Vina feels complete

As an artist, Vina Morales has tried almost everything: Singing, dancing, hosting and acting. But despite all her achievements, she always felt that there was one thing missing.

“Sabi nila, pag ‘di mo na-try ang theater, hindi ka kumpleto as an actor,” says Vina. She had wanted to try acting on stage, but never had the guts, and more importantly, couldn’t find the time in between her many commitments. Theater is very demanding, and Vina wanted to be able to give it 100 percent, or else, she told herself, she wouldn’t do it at all.

Then she got an offer to star in the Philippine version of Rock of Ages, the five-time Tony Award nominated Broadway musical mounted in Manila by Atlantis Productions. While the desire to do it was strong, Vina was understandably nervous. Starring in Rock of Ages would mean stepping out of her comfort zone as a performer. Although she was no newcomer to show business, the demands of the part were different from what she’d done on television or in films. Vina would need to do all three  sing, dance and act  at the same time, and convincingly at that.

So when it was time to audition for the part, Vina brought along Mariole Alberto of Star Magic. “Sa sobrang nerbiyos ko, nagpasama pa ako kay Tita Mariole,” recalls Vina.

Vina was auditioning for the part of Sherrie, a small-town girl who goes to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of being an actress. Sherrie is the lead female character in the musical. The male lead Stacee Jaxx is played by international rock sensation MiG Ayesa (Filipino TV audiences remember his stint on the rock star reality search Rockstar: INXS, which was to find a new lead vocalist for the band), who also played the same role on Broadway.

She auditioned in front of director Chari Arespacochaga and bagged the part. Vina took the rehearsals seriously  so seriously that after the press conference to announce Rock of Ages, she begged off from extended one-on-one interviews, saying she had to rush off to rehearsals. “Alam n’yo na, rehearsal, bawal ma-late,” said the singer-actress.

She’s glad she auditioned for the part, and even happier that she got it. “Sa tagal ko sa business, ito (theater) na lang ang kulang,” says Vina, who is thrilled to be working alongside MiG and the other cast members of the musical: Nyoy Volante, Jett Pangan, Aiza Seguerra, Jinky Llamanzares and Calvin Millado, as well as a host of other theater reliables like Jamie Wilson and Altair Alonso, son of actor-director Chinggoy Gil-Alonso.

Vina loves that Rock of Ages is a musical. She relishes performing the songs in it, which are built around the glam rock music of the ’80s, as popularized by bands like Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Europe, among other well-known rock bands. While most of them are rock songs, Vina  who is identified more with ballads and movie-TV theme songs  didn’t really have to make any special preparations vocally. “They’re not all heavy rock,” explains Vina. “There are also rock ballads, which are not very different from the songs I usually sing in ASAP or during concerts.”

Once her stint in Rock of Ages wraps up, Vina will return to her performing career on TV, but with a new energy and purpose. Being onstage, in theater, has made her feel like a complete performer  something she’s always dreamed of.

But she continues to dream her dreams, including that of staging another major concert, or even doing a new studio album. “Nasa list ko pa rin ’yun,” she says. “The plan (to do a concert and album) is still there. But this is a different avenue. I love theater, and now that I’ve had a taste of it, I want to keep doing more.”

Bravo, Vina!