Ayen Munji-Laurel
If singer-actress Ayen Munji Laurel’s absence from theater has to be time stamped, she has been away from stage for 16 years.
Her return in “On Your Feet: The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan,” mounted by 9 Works Theatrical this July, was not even planned. The cast is led by Kayla Rivera, alternating with Molly Langley as the Queen of Latin Pop, and Cuban-American actor Jason Canela as Emilio Estefan.
“This is not what I imagined would happen this year,” Munji-Laurel told ABS-CBN News. “Not this year. I didn't even know if I was ready. Because it has always been television for me.
“That has been my life, so I never thought that I will be coming back on stage and then performing with actually familiar people. For stage, it's like special shows only. So this is something that I haven't considered in 16 years because I've been doing TV, teleseryes for ABS-CBN and GMA.”
The last project that Munji-Laurel did onstage was the rock musical, “Banaag at Sikat,” for the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “That was a long time ago (2010),” she said. “And then after that, I did TV. That kept me busy, doing project after project. But I missed stage in all those years. I did not realize it until this came. Iba talaga ang live performance. Iba ‘yung energy.”
No wonder, it was easy for her to decide to return to theater. “I think so, because it's something familiar,” Munji-Laurel said. “Theater is really my foundation. That's how I started. It was my life when I was a teenager. Theater was my course. I took Theater Arts at UP. It was Music Conservatory for a while.
“Theater has been my life when I was younger. And now coming back and being here, it's like, part of me, it's like second nature to me. I didn’t give much attention to it for a long time, but it gives me so much joy.”
The most memorable musical that Munji-Laurel did was “Atang,” that presented the life story of zarzuela diva Atang de la Rama. That was directed by Tony Mabesa and written by Floy Quintos.
“’Atang’ will always be memorable for me,” Munji-Laurel admitted. “I played it with Shamaine Buencamino, Francis Makil and Bituin Escalante. It was memorable because itv was a long-running musical at Dulaang UP. Floy wrote Atang with me on his mind.”
After “On Your Feet,” Munji-Laurel will consider other musicals and stage projects in the future. “I am open to it,” she said. “It’s nice to do it once a year. If the project makes me happy and the script is right, the project is right, that counts a lot.”
READ: Cast for 9 Works Theatrical's 'On Your Feet!' announced
She will get to render Estefan’s Spanish paean, “Mi Tierra (My Homeland),” and an English duet, “If I Never Got To Tell You,” with Canela.
Directed by Robbie Guevarra, with musical direction by Daniel Bartolome choreography by Nunoy van den Burgh, “On Your Feet” features a book by Academy Award winner Alexander Dinelaris and music produced and recorded by Emilio and Gloria Estefan, with the Miami Sound Machine.
The musical charts the Estefans’ journey from their humble beginnings in Cuba and Miami, to international superstardom, overcoming immense career hurdles and a life-threatening tragedy along the way.
“On Your Feet: The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan” goes onstage from July 10 until August 2, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. at Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Center.