Her voice is truly magical, crystal clear and passionate. Her stage manners exude effortless élan. She belongs to a rare breed of entertainers, one that harks back to the glory days of the OPM era.
And yet she still remains just as vibrant and vivacious as the day she first made a splash in showtown as the country’s one and only Vamp.
But then again, she has certainly come a long, long way from those Vampy days, as she now radiates pure bliss and serenity onstage.
Varga, as I fondly call her, inspires nothing but the deepest of respect and admiration from her colleagues in the industry–most notably, from Ayen Munji-Laurel, Franco Laurel, Anna Fegi, Luke Mejares, and Paolo Santos, her co-stars in the musical One, which will go onstage at the Folk Arts Theater on Nov. 22.
Fellow Cebuano Luke Mejares couldn’t contain his excitement when he learned that he will be sharing the stage with Verni.
"When I had the chance to talk to her, I asked for her advice," Luke recalls. "I asked for her secret. How was she able to stay in the scene for such a long time? She simply told me that it’s not just in the talent or in how good you are. She said that when I am onstage, I should always sing straight from the heart."
Verni, however, avers that she has also learned a lot from her more junior co-stars.
"I picked up from them the lesson of humility," she says. "That is very important for any artist. To remain humble. To always keep his feet on the ground."
She is greatly inspired by her fellow performers in One.
"What is wonderful is that no one in this cast is pa-star," Verni reveals candidly. "No one is the type who would upstage his co-stars. But the thing is, everyone in this cast is extremely talented. Not just the lead players, even the ensemble members. In fact, the ensemble performers can very well be soloists themselves. They’re that good!"
What sets this production apart, Verni believes, is the cast’s strong sense of community.
"Our camaraderie is admirable," she gushes. "When we’re onstage, we are like brothers and sisters performing together. We all have one heart, one goal, in coming out with this show. Our only aim is to give glory to God! Indeed, in the eyes of the Lord, we are all equal."
She also has nothing but the highest praises for her director and co-star, Ayen.
"Ayen and I go a long way back," Verni relates. "We’ve worked together countless times in the past. Ayen is clearly blessed and she shares her blessings with everyone."
Verni describes Ayen the director as "a true blue perfectionist."
"Ayen is very meticulous," Verni vouches for her friend. "She is very good at what she does and yet she’s very easy to work with. As a matter of fact, everyone in this production is a breeze to work with."
Which is very important, according to Verni, considering how grueling preparations are for this monumental production.
Verni is no stranger when it comes to demanding stage productions–from the song-and-dance routines of A Chorus Line to the rock operatic heights of Evita.
"One is really an awesome show," she explains.
Among the different songs in the One repertoire, she counts two as sentimental favorites. "I love singing my solo numbers Deliver Me and The Places You Find. Even my duet with Ayen, Jesus Loves Me, is very uplifting."
The challenge, she avows, lies in the show’s soul-inspiring theme.
"The challenge for us Christians is to be able to relay the show’s message to the audience properly," she discloses. "To be able to present it in such a way that they will be moved, that they will be touched. Even if just one soul would be changed by this show, the heavens would surely rejoice."
What more if the entire Folk Arts Theater would experience spiritual renewal that night?
"What is beautiful about the show is that it’s not preachy," she clarifies. "And we also made use of popular, secular songs. So everybody can relate to the show’s concept. After all, music is the best medium, the highest art form. Music is the universal language, remember? So the personal challenge for me is just to be able to deliver the message well."
"Every time we do shows, we should never forget to lift everything up to the Lord," she affirms.
And that’s the message of One, in a nutshell.
(For inquiries about the show, call ML Entertainment at 638-7776.)