How Piolo Pascual prepared for Ibarra, his first theater role in 30 yeaars

Actor Piolo Pascual, who is currently playing the title role in the musical “Ibarra,” said, that as a professional, he first had to read up on our national hero Jose Rizal prior to filming the critically acclaimed 2016 indie movie “Hele sa Hiwaga ng Hapis,” where he played Simoun.

“I had to read a lot of Rizal stories. I’m not as well versed about him compared to others, but I’m confident that I know his story,” he said. “As we all know, Crisostomo Ibarra is the pseudonym of Rizal, and Simoun is a name Ibarra took on in the story of ‘Noli Me Tangere’ as his disguise. The story is close to my heart because it’s the first story I’ve ever read, and it became my favorite. ‘Noli’ never left my mind. While preparing and doing the musical, it’s now all coming back to me.”

“Ibarra,” based on Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere,” will run until June 18 at the GSIS Theater in Pasay City.

“It’s just of a different time, but the situations presented in the story are still happening today. ‘Noli’ was published in 1887. The only difference is that everything has gone digital. It’s the same oppression that we’ve experienced, not just in the Philippines, but also globally,” Piolo explained. “I hope people will be interested to watch the show, not because of me, but because they want to know more about our roots and what we can do to stop the oppression. I hope they will be able to take home something from the story and be inspired by it to do something for the country.”

A wake-up call

Piolo then emphasized the importance, especially to the youth, of learning about Philippine history. “We have to be reminded of our past for us to be able to move forward and know what else we can do to have a better future,” he stressed. “Materials like ‘Ibarra’ are reminders for Filipinos that we’ve always been oppressed, and that it has become a vicious cycle that we want to put an end to. I hope this will be a source of inspiration, as well as a wake-up call, especially for the Z Generation. Aside from what we see on socmed (social media), we also have to embrace literary works of the past.”

Piolo stressed that he had no intention “to be political,” but added that “Ibarra” could be a source material for students to study in relation to how we can help the country to become better.

“Growing up, my mom didn’t want me and my siblings involved in politics. But I’ve come to a point in my life where I realized that I have to stand for what I believe in. It’s not so hard — I watch all these soccer and basketball games, and the Olympics, and see how much people embrace their color, their roots, and their culture.”

Independence Day, which we observed yesterday, is something that the whole nation has to celebrate, Piolo said. “If only to remind us that our ancestors gave their lives for us to finally be on our own. Today, we are given another chance to make sure that the mistakes of the past will not happen anymore. This is what I’m trying to do, personally. I hope this will remind people that we now have a voice, and we should use it to protect our independence.”

First in 30 years

To prepare for the role, Piolo said that aside from reading up on his history, he also tried to look up on YouTube some videos of people during the 1800s. “I wanted to know how they were then, in terms of the way they talk and react when put in certain situations, as well as their mannerisms and nuances. I was amazed to find videos of the ilustrados during that era. These helped me a lot when it was already time to be my character. I want to imbibe him when I step on that stage to sing.”

This is Piolo’s first theater gig in 30 years. “All I want is to be able to do it right, to do it seamlessly in such a way that I can be the character and not be looked at as Piolo. I really want the story to resonate with the audience. I keep saying that I’m merely part of a bigger whole. There is a reason they named the material ‘Ibarra.’ There’s also a reason I kept repeating that there’s an Ibarra in each of us, as well as a reason to believe that positive change will come.”

He continued: “I expect people to be touched by the story that keeps getting retold for more than 100 years. If we would be able to accomplish this goal, then I can say we did a good job.”

The songs in “Ibarra” are composed by Joed Balsamo, with direction by Franniel Zamora and choreography by Paul Morales. Proceeds will support the various feeding programs of Rise Against Hunger Philippines.

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