Aicelle Santos
Singer-actress Aicelle Santos is encouraged by recent developments that bode well for Filipino movie musicals.
Aicelle, who is in the cast of Loy Arcenas’ “Ang Larawan,” feels heartened that the musical swept the Metro Manila Film Festival awards derby. As bonus, yet another movie musical, Dan Villegas’ “Changing Partners,” is opening in cineplexes tomorrow.
Does she hope that her highly successful Peta play, “Rak of Aegis,” would have a big-screen version, too?
“Among friends, we’ve talked about that possibility,” Aicelle told the Inquirer. “That’s our big dream. It ran from 2014 to 2016. There’s another restaging this year. I hope to be part of it again.”
How about playing the formidable “Katy!” on the silver screen? She was cast as the young Katy dela Cruz in a 2013 production of the musical on the life of the bodabil legend.
In a lot of ways, “Katy” started the ball rolling for the singer, who never thought she’d become an actress—onstage and onscreen.
It was while doing “Katy” that she met the show’s first producer Celeste Legaspi and original star Mitch Valdes.
Years later, Aicelle received a Facebook message from Celeste, inviting her to be part of “Larawan” the movie. Without skipping a beat, she immediately said yes. “I didn’t even ask what the role was. I knew nothing about the play, which premiered when I was a kid.”
She realized, however, that it’s not all about taking. “You have to step up and bring something to the table, too. It’s overwhelming that I now get to work with my idols.”
For her latest stage endeavor, Aicelle takes on another iconic character, Elsa in Vincent de Jesus’ musical version of Ricky Lee’s “Himala.”
(The musical runs from Feb. 10 to March 4 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight, Circuit Makati. For tickets, call Sandbox Collective at 0917-5545560 or TicketWorld at 891-9999.)
To prepare for the role, she watched the 1982 movie starring Nora Aunor. She likewise caught a restaging of the stage play, starring May Bayot in the lead, five years ago. “That was around the same time my eyes were opened to the theater world.”
She admitted that tackling the role of a conflicted faith healer was “intimidating.”
“Whenever I audition, I don’t expect to land the lead role,” she related. “Whatever part I get, I’d accept wholeheartedly and play to the best of my ability.”
She initially thought she would be cast as Nimia, Elsa’s flirty friend. “The role was originated by Isay Alvarez, who’s an alto like me.”
Still, she bagged the role of Elsa, which would require her to hit high notes in some songs. “Luckily, doing ‘Rak of Aegis’ has stretched my voice. I’m used to belting now.”
That was precisely what she loves about theater; it allows her to expand her range, enriching her longtime passion, singing, in the process.
This year, she is set to release “Tuloy-Tuloy Lang,” a single and music video from her 2016 album, “Liwanag.” It’s the same compilation that produced the song “Palaging Ikaw,” which she dedicated to boyfriend, GMA 7 reporter Mark Zambrano.
In spite of their hectic schedules, Aicelle said they were doing fine, thank you. “We are no longer kids. We’re way too mature to have petty quarrels. We’re secure about our relationship. If ever we get too busy, we can always sneak out and have lunch or dinner somewhere.”