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London gets first new musical since pandemic and Pinoy Joaquin Valdes is in it

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Leah C. Salterio

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/07/29/valdes-1.jpg"/><figcaption>Joaquin Pedro Valdes. Photo from the actor&#x27;s Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Doing a musical during this COVID-19 pandemic was perhaps not in the immediate plan of Filipino actor Joaquin Pedro Valdes, who is now based in the United Kingdom. However, when an opportunity came for him to be in the six-man cast of “Fanny and Stella: The Shocking True Story,” Valdes readily jumped at the opportunity and lost no time to start rehearsals.The producers and creative team behind “Fanny and Stella” took their cue from the British government, which gave the green light to stage open-air presentations. “As soon as there was official word that outdoor performances were allowed to resume provided they followed specific industry guidelines, they jumped at the chance to mount the show,” Valdes said in an email interview.“Fanny and Stella” will be presented from August 3 to 25 at The Garden Theatre, adjacent to The Eagle Pub on Kensington Lane in London. Face masks have to be worn for all shows, and the audience needs to observe social distancing for the 80-minute performance, with no intermission.“They found a refurbished beer garden in a well-loved pub in Vauxhall to mount the musical,” said Valdes about his producers. “It was a great opportunity to test out these new guidelines and to basically be a glimmer of hope for the rest of the industry.”Prior to rehearsals, all the performers in “Fanny and Stella” had to attest they are free from the coronavirus. “We all had to ensure the company that we did not display COVID-19 symptoms and we had to sign official documents attesting to that,” Valdes said. “We have to maintain social distancing even through rehearsals and staging.“Our venue has a limited capacity. The chairs and tables are designed with social distancing in mind. We’re still learning these new guidelines as we mount the show, so there is a lot of excitement and curiosity surrounding our little production.”In his Twitter account, Valdes posted he never expected that his first assignment in London during the time of COVID would be a “mad, courageous, insane, hilarious fringe show.” He is undoubtedly thrilled and thankful he was cast in “Fanny and Stella.”In the period musical, directed by Steven Dexter, with staging by Nick Winston, Valdes plays John Safford Fiske. All the roles are based on actual people in history.“John Safford Fiske is an American consul that was based in Leith at that time,” Valdes said. “He was allegedly one of Ernie Boulton aka Stella&#x27;s lovers who was also put to trial.”The six-member cast was guided closely by their director Dexter, along with Glenn Chandler who wrote the book and lyrics. Actor Jed Barry plays Ernest Boulton/Stella, with Kane Verrall as Frederick William Park/Fanny.“They have been creating this show since five years ago and it has been performed in different iterations,” said Valdes of his director and composer. “But this particular revival, with the addition of our musical staging director/choreographer Nick Winston, is a completely new staging. It needs to be completely reimagined considering we’re performing in an open space and with social distancing guidelines.”The other members of the “Fanny and Stella” cast are Kurt Kansley as Lord Arthur Clinton, Alex Lodge as Louis Charles Hurt and Mark Pearce as Mr. Grimes.<div>&#x27;SAIGON&#x27; ALUMNUS</div>Valdes started his UK sojourn in “Miss Saigon,” back in 2018. He was part of the international tour as a member of the ensemble, while covering the roles of Thuy and The Engineer.“&#x27;Miss Saigon&#x27; was extremely hard work [for everyone in the cast],” Valdes said. “As much as there is a lot of mysticism and romance to the idea of performing on the world stage, there is a lot of responsibility and hard work.“It really taught me the value of taking care of my physical instrument, health and vocal stamina. Singing that glorious score eight times a week for seven to eight weeks straight is no easy feat.“It was also on that tour that I realized how much I loved my craft enough to constantly grow and hone my skill. I did not get to play Thuy apart from the cover/understudy rehearsals. I was a member of the company for a year’s contract 2018-2019. We performed in various cities and provinces in the UK, as well as in Switzerland and Germany.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/07/29/valdes-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Joaquin Valdes in &#x27;The King and I.&#x27; Photo from the actor&#x27;s Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div>Valdes also joined the touring production of “The King and I” in the UK, playing Lun Tha and singing the hauntingly beautiful song, “I Have Dreamed.”“I really enjoyed my time with ‘The King and I,’” Valdes said. “It was the UK and international tour of the Tony Award-winning revival, directed by Bartlett Sher. I grew up listening to Rodgers and Hammerstein and could only dream of performing their songs live with a full orchestra. So playing and singing Lun Tha was, in many ways, a dream come true. “The show brought us all over the UK again and a few weeks in Switzerland and a month in Tokyo, where I got to perform with Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe, who originated the roles in Broadway at the Lincoln Center.”Valdes opted to remain in the UK after his “Miss Saigon” stint. He and his lawyer-wife, Agee, have made their sacrifices, respectively. So far, however, everything seemed to be working positively for both of them.“By the grace of God, Agee and my story follow the same arc,” Valdes shared. “Moving to the UK came at an opportune time not just for me but for her as well. She is now in the middle of earning her LLM in Human Rights [Masters of Laws] in a prestigious university here in London. She has a bevy of groundbreaking projects with really notable names in her world. So her story is just beginning, as well.” <div>AUDITIONS</div>Valdes dauntlessly steps into one audition after another, always with a positive outlook in mind, hardly bitter and brooding even with an unsuccessful try.“I’ve lost count at the number of auditions I’ve stepped into here in the UK, but I’ll never forget my first,” he recalled. “I was a nervous wreck during my first audition and remember feeling all sorts of emotions. It was like the last time I was going to sing that song ever.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/07/29/valdes-3.jpg"/><figcaption>Joaquin Valdes. Photo from the actor&#x27;s Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div>“Nerves are good – they remind you of how much you want it and gives you the impetus to prepare well. Hope is always good – it gives you a reason to complete the work. But as soon as you are done with the audition, as soon as you leave the door, I try my best to shake everything off and move on to the next. There is no use wondering what the panel thought or pining on what you should or shouldn’t have done.”“It’s a healthier way to think, especially when the industry is 90 percent rejection and 10 percent possibility,” he reasoned. “There are a million reasons why you will or will not book a job. It’s useless trying to count what they are.“I just focus on my preparation and make sure that I enter and leave with absolutely no regrets. I’m just very thankful that I get to actually be seen in a lot of these closed-door auditions. That, in itself, is an accomplishment.”<div>MANILA ROLES</div>Ever since Valdes ventured into professional acting when he was only 11 in Repertory Philippines’ “Evita,” he obviously fell in love with theater. Through the years, he has portrayed a number of challenging and rewarding roles that he can certainly be proud of.“I’ve been very fortunate to have played a myriad of roles on the Philippine stage,” Valdes said. “I was handpicked by Baby Barredo and Bibot Amador to be their Pinocchio for what was then a pioneering effort of Repertory Philippines’ Children’s Theater.“I also went on to originate the role of Edmund in Trumpets’ original musical, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.’ They followed that up with a gorgeous, small musical called ‘The Young King,’ which I played, as well.”Valdes also landed his first Stephen Sondheim production with the New Voice Company, playing Jack in “Into the Woods” under the direction of Rito Asilo and Monique Wilson. Soon after, Valdes played Melchior Gabor in Atlantis Theatrical’s Manila premiere of “Spring Awakening.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/07/29/valdes-4.jpg"/><figcaption>Joaquin Valdes in &#x27;Spring Awakening.&#x27; Photo from the actor&#x27;s Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div>Working alongside Nikki Gil, Valdes did Jason Robert Brown’s well-loved two-hander musical, “The Last Five Years,” under 9Works Theatrical. Then, he played opposite Bart Guingona in the Tony Award-winning play of John Logan, “Red,” another two-hander.One of Valdes’ favorite roles to date is when he played Mr. Wormwood in Atlantis Theatrical’s Manila premiere of “Matilda,” his “most fitting last hurrah” in Manila before he packed his suitcase and left for the UK.“I’ve been extremely fortunate to have worked with a lot of the Philippine theater luminaries throughout my career,” Valdes proudly admitted. <div>REP BABY</div>He was honed and mentored by some of the finest names in the theater world, from Zeneida Amador to Bobby Garcia, who all helped mold him into the kind of acclaimed performer that he is now. “With Repertory Philippines, Tita Bibot [Zeneida Amador] was really the one who ‘discovered’ me,” Valdes shared. “It was because of Rep that I fell in love with theater and wanted to be in that world. But it was also because of Rep that I got most of my discipline, focus and seriousness. Any Rep baby would tell you that the company really taught them the gravitas of being a theater actor and that it was a real craft to hone and develop.”Trumpets, meanwhile, is like “family” for Valdes. “The environment working in Trumpets was really wholesome and loving and encouraging,” he maintained. “To be a part of a company that was pioneering new and imaginative work was really exciting.“Tito Audie Gemora was the one who really created more platforms for talents like myself to continue to grow and nurtured us into really well-rounded performers. It was also because of Tito Audie and Tito Freddie [Santos] that I got exposed to the pop scene, the recording scene and the mainstream concert scene.“They were the renegades who were introducing a lot of pop culture into what was arguably a traditional form. Trumpets Playshop was really crucial to my training as a performer and with the dearth of musical theater training in the Philippines, it became my ‘school,’ so to speak.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/07/29/valdes-5.jpg"/><figcaption>Joaquin Valdes with Bobby Garcia. Photo from the actor&#x27;s Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div>Atlantis Theatricals Entertainment Group (ATEG) embraced Valdes as an actor and artist at the most crucial time. “Bobby Garcia, whom I consider a mentor and has grown to be a dear friend, is the one who challenged me to keep growing as an artist and to really focus on what I loved the most.“It was with ATEG that I found my passion again despite being in denial of it for so long. I took a break from the theater to focus on my advertising career that drained my soul. Bobby and the rest of ATEG helped me find my way back and really pushed me to take the leap to dive into my passion full-time. I still regularly go to him for advice when I need it to shift gears or refocus.”Valdes also regards his acting coach, Ana Valdes-Lim, an alumna from the Julliard School in New York City, as “absolutely crucial” to his growth as an actor.“I really believe she is Manila’s best kept secret insofar as world-class drama training and I am absolutely privileged to have her as my acting coach up until now,” he said of Lim. <div>DREAM ROLES</div>Valdes has a “grocery list” of roles he simply loves to play, given a chance. Not just the protagonist, but even an anti-hero – from Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables,” to the Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera” and even Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.”“I’d love to do a Sondheim and definitely want to do a Shakespeare,” Valdes saId. “But to be honest, the more exposed I get to the kind of theater that’s produced here [in the UK], my dream would be to originate a character or be part of a brand new material.“Be it a musical or straight play, just being part of a new vision and a new way of theater-making is what I really dream of. There’s noting like being part of a company and exploring new possibilities of pushing the boundaries of craft and skill.”His film idols, not surprisingly, are actors who also happen to be top-notch theater names for him – James McAvoy, Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lucian Msmati, Pheobe Waller Bridge, Mark Ruffalo, Oscar Isaac. “The list continues,” he insisted.“I love how the film industry here in the UK reveres and respects actors who have trained in the theater,” Valdes noted. “It really shows how deep and profound their understanding is of the craft and how visionary they are in seeing its future.”<div>FILM MAJOR</div>After Valdes earned his Film degree from the University of the Philippines, he made an initial career trajectory as a director. In 2009, he megged “Bulong,” his thesis in UP that became an award-winning film and introduced him to the local film industry. It won many awards internationally. That didn’t instantly allow him to change horses in midstream.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/07/29/valdes-6.jpg"/><figcaption>Joaquin Valdes with the cast of &#x27;Miss Saigon.&#x27; Photo from the actor&#x27;s Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div>Impressively, he spent nearly a decade working behind the cameras, both for a few films and TV commercials in the advertising scene in Manila. “That became my main bread and butter and my sense of ‘stability,’” Valdes said. “Ironically, since it isn’t the most bankable job, as well.“On occasion when I would need to take a break from the toxicity of the business, I’d go back to my first love – theater and acting. It came to a point where I didn’t want to go back to theater only when I could afford it. I want it to be my main vocation. So I pursued the conditions for me to make my passion a vocation.”In the long run, Valdes’ passion to act got the better of him and even brought him to places where he was allowed to shine onstage and make his mark.“I’m definitely in the process of pursuing an acting career be it on stage or on film,” Valdes asserted. “What’s exciting about the industry out here is there is no differentiation or no discrimination of form. Actors who do Shakespeare are easily the same actors who can perform in a hit TV series.“There might be a difference in technique, but the skill set is the same and the comprehension of the medium is deep. I saw James McAvoy perform on stage as Cyrano De Bergerac and completely understood why he’s an award-winning screen actor, as well. Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, Collin Firth, Tom Hiddleston and many more film actors started out on stage.”Now represented by BBA Management (Bronia Buchanan Associates), who handles all his bookings and theater projects, Valdes has braced himself for bigger opportunities to come for him. Not just in the UK, but in other places where his name and talent are destined to soar.

The producers and creative team behind “Fanny and Stella” took their cue from the British government, which gave the green light to stage open-air presentations.

The producers and creative team behind “Fanny and Stella” took their cue from the British government, which gave the green light to stage open-air presentations.