GERALD SANTOS won the grand prize in the “Pinoy Pop Superstar” contest in 2006 when he was only 15 years old.
Since then, he gained fame playing Thuy in the “Miss Saigon” international tour from 2017 to 2019, giving him the great chance to visit so many foreign countries.
When he returned home, he had a homecoming concert at the Solaire Theatre which later won Best Major Concert at the Aliw Awards.
He also got to star with Lea Salonga in the Atlantis staging of “Sweeney Todd” playing the role of Anthony and getting good reviews.
Now, Gerald gets to play another demanding role in “I Will: The Musical” which is based on the life of Doc Willie Ong, the celebrity doctor who’s currently running for vice president.
This is the only production of its kind that is staged and filmed on stage in this time of pandemic.
Gerald plays Doc Willie and supporting him are Paulina Yeung (an international theatre actress who played Tup Tim in “The King and I”) as Dra Liza Ong; Ima Castro (“Miss Saigon”, “Sweeney Todd”) as Doc Willie’s mother; Bo Cerrudo (“The King and I”) as Doc Willie’s father and Robert Seña (“Miss Saigon”) as Col Ouano.
This musical tackles several relevant themes such as mental health issues, familial dysfunction and bullying.
Meant to be a tribute to our healthcare front liners who are the real heroes of this pandemic, it also aims to inspire people to rise above the harsh challenges of life especially in these difficult and dark times.
The production had to go through a strict bubble set up, adhering to the IATF protocols.
Lock-in rehearsals were done at Divine Grace Leisure Park in Lipa City. Staging and filming , with no audience, were done at the Music Museum in San Juan City, Metro Manila.
“Dapat last May pa ito but na-postpone nang na-postpone because of the pandemic and lockdowns,” says Direk Rommel who was commissioned by Doc Willie to do the musical after watching “Pedro Calungsod, The Musical” that also starred Gerald Santos.
“Dumoble ang gastos namin dahil sa swab tests namin for all before and after. We have to house them in hotels during rehearsals and the actual filming of the musical. Grabe ang hirap na dinanas namin to make this a reality, but Doc Willie and his wife, Liza, were very supportive all the way.”
“Ang daming challenges that we faced dahil sa pandemic,” says Gerald who has also finished a movie, “Deception”, with Claudine Barretto.
“To prepare, first, I watched Doc Willie’s videos and the movie made on his life with Hero Angeles. He was always on hand to guide me and help me immerse in the character. He told me the feelings he experienced during important scenes in the musical.”
Doc Willie helped even in the composition of the songs. “
And I’m proud to say na maraming magagandang kanta composed by Rommel and we can compare them with top OPM songs,” he says.
“Puedeng maging hit songs, like ‘Our Father’s Love’ tungkol sa pagmamahal ng Diyos sa atin.
"Dumaan ako sa noon depression for 13 years, hindi kami nag-usap ng magulang ako, hindi ako naniniwala sa Diyos. Pero merong miracle na nangyari sa akin and showed me God’s love.
'The title song, ‘I Will’, is inspirational, saying na kahit lubog na lubog tayo sa problema, makakaya nating lampasan yan. Maganda ring ang love songs, like ‘Your Eyes’, puedeng maging classic na kanta.
''I just want to make it clear na wala itong koneksyon sa kampanya. I just want to help give work to the people in the entertainment industry.
"I’m proud of the show. Nang mapanood ko, kinikilabutan ako, it was made with love and I’m sure audiences will enjoy watching it.”
“I Will : The Musical” features 24 original songs composed by award-winning stage director Antonino Rommel Ramilo who also wrote the libretto and directed the musical.
With music arrangement by Jason Cabato. TJ Ramos and Antonino Rommel Ramilo are the show’s co-musical directors. Assistant stage director is Matt Manalaysay.
Online streaming at KTX.ph is on October 16, 2021 for only PhP 249.
