MANILA, Philippines — Theater star Monique Wilson revealed that she is willing to make a showbiz comeback and work with fellow theater star Lea Salonga if there is an opportunity.
In an online press conference for "Tanghalang Pilipino sa iWant" last night, Philstar.com asked Monique if she’s ready to come back to Philippine showbiz and perhaps work with Lea.
“Bumalik na ko dito sa Philippines kasi matagal akong nasa London, nasa Singapore, do'n ako nakatira. Why not? Kung magkakaroon ng opportunity or chance,” Monique said.
She, however, said that she would be very busy doing non-showbiz stuff since she has commitments to fulfill with One Billion Rising and Gabriela.
“Pero malaki rin kasi 'yung commitment ko sa One Billion Rising, sa Gabriela, officer kasi ako ng Garbriela women’s movement din. So pinagba-balance ko lang 'yung art tsaka activism. Hopefully, may ibang opportunities din as worthy as ‘Mabini,’” she said.
It can be recalled that many theater fans have been comparing Lea and Monique since they both played the orphan "Annie" when they were kids, up to their teens when Lea was cast as Kim and Monique was designated as understudy for Kim in "Miss Saigon." Monique then replaced Lea a year after. Fans have since been debated on who did Kim better.
In a 2012 interview with Philippine Daily Inquirer's Dolly Anne Carvajal, however, Monique spoke up on the alleged "unspoken professional rivalry" between her and Lea.
"Lea and I have been close friends since we were kids. I did my first play when I was 9 with Repertory Philippines, 'Annie,' with Lea," she said.
"We’ve never had professional rivalry. When you grow up in theater, you develop a level of security so we were both very secure with ourselves. In theater, we view one person’s success as our success because we are very much a team."
Monique is part of the play “Mabining Mandirigma,” in which she portrays the lead role, Apolinario Mabini. The steampunk musical foregrounds Mabini's unparalleled heroism when he faced threats from American colonizers and “ilustrado” Congress members after he was appointed as Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s chief adviser, until his capture and exile in Guam, and eventually his death.
“Mabining Mandirigma" is part of the six plays available on iWant’s “Tanghalang Pilipino sa iWant,” a collection of plays by Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, to raise funds for local theater workers and artists affected by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Other plays include “Lam-Ang,” “Sandosenang Sapatos,” “Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw,” “Coriolano,” and “Der Kaufmann.”
JC Santos stars as the hero in ethno-epic musical “Lam-Ang,” which reimagines “Biag ni Lam-ang,” considered the oldest folk epic in Luzon. Also starring Anna Luna, it chronicles the conquests of Lam-ang from the land of Nalbuan and envisions the local traditions that are in danger of disappearing forever.
The colorful creation that is “Sandosenang Sapatos” follows wheelchair-bound Susie, a little girl who dreams of fulfilling his shoemaker father's wish to have a ballerina for a daughter. Every year on her birthday, she travels to a place called dreamland where the Diwata (Shoe Fairy) gives her a pair of shoes, which enables her to walk and dance. It stars Trixie Esteban and May Bayot-De Castro.
A complicated web of romance set in the grandiose mystery of Athens is featured in “Pangarap sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw,” an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which centers on the love interplaying around four young Athenians portrayed, featuring striking performances by Audie Gemora, Teroy Guzman, Liesl Batucan, Randy Villarama, and Richard S. Cunanan.
In a rarely-staged Shakespearean play entitled “Coriolano,” a legendary Roman soldier turns into a tyrant, leading to his downfall. It features a gripping performance from Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company senior member Marco Viaña, together with Frances Makil-Ignacio and Sherry Lara alternating as Coriolano’s strong-willed mother, Volumnia, and Brian Sy as Tulo Aufidio.
A retelling of Shakespeare’s best and famous comedy, “Der Kaufmann” (“The Merchant of Venice”), follows the misadventures of enigmatic Portia, who outwits a bitter and shrewd moneylender, Shylock. A play within a play, it relives the horror of the Holocaust, with the Nazis directing the Jewish “actors,” underscoring the dehumanizing effect of racism and intolerance. Starring Jonathan Tadioan, Regina De Vera, and Tuxqs Rutaquio, the play has since enjoyed critical success and garnered seven Gawad Buhay awards.
Tanghalang Pilipino has successfully presented 114 productions within 15 seasons while generating one of the best attendance records among the CCP’s resident companies in their mission to use theater for education and to develop Filipinos’ sense of nationalism.
Donations are accepted via BPI (Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc., Savings Account: 3131-0387-46) and GCash (Munera Garcia, Number: 0915-4538933). For more details, log on to ktx.abs-cbn.com.