Theater keeps Jett from burning out

MANILA, Philippines - Jett Pangan first made a name for himself as a rock idol being the frontman of The Dawn. But with the memorable performances he has churned out for musical theater in the last decade, don’t be surprised if, in the eyes of fans, theater could also very well define his profile as an artist.

And Jett is not the least bothered. He tells The STAR, “People can have their own versions of me if they like, because I won’t be doing this if I didn’t love it. Ang hirap kaya nito. So, if people think I’m more of a theater actor, thank you very much. Because it really is a lot of work.”

Jett plays the lead character Guido Contini in the Atlantis production of the Tony Award-winning musical Nine, now being staged at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza in Makati, and is supported by a bevy of great actresses such as Cherie Gil, Eula Valdez, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, among others. There isn’t any stronger validation to what director Bobby Garcia’s pronouncement of him as musical theater’s top leading man than this.

 “Of course, there’s pressure there. It’s a musical that’s very complicated and there’s a bunch of veterans,” admits Jett, “but I believe when you do something with truth — you remove your ego, you remove the questions in your head — just do the role as truthfully as you can, then you’ll have no problem. In the end it’s not about you, it’s about the audience.”

“The songs are beautiful and are in my range,” says Jett on one of the main attractions of the project for him, adding that he feels like the “luckiest man alive” to be joined by a powerhouse female cast.

“But then the fascination will last for 10 minutes because after that, it’s work already. At the end of the day, you’re just in a room full of friends, of more talented people who happen to be gorgeous.”

Guido is a troubled filmmaking genius who’s struggling with mid-life crisis. His life is in disarray partly because of how chaotic his private and public lives are intertwined.

Thankfully, Jett says, he hasn’t found himself in Guido’s position. No case of life imitating art as “I’m the most un-showbiz person I guess in this room. I live quite a normal, quiet life... Guido Contini, he’s a big womanizer, dun nag-stem yung problems niya with his marriage with Luisa (to be played by Menchu) who was one of his actors. His relationships are crumbling, at the same time, kinukulit sya ng producer (Cherie). He also struggles with creative block, and that’s one thing I can relate to as an artist. We all go through those creative blackouts.”

He adds though that “Bobby Garcia and I, we have to be really careful in working the role because it’s not your typical musical. It’s very stylized reality and fantasy. So while Guido’s talking to his wife in reality, he’s thinking of another thing. So yung beats ni Guido has to be very clear, na hindi ka malito, as an audience.”

Nine actually marks his 10th year with Atlantis Productions; his first was Tick...Tick...Boom, a musical about career choices — doing or undoing them — as you approach your 30s.

Jett was in his early 30s when he dipped into theater. He joined fellow rockers Rico Blanco, Noel Cabangon, the late Karl Roy of P.O.T. in the staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, et al as Pontius Pilate. It was a challenge that he just had to do, but who would have thought, he would go on doing it, again and again? Certainly not Jett.

He’s not a theater expert; he hasn’t seen any Broadway shows because when he goes to the States, he’d be watching rock concerts. He admits, “Direk Bobby likes to offer me roles because he knows I have no idea what they are. I just discover them during rehearsals.”

But theater gives him a different kind of fulfillment. “It prevents me from burning out. Because when you’re touring with the band, night after night, it tends to get to you. And I burned out once, back in the ’90s, so I quit, and then we got back again.”

He adds, “Musical theater helped me keep my family in a way.” (Jett met his wife during a paintball session; he got drawn to her, because she had no idea who he was. They have two kids, who are already in their teens. “My son is an awesome guitar player by the way; he’s 14. My daughter’s gonna be in Camp Rock the Musical… Yeah [they’re also interested in theater], but nothing is forced, it’s their choice.”)

But just because Jett’s consumed by theater at the moment, it doesn’t mean he’s not taking care of his band. “We are alive and well without having to sing other people’s songs. The only sad thing now is walang bagong lumalabas because of technicality. It’s not the artist’s fault, it’s not the industry’s fault, it’s because it’s really dying — the CD format… So I guess that’s part of the challenge. But you know the band scene is very alive, people are writing songs, new bands are cropping up left and right. Ang maganda naman sa rock industry is that it is very solid.”

And the passion for rocking has not in a way wavered. “Thankfully, I could still reach the notes. Thankfully, I could still jump high,” he jokingly says, but there are changes of course. “Not anymore the lifestyle (of rocker). Been there, done that (laughs). And somewhere down the line, you get older and there are things you do before that just don’t apply anymore. Somebody wrote something nice before: ‘Only teenagers have the right to angst.’ Ganda di ba? I mean not to say we don’t have problems, we do. Not to say we’re a little less crazy now, no. But we know more, we should. We know that drugs are bad, we know that now…. It’s up to you na as an older person to ignore it, or impart it. So I guess when you see The Dawn on stage, we’re loud... But I’m never gonna say take drugs. I’m not gonna influence somebody to have sex with me or something, that just doesn’t apply anymore.”

Speaking of “craziness,” there’s a line in the film version of Nine wherein Penelope Cruz’s character tells Daniel Day-Lewis’ Guido, “the absurdity of being you,” and Jett couldn’t agree more.

“To be an artist, you have to really be a little crazy. I don’t think there’s an artist who’s normal. I believe that even Jose Mari Chan, who looks very (normal) is and I love (Jose Mari Chan), he’s a friend, he’s still an artist. We see things differently.

“There’s an art of being not normal. That can be anywhere from beautiful to absurd, from crazy, to ridiculous to absolutely stunning. Ganun eh. (Because as an artist) you know, you have all these million things going on in your head — love, hate, regret, joy, pain — from all that craziness, you get to convert them to something beautiful. I can never forget what the bassist of Wolfgang said. Nag-inuman kami nun, sabi niya, you know there’s beauty in love, and there’s beauty in hate. As an artist, you see anything in everything. And that I guess that’s what makes us absurd.”