The hunk from New Zealand

The international premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home, which stars Lea Salonga and Eric Kunze, welcomes a brand-new face to the stage. Filipino-New Zealander Laurence Mossman joins the acclaimed musical in a number of roles.

Laurence has been in the Philippines for two years and is part of the pop classical singing group Primo. He has also appeared on TV in Dolce Amore and can be seen on many print and TV ads. He has performed in Mamma Mia in New Zealand, but Fun Home is his first foray into musical theater in the Philippines. Fun Home runs from Nov. 10 to 27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.

Bobby Garcia, who directs Fun Home, says, “It is always a thrill when a brand-new face walks into the audition room and sings his socks off a song. Laurence Mossman has a phenomenal singing voice and it is tremendous pride that we welcome him to the professional Philippine stage. He is a wonderful addition to the Fun Home family.”

We asked Laurence some questions so we could all get to know him better:

What made you want to move to Manila?

“I’ve always wanted to be a singer, whether it be opera, musical theater, or in a rock band. In 2014, I was 25 years old, living in Auckland, New Zealand. I had an honors Degree in Music, I was working in a wine shop and was also teaching singing to high school students. During 2014, I thought ‘It’s now or never, I really have to try and pursue a career in singing, otherwise I will regret it later in life.’ Since New Zealand is a small country (4.5 million population) we don’t really have the audience numbers to support full-time musicians. So after a brief holiday in Philippines, I decided to leave my life in NZ and try singing in my mother’s homeland (she’s from Leyte in the Visayas region).”

How long have you been in Manila and how have you been enjoying it?

“Nearly two years. At first, I was a little culture shocked mainly due to the differences in weather, traffic and the sheer number of people. Now that I’ve been here a while, I am a lot more comfortable and really enjoying the opportunities to perform here in the Philippines.”

What do you love most about the Philippines?

“The singing/karaoke/performance culture.”

What do you hate most?

“Traffic...and that I’ve been here two years and I have not yet traveled to Palawan or Boracay!”

What do you enjoy most about musical theater?

“The powerful expression of emotion and story through song. Also, the moments on stage when you are completely enveloped in the emotions, the music and the singing. It’s an incredible feeling.”

What attracted you to Fun Home?

“To be honest, I had no idea what Fun Home was. I briefly read over the audition information and thought it was just a musical for kids. I auditioned for Atlantis’ Jersey Boys production instead, but surprisingly received a callback for Fun Home. After doing some quick Internet research, and finding out it was a Tony Award-winning musical, it was apparent that this was an important piece of musical theater for many reasons. Somehow, we can all relate to the characters or family circumstances. It’s a very powerful thing.”

Do you think it is a musical that will speak to Filipino audiences?

“Filipinos will definitely find this musical relatable in one way or another since family is such an
important aspect of Filipino culture. No family is perfect, and we can all relate to characters in the
musical because they are a real family with real problems.”

What’s it like working with Lea Salonga?

“To be around Lea is a real honor and incredible opportunity. I am thankful for every day I will be around her, and the entire cast and crew, so I can continue to hone my craft and learn from everyone at Atlantis throughout the rehearsal and performance period.”

What are your other plans while you are in the Philippines?

“Just to keep singing, become fluent in Tagalog, hopefully more kontrabida roles on TV (I appeared as Mr. Mossman in Dolce Amore alongside Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil).”

Do you plan to do more musicals in Manila?

“If they let me, and if the role is right, then I’m all for it. I still feel like a musical theater baby, so I have a lot to learn and hopefully a long and exciting career ahead of me.”

What are your dream musicals?

“Dream roles would be: Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Marius in Les Miserables, Chris in Miss Saigon and Billy in Carousel.”

For tickets to Fun Home, call Ticketworld (891-9999) or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. —With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio