JC Santos
Being bitten by the theater bug always causes a stirring need to scratch that itch and act on one’s artistic urges. Such was the case for JC Santos who, after a three-year hiatus, returns to his first love via The Necessary Theater’s restaging of the Tony-winning play “Red.”
Penned by Academy Award nominee (“The Gladiator,” “The Aviator”) John Logan, “Red” follows an episode in the life of abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko (played by Bart Guingona) after he is commissioned to create a series of murals for a restaurant.
Rothko hires Ken (Santos) to assist him and, from the get-go, makes it clear that their relationship is no more than that of an employer and employee. But is that all there is to it?
Tempers slowly simmer as Rothko mercilessly propounds Ken with his bitter diatribes on the disintegrating notions of modern art and his existence. Eventually, Ken challenges Rothko’s assertions.
Unlike musical theater where the audience expects the cast to break into song at any moment, sitting through this 90-minute two-hander is akin to visiting a gallery and immersing oneself in a plethora of images.
Bart, who also helms the production, returns to the role 10 years after he first inhabited it. We asked him what new things he discovered as he immersed himself in the same role.A person’s blossoming
He said, “I understand the material better, as well as Rothko’s protectiveness of his creations and treating them like children. When my character finally lets go in the end, you suddenly see the blossoming of a human being.
“As for JC, he just lent himself to the role. So when his character outgrows me, it felt like my little boy had finally grown.”
There’s one scene towards the end of the play where Santos’ character experiences a catharsis. JC intimated that it took a while for him to get to that point.
“It took me three months,” he said. “Ken’s character is really far from my character, my personality as a person—I have to shout and get mad. As an actor, I’m glad I unlocked something in there, but every time I do, it’s just so tiring.”
‘Symbiotic relationship’
On his working relationship with JC, Bart shared, “The thing that I love about working with JC is that we really have such chemistry. Whenever we’re onstage, we just look at each other and try to map out where the other is going. We’re always in the moment. We react to each other’s intensity. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”
We asked JC, what made him choose “Red” as his comeback gig in theater.
“Oh man, I love this,” he said. “When I read this 10 years ago, I said I wanted to do this. I didn’t see the original production, I just read the material. Then I saw Bart in tapings, and I told him, ‘Tara, let’s do this … it’s time.”
We asked JC what line resonated with him the most.
“My favorite line would be ‘They are only paintings.’ This speaks to the whole detachment from it. But that’s what it also means to be an actor, to be an artist.”
Asked for his thoughts on fame and the satisfaction he gets out of theater work, JC said, “Kailangan mo din s’yang gawin … it’s part of the job [as an actor]. Inevitable ang pagsikat. You don’t work hard para sumikat, you just work hard and it’s just going to happen.
“My take is to just stay grounded; that’s why I always go back to the theater because it always pulls me back to the ground. Theater is my software update. It sharpens me. It’s my whetstone and I’m glad I’m back.” INQ