Mark: Madame Imelda will probably enjoy the show

Up to now, Mark Bautista told Funfare in an exclusive phone interview yesterday that, although he felt a big relief, the excitement of the first preview of the musical Here Lies Love last Sept. 30 at the National Theatre south of London hasn’t died down.

“After the preview,” said Mark who has been continuously rehearsing (and working out) for it since he arrived in London last August, “I almost screamed, ‘I’ve done it!’ Parang wow, could this really be happening? I couldn’t imagine that we’re starting the show already. It felt really good but surreal at the same time.”

Minutes before the curtain rose, Mark recalled praying like he had never prayed before.

“Grabe! I was just reciting Bible verse over and over again… ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I was doing it to keep me calm and confident. It helped.”

It helped, too, that there were familiar faces in the audience including Pinky Amador, director Bobby Garcia, Nicholas Haytner (the original director of Miss Saigon) and Jonjon Briones (who, as far as your Funfarer is concerned, now holds the distinction of being the best Engineer so far as he wows SRO audiences at every staging of Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theater on London’s West End).

“They really boosted my confidence,” added Mark. “Pinalakas nila ang loob ko.”

In Here Lies Love, Mark plays Pres. Ferdinand Marcos and Fil-Aussie actress Natalie Mendoza plays Imelda Marcos. The rock musical co-authored by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim traces the life of the former Philippine First Lady (and Estrella Cumpas, the woman said to have raised her) until Madame Imelda and the First Family were forced to leave the country by People Power in 1986.

There’s a scene involving controversial Hollywood starlet Dovie Beams who figured prominently in those uncertain times. During Funfare’s exclusive interview with Mark in his dressing room at the National Theatre complex, we caught him reading a book about Beams. Mark, who turned 29 on Aug. 10, was only starting to walk and talk during the Marcos Years so he has no recollection about that era.

“I have to read as many books as I could about the Marcoses,” Mark shared.

The Dovie Beams portion is, according to Mark, short.

“It’s not malaswa,” he added. “It has to be in the story.”  

Mark is hoping that Madame Imelda would watch the show since, Mark learned, she’s going to London this month for a speaking engagement at Oxford. Here Lies Love opens its regular run at the National Theatre tomorrow (Oct. 9) after a series of previews, until January next year. Mark met with Madame Imelda at her office before he left for London.

Asked if Madame Imelda would like the show, Mark said, “She may or may not like it, depending on how she would interpret it. But I’m sure she will appreciate the hard work and the honor that the show is giving her. The show doesn’t put her in a bad might. She’ll probably like it.”

Besides mounting the international stage for the first time (after only two theater performances back home, Noli Me Tangere and Full Monty), what Mark finds challenging about Here Lies Love (aside from the giving justice to the Marcos role) is the physical demands.

“I’ve been working out so hard to maintain my stamina,” said Mark, “and protecting my voice from the cold weather. I’m determined to give my best in every performance. I have to think that I’m only as good as my last show.”

Any special preparation for the Oct. 9 opening?

“I just need enough sleep so my voice will be in shape. I have to give my 100 percent.”

Briefly Noted

= Mark Mabasa (and his band Lowcal) are competing with 11 other groups at the Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival to be held Oct. 9 to 12 at The Venetian in Macau. Handpicked from 180 bands from around the world, Lowcal is the only band from the Philippines that made it to the competition in which at stake is a cash prize of HKD550,000. Other countries competing are Brazil, Taiwan, Hungary, USA, Hong Kong, India, Mozambique, France and Portugal.

= Lav Diaz is among cinema legends honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC) through Polaroid portraits displayed on the walls of the society’s venues, the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center and the Walter Reade Theater. The others include Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford and Pedro Almodovar. FSLC president Daniel H. Stern said that the project features some 300 photos of directors and actors, hailed as New York Film Festival A-Listers who have passed through the FSLC. — CELSO DE GUZMAN CAPARAS

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