August 7 ------ Outfit, check. Top hat, check. Wavy hair, check. Twitchy mustache, spot on! But wait until Epy Quizon started tap dancing “bodabil” (vaudeville) style while “Katy dela Cruz” sings onstage in “Pulang Araw.” A quick glance would call to mind his late father, Comedy King Dolphy whose career in entertainment took root when he was an onstage trouper during the Japanese occupation.
Fast forward to the present, Quizon would be playing the character that his father excelled in — dressing up and dancing ’40s-style. Unknown to many, he was supposed to take a break from show biz when the offer to join “Pulang Araw” and assume such a colorful character came knocking, it was an opportunity he didn’t want to miss.
Quizon stars as Julio Borromeo, a bodabil or vaudeville performer and owner of the Cine Borromeo theater, in the historical drama. His character is also the biological father of Teresita Borromeo (Sanya Lopez) and Adelina dela Cruz (Barbie Forteza). The drama also stars Alden Richards, David Licauco, Dennis Trillo, Angelu de Leon, Ashley Ortega, Rochelle Pangilinan, Mikoy Morales, and Sef Cadayona.
Bodabil is a form of entertainment which was introduced by the Americans to the Philippines. The indigenized form of bodabil contained influences of zarzuela, komedya, and the French vaudeville, as seen in its musical numbers, dramatic skits, and short-form comedy numbers.
The actor admitted in the press conference for “Pulang Araw” that taking on the character is a way of showing his love for his father, who used to do vaudeville performances during World War 2 using his stage name, Golay. Other known performers during that time were the late actors Leopoldo Salcedo and Rogelio dela Rosa. Quizon claimed Dolphy used to tell him about the war, when they would be in the middle of a performance when an air raid alarm would set off, and they would immediately head to a shelter inside the theater together with the audience. Afterwards, the show would go on as usual. “Noong pinakita sa akin ‘yung character description at concept nito, sabi ko, ‘I want to be part of this,’” he said. “Malapit ito sa puso ko dahil ang tatay ko ay isang mananayaw ng Bodabil. At siyempre pinagdaanan ng tatay ko ang giyera, diba? Naikwento niya sa akin. So, isa po itong proyekto na talagang malapit sa puso ko.”
Source: inquirer.net
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