Mas nalilinya ngayon sa theater ang young singer-actor na si PJ Valerio. Siya ang male lead sa Romeo and Bernadette ng theater company na Repertory Philippines. Si Cris Villonco ang kapareha niya rito samantalang si Ms. Joy Virata naman ang kanilang direktor.
Pagkatapos ng stints ni PJ sa stage production ng High School Musical, Mulan, Altar Boy, Fantastic, at Jack and the Beanstalk, ang Romeo and Bernadette ng itinuturing niyang pinaka-iba sa lahat ng mga nagawa niya.
"Ito yung ibang-iba kasi ito, Shakespeare. And then, Romeo in the 1960s. I did a lot of preparations, like learning to speak the accent as a New Yorker, watch a lot of movies, especially Romeo and Juliet," sabi ni PJ nang makausap siya ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sa presscon ng Romeo and Bernadette.
Naikuwento rin ni PJ sa amin na kapag nagre-rehearsal sila, nagagalit sa kanya si Cris kapag nagkakamali siya.
"Oh, well, when I forget my lines, she will say, 'Hay naku, PJ!' She doesn't really get mad. You know, the joking mad kapag nagbibiro? I don't really get offended even if she really is mad. I don't get affected. I'll just do my job. I know that she's only doing it because she wants me to be better because I'm her co-actor. We have to give and share, to bond," sabi niya.
Nagkasama na rin daw sila ni Cris noon sa stage production ng Mulan kaya kahit paano, they know each other well.
PJ'S PASSION. Bakit mas nalilinya siya ngayon sa stage plays kesa sa showbiz talaga?
"I'm actually doing both," sabi ng 19-year-old singer-actor. "I really want to be more in showbiz. Sa theater naman kasi, I love it. It's my passion to act, to sing. I don't care about the TF [talent fee] or the money, it's just love to entertain people. And I just love performing on the big stage with veteran actors. I love to act, period. I love to sing, to act and, of course, it's in theater."
Sa TV ay madalas siyang mapanood sa mga Kapuso shows na Walang Tulugan With The Master Showman at SOP.
"I'm hoping for more projects on TV. I've always wanted to do big soap opera in GMA or in ABS-CBN, wherever," aniya.
Sa palagay ni PJ, wala naman problema kung hindi siya masyadong nabibigyan ng break sa TV. Ang dahilan daw siguro ay talagang marami na rin kasing talents ang dalawang giant networks.
"Marami talaga," sambit niya. "It's really hard to get noticed when they are focused with their talents. But I believe God put me here for a reason. If I know how to sing and act, I'm not gonna go throw it away. I have to do something with it. It's really hard, mahirap talaga. I really have to stay in the game."
In theater, ano ang fulfillment para sa niya?
"Well, actually kasi, after every performance, we get a natural high. We don't need drugs. We get a natural high. That makes us really happy because we made other people happy. And what we do, we don't do it for ourselves, we do it for other people, the people that watch us. When they watch our character, somehow siguro nai-inspire sila or they learn something from our story. And we really enjoy to make people happy," saad ni PJ.
Marami pa rin daw gustong gawin si PJ sa theater. Isa na nga rito ang makapag-portray ng mas seryosong role.
"You know, I want to do Equus!" na-excite pa niyang sabi. "Rep [Repertory] will gonna do that this year and I'm hoping to get the part. I'm hoping to play the role. I'll be playing naked if ever I will get the role, but that's another challenge for me, on what is it to be naked on stage! And it's not even X.
"It's a dramatic play, so when people see you naked on stage, they might cry because it's really a dramatic play and it's another challenge because I've never done a dramatic play."
Ang Equus ay ang stage play ni Peter Shaffer noong 1973 tungkol sa isang psychiatrist na sinusubukang gamutin ang isang binata na may pathological religious-sexual fascination sa mga kabayo. Recently, ginampanan ng bida sa Harry Potter series na si Daniel Radcliffe ang papel ng binata sa West End at Broadway productions ng Equus.
Samantala, mapapanood ang Romeo and Bernadette sa Onstage Greenbelt 1, Ayala Mall from February 5 to 28.
QUEENIE PADILLA. Kinumusta rin ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) kay PJ ang panganay na anak ni Robin Padilla na si Queenie. Last year kasi ay napabalitang nililigawan ni PJ si Queenie.
"We're good friends. We're still really, really good friends. But after so many months, I'm still in the manliligaw stage," nakangiting pag-amin ni PJ.
Gaano katagal na siyang nanliligaw?
"Sus, nine months na yata!" natatawa niyang sabi. "You know, Sir Robin, I don't know if he's okay with me. I respect him so I'm not gonna force anything."
Kumusta ang panliligaw niya?
"Sometimes we hang out. Sometimes we just watch a movie like me, her, her cousins, her sister... I'm still in the manliligaw stage and she hasn't said yes to me," sabi ni PJ.
Nakapunta na raw siya sa bahay nina Queenie, pero hindi pa raw sila nagkakaroon ng chance na magpang-abot ni Robin.
"Well, I don't think that we can be together unless we get the blessing from her father," banggit ni PJ.
Kung siya raw ang tatanungin, gusto talaga niyang makilala at makausap ang tatay ni Queenie.
"I just don't know how!" natatawa niyang sabi. "I'm not scared because I'm not doing anything wrong. But I really want to meet him. I don't know if he wants to meet me, but I want to meet him."
Kanino sa tingin niya dapat manggaling ang move na magkakilala sila ni Robin?
"At first, I thought she [Queenie] should introduce me. But I think now, I need to make the move. I need to make an effort that I really do respect him and I want to meet him."
Hindi raw isyu kay PJ kung magkaiba man ang relihiyon nila ni Queenie, na isang Muslim.
"That doesn't matter to me," sabi niya. "Religion to me is not a problem, it's not a factor. As long as we believe in one God, that's all that matters to me."
Okay lang ba sa kanya na magpa-convert sa Muslim?
"I don't know about that. I think my family would kill me!" tawa niya. "My mother and father would not be okay with that. But... I don't know. When it comes to religion really, I cannot say anything.
"Basta all I know, I believe in one God just like they do. Queenie and Sir Robin only believe in one God. I may be a Christian, but we all believe in one God. That's all I can say about religion because religion is a very deep topic."
Si Queenie na ba ang pinakamatagal niyang niligawan?
"Yes!" sambit niya. "Very long, but I'm very patient. I really like her. It's not every day that you get to meet a day that is full of love, compassion and that won't hurt you or break your heart. That's very hard to meet these days, kasi ngayon, it's all about flirting."