The price public figures have to pay

I have been asked many times to make a comment on the Kris Aquino-James Yap marital imbroglio. This is what I have to say.

I am biased. And it is not fair. I represent Kris as one of her managers. I handle all her endorsement deals. Therefore, I am careful about our contracts. I am her best friend. And it follows that I will protect her to the best I can. I know so much but I don’t know everything and this is dangerous. I am too close to the story, my vision is impaired. I have heard a lot, my eardrums maybe, have been slightly damaged.

These are the reasons why I make a bad witness to this saga which started with so much love and is ending with a deafening silence.

But I continue to pray that God guides both Kris and James to the best place in His time and in His omniscient wisdom.

No matter what they do, this is going to be in the headlines. By virtue of their being both superstars in their fields — they make front page materials. But I also know that they can minimize the attendant vitriol and gore because there is an innocent child between them, the cutest boy in the world, Bimby.

The blogosphere has been rife with all sorts of speculations as to the many causes of the couple’s separation. Some have been plagiarized straight from Wakasan komiks while others were lifted from lachrymal soap operas. Again, this is the price public figures have to pay.

After the statement of the lawyers of Kris has been released to media, we knew that this was not just one of those marital tiffs, and we got the sense that this one was serious. And it is serious.

So what’s next?

Only God knows.

An electrifying tale of endless fun

It has been a busy year for theater’s golden boy, Felix Rivera. He started the year reprising his critically-acclaimed performance in Avenue Q and followed it by shining in Legally Blonde The Musical. He now puts on some roller skates and takes us back to the ‘80s where he plays Sonny Malone in Atlantis Productions’ staging of the hit Broadway musical comedy Xanadu.

Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira (played by Rachel Alejandro), who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time — the first Roller Disco — hey, it’s 1980! But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds.

The hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, and includes, Magic, All Over The World, Suddenly, I’m Alive, Evil Woman, Have You Never Been Mellow and Xanadu, to name a few, and is based on the Universal Pictures’ cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.

It’s hilarity on wheels for adults, children and anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired, as one of Broadway’s master storytellers, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep you in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat.

Felix says of his new role, “I can relate a lot to Sonny Malone.  He’s your everyday artist in search of his art, and his journey allows him to discover the beauty of not just art, but life and love, through Kira played by Rachel Alejandro. It’s a joy taking that journey with him while singing and dancing and delivering punch lines and skating on stage.”

Felix has worked with Rachel in the numerous runs of Avenue Q. He is reunited with her in Xanadu. He says of Rachel, “I love working with Rachel.  I’ve had the honor of working with her in three runs of Avenue Q.  She’s a generous performer. And as with the rest of the cast, Rachel is also OC; she wouldn’t settle for less than perfect.”

Immediately following Xanadu, Felix shifts gears and joins the cast of A Little Night Music starring Dawn Zulueta. Directed by Bobby Garcia, Xanadu runs from Sept. 3 to 19 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. For details, call 892-7078 or 840-1187.