These actors read for inspiration

Leading the cast of Atlantis Production’s staging of the multi-award winning play Doubt are actress extraordinaire Cherie Gil and theater leading man Niccolo Manahan.

Cherie plays Sister Aloysius, the school principal who suspects the young and charismatic parish priest, Father Flynn, played by Niccolo, of molesting a boy in their school.

They take time off from their rehearsals to share with us their favorite books:

Cherie Gil:

• The Prophet By Kahlil Gibran

Ever since I was a teenager until now, I have taken along with me Gibran’s philosophy on living. Many of what he writes strike a chord in me, especially on marriage and children.

• When Neitzsche Wept By Irvin Yalom

Having won the Commonwealth Gold Medal for Best Fiction in 1993 and four years straight in the best-seller list in Israel, I knew I had to read this. A famous and respected Israeli psychiatrist finds his medium of teaching through writing novels. A real tale of obsession, I was caught in the web of two of the most remarkable and complex minds of our time – one of them Neitzsche. One would wonder if this was fiction or not. I always was curious and interested in psychology and psychiatry.

• The Da Vinci Code By Dan Brown

My most recent favorite. I wouldn’t say he’s the best writer the literary world has recently produced, but it sure is a page turner. What with all the controversies that surrounds it now! Truly entertaining and absorbing. Though I imagined Robert Langdon to be a real handsome hunk more than Tom Hanks, I am still so looking forward to the movie. I like Tom Hanks a lot anyway.

• The Wizard Of Oz By L. Frank Baum (The Special Collectors Pop-Up Edition)

You should see this book! What beautiful craftsmanship and illustration. Always a classic, but this version will leave you in awe.

• Oh The Places You’ll Go By Dr. Seuss

It will always be my favorite. Dr. Seuss surely knows life’s journey. A must for all ages. It makes me smile.

Niccolo Manahan:

• The Dragonlance Saga By Margaret Weis And Tracy Hickman

Purely for sentimental reasons, it’s what got me enjoying reading in the first place. Still a fun read now and then.

• Calvin And Hobbes By Bill Waterson

Arguably the funniest comic strip in the world, but also the most thought provoking with its philosophical and ethical topics.

• The Count Of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas

Much deeper than the recent film adaptation, it’s a thrilling story of revenge served cold and the redemption that comes out of it. Dumas displays incredible wit and romance that you don’t find nowadays.

• Tuesdays With Morrie By Mitch Albom

A little gem that tends to be passed over because of the hype that surrounds it. It continues to help me through crisis after crisis with its words of encouragement and self-reliance.

• Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

Steinbeck’s world is all too real and gritty, not a place anyone would want to live in. Yet one can’t help going back there from time to time.

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Doubt also stars Cathy Azanza and Jay Glorioso, and is directed by Chari Arespacochaga. Doubt runs from June 2 to 24 at the RCBC Theater on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and also at Onstage, Ayala Center in Cebu from June 30 to July 2. For ticket inquiries, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078.

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The Reading Club recommends The City of Falling Angels by Paul Berendt, which is set in beautiful Venice. You can find it at all branches of National Book Store and Powerbooks.

Vanity Fair Magazine has a great environmental issue this month. You can subscribe care of Emerald Headway.

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Comments and suggestions are welcome at readclub@aol.com.