Jett rocks the stage as Dan

“About 14 musicals, I think,” says Jett Pangan when we ask him during a recent meeting with the press for Atlantis Productions’ local staging of the Tony Award-winning rock musical Next To Normal as to how many he has done for the live stage since director Bobby Garcia invited him to try it.

As we all know, Jett is the vocalist of the 25-year-old The Dawn, erstwhile described the most gorgeous enduring rock band in the country known for the rock anthems Salamat, Enveloped Ideas, Iisang Bangka, among others. “It didn’t come from me, I’m telling you but I heard a lot about us being labeled like that, us being the most gorgeous through the years,” says Jett seriously.

Acting in a musical or straight play is something that Jett does once a year. His bandmates understand this. “They’re supportive and we all know that we got to have a life outside the band. We have mutual respect for that,” he says, explaining further how Buddy Zabala (bassist) also dabbles into producing records and Junboy Leonor (drummer) has businesses of his own.

In Next To Normal, he plays Dan Goodman, the seemingly normal husband of Diana (played by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo), the mother and wife with bi-polar disorder. “He is a husband who wants to have his family live a normal life but he knows his wife has bi-polar disorder. He’s not exactly employing the best method to help his wife,” Jett says.

We ask him if his character is, well, normal? “In a way, he’s not because he also has issues. As Dan, I pretend everything is OK when it’s not. I am indirectly an enabler to my wife. Instead of being there for her as a person and a husband, I just accompany her to the psychiatrist or tell her to take her medications when she’s at her worst,” Jett says.

He describes the singing part as challenging because of the complex melodies and harmonies of voices. “It’s like a symphony of voices but instead of an orchestra, you have a rock band accompanying you. It’s difficult but fantastic,” he says.

To prepare for the role, he read medical books on the disease and by authors suffering from bi-polar disorder. He has also watched documentaries on manic-depression.

As a rocker, the vocal part is not new to him. Sometimes, he has to sing all night, covering three gigs in separate venues. For the live stage, Jett has also done equally challenging parts in musicals with live band accompaniment, both in English and Filipino. The first things that come to our mind are the likes of Spring Awakening, also for Atlantis with a live band and EJ The Musical for Tanghalang Pilipino, which had The Dawn, providing the music. “But I am telling you, this has been the most difficult for me,” he says with an honest grin.

The role of Dan was offered to him middle of last year when he was doing Legally Blonde, another Atlantis baby. Many agreed no one can be more credible than Jett to play the part.

Asked how Jett has been as her “leading man,” Menchu the veteran thespian-director says matter-of-factly that besides being very good-looking (she corrected herself and used the word “fantastically good-looking”), Jett is a joy to work with. “He is not there to upstage you. He is with you on stage, unlike some actors I’ve worked with,” Menchu says.

The “fantastically good-looking” angle is true as we got reports that in some gigs by The Dawn, the Jett Pangan of the Philippine rock scene remains a living magnet to women of all ages. Read: Mother accompanying their teenaged daughters to watch the band.

At any rate, going back to Next To Normal, Menchu and Jett’s — as Diana and Dan Goodman — children are teenagers Gabe and Natalie, who also have their not-so-normal issues to resolve. Gabe is played by golden boy-heartthrob of Southeast Asian theater, Felix Rivera.

“This is a rock musical people should watch because besides being informative of bi-polar disorder, it’s highly entertaining and very funny. Jett is the perfect choice for Dan because he is a very good theater actor, rocker and father in real life,” Felix says.

“I agree. We are so glad to have someone like Jett because he exudes a certain kind of energy on stage no other actor I’ve work with possesses. It’s something raw and animalistic, like how rockers are,” says Bea Garcia, who plays Natalie.

As shrink, playing the double roles of Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden is the versatile Jake Macapagal. Playing Henry, the admirer of Natalie is teenaged Filipino-Norwegian singer-actor Markki Stroem, who shot to fame via ABS-CBN’s Pilipinas Got Talent.

Atlantis Productions’ Bobby Garcia directs with lighting design by Shoko Matsumoto, choreography by Chari Arespacochaga, costume design by Twinkle Zamora, music direction by Ceejay Javier and vocal coaching by ManMan Angsico.

Next to Normal runs until March 27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. For details, call 892-7078 or 840-1187 or Ticketworld at 891-9999.