Derrick Monasterio to take on title role in ‘Ibarra… Ngayon’

April 19 ------ Derrick Monasterio will take on the theater stage as Ibarra in the upcoming musical “Ibarra… Ngayon,” a role that brings him back to his first love.

“The first time na in-offer nila sa’kin ang role, ang naisip ko is baka mag-clash siya sa ‘Apoy Sa Dugo’,” Monasterio said, referring to his Kapuso afternoon drama. “I don’t wanna compromise the play kasi may iba akong ginagawa. Ang ganda ng role, masyado. Hindi ko maitatanggi. Ita-try ko na lang i-balance and maging disciplined.”

Originally played by Piolo Pascual in 2023, Monasterio will bring Crisostomo Ibarra, a character from Jose Rizal’s classic novel “Noli Me Tangere,” to life on the theater stage. Noting the gravitas of taking such a role, the Sparkle star is aware that not many students are either not well-versed or are still learning Ibarra’s significance in our history, despite being a fictional character.

“Feeling ko, para maging aware sila, ako ang maging pinaka-aware. Kailangan ko siyang ma-embody kasi ako, as of now, kapareha ng students na hindi pa masyadong aware sa kwento ni Ibarra,” he said. “I did research na, found out about his biography, read snippets of ‘Noli Me Tangere,’ papanoorin ko na rin ‘yung ‘Maria Clara at Ibarra.’ ‘Yun ang gagawin ko, familiarity with the character and with the story,” he said.

Since rehearsals for “Ibarra… Ngayon” will coincide with “Apoy sa Dugo,” Monasterio admitted that a lot of adjustments need to be made, such as getting a driver to help him get to his schedules more easily. “Medyo tight eh, sasabay talaga [ang ‘Apoy sa Dugo] sa rehearsals. Minsan [filming] can take three or four times a week. Rehearsals can take three or four times a week din. So may mga mamimiss din akong rehearsals. So, wala akong time for myself,” he said. “Tulog po talaga at kumuha na po ako ng driver kasi hindi ko na kaya mag-drive. Dati nagda-drive ako. Kailangan ko talagang matulog,” he continued.

After all, one of the most important lessons the Kapuso actor learned from theater is to be on time and always do warm-ups. “Hindi ako puwedeng ma-late. Nagagalit sila kapag late. It’s important to warm up your body, not just your voice. ‘Yun ang natutunan ko sa theater. Before the actual show, we would do warm-ups on stage, exercise, and I’d be so sweaty that I had to take a bath again. And after that mas bumubuka ang voice ko, mas comfortable ako,” he said.

Source: inquirer.net