Gerald hurdles his ‘first time’ with ease

Will Gerald Santos make it to London’s West End or New York’s The Great White Way?

That remains a big question mark in the head of Gerald who was among the more than 1,000 who auditioned (in Manila) for the Cameron Mackintosh long-running megahit musical Miss Saigon (into its 27th year), a number winnowed down first to less than 100 and then to 30 and finally to six.

Except to relate how challenging the auditions were, Gerald didn’t say (or didn’t know?) who are “it.”

“It was my first time to audition for an internationally-acclaimed musical and, whatever the final results would be, that experience was valuable enough,” said Gerald who competed for the plum roles with both amateurs and artists that he looked up to, encouraging him to try harder not so much to impress the screening committee (including Claude-Michel Schonberg, composer of Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, another Mackintosh production) but simply to try his luck.

“There were four stages,” added Gerald. “First, we were asked to sing for one minute, then we were given studies to act out. The most challenging stage for me was the dancing part because, I must admit, dancing is my Waterloo. But, thank God, I managed.”

Meanwhile, Gerald is focused on Memory Channel, his movie debut which is one of the official entries in the World Premieres Film Festival (Manila), a brainchild of Briccio Santos (head of the Film Development Council of the Philippines), which opens today and ends on July 10. Directed by newcomer Raynier Brizuela from his own screenplay, the psychological thriller revolves around Leo la Torre (played by Gerald), a singer who develops retrograde amnesia caused by a vehicular accident. His condition deteriorates, resulting in anxiety/panic attacks that prevented him from living a normal life. It also stars Epy Quizon as a self-proclaimed psychiatrist who worsens instead of improves the singer’s condition. Others in the cast are Bodjie Pascua, Patrick Patawaran, Arvy Viduya and Michelle Vito.

“The story is based on the experience of Raynier, my childhood friend who suffered from anxiety disorder although without panic attacks,” revealed Gerald. “Among the manifestations are restlessness, hindi mapakali, and haunted by unexplained fear, parating takot na takot. Raynier’s case was caused by stress.”

Memory Channel being his first foray into film, Gerald was understandably nervous, rocked by first-time jitters which he overcame with the help of his co-stars.

“Epy was very helpful and very generous with his time,” saluted Gerald. “He helped me relax; thanks to him I wasn’t too pressured. But, of course, it was easy for me to relate to the character because Raynier explained the ailment to me.”

What also helped Gerald (who is a B.S. Psychology undergraduate from Angelicum) is his theater experience, two musicals so far, both as the titular roles: Sino Ka Ba, Jose Rizal? (by the Gantimpala Theater Foundation) and Pedro Calungsod (by Spectrum Creative Works) which has had 25 performances (in broken playdates), with another one set for July 29 (1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.) at the Star Theater in Star City Complex, Manila.

“What was a bit hard was adjusting from theater acting to film acting,” admitted Gerald who is a deadringer for the late Walter Navarro, the ‘70s matinee idol built up by LEA Productions who played an aspiring singer in the Lino Brocka classic Stardoom with no less than Lolita Rodriguez as his stage mother. “In theater, the movements are bigger and somewhat exaggerated. I found out that in film, your movement should be subdued and you should under-act. That’s what I admire about actors like Nora Aunor, who can convey a lot of emotions with only her eyes, and Christopher de Leon for his subtle acting style. When they are acting, they disappear into their characters.”

Asked how much of himself “disappeared” into his Memory Channel character, Gerald said, “Enough, I think. I guess that I delivered, that I was able to give justice to the role.”

Incidentally, Gerald is celebrating his 10th anniversary in showbiz (he won in the GMA talent search Pinoy Pop Superstar in 2006) with a concert at the SM SkyDome on Sept. 24 and a repackaged edition of his last album which will include a song titled Ibulong Mo Na Sa ‘Kin by STAR contributor Yugel Losorata, planned as Gerald’s next single release later this year.

(As part of the World Premieres Film Festival [WPFF], Memory Channel will have its gala premiere on Thursday, June 30, 6 p.m. at SM Megamall where it will also be shown on July 3. Then, it moves to SM North EDSA on July 7, 8 and 19. The six WPFF entries are showing only in SM Megamall and SM North EDSA.)

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