My granddaughter Cris Villonco was born with a hole in her heart, on Oct. 17, 1983, and that worried her Mama so. Her heart healed naturally, but when she was growing up sweet and at times too timid, it was my turn to worry. She was unlike her older sister whom we called The Feisty One, and certainly very much unlike me, the lola of super-taray reputation. As a young girl, she hardly broke any rule and was forever smiling, forever eager to please. When I heard she wanted to be in show business, my first reaction was: “Oh, my God! How will she survive?”
It turns out I worried for nothing.
After a triumphant long-run as one of the two Marias in the recently concluded Sound of Music at the Resorts World, she’s come up with another win, from the fourth Philstage Gawad Buhay awards, a most credible body, as one can tell from its nominees and winners. First, here’s the complete list of winners that prove how very much theater is alive and kicking here in the country.
For Outstanding Play, William (PETA); Outstanding Musical Production, Care Divas (PETA); Outstanding Classical Dance Production, Swan Lake (Ballet Manila); and Outstanding Modern Dance Production,
Encantada (Ballet Philippines).
For Outstanding Stage Direction, Anton Juan, The Joy Luck Club and Maribel Legarda, Care Divas; Outstanding Ensemble Performance (Play),
William (PETA); Outstanding Ensemble Performance (Musical), Care Divas (PETA); and Outstanding Ensemble Performance (Dance), Encantada.
For Outstanding Original Script, Ron Capinding, William; Outstanding Adaptation or Translation, Bienvenido Lumbera; Outstanding Original Libretto, Lisa Magtoto and Vincent de Jesus, Care Divas and Bienvenido Lumbera, Noli Me Tangere, The Musical.
For Outstanding Musical Direction, Vincent de Jesus, Care Divas; Outstanding Musical Composition, Joey Ayala, Encantada, and Ryan Cayabyab, Noli Me Tangere, The Musical.
Outstanding Choreography for a Dance Production, Agnes Locsin, Encantada; Outstanding Choreography for a Play or Musical, Carlon Matobato, Care Divas; Outstanding Costume Design, Salvador Bernal, Encantada; Outstanding Lighting Design, John Batalla, Encantada; Outstanding Sound Design, TJ Ramos, Encantada; and Outstanding Set Design, Salvador Bernal, Encantada.
Noteworthy wins are those of National Artists Bien Lumbera and Salvador Bernal. Bernal also just passed away October of last year.
To continue, also winning for Female Lead Performance in a Play, Marjorie Lorico, Nobyembre, Noong Akala Ko Mahal Kita; Male Lead Performance in a Play, Ian Segarra, William; Female Featured Performance in a Play, Me-Ann Espinosa, William; and Male Featured Performance in a Play, Jojo Atienza, William.
For Male Lead Performance in a Musical, Melvin Lee, Care Divas; Female Lead Performance in a Musical, Cris Villonco, Noli Me Tangere, The Musical.
Here I add Cris was sole nominee for the category. She was also nominated for Female Lead Performance in a Play, for Joy Luck Club, but was bested by Marjorie Lorico; and for Female Featured Performance in a Play, which Me-Ann Espinosa Won.
The rest of the winners are, for Female Featured Performance in a Musical, Pinky Amador, ZsaZsa Zaturnnah; Male Featured Performance in a Musical, and Michael Williams, Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure.
For Female Lead Performance in a Classical Dance Production, Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Swan Lake; Male Lead Performance in a Classical Dance Production, Rudy de Dios, Swan Lake; Female Featured Performance in a Classical Dance Production, Rita Winder, Sleeping Beauty (also another sole nominee).
For Male Featured Performance in a Classical Dance Production,
Jean Marc Cordero, Sleeping Beauty; Male Lead Performance in a Modern Dance Production; Rudy de Dios, Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon; Female Lead Performance in a Modern Dance Production, Georgette Sanchez, Encantada; Male Featured Performance in a Modern Dance Production, Angel Gabriel, Every Woman; and Female Featured Performance in a Modern Dance Production, Carissa Adea, Encantada.
I am told Carissa Adea is the sister of Candice Adea, who recently won over 69 other ballerinas to cop first place in the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. The parents of these two must be very proud, as we all are.
Philstage didn’t stop at proclaiming the best of 2011’s theater performers, it also recognized deserving stalwarts Baby Barredo, Nonoy Froilan, Rene Villanueva, Charley del a Paz and Tony Fabella as “Natatanging Gawad Buhay Awardees.”
I congratulate all, but of course you will understand that I reserve the most effusive felicitations for my granddaughter.
She was 9, when I assigned her to do “O, Inay” for Aawitan Kita. The number was set up to show her as an orphan singing in memory of her mother; it affected her so much and made her cry all throughout the song, kandatulis talaga ang nguso niyang kaiiyak, and look at her now.
Cris is one of the few singers we have who can do an emotional scene, hikbi, luha and hagulgol, without losing clarity, without going nasal, so you still understand what she’s singing. She’s able to combine singing and acting without much effort, and this Manila has seen as early as when she did Alikabok (composed also by Cayabyab) in 2001. She has gone a long way from the little girl who first came out on stage as the little Cosette, in the Manila production of Les Miserables, in the early 90s.
Aug. 9 to 26 of this year, she comes out as Juana, in Tanghalang Pilipino’s production of Severino Reyes’ “Walang Sugat,” under the direction of her Tito Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino.
It’s not the first time the mag-ninong are working together; I half-expect to hear stories that range from the horrific to the funny. But all will be well, for these two respect each other’s body of work. Moreover, Carlitos was truly impressed with the work she’d put into her Maria Clara, so there.
Reviewing her performance here in this same space last year, I did not have to give her glowing marks, as others did it for me. Hindi lang lola ang nagalingan at humanga sa kanya, kundi marami pang iba, among them Sylvia Mayuga, who said, “Cris Villonco … remained in control through Maria Clara’s deepest emotional troughs — her voice clear as a bell, her acting thoroughly convincing. Onstage since age 9, Cris’ return after studying Music and Economic Development in New York went on to new TV and movie credits as well as musical albums.”
And Joel Pablo Salud, editor-in-chief of the Philippine Graphic: “Cris Villonco, who played Maria Clara, was the amazing revelation at the matinee. Her acting as well as her voice had transcended the expectations of many. She was able to accomplish, with seemingly little effort, the exacting demands of the play’s musical director. As to her capturing the heartbreak and tragedy of finding out that Maria Clara’s biological father was a priest, the same priest who had become her lover’s enemy, Villonco was no less breathless. Suffice it to say, she had done Rizal proud.”
Her Lolo Sig would have been so proud, it saddens me to think he did not get to see his little iyakin shed copious tears onstage.
Still, congratulations, Cris. The best is yet to come.
(For comments, write to armida114@yahoo.com)