Mark B. rides high in Full Monty, has new album

MANILA, Philippines - Mark Bautista is at present riding high on the great reviews that he had gotten for his work in the musical The Full Monty. Mark plays Jerry Lukowski, the unemployed and despondent steel mill worker who entices his friends into performing in a strip show. As a result, they discover renewed self-esteem, their strength as a group and the courage to face their problems with their families and their finances.

This was Mark’s second musical. He made his debut two years ago in the CCP production of Ryan Cayabyab’s Noli Me Tangere. Though at first wary of doing theater, he soon warmed up to the stage after discovering the support and camaraderie of his new friends from the theater.

The opening of The Full Monty coincided with the release of Mark’s latest album The Sound Of Love. This is another dream come true for the singer because it is made up of old songs he has always wanted to record. These are the standards When I Fall In Love, Strangers In The Night, All The Way, Love Story, That’s All, Till and What A Wonderful World and the Manila Sound classics Kailangan Kita, composed by George Canseco, Love Without Time by Willy Cruz and Bato Sa Buhangin by Ernani Cuenco and Snaffu Rigor.

“I love the old songs,” continues Mark. “I grew up with them at home. So during my shows, I would sometimes sing one or two. I notice that people liked me doing the old songs until I started singing more of them. The reaction was really great so I asked Viva if I could do an album of standards. They said yes and this is it, The Sound Of Love. Getting the chance to record those songs was another great experience.”

Another great experience in store for Mark later this year is the solo concert titled The Sound Of Love which will be held at the Music Museum on June 29.