Ruther’s romper room

SINCE magician-ventriloquist Ruther Urquia and wife Jean are currently childless, his seven puppets have become their babies, in more ways than one.

Ruther, who was among the Top Six finalists in last year’s “Pilipinas Got Talent (PGT),” admitted that he spoils his puppets —especially the “superstar” of the lot, naughty kid Titoy.

(The Urquias also take care of two Shih Tzus, Uno and Issa, and two turtle doves. Jean breeds the dogs and the pups are sold to a pet store; the turtle doves are part of Ruther’s magic act.)

Ruther oftentimes shops for clothes and shoes for his puppets—much to the surprise of salesladies.

“They’d ask me how old my child is.” And then they’d remember Titoy on PGT. “I got some of his clothes from Ginger Snaps.”

He has seven puppets at home: Titoy 1 (at age 3); Titoy 2 (at age 6); Tango the orang utang (or Titoy’s pet); Lolo Teddy the nosy marriage counselor; Tom Tom the laughing-crying baby; Turk the dumb gorilla; and Telo the shy turtle.

“Lolo Teddy wears the barong of my youngest brother who used it at my wedding four years ago,” he related. “But Lolo Teddy’s shoes are Florsheim.”

He bought some puppets from fellow performers, he said.

“Lolo Teddy and Tom Tom are from Wanlu; Tango, from Ony Carcamo,” he said. “Telo is from Ferdini. My first and second Titoy are from Diego Francia.”

The magician-ventriloquist’s community is pretty tight, he noted.

Ruther is the current president of the Magicians’ Foundation Incorporated, which is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Magicians based in the United States.

(He has won several awards in magicians’ competitions.)

Although he’s a no-nonsense pro onstage, he can be a perennial kid at home.

“I like playing video games,” he revealed. “I’m a serious gamer.”

Among his favorites are Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Fight Night, Dragon Age and NBA 2K11.

The Xbox is a prized possession.

Wife Jean said that the 32-inch LCD TV is a “souvenir” from PGT. “We bought the entertainment center with his winnings on the show.” She explained that she wanted palpable proof of her husband’s hard work on the program.

Ruther pointed out that PGT has changed his life significantly.

“People say I’m a spontaneous performer, but PGT trained me to write two-minute scripts,” he said. “I’ve matured as an artist.”

The eternal child has grown up.

PGT has also made him more “in demand” as a performer.

“(Fellow PGT contestant and magician) Alakim and I were mobbed in our provincial shows,” he recalled. “Once, my wife and I were lining up for a movie at Market! Market! and we were approached by a fan who cried because she was happy to see me.”

Before joining PGT, he only had 300 friends on Facebook. During the competition, the number ballooned to 3,000. By the end of the finals, it reached the limit of 5,000 and he had to open another Facebook account.

Titoy often gets PMs (private messages) from Facebook fans. “A girl invited Titoy to be part of the ‘Seven Roses’ in her 7th birthday party.”

Television has turned him into a celebrity, and magic/ventriloquism into a worthwhile career.

“Our organization’s goal is to uplift our profession,” he said. “Alakim and I are the first variety acts in Star Magic’s roster. We are the network’s first talents who are not singers, models or actors.”

He said that his goal is to reach the stature of Lou Hilario, the dean of Filipino magicians. “I told Lou that if I could duplicate his achievements, I could retire and return to my church’s medical missions,” he said.

It’s like coming full circle.

At age 12, Ruther cut his teeth as a performer at a Christian church in Novaliches.

“My first puppet came from the church’s superintendent,” he recounted. “I was the youngest in our fellowship’s puppeteer group.”

He taught himself to do magic and voice by reading different books.

“I also learned basic puppetry from Alain Caraang, who was a Sunday school teacher, too,” he recalled.

He joined the Boyoyong Clowns as a teener and in 1998 competed in the “Pakita Mo, Puppet Mo” portion of the old ABS-CBN noontime program “Magandang Tanghali Bayan.”

Thus, PGT was a homecoming of sorts for the MTB graduate.

Full circle.

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