How did she get cast in the play? “It’s directed by Tony Mabesa, who was with me in TV5’s ‘Valiente’,” says Nadine. “As the founder of Dulaang UP, he asked me if I’d like to try the theatre. Sabi ko agad, opo, sige. Ang bait nga niya, inalalayan niya ko talaga as he knows I’m new to stage acting, which is so different from film and TV. Dito, walang take two and I have to memorize long, long lines, lalo doon sa scene na I do a play within a play. Five pages yung dineliver ko dun nang tuloy-tuloy. Kailangan walang buckle, with big movements and louder voice projection. Enjoy naman ako.”
Is it true she regrets leaving GMA to move to TV5? “No, it’s a career move. Hindi naman nila ko pinababayaan. I just did ‘Valiente’ nga and I’m now in ‘Game N Go’ every Sunday. Kasama rin ako sa Metro-Manila Filmfest entry nila, ‘Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang’. I’m in the ‘Maria Alimango’ episode with Zsa Zsa Padilla, directed by Chris Martinez. I also just guested in ‘Pidol’s Wonderland’. They want me to guest in ‘Third Eye’ and ‘Untold Stories’, kaya lang busy na ako dito sa play.”
She’ll do all the play’s Tagalog version stagings that will run from September 19 to 23. “All in all, I will do 8 performances then the next week, yung English version naman.”
We were at the play’s press night and Nadine has a truly beautiful and charismatic stage presence. She has about five costume changes and looks so good in all her well designed Russian outfits. As for her acting, she’s great in the first three acts when she’s the ingénue, full of innocence and energy, dreaming of being a great stage actress in Moscow. It’s in the 4th and final act that she falters. Nina is basically a tragic character. She fell in love with a much older writer, Trigorin (Menggie Cobarrubias), they have a child, then he leaves her and her life is ruined. She returns to her family’s home in the province and to the young man who’s so in love with her, Konstantin (Carlo Tarobal), but we’re afraid we cannot feel the pain and anguish her character went through.
Chekhov is one of our favorite playwrights and we’re glad Tony Mabesa mounted “The Seagull”. We’ve seen Loy Arcenas’ modernized adaptation of “Three Sisters” and this one is better realized. Frances Makil Ignacio as Arkadina and Menggie as Trigorin easily stand out as they seem to fully understand their roles and what the play (which is about unrequited love, with discourses on life and art) is all about. Sadly, you cannot say this of the young actor who played Konstantin who’s rushing his lines without much feeling. Wish Dulaang UP would do “Cherry Orchard” next time.
