Husband and wife play siblings in Virgin Labfest

Manila, Philippines -  They’ve taken on different kinds of roles on stage, on TV and in the movies but couple Franco and Ayen Laurel are now up for the challenge of playing siblings in the Virgin Labfest play Isa Pang Soap Opera.

Though it has its advantages such as being able to practice their lines together en route to work and maybe even at home, as well as being able to consult one another at any time of the day or night about this or that, they have to be careful to not let romantic sparks fly when they come face to face on stage.

“There’s a special discipline to it but it can be done. Ayen and I know how to switch on our ‘work mode,’” said Franco, who has been married to Ayen for 11 years. “We’re professional, after all.”

It’s the first time the husband-and-wife team has been cast together in a theatrical production since Lives in 2000.

Franco said that there was only one instance when they almost “forgot” to be in character and that was during pictorials for the promotional material of the play.

“Our director, Dennis (Marasigan), had to remind us at one point, ‘O, wag kalimutan ang peg…’” the actor said. “Kaya nga iniiwasan ko na lang tumingin sa mata ni Ayen, panay sa ilong na lang o sa noo. ”  

Aside from playing roles completely different from what they are to each other in real life, Franco considers Isa Pang Soap Opera as a sort of milestone in his career in that he is cast in his first non-singing role, the character Froilan. It’s one that Franco says is “outside his comfort zone” as he relies wholly on speaking lines instead of “breaking into song” to move the story forward.

“It’s acting at its core and a role that I hope would break any stereotype some people may have of me. I can do other things, you know, apart from playing the rich guy or the romantic lead or the character who ‘has’ to sing at one point in the show,” he said.

Isa Pang Soap Opera in one line is about a family with member suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. But unlike what some may expect, it’s not about the disease but how the dynamics of relationships within the unit are affected when that member “reveals” things inadvertently.

“Yes, the audience will learn about Alzheimer by watching the show but they do so only coincidentally. More than that, they will see how people’s reactions to situations affect everyone else around them, like it or not. When the curtain falls, people will walk out of the theater thinking about these things,” the actor said.

 Isa Pang Soap Opera will be staged at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute, Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 7 at 8 p.m. and July 8, 3 p.m. For details, call 891-9999.