Nikki Valdez turns to motherhood, understanding in theater comeback

Nikki Valdez portrays Diana Goodman in the Manila staging of “Next To Normal.” Image: Lance Bersamina via The Sandbox Collective

Nikki Valdez admitted that portraying Diana Goodman in the Manila staging of Brian Yorkey’s “Next To Normal” was daunting. Still, she felt it was the right thing to do as she is celebrating her 28th year in the entertainment industry.

“Next To Normal” tells the story of Diana Goodman and how her battle with bipolar disorder affected her relationships with her husband Dan and daughter Natalie. As her condition worsens, visions of her son Gabe continue to haunt her as she struggles to come to terms with his death.

The musical is Valdez’s return to theater after a 15-year break during which she alternates with veteran theater actress Shiela Valderrama Martinez.

“I felt that I needed to do something like this. It’s kind of your growth as a person, and as an artist,” Valdez said of her theater comeback during an interview with INQUIRER.net.

“At first, I got scared. Nagke-question ako if I’m fit to do it. Medyo nahihirapan din talaga ako (I questioned myself if I’m fit to do it. I had a hard time) because I haven’t done this for 15 years. It took me time to get into it, my heart and [me] fully,” she continued.

Understanding Diana

Getting into the role of Diana involved a lot of preparations for Valdez. “I really had a hard time, to be honest,” she said. Aside from being familiar with her script, she visited a voice doctor and underwent a “deeper understanding” of her character’s condition with the help of a psychotherapist, psychologist, and other related professionals, among other efforts.

“I watched movies of people with the same condition and whatever therapy napagdaanan nila (they went through). We had to watch videos of testimonies of what they felt exactly doing the treatment,” she added, noting how Diana went through electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at some point during the musical.

Valdez also shared that “Next To Normal” is a drastic shift from “The Wedding Singer,” where she made her theatrical debut back in 2010. “Fun ‘yun. [That was] 1990s and songs ni Adam Sandler (It was fun. It was set in the 1990s and featured the songs of Adam Sandler).”

“It is totally different from ‘Next To Normal.’ Nahihirapan ako bumalik sa theater but I had to remind myself na gusto mo ‘yan (I had a hard time getting back into theater but I had to remind myself that this is what I wanted),” she continued. “I started with theater before entering showbiz so it’s just a good reminder to go back to your first love.”

One of the notable moments of Diana in the musical was her relationship with Natalie, as the latter struggled with her mental health as well. With this in mind, Valdez tries her best to not get too affected by Diana and Natalie’s scenes since her daughter Olivia Ysabelle is also a teenager.

“Minsan, [pinipilit] kong hindi maapektuhan because I see my daughter in Natalie, and their [mother-and-daughter] relationship. Minsan, iniisip mo na kapag ganito ang pagdadaanan ng anak ko, parang ang hirap,” she said.

(I sometimes do my best to not be affected by it because I see my daughter in Natalie and their mother-and-daughter relationship. There are moments when I wonder if my daughter is going through the same thing. It’s hard for me to accept.)

Nikki Valdez (center) with her castmates in the Manila staging of “Next To Normal.” Image: Courtesy of The Sandbox Collective

Being a mother

As Olivia Ysabelle is close to reaching adulthood, Valdez makes it a point to remind her daughter to be “open” as much as possible. “Not all parents are open to their children. Not all parents and children have that kind of relationship.”

“We come to a point na kailangan naming mag-adjust sa generation nila (that we need to adjust to their generation),” she continued. “They will always try to find answers.”

Valdez also shared that she does her best to talk to Olivia properly. “I don’t want to generalize but iba talaga ang kabataan ngayon (kids now are different). I guess it has to do with how times have changed,” she admitted. Despite this, she tries to find the balance between being a good mother and an understanding person for her daughter.

“It is all about the balance of the parent and the relationship of the family,” she said.

Nikki Valdez as Diana Goodman in the Manila staging of “Next To Normal.” Image: Loreta Arroyo via The Sandbox Collective

When asked what she learned from portraying Diana, the actress said she was reminded of how mindset matters when it comes to making decisions and doing certain actions.

“Your next action or decision would really depend on yourself. Natutunan kong maging gan’un sa ginagawa ko, lalo na kapag galing kami sa run throughs and rehearsals. There are times na gusto kong sumuko pero it’s a good training to shift the mindset,” she said.

(Your next action or decision would really depend on yourself. I learned how to act that way with what I’m doing, especially when it comes to run-throughs and rehearsals. There are times when I want to give up but it’s good training to shift the mindset.)

Also part of “Next To Normal’s” cast are Floyd Tena, OJ Mariano, Sheena Belarmino, Jam Binay, Benedix Ramos, Vino Mabalot, Omar Uddin, Davy Narciso, and Jef Flores. The Manila staging of the musical will run until February 23.