Mark London-bound as Marcos in the musical Here Lies Love

Curtain-raisers:

PLDT has been refunding tickets to the abortive NBA-Gilas game at the Araneta Coliseum, with close to a thousand people getting their money back as of Thursday. Even those who bought via credit cards or Ticketnet have already been refunded. PLDT expects more people to get their money in the next few days. Check out ads in major dailies how to get a refund. Heard that PLDT spent more than P200M to bring the NBA stars here.

 Everyone is invited to the Ruffa Gutz Goodies Sale this afternoon starting at 1 o’clock, at Lawton Tower Function Room of Essensa Condominium, 5th Avenue corner 21st St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It’s a one-day everything-must-go sale.

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CONFIRMED: Mark Bautista has passed the auditions, beating more than one hundred aspirants for the role of Ferdinand Marcos in the musical Here Lies Love which will be staged in London from Sept. 30 to January 2015.

Early next month, Mark will fly to London to start rehearsing together with Natalie Mendoza who will play Imelda Marcos in what could be one of the world’s most popular love stories, directed by Alex Timbers who came with the musical creators (rock star) David Byrne and Fatboy Slim for the auditions two weeks ago.

As far as Funfare knows, only one other local talent passed the auditions, Guia Macuja (Liza Macuja’s sister) who will be a member of the ensemble. No local talent qualified for the Imelda Marcos role which landed on the lap of the Broadway/London actress Natalie (who has appeared in, among other musicals, Spider-Man, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables). Tapped to play Ninoy Aquino is Dean John Wilson, reported to be a foreign (British?) actor.

During his audition, Mark was told to sing an upbeat song and he sang the Tom Jones’ hit Kiss. Once short-listed, he was asked to read lines and to sing a song from the musical.

Mark handily bagged the coveted role, thanks to his singing and dancing prowess. The role requires the actor to be a good singer and a good dancer. Here Lies Love is Mark’s third foray into theater, after Noli Me Tangere in which he played Crisostomo Ibarra at the CCP presentation and Full Monty where he “bared it all” at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater. He’s the second Viva-groomed artist to penetrate the international theater, following Rachelle Ann Go who’s making waves as Gigi in the West End (London) revival of Miss Saigon.

If Aldrich’s father could see him now…

At the final presscon for the 3rd Philpop Grand Finals scheduled tonight at the Meralco Theater, host Patricia Hizon (who’s behind the Smart/Spinnr/PLDT-sponsored project with Ryan “Mr. C.” Cayabyab) asked Aldrich Lloyd Talonding (with his cousin James Walter Bucong on the guitar) to sing Toto Sorioso’s Awit Mo’y Nandito Pa, one of the 12 finalists, which they will interpret in the finals.

For encore, the media guys requested Aldrich to sing Dance With My Father, the same song uploaded on YouTube that caught the attention of those behind the show of Ellen DeGeneres who promptly invited Aldrich and James to appear on her show, paying for their round-trip tickets and accommodation.

Aldrich sang it with as much (if not more) feeling that those at our table teared up. The story behind the song is even more touching. The song was uploaded in April last year and Aldrich’s father watched it with joy. Two months later, Aldrich’s father suddenly died of blood cancer. He didn’t live long enough to watch his son on Ellen’s show.

Now 15, Aldrich said he knows that the timbre of his voice (falsetto) might change. A native of GenSan, he’s a senior high school at MSU (Mindanao State University).

Unlike Charice, another Ellen discovery, Aldrich didn’t pursue (yet) an international career although he signed a six-month contract with Ellen whom he (and James) met only during the show’s taping.

“I remember my father when I was on Ellen’s show,” recalled Aldrich, “but I stopped myself from crying on camera. After the show, doon lang ako umiyak.”

The 11 other Philpop finalists are: Dear Heart (by Mike Villegas), Torpe (Daryl Ong), Babalikan Mo Rin Ako (Soc Villanueva), NGSB (No Girlfriend Since Break, Davey Langit), Qrush On You (Q-York), Langit Umaawit (also by Toto Sorioso), Song On A Broken String (Jude Gitamondoc and Therese Villarante), The Only One (Popsie San Pedro), Kung Akin Lang Ang Langit (Ghi Bocobo and Isaac Garcia), Hangout Lang (Allan Feliciano and Isaac Garcoa) and Salbabida (Jungee Marcelo).

Donaire and wife Rachel at Guardians premiere

Filipino boxing champion Nonito Donaire Jr. attended the recent Los Angeles red carpet premiere of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Fellow kababayan Dave Bautista (with rapper-actor-director RZA), starring in the film as Drax the Destroyer, posed with Nonito and wife Rachel at the premiere’s after-party.

Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy also stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.

It opens nationwide on Thursday, July 31.

(For more on Dave Bautista, read tomorrow’s Conversations with Ricky Lo.)

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