Nierras and the magic of impersonation

According to Douglas Nierras, director and choreographer of the highly-acclaimed musical revue Illusione... ENCORE!, the cosmopolitan gay runs the gamut of several, colorful faces.

"In Illusione, we have the nagpapa-macho, who is trying so hard to look like a man, and then there’s a flaming gay, or more popularly known as the screaming fag. We also have the new gay who loves and accepts himself."

And this "new gay" (Arnel Ignacio) is the main character in Illusione... ENCORE!, Bahaghari Productions’ sequel to the highly-successful production staged at Onstage, Greenbelt early this year.

As we all know, impersonation is almost synonymous to being gay. And Illusione...ENCORE! is about the best impersonators in the land and it tells the riveting story of gaymen.

Working with amateur impersonators, we asked Douglas how it was during rehearsals.

"It was fun and fulfilling because you see them develop into better performers," shares Douglas. "You must realize that this people are very raw. Almost all of them are people who used to performing in small clubs where there’s no discipline, no fixed schedule and no fixed ‘bayad’. Now, they have been trained to have the discipline, to work out and beautify their bodies, and to love their craft. So automatically, you see all these develop right in front of your eyes everyday.

"I may have the reputation of being a tyrant when it comes to work but the thing is, I’m not a director who will poke a personal matter on a person. I don’t do that. As soon as rehearsals are done, magkakaibigan na kaming lahat. Ganun lang yun. Pero I can’t have it easy because the Pinoy psyche is difficult to work with and you know that. Especially when you’re close to a person, nagbu-blur ang lines ng professionalism. I taught them this, little by little. It so funny because some of them have been impersonating from way back the ’70s and yet hanggang ngayon wala pa ring disiplina when it comes to performing. They think that for as long as naka make-up at gown na sila, bongga na sila. That was the culture then, kainan sa stage."

That’s because these people have never performed in theater before. They have never been part of a substantial kind of show. "Most of the time kasi it’s more of stand-up comedy where there’s no script. Free-flowing siya so they say whatever comes into their minds. Oftentimes, they get lost along the way."

Douglas had to teach them the basics of theater and molded them into better performers.

"When you’re in the legitimate theater, what matter is what you have achieved since the start of the show until the end of it," he explains. "The whole picture is important. And that’s where the director has the most difficulty."

It all boils down to how much they trust you. And trust is not given. You have to earn it. But after the first run of Illusione, Douglas was surprised on the complete turnaround.

"Some of them became my friends and they would invite me to watch their show," says Douglas. "And when I do watch them, I can see the big difference. Meron na silang poise, meron ng aura, at meron na silang presence. You can see now the fruits of your labor and I’m so happy to see that they learned from the experience."

Before and after Illusione, Douglas of course is the moving force behind Powerdance, a group of world-class performers/dancers who has won numerous dance competitions here and abroad. What everybody doesn’t know is that Douglas is a theater person.

"While I was developing my dancing skills, I was going to theater school. I took a course in Choreography for Video, Cinema and Musical Play. I also finished a theater course in UP."

In fact, Douglas has done theater acting and has directed several plays.

His fascination for impersonation go a long, long way back. He watched impersonation shows in New York, Spain, and LA. In La Cageoaux Folle (The Bird), he played the role of Anna, the German Dominatrix. In the first Illusione, aside from doing the choreography, Douglas also played the role of Oddete in the hilarious Swan Lake Suite.

"But I don’t enjoy anything more than teaching," he shares. A choreographer is a teacher and a director is also a teacher. It’s natural for me."

"An impersonation show is just like directing any other play," says Douglas. "The acting process and workshop are just the same. In fact, it’s more difficult. In a play, you direct an actor to play a character he can create in his mind. But impersonation is another story. You have to create an illusion. You have to be realistic in portraying the fixed character assigned to you. The smallest detail about the performer matters."

Impersonation is really more about making people believe an illusion. And that’s what makes it really wonderful and challenging at the same time.

"I believe that impersonation would go on and on," Douglas concludes. It strikes the basic element and essence of acting: being what you are not. And acting will forever be the staple of all entertainers."

Asked who is worthy of impersonation, Douglas has this to say: "To be able to come up with a character worthy of impersonation, the personality should have a certain mystique. It has to pass the ridiculous. You’ve got to have an outlandish caricature."

Illusione... ENCORE! will run at Star Theater CCP Complex until Sept. 1 with gala performance (8 p.m.) on Aug. 30, and 31 and matinee performance (4 p.m.) on Sept. 1. It will also have a two-night performance in Pampanga on Sept. 6 and 7. Tickets for the Manila performances (priced at P1200, Premiere; P800, Orchestra; and P400, Balcony) are available at all Ticketworld outlets (891-5610).