‘Like coming back home’: Ayen Munji-Laurel joins CCP star-studded sarsuwela show, to star in French series adaptation

MANILA, Philippines — Singer-actress Ayen Munji-Laurel was all smiles as she talks about going back to her roots when she joins a stellar cast of performers for the "Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela," the first in the "Out of the Box" series by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

"CCP is my home. I attended so many workshops here, bata pa lang ako. Dito nagsimula 'yung pagmamahal ko sa teatro," Ayen said to Philstar.com during the show's rehearsals early this week at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (TIG) or CCP Black Box Theater where the show will run until today, July 1.

Ayen worked with CCP's resident drama company, Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), in the 1980s.

She did several musicals all through the 1990s to the present. Her biggest break was when she played Sita in Ballet Philippines' "Rama Hari." Her other works include TP's "Florante at Laura" and Bulwagang Gantimpala’s "Bidasari."

"Of course, this is a new theater," said Ayen referring to TIG that was inaugurated in September last year. "But coming back here, it's like coming back home."

"Isang Gabi ng Sarsuwela" is a Sarsuwela sing-through where she and the rest of the featured performers are going to sing solos, duets, trios as well as a group some of the songs from popular Sarsuwelas dating back from the 1920s to the present. It features theater greats and favorites, including Nenen Espina, Franco Laurel, Reuben Laurente, Lorenz Martinez, Shiela Valderrama Martinez, Karylle and Jonathan Tadioan.

For the CCP show today, Ayen will be singing the solo "Pilitin Ko Mang Yakapin" from "Hibik at Himagsik ni Victoria Laktaw" and the duet "Awit ng Pabo" from "Dalagang Bukid" with her husband Franco Laurel.

"The songs are challenging. Some of the songs sound so simple pero mahirap siyang gawin vocally. The placement is different when you hear me singing pop songs, ballad or Broadway," she said.

But it's like going back to her roots, looking back as a product of the University of Santo Tomas' Conservatory of Music, where she was trained classically.

She shared the audience will hear "pretty much all sopranos" in the show, which is a challenge for her as a natural alto-soprano. Ayen does not mind though because the CCP show, aside from coming back home, has a deeper purpose.

"It's gonna be educational for a lot of people because yung mga bata, they're gonna learn about the musicals in the past. And then you have the older people. They can imagine when they watch. They're going to be reminiscing, probably, familiar tunes," Ayen explained.

Starring in adaptation of French series

After her stint in the Filipino adaptation of a hit Korean series with the same name "Start-Up PH," Ayen is also going back to the small screen via another series.

She is part of the all-star cast of "Call My Manager," an adaptation of the French streaming series "Call My Agent."

"It's about showbiz. It's about these managers handling these maaarte artista. The French version is about the culture in France. So it's different. They call their managers agents. Here we call them managers. So imagine all the managers, marami silang artista na may kanya-kanyang issues. How they do damage control," Ayen shared.

She will play the wife of Edu Manzano. The show also stars Judy Ann Santos and will be directed by Erik Matti.

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