“The last thing I want to be labeled is ‘political,’” said film and TV actor Piolo Pascual.
Pascual is set to star in the musical Ibarra mid-year, a spin-off musical of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere—via Jomar Fleras’ award-winning play Kanser. Soprano Myramae Meneses will play Ibarra’s love interest Maria Clara.
Myramae Meneses in ‘Ibarra’
Ibarra is a challenging role even for a thespian, and Pascual acknowledges that doing theater is not common for actors who are known for film and TV work. Having done theater in high school has prepared him for the role, although he stopped theater back then because “I had to work. Then, when I started doing TV, I didn’t have the luxury of time to do stage plays anymore.”
Although he admits to having grown up oblivious to and apolitical about certain issues, “upon reading Noli, I instantly fell in love. The battlecry of Rizal, which is the revolution igniting the youth to claim their freedom and independence, resonated with me.” He identifies with the main character, and says: “The protagonist is Filipino. That alone is an identity to be proud of.”
Pascual says, “I wish I had the same balls as Ibarra. I wish I had the same guts and courage to fight the Spanish during that time and do that now. This is not just a challenge, but a wake-up call for me to do something for the country.
“To be able to use my voice as a platform to remind people of our right to freedom of speech, our right to our culture, our independence, is one way of using my influence to attract more people to know about what we can do so that we can help each other. We can help each other: bayanihan. We can rise up.”
The bigger challenge for the actor will be the operatic singing, something he has no experience with. “I guess my sleepless nights will be coming from training to be an opera singer. I’m definitely going to live clean and be disciplined. I’m going to give it my best.”
Ibarra will be shown from June 8 to 18, 2023 at the GSIS Theater by Tanghalang Una Obra, and will be directed by Frannie Zamora. Music is by Joed Balsamo, choreography by Paul Morales. Proceeds will support Rise Against Hunger’s school feeding program. Tickets are available at Ticketworld.
