Clint Ramos brings Broadway’s magic home
Designer Clint Ramos was a bundle of nerves. Anna Wintour, the fashion industry’s undisputed queen, was about to witness his work in “Here Lies Love,” a disco musical about former first lady Imelda Marcos.
“I warned her some parts were intentionally tacky, like the small-town beauty pageant,” Ramos recalled. The question was whether Wintour would appreciate the fuchsia, froufrou ball gown with embroidery and satin roses or the gold plastic disco dress that echoed Marcos’ flamboyance.
Yet, there was a cohesive quality to his designs. In the number “The Rose of Tacloban,” a title bestowed upon the young Imelda, provincial beauty contestants stood in formation, each wearing a sleeveless dress with a short, swishy skirt in various shades of blue. To break the monotony, a contestant at the end of the line wore a sparkly top and leggings. Imelda stood out in a contrasting white, midcalf dress adorned with bold floral patterns.
“Anna Wintour loved the show,” said Ramos. The Vogue global editorial director saw the original production in 2013 and returned to watch the Broadway revival last year.
Ups and downs
Ramos’ costume and set designs have been frequently cited in reviews by the foreign press, He has over 200 productions and several theater awards to his credit. However, success didn’t come easy.
“Like any artist, I’ve faced doubts and questioned my life choices,” he admitted. “Coming to terms with being queer and being a Filipino, and living abroad without a real home was tough.” Despite these hurdles, his triumphs have far outweighed the struggles.
When Ramos arrived in New York in 1993, he started at the bottom, working as a gofer at La MaMa Experimental Theater. “I made props for small shows to get by,” he said.
A Master of Fine Arts from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts didn’t guarantee work. “You’d be bypassed not because you lacked talent. You looked different,” he said. “While your peers made headway, you felt stuck.” (He studied theater arts at University of the Philippines, Diliman.)
A breakthrough came when George C. Wolfe, the African American artistic director of the nonprofit institution Public Theater, hired him. Audiences began to notice Ramos’ works. For the Jacobean play “The Revenger’s Tragedy,” he showed his resourcefulness by fashioning Elizabethan gowns out of shower curtains on a shoestring budget.
In 2014, Ramos made his Broadway debut with “The Elephant Man,” starring Bradley Cooper. Two years and six Broadway shows later, he made history. He became the first person of color to win a Tony Award for Best Costume Design for “Eclipsed,” a play about Liberian women who were captives during the Second Liberian Civil War. With a cast entirely made up of Black actors, led by Lupita Nyong’o, the production broke new ground.
“People finally understood what theater design is about,” Ramos said. “It’s not just about looking good, but serving the story and characters.”
Ramos’ Tony Award opened doors for more diverse representation in theater. He expanded his work to film, designing for the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic, “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson.
Known for sets and costumes that deeply reflect character, history and story, Ramos has collaborated with A-list actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Keri Russell, Jessie Eisenberg and Adam Driver in Broadway plays. Despite working with such stars, Ramos maintains focus. “People forget they’re actors first,” he said. “Each was a professional who excelled at collaborating on character development through costume.”
For his latest obra, the New York Times described the revival of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” as the grandest production ever as Ramos built an Afrofuturist space ship on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
Bold step
Five years ago, Ramos ventured into producing. Now, he’s taking a bold step in the Philippines with “Request sa Radyo,” a Filipino adaptation of “WunschKonzert” (Request Program) by German author Franz Xaver Kroetz.
This 75-minute wordless play is about a worker who comes home and winds down by listening to the radio. She seems to be in conversation with it, even though she doesn’t utter a word. This monodrama is a formidable challenge. Everything must be subtle, almost imperceptible. References and hints are scattered throughout, but it’s up to the audience to construct their own narrative from these fragments.
The local version presents the slice of life of an overseas Filipina caregiver who performs her nightly rituals. It explores her isolation from her family with only the radio as her company. This quiet play is a brave move in a theater scene vibrant with musicals.
As creative producer and production designer, Ramos is transforming the 1,500-seat Samsung Performing Arts Theater into a 360-degree, 400-capacity space for this intimate story of a Filipina caregiver. Starring Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon and directed by Bobby Garcia, the play runs from Oct. 10 to Oct. 20, with two shows per night, offering audiences a unique comparison between the two actresses’ performances.
For major stars such as Salonga and De Leon, the challenge is to relinquish their most potent weapon: the voice. Can they still captivate the audience, conveying the caregiver’s rich and complex inner world without uttering a single word?
To create an intimate environment, Ramos studied the lives of Filipino migrant workers in London, Toronto and the East Coast. “Those single-room occupancy studios in Queens and the Bronx influenced the design,” he said.
Ramos is interested in “spatial transformation” to alter audience perception. In “Slave Play,” a Broadway and West End production about three interracial couples undergoing sex therapy based on their historical fantasies, he created a mirrored black wall onstage that reflected the audience in the first two acts. In the final act, the mirrors focused solely on the performers to highlight their emotions.
“Request sa Radyo” is more than showcasing the global Filipino talent; it aligns with Circuit Makati’s goal of becoming an arts center. Ramos envisions master classes and collaborations between theater students and professionals.
“I’m impressed by the dedication to theater here,” he said. “We have many passionate artists creating work. We should encourage diverse programming.”
“Request Sa Radyo” is produced by Clint Ramos, Bobby Garcia and Christopher Mohnani for Ayala Land and GMG Productions. Tickets are available via TicketWorld.
