Behold that Star

The parents of Bituin Escalante, bless their good jugdment, was correct to give a luminous spin to their 28-year-old daughter's name.

The singer and theater actress, after all, would breathe into her onstage characters with such soul, sparkle and shine, leaving starstruck fans in her wake. They include arts and theater patron Hendri Go of Little Boy Productions, who produced her latest theatrical outing, "Once On This Island," wherein she remarkably fleshed out Asaka, the goddess of the earth. Or so declared the fortunate mortals who were able to watch it (sulk no more, the Aliw Award-nominated play is coming to Cebu shores very soon).

She first earned my admiration after watching her on Atlantis Productions-mounted, Bobby Garcia-directed "Rent" in Manila as the gender-bending, tough-talking Joanne - the role, she admits, that made critics sit up and really take notice of her, at last.

Seeing her on "Tick Tick Boom," however, opposite Jett Pangan would have to be the most unforgettable. Her soaring, earthy vocals and high-energy performance drowned my faux pas - the alarm of my phone scandalously went off - that it was hardly noticed by the usually eagle-eyed ushers who would pounce on that offense had it been some less spirited and not-so scene-stealing act.

Happily for me, Bituin, whom The FREEMAN cornered last weekend for an interview, is bursting with life and stories whether under or away from the klieg lights.

The FREEMAN: What's keeping you busy nowadays?

Bituin Escalante: I'm doing "Wowowee" and working on an album with Viva Records; we're gathering all the materials for a change and an establishment of whatever image we might come up with [laughs]. Ano man ang lumabas doon.

TF: But what do you have in mind?

BE: It will be more of a reflection of my kind of music. Medyo R&B, pero I'm old school eh, hindi ko na kaya mag hip-hop, yo, yeah [laughs]. So, it will be more of soul and R&B.

TF: Many would identify you more as a theater actress, and I've seen how your roles become you on "Rent," "Rocky Horror Show," "Tick Tick Boom"

BE: Oh, "Tick, Tick Boom" is my favorite.

TF: Really? You and Jet did have some chemistry

BE: Oo, parang magkapatid. Kaya pagdating sa kissing scene na...Oh my God! That's why we did it behind the white screen. We didn't really kiss.

TF: Why so? Does it make you uncomfortable?

BE: Kasi mahal ko yung mga anak niya at asawa niya [laughs].

TF: What kind of kick do you get out of doing theatre?

BE: That is what I am essentially. I'm a storyteller first and a singer next. If there's anything in singing that I like, it is telling a story. I don't sing, sing. In theatre, you can maximize your talent, because you can assume a different character; and tell the story that way. Unlike in singing, you are still yourself and sometimes, there are things that never happen to you that you have to sing about. In theatre, it is assumed, you have an excuse to make drama, and it's dynamic because you're on your toes all the time. You have to consider your audience most especially, because if they're not with you, your energy will dissipate.

TF: What exactly happens once you step onstage?

BE: Sometimes, your audience fools around. There are a few bad eggs in every audience, especially when it's forced. Fortunately, wala pa akong experience na ganun ka grabe. I just hope I put on a very good show so that they shut up.

TF: How did you get into showbiz?

BE: I really started in theatre. I was discovered by Celeste Legaspi and Nestor Torre, the writer. Then someone got me to do a show on TV, then dire-diretso na.

TF: Can you still remember your first-ever performance?

BE: A family reunion. Then in school, I used to be in plays, not in the choir or singing club.

TF: And that means you weren't really formally trained in singing?

BE: That's the thing. It's not about the technique. Bottom line is if you understand the song so much, kahit paos ka na, ma-ge-gets yan ng tao eh.

TF: When did you begin getting involved with theater professionally?

BE: In 1997 when I was just a student. I started while studying at UP Los Baños. I studied at UPLB kasi di ako pumasa sa quota sa UP Diliman. I eventually transferred to Diliman with powers [laughs] to take up film. Pero di rin ako tumagal because I got sick, very sick...Nag-indefinite leave, tapos wala na, hindi na ako nakabalik.

TF: Does theater pay well?

BE: No. You have to love it. It's worth it though.

TF: Do you read reviews of your performances, others would skip them entirely?

BE: Yes, I do. Because even if it is really bad, it must have come from somewhere.

TF: Any regular theater person idiosyncrasy?

BE: Temper. I really have an explosive temper.

TF: Many have made the transition from the stage to the movies. Would you like to do the latter?

BE: May funny movie na ako, I did the "Booba" part II thing. It was fun, if you call going to Tagaytay at four in the morning, shooting in the rain and in a gown at that, fun. I've done an independent film for Doy del Mundo, entitled "Pepot Artista," which has been shown at CineMalaya Festival. I also shot another one with Yul Servo, it's coming out soon.

TF: Are you conscious of how you'd look onscreen or onstage?

BE: [Laughs uproariously] It's so "no!"

TF: But you get pressured?

BE: Yeah I get a lot of pressure! Lose weight, have your nose or arms done, have breasts put on, be nice to your co-workers...Damnit! If they're unprofessional, I'm really gonna b*tch.

TF: Why aren't you willing to go under the knife?

BE: If there's anything that you should feel good is because you're healthy. And if you all have those surgical stuff done, then there must be something wrong in your system. Mag-wo-work out nalang ako. It's for my health, and not because my thighs are big. Because my thighs are very soft, and if someone out there loves me, he would enjoy the softness and bigness of my thighs [laughs]. As for the nose job, I don't know what it's going to do for my voice. Wala, pare, eto nalang nga yung minana ko sa tatay ko, papalitan ko pa, parang minura ko na tatay ko nun.

TF: Speaking of your tatay, what's your family like?

BE: My family's musically-inclined. My mom's a visual artist and used to sing for Ambivalent Crowd in the 70s. My dad is a jack-of-all-trades - a pilot, a salesman, architect, engineer, so he was an artist. I'm the third in a brood of four - three girls and one boy. Yeah, may middle child syndrome ako, kulang sa pansin, kaya nga nasa teatro ako. My sister is into productions and sometimes she comes out in commercials, the younger one works for an NGO, and our youngest, my brother, is an economist. We all sing and play an instrument.

TF: Your fans are curious if you're single?

BE: I'm single, I'm very much so please When we went out last night, there were a lot of good-looking Cebuanos, not all of them are straight...Mahirap ma-involve with someone from theater, mahirap ipag-halo ang trabaho at pag-ibig.

TF: Is that based on experience or research?

BE: It is based on experiencing seeing what my colleagues have gone through.

TF: But your priority right now is your career?

BE: My priority has never been my career. It's finding stuff that keep me interested. It's funny though because "Wowowee" keeps me interested. It's so much fun in a commercial venue. We are given these novelty songs that we can play with. And you have voices like Robert Seña and Anna Fegi with you. I have nothing against novelty songs. If there's one thing that's going to go down in musical history, that would be a novelty song.

TF: Have you tried a hand at composing?

BE: Not now, it's too personal, I have to get over it.

TF: Which among your roles left the strongest mark on you?

BE: My role in "Dreamgirls" because it was my first failure. First lesson in the discipline is that you don't let your stamina drop in a show. I got sick. It should not happen. When you're in a production, you should stop smoking and drinking. I stopped that, but I just got sick.

TF: What about playing the goddess of earth in "Once On This Island"?

BE: That was typecasting [laughs]!

TF: Name your dream role.

BE: Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar." Papagupit ako para magmumukhang lalaki, bakit ba [laughs]? I am attracted to it because it's conflict and Judas was written in a very sympathetic light. So human, I would have made the same mistake.

TF: What's your take on other theater people taking issue over the seeming preference to stage foreign material over plays in Filipino or written by Filipinos?

BE: We gotta grow up, everything's going global. It's so selfish. You can only do what you do well. Huwag na tayong magswapangan.

TF: How many more years are you giving yourself in the business?

BE: As long as I can sing, I'll be doing this. Even if I'm not wanted, I'll keep forcing myself down their throats. It's my passion.

TF: Who do you look up to in the industry?

BE: Verni Varga. Kasi lahat ng kasama niya sa profession kaibigan niya, she treats everybody equally. Of course, my mother, my family.

TF: Any advice to those who would want to do a Bituin?

BE: Do what you do well.