BB Gandanghari
BB Gandanghari, above, related that in the search for Valentin, her partner in the stage play “Halik ng Tarantula,” she and director Soxie Topacio didn’t look for a matinee idol type.
BB explained: “I envisioned Valentin as a guy who’s dark, lean, intelligent. He’s a political activist, after all. I wanted someone who had the intensity of the young Mark Gil in his ‘Batch ’81 days.”
In the end, hunky actors Jet Alcantara and Jovic Monsod won the role. Although BB plays Molina, a prisoner who falls for a cell mate, she shuns the possibility of a real-life entanglement with Jet or Jovic. Risqué scenes notwithstanding, BB vowed to remain a pro onstage.
Jovic admitted that he was nervous at first because BB was his “idol” (as Rustom Padilla) in the 1990s. But as rehearsals proceeded, BB even served as his acting coach.
“Halik ng Tarantula” goes onstage at Teatrino in Greenhills March 7, 8 and 9, at 3 and 8 p.m. Call Ticketworld (891-9999) or BB Gandanghari Inc. (425-4709). Bayani San Diego Jr.