Gina Respall comes home for Lady Thiang

When London-based theater performer Gina Respall heard that The King and I would be staged in Manila at the newest theater venue at the Resorts World Manila, she was beside herself with excitement. She had to be in that musical, she told herself, and true enough she found herself playing head wife to the King, Lady Thiang, which she had played all over the UK.

Having been involved in theater for almost a decade starting as understudy for Kim and Gigi in Miss Saigon in 1998, understudy to Lady Thiang which a Korean opera singer essayed on Broadway, she was ultimately offered the part for all the UK national tours, she said in an interview.

Lady Thiang is one of her favorites among roles she has done in 14 years of living and working in the UK. It exposed her to the different audiences who wept with her and admired her strength of character as she stood by her man. We ask if she identifies with women like Lady Thiang? She answers, “Most women identify with Lady Thiang’s selfless love and devotion to her husband. However, I personally would not agree to sharing my husband with anyone.”

We watched a preview of excerpts at the Resorts World Newport Theater where Gina performed the powerful Something Wonderful in defense of her misunderstood husband. We had hoped she would perform Western People Funny at the preview which has been deleted from most performances in the Western world. The King and I director Freddie Santos explained the song was considered an insult to their way of living by the First World, but Freddie had no such anxieties. Theater reviewers would be happy for the privilege of its inclusion in the full musical.

We ask Gina the advantage of joining the touring group, and she quickly responds, “It was more of a cultural discovery for me, a chance of understanding the culture of the British people, the differences in their accents, dialects, food and geography.” This has resulted in heartwarming reviews like the one from North Wales Theatre, “Gina Respall as Lady Thiang is quite outstanding — making this often overlooked role a tour-de-force,” and that of Sunderland City Empire saying, “Gina Respall as the King’s chief wife, Lady Thiang, and Aura Deva as Tuptim, the slave tormented by forbidden love, deserve special mention.”

Probing further into her other roles, we ask if she had done anything controversial. She singles out Jerry Springer: The Opera based on the TV show The Jerry Springer Show. The British musical known for its profanity, irreverent treatment of Judeo-Christian themes, surreal images with tap-dancing Ku Klux Klan members resulted in street protests against its profanity. “A lot of people misinterpreted the story, which is about the social problems.” The production won four Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, and made it to Carnegie Hall in 2008 with Harvey Keitel as Jerry Springer.

However, long before England beckoned, Gina was all set to start a career as a veterinarian in Manila. But there was this chance to play Bulakna, wife of Lapulapu in the original Filipino musical written and produced by Toto Gentica and Lou Bonnevie at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and directed by Behn Cervantes whom Lou had to import from the US where he was based at the time. We were into talent management then, and got Miguel Vasquez who had just flown in from Toronto for the plum role of Lapulapu. And that’s where we met Gina.

One thing led to another and Gina was cast as Maria in West Side Story opposite Bo Cerrudo as Tony, directed by Chinggoy Alonzo for lawyer Tony Pastelero’s production house. She was then sent to the Tokyo National Theatre for a multi-lingual type of musical-opera A Story of A Moonlit Night and that was the last we heard her mention working as a vet.

Our next contact with Gina was in London where we stayed with her during frequent visits to the West End to catch up on the latest in musicals and straight plays. In between her work, we would roam the byways of the city for sights and spots one could only discover through a resident.

Now that she is in Manila for at least three months for The King and I, we wondered about her succeeding plans. “I can never give up music; I will always find myself performing anywhere I am. It’s second nature to me, so it would be nice to be that busy but still be able to set up my own business.”

With all the activity nowadays in music, plays, corporate events, TV, Gina is seriously considering her options.

(E-mail your comments to [email protected].)