Groovy! Cris Villonco lives her theater dream
Cris Villonco may have played the biggest roles on the local stage—Maria Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” Maria Clara in “Noli Me Tangere,” Ophelia in “Hamlet” and the child Cossette in “Les Miserables”—but her involvement with the Philippine Educational Theater Association or PETA has been elusive.
"I never worked with PETA and it had been my goal to do at least one," said the multi-talented 29-year-old who, 13 years ago, sang at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for a jubilee mass officiated by then Pope John Paul II.
PETA is known for stage performances with nationalist themes. The catch phrase “pang-PETA” refers to a person’s good or serious acting (whether uttered in a sarcastic tone or not).
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Playing the co-lead in PETA’s ongoing play, "D Wonder Twins of Boac," an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night," Villonco has now crossed the goal off her list.
Cross-dressing in the Swinging Sixties
The period comedy, written by awarded playwright Rody Vera, opened on February 1 and will end on March 3.
In it, Villonco plays the cross-dressing Viola in the swinging sixties. She and her twin Bastian bring their song and dance act from Boac, Marinduque to Manila in the hope of of attaining stardom.
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A shipwreck en route to the big city separates the twins and Villonco’s character ends up begging in Malate, forced to audition at the premier film studio Campanilla Pictures disguised as a male.
Playing opposite Villonco is Chrome Cosio as Bastian. Theater stalwarts Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, Bodjie Pascua, Gail Billones and Lex Marcos also star.
Historical laugh
"The fact [that] it is historical and it is done on deep research like finding how the people of the 60s speak makes it interesting. Apart from fashion, the movie scene of that period is altogether a different story," shared Cris in a chat with Yahoo! OMG at a restaurant in Morato, Quezon City.
"I also like the project because it's comedy and I've been doing a lot of dramatic stuff," she added.Cris has played crucial roles in "Jekyll and Hyde" and "Walang Sugat."
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In 2011, she won the Gawad Buhay Best Actress for playing Maria Clara in the musical version of "Noli Me Tangere." In 2008 the same award-giving body gave her the Outstanding Featured Performance citation for her Ophelia in "Hamlet.”
Of the her many stage roles, she cites her work in "Les Miserables" and "Alikabok" as just two of her most cherished theater moments.
Widening perspective
Cris, who has worked with several major theater companies such as Repertory Philippines, Atlantis Productions, Tanghalang Pilipino and Trumpets, is putting up her own theater company with some fellow thespians as partners.
Called Red Turnip Theater, the new stage company hopes to "provide a unique theatrical experience."
After being in the business for 20 years, Cris said of returning to the larger spotlight of TV and big screen, "My career peaked when I was 12. But I'd be open to do teleseryes and I just want to be known as a character actress."
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Starting as a singer at age 9, Cris is granddaughter to "Aawitan Kita" star Armida Siguion-Reyna.
She has recorded two albums, been featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s international edition for being a “hero of the planet” and made her first movie in the 2000 Fernando Poe Jr. movie "Ang Dalubhasa," released in 2000.
Asked why she continues to thrive in her chosen profession, Cris replied, “I never stop learning."
