“The play is produced in Singapore by Wild Rice Productions, directed by Pam Oei,” she says. “They went to Lucky Plaza, where Pinoys in Singapore hang out, and heard Pinays there speaking English with a Visayan accent. They asked Michael de Mesa, who did ‘Rent’ there and Epy Quizon, who did a movie there, kung sino kayang local actress in her 60s who speaks with a pronounced accent ang mare-refer nila, and they gave my name. They came here in October and nagpa-audition sila. Anim daw kaming nag-audition. When they heard me pa lang speaking in my Bibeth Bisaya accent in ‘Iskul Bukol’, tawa na sila nang tawa. That same afternoon, I was informed that I got the part.”
That means she’d have to stay there the whole month of June for the daily 9 AM to 5 PM rehearsals and then the actual performances in July. “We will stage the play every day in July except on Mondays, with two shows sa matinee and in the evening on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Her next problem is the hit comedy show she’s writing and directing, “Hay Bahay”, starring Vic Sotto and Ai Ai de las Alas. “So I talked to Vic, baka puedeng mag-advance taping kami para may maipalabas na episodes habang wala ako. Sabi niya, why do you have to do that? Sabi ko naman, it’s in my bucket list, e. At yun, pumayag siya.”
She will be working with an international cast of thespians: Rodney Oliveiro as Bernard, Shane Mardjuki as Robert, Oon Shu An as Singapore Girl Jeanette, Sangeetha Dorai as Air India Girl Jayanthi and Judee Tan as Air China Girl JinJin. She plays Rosa, the maid who makes sure the arrangements for the schedules of Bernard's three girlfriends in his apartment won't overlap. How did her husband, Director Carlitos Siguion Reyna, feel about her staying in Singapore for two months? “Okay lang sa kanya kasi he also stayed Singapore by himself when he was teaching film courses there. We actually like these temporary separations as it gives us the chance to exchange stories about our own individual experiences.”
Her son Rafa Siguion Reyna is now in “Legally Blind” as the lawyer of Marc Abaya. We saw Rafa’s girlfriend, theatre actress Yannah Laurel, at the presscon of “Kinky Boots”, the new Broadway musical to be staged by Atlantis Productions and asked her why Rafa is not in it when he’d be perfect for it after his riotous performance in “La Cage Aux Folles”. She says Rafa is busy doing movies. “Yes, he’s in a new indie flick filmed in fishpens or baklad directed by Topel Lee. In one scene daw, pinatalon siya sa baklad na may tae ng kalabaw. He called to ask me kung gagawin niya and I said amuyin mo yung tae ng kalabaw para you’ll really be in character. After all, wala tayong kalabaw sa Forbes Park, meron tayo, squirrel. He did it. And now, he’s also in the cast of a big period movie, pero hindi pa puedeng i-reveal ang details. Later na lang.”
Does she approve of Yannah for her son? "Oh yes, you know, I like her."
