So I heard that this is your first Filipino musical?
Yes, first Tagalog musical. Ah hindi, hindi naman first na first, pero first with lines. (laughs) Parang ganun na rin diba?
What did you do to prepare for your role as Ibarra?
Ay naku, I had to read the novel in English. Be familiar with the story and... actually talagang musical review, I mean [story] review the whole thing, so that I can get a better understanding. But when it came to music, in preparation for that, I could trust my music rehearsals, and the director.
Do you find any similarities between you and your character?
Oh yeah. Mestizo (laughs). Siguro ano na rin, I’m also a balikbayan. But wala naman akong bad news na natanggap pag-uwi ko, or something like that. Pero yung pagmulat na pag uwi ko na ganito na nga pala yung bansa natin, or yung like every time I go out of the country and come back, in that sense, I’d be able to see what’s happening or what’s not happening to our country. Pag landing mo pa lang ng airport diba, parang ganun yung dating, na nagfa-flashback yung buong thought of Noli Me Tangere, in that sense. Hindi naman ako mayaman. Hindi ako mayaman kagaya nila Don Rafael. Hindi ganun yung daddy ko, so hindi kami nagrerelate sa ganung aspect. But I think with someone who graduated college, parang... hindi naman sa pagmayabang o pagbuhat ng bangko, pero siguro compared to the mas nakakaraming Pilipino na hindi nakaaral, like nung masa na hindi lahat sila nakapagtapos... I think in that aspect, I can see my character. I can see that education is a big deal for most of our Filipinos who need it.
What’s the most challenging thing you had to do?
In rehearsals, the most challenging was to be on time. (laughs) No, hindi naman! Siguro it was really to grasp the whole Tagalog bit kasi I really think in English, but I had to really think in Tagalog this time, for this musical and especially with the words and how it’s constructed in such a way that you really had to sound Tagalog, para authentic.
Any memorable experience so far?
So far, my memorable experience in this musical is muntikan ko nang masaksak si Kuya Bodjie ng kutsilyo (by accident). Sabi niya, occupational hazard yun, and the great Kuya Bodjie as one of my idols, parang memorable na yun na parang to control.
How do you balance showbiz and theatre?
If you want it, you will make it happen. I really wanted this. I wanted also showbiz, so I had to do everything to do it. I think that’s just the only way. Iba yung want sa need eh. I think this is what I want. Showbiz also, I want. Syempre.
What’s your favorite scene in the musical?
It’s the last scene. Kasi after all diba, that hardship that you go through the whole musical, and the whole string of how you woo Maria Clara, and how Ibarra goes through this whole difficult process of roller coaster emotions of losing his father (which fortunately I cannot relate to), at the end of this whole scene, kumbaga pagdating kay Maria Clara, nare-realize na nakakapagmahal pa rin si Crisostomo Ibarra. Naks! Parang ganun eh! (starts singing a snippet of Ibarra and Maria’s final duet) Mabigat yun eh!
What’s your favourite song?
I actually like the “Damaso” song. Hindi, siguro “Gapusin...” na lang. Yun na lang yung favorite song ko, kasi yun yung pinaka nahihirapan ako na kanta eh. Kasi ang daming nangyayari, parang galit ako na hindi, na naiinis ako na kailangan kong tanggapin, kailangan kong iharap, galit ako na hindi pwedeng magalit dahil makukulong ako. Yun yung nangyayari dun sa kanta na yun, at nangyayari siya in 2 minutes. At ang dami daming salita na 80% of it I started out that I didn’t know what they mean. Like guho, ruins pala siya, mga ganun. (laughs)
What’s the best advice you received? In performing, in theatre or in life in general?
I think [that] you don’t get everything right away. You need to work hard for it. You may be able to cross the bridge, but mas maganda yung makatawid ng bridge na buo lahat ng limbs mo. Na suot mo pa rin yung sapatos mo, ganun, at lahat ng dinala mo dun sa giyera na mauuwi mo pa rin. Hindi yung parang tumawid ka ng bridge na nakahubad ka na, putol na yung paa mo, ganun. Parang hindi ka rin nakatwid eh. You need to prepare before you go to war, before you do this, before you attack this. I think that’s what I did. Hindi ako sasabak dito na hindi ako prepared, and I think that’s what I should be doing in everything. And I think that’s what people should be doing before they proceed with their work. They should always be prepared ahead of time. Parang 2 moves ahead ka dapat, parang chess, para manalo ka.
What’s the best advice you could give?
The best advice I could give is you need to enjoy your work. If you don’t, people will not enjoy also. Another thing that I got good advice here pala is if you don’t see it when you do it, the people won’t see it also.
No comments:
Post a Comment