ve got!’ I said, ‘Thank you, thank you!’ and then kinarga ko siya. That made my day!”
On Monday, July 2, Arthur will again front- act for The Legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra ( with the Swing Kittens as The Andrew Sisters) set at the PICC Plenary Hall, starting at 8 p. m. Produced by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions, it will be a dance party to the tune of “the music of World War II and from the Great American Songbook,” calculated to bring back the glory of the big band era.
How will Arthur fit into the party?
“Well,” assured Arthur, “before everybody dances, they will be holding hands to the love songs I have prepared for them, such as Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, I Left My Heart in San Francisco and many more. The songs will set the right mood for everybody, most of whom are I’m sure familiar with the big band. Oldies but goodies, you know, which I am doing with Romy Posadas band.”
Arthur is a mere “warm up” but his set is good for 30 minutes.
A confessed hopeless romantic (as balladeers are expected to be), Arthur said
that his favorite love song is Love Story, theme song of the ‘70s hit movie of the same title topbilled by Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw as the ill-fated lovers — you know, what can you say about a 25-year-old girl who died? (as author Erich Segal opened his best-selling novel).
“I sing it to my wife all the time,” said Arthur. She’s Kathryn Farmen with whom Arthur has two grown-up children, one of whom did a Christmas song with Arthur for his album.
His two other favorites are Love is a ManySplendored Thing (“Because it’s also the favorite of my parents”) and Fly Me to the Moon (…” and let me play among the stars, let me see what spring is like in Jupiter and Mars”…).
Aside from the Dionne Warwick show, Arthur counts two other acts as memorable. One was the Jane Monheit show at the Manila Hotel where he also did his What a Wonderful World Medley, again to the endless delight of the audience. “It was supposed to be a jazz concert,” recalled Arthur, “pero n’ung isiningit ko ‘yung medley ko, hindi na siya naging jazz, and that’s what made it memorable. Naging novelty show, Las Vegas act.”
The other was the Marilyn McCoo (with her husband Billy Davis Jr.) show where Arthur sang ‘70s songs, mostly soul but not his signature medley.
When not front-acting for international artists, Ar- thur regularly sings Friday nights at Top of the Century of Century Park Sheraton Hotel, and he never fails to include in his repertoire songs by Tony Bennett, his all-time favorite singer.
It was at The Top where Arthur made Minda Feliciano cry when she was there with some friends during her homecoming last year.
“I serenaded Minda with Tony Bennett songs including Cold, Cold, Heart which turned out to be her favorite song.”
It was understandable because Minda and Bennett shared a beautiful past (as Bennett himself admitted during an exclusive phone interview with The STAR last year).
By the way, if Arthur had to court his wife Kathryn all over again with a song, what would it be?
“Of course, The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me by Steve Lawrence,” said Arthur without batting an eyelash.
(Note: Tickets to the Glenn Miller Orchestra show at the PICC Plenary Hall are priced at P5,500, P4,500, P3,500, P2,500 and P1,500. Call 9115555 or 891-9999.)
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@ You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/ funfare or follow me on www. twitter/therealrickylo.)