A new dawn for Jett Pangan

After successfully restaging Jonathan Larson’s Pulizter Prize-winning musical Rent last year, Bobby Garcia brings onstage the late playwright’s new musical, tick, tick.... BOOM! which became one of the hottest tickets of the Broadway season shortly after it premiered last year.

This July, Bobby will unveil through his Atlantis Productions tick, tick.... BOOM! at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater of RCBC Plaza, Makati City. His excitement over this new Larson project is readily evident. "I feel passionate about this musical because it proves that Jonathan Larson was no fluke," he says. "This new musical, which was posthumously finished, is wonderfully moving and wickedly caustic – quite similar to Rent – and it proves that Jonathan not only had a voice but that it was distinct."

No doubt, a good part of Bobby’s excitement also lies in the fact that he has assembled an impressive cast for tick, tick.... BOOM! Besides tapping dependable Rent cohorts Bituin Escalante and Michael de Mesa, he has also signed up The Dawn’s Jett Pangan to form the triumvirate that will explore and drive home Larson’s ruminations about life and failure. The director says this would not have been his first collaboration with the rock icon. "Jett would have been in the cast of Rent but our schedules wouldn’t allow it," says Bobby. "And I’m so happy that he finally will be able to do this other Jonathan Larson project."

The rock artist himself is looking forward to this excursion into theater. "Doing this is my way of satisfying a desire to act, which has been with me for some time now," he says. "And to be able to do it in the company of great actors and a great theater company makes everything even sweeter and more exciting."

Jett will essay the role of Jon, Larson’s alter ego in the musical, a restaurant waiter and struggling playwright is confronted by his innermost demons when his first attempt at a musical turns out to be a failure. "His fears about a failure at 30 is something that almost anyone can relate to. How he handles those demons is serious and funny at the same time," he says.

It may come as a surprise to those who admire The Dawn but Jett confesses he still deals with similar issues himself. "Sure, it enters my mind every now and then that I’m getting older and that I would kick the bucket someday, and you would mull over what you have done with your life," he says. "But I don’t fear those moments of self-examination because they put things in proper perspective. Human life is so short that instead of focusing on trying to gain worldly wealth, status, fame and so on, one should prepare for the next level. The short stay on earth determines your placement for eternity. I remind myself that."

tick, tick.... BOOM!, a musical by Jonathan Larson with Proof’s David Auburn as script consultant, is produced by Atlantis Productions and directed by Bobby Garcia. It opens at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater in RCBC Plaza, Makati City on July 26 and runs until Aug. 11. For inquiries, call tel. no. 892 7078.

Private Ei8ht Model Search

The search for beauty, body and brains continues as Private Property Jeans, ATMACS, Events On-Line and Robinsons Malls held the second elimination round of the Private Ei8ht Model Search at Robinsons Place Manila.

The contest was hosted by Ian Galliguez and past Private Ei8th winners Nino Forto and Joli Roa with the Crossmovers acting as special guests. Judging the competition were Alex Villangca of 8 Waves Waterpark, Berni Terrado of yehey.com, journalists Maryo Labad, Jet Valle and Tanya Medina, designer Analyn Banaag, Mabs Pena of Robinsons Place Manila and past Private Ei8th winners Analiza Bernal, Jasmin Chua and Isa Balones. Heading the panel of judges were Private Property image models Leandro Muñoz and Monina Bagatsing, who each gave an exciting song number to liven the event.

Winners for the second round were Dara Ailyn Alday and Valerie Galang for the female division and Vladimir Jay Nesas and Christopher Rios for the male category. All of them qualify for the grand finals to be held on July 27 at Robinsons Place Manila.