As part of the cast of the original PETA production Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter!, JC Santos shared what it felt like to be playing himself in a theater play for the very first time. The 37-year-old actor shared his thoughts with PUSH ABS-CBN in an exclusive interview about the meta-themed project after the press launch held earlier this month in Quezon City.
“I’ll be playing multiple roles aside from myself and siyempre yung script na ibibigay sa akin ng ibang characters, so this will hopefully show more of my comedic side, my slapstick side. So sana ma-enjoy nila. Kasi lagi akong nasa drama and lagi akong subtlety at mata mata (laughs). So in this show I’ll be dancing, singing, and everything sa showcase,” he said.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: JC Santos excited to produce his first play ‘Red’
Used to headlining films like 100 Tula Para Kay Stella; On Vodka, Beer, and Regrets; The Day After Valentines; Meg and Ryan; as well as the play Red, JC shared why he enjoyed working with a bigger cast in his latest theatrical production.
“Actually, we’re playing archetypes. Ang pinaka-refreshing sa akin dito is working with an ensemble. Kahit tanungin mo lahat ng mga ‘to, lahat kami dumaan sa pagiging ensemble and we always support each other. And nakaka-miss yun eh kasi hindi lahat kami nabuhay bilang bida kaagad. So ang sarap ulit na I’m going to be taking care of people kasi kailangan mo lang naman maging mabait sa ganito eh. Naniniwala ako na kapag mabait ka, magtatagumpay (laughs),” he added.
JC’s PETA debut also marks his first time working on stage with actress Eugene Domingo, who has starred in the critically acclaimed Filipino satire since it first came out in 2011 and has already spanned three cult favorite films. Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter! marks the franchise’s evolution into live theater.
“This is my first PETA production. Kasi pag pumupunta ako dito, iba yung nag-po-produce eh. The last one was The Necessary Theater (production) tapos before that was Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady. So I’m glad to be part of PETA this time. First time ko si Eugene makakatrabaho dito. Ever since ng 2009, kilala ko na sila nung college pa ako sa UP. Best friends sila ni Andoy Ranay my co-actor (who is also part of this production). 18 years old pa lang ako nun so kilala ko na sila. Hindi ko pa siya nakakatrabaho, si ate Uge. Nakatrabaho ko na si direk Andoy, nakatrabaho ko na yung lahat dito. So siya na lang. Tapos ang suwerte pa kasi ang lagi kong tanong, ‘Bakit wala ako sa mga Septic Tank (na movie)?’ So ito pala yung para sa akin (laughs). Ang suwerte ko lang,” he admitted.
Another new challenge for JC in this production is that he will not have any alternate or substitute for his role in all of the scheduled 50 shows.
“Una kong naisip, ‘Naku, bawal magkasakit!’ (laughs) We have an athlete this time, so kailangan namin ilaban lang yung 50 shows na yun kasi never kami magkaka-alternate. So yun na yung magiging preparation in terms of ourselves. Kailangan namin ng stamina, kailangan namin pangalagaan ang isa’t isa. Yun ang preparation ko,” he admitted.
Tickets for Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter! will be available via TicketWorld or through showbuyers.