Joaquin Pedro Valdes (L) and Joaquin with Agee’s personalized Christmas greeting | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
West End star Joaquin Pedro Valdes’ success in the West End is nothing short of astounding—and, yes, a constant source of Pinoy pride. And that is why his rise-from-the-ranks in the UK theater industry is something the homegrown Filipino actor is eternally grateful for.
After his crackerjack turn in the cult hit “Death Note: The Musical,” Joaquin is once again generating a lot of buzz for his similarly career-boosting portrayal of Manjiro in Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s “Pacific Overtures”—about the westernization of Japan in the 1850s—running at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London until Feb. 24.
There are so many quotable quotes to single out from all the glowing reviews, but perhaps the one that best vivifies the raves Joaquin has been getting is the writeup from Sam Waite of allthatdazzles.co.uk—and we quote: “Valdes, in a role that offers him minimal time singing, cements himself in the audience’s memory with warm, leading-man vocals and an arresting stage presence.
“[Singing] with (costar Takuro) Ohno on the friendship building showtune ‘Poems,’ he, as Manjiro, brings depth and realism to a moment of two men growing closer by sharing the views brought about by their differing lives.
Strong presence
“Tasked with moments of broad comedy (impersonating a councilor to dismiss the American ships) and of rich emotion (the pain in his eyes in one climactic scene feels truly genuine), he succeeds on all counts. Manjiro’s presence is essential to the narrative, but it’s Valdes’ work which ensures that he won’t, as the character easily could, be seen as secondary to Ohno’s Kayama.”
Meanwhile, Arifa Akbar of The Guardian describes the musical as a “beautifully done” Sondheim piece. In her four-out-of-five-star review, she noted, “The book by John Weidman, with additional material from Hugh Wheeler, leaves itself vulnerable to charges of cultural appropriation.
“As Weidman points out in the program, this piece of Japanese history was dramatized by ‘two upper-middle-class white men living in New York.’ Yet it does not sound thudding or simplistic, but sparkles with knowing humor around cultural stereotypes.”
Fondest memories
During one of his breaks, we congratulated Joaquin for his latest feat, then asked him to share with Inquirer Entertainment readers his fondest memories of Christmas or New Year in Manila.
“Aww, this is going to be emotional,” he intimated. “My fondest memories of Christmas in the Philippines will always be the one I spent with my dad, particularly the last Christmas that I spent there [in 2022]. It was something I almost didn’t do because I wasn’t going to fly home.
“I didn’t want to, but my Dad insisted. You know, he was a very stubborn man. And he insisted to pay for my flight back home. So, I flew on Christmas Day and, from the airport, [my wife, Agee Romero-Valdes, and I] went straight to my father’s house.
“He prepared a beautiful feast, as usual. He always puts up this gorgeous spread of food. So yeah, I had a really lovely time with him, my mom, brothers and sisters. And then, three days later, he passed away.”
Can you imagine how guilty Joaquin would have been if he didn’t acquiesce to his dad’s “request”?
He pointed out, “It’s not just that—he insisted! And I was like, ‘OK.’ He said it was ‘a good time to come home’… because we haven’t been home in three years. A couple of days after Christmas, I had like a little get-together with some friends and family. It’s always easier to do it in the house.
Closing chapter
“It was just a little salo-salo (gathering), where I sang some songs from my shows and told my stories… of what I was doing in the UK. I shared with them audition stories, insider stories. My Dad was there—and he was really enjoying and loving it! You know, he loves to party.
“It was also the first time he had really seen me do my thing—because he never got to fly out and watch my shows in the UK [because of the pandemic]. He was there and you could see how very proud he was! He told stories of how he helped me do my first workshop in Repertory Philippines, how he got me that last slot because it was sold-out… and he had a lot of funny stories.
“Then, two days later [on Dec. 30], my Dad passed away. He died peacefully in his sleep, but it was unexpected. It was almost like he closed a chapter. So I’m very glad I went home. Without a doubt, that was one of my best Christmases ever!” INQ