christian bautista
PARA sa singer-actor na si Christian Bautista, ang biggest challenge sa pagganap niya sa role na Daniel Ray sa TV production na “The Kitchen Musical” ay ang pagsasayaw sa lahat ng 13 episodes.
Ang TKM ay ang first international musical TV drama series na prinodyus ng Singapore para sa regional at international markets.
Sisimulang ipalabas ang series sa 19 bansa sa Asia at Europe sa October (mapapanood ito sa Studio 23 sa Pilipinas). Bawat episode ay matutunghayan ang ilang rearranged at re-recorded pop songs na may kasamang dance sequences. Nakapokus ang weekly series sa alak at pagkain.
“In the beginning, I was nervous,” ani Christian nang kapanayamin sa Republic Polytechnic, kung saan matatagpuan ang set ng TKM. “It’s good that Jason Coleman, a top choreographer in Australia, can work with anybody, and with whatever level of dance skill he or she has.”
Si Coleman, kasalukuyang judge sa Australian version ng hit TV series na “So You Think You Can Dance,” ay ang choreographer at dance consultant para sa animated film na “Happy Feet”. Noong 2008 ay binuksan niya ang Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance, ang largest dance school sa Australia.
DAPAT SAKTO
Hirit ni Christian, maraming oras ang gi-nugol niya sa pagpapraktis para ma-perfect ang kanyang galaw. “I’m not a natural at this, but, with Jason’s guidance, I’m slowly getting the hang of things. It’s easier for me to get the steps now,” paliwanag niya.
“Jason has so much experience. I didn’t have any idea how big he was the first time we met. He’s so humble and positive. In all of my sessions with him, he would inevitably say, ‘You’re doing a good job.’ I always want to do better because that’s how encouraging he is.”
Umiikot ang kuwento ng TKM sa isang rich young girl na si Maddie Avilon (Karylle) na, matapos grumadweyt sa culinary school na Le Cordon Bleu sa Paris, ay nagtrabaho sa restaurant ng kanyang ama, ang The Avilon.
Ginagampanan ni Christian ang role ni Daniel, ang kababata at kaibigan ni Maddie. Supportive at di mayabang si Daniel, pero
itinuturing na isang wild card. Mas pabor sa kanyang career kung aalis si Maddie sa restaurant kung saan gaya ng kaibigan ay isa siyang sous chef.
Kasama sa cast ang British actor na si Stephen Rahman Hughes, French fashion model at singer na si Rosemary Vanderbroucke at ang Pinoy stage actor na si Arthur Acuña. Si Gerard Salonga ang musical director at arranger.
FUTURISTIC NA CONCEPT
Ang Malaysia-born, Singapore-based na si CheeK, a.k.a. Cheah Chee-kong, ang creator/director. Siya rin ang executive vice president at creative director of The Group Entertainment, ang producer ng show.
Ilan sa mga naidirek na pelikula ni CheeK ang “Stories of Love” at “Chicken Rice War” at siya rin ang editorial director ng MTV Singapore.
Puro papuri si Christian kay CheeK. “He is very humble, patient and creative. He has ideas that nobody seems to even think of. The concept of the musical alone is genre-busting. Who would have thought of combining singing, dancing and cooking? He’s very futu-ristic.”
Tulad ng iba pang cast members, nagsi-mula sa show si Christian noong June 1.
Inabot ng apat na lingo ang acting and dancing rehearsals, pati na rin ang “kitchen boot camp.”
“We were taught how to cut, slice and mince [ingredients] fast. We handled all kinds of knives,” Christian related. “We studied the basic movements of a chef and a cook. We learned all these so that when the camera started rolling, they were second nature to us.”
Big advantage para kay Christian na marunong siyang magluto kaya hindi siya masyadong nahirapan. “But if you’re just a lover of good food, okay na rin,” aniya. “Lately, whenever we eat out, we find ourselves asking, ‘What went into this dish? Does it have jasmine, rosemary or thyme? When we want to drink wine, we already know what to ask for. We’ve really learned a lot.”
Naging mahirap sa kanya ang mawalay sa pamilya at mga kaibigan, pero todo ang homesick niya noong unang tatlong lingo. “I was really homesick,” kuwento niya, “but I was okay after a month. Now I even think I could live here. It takes a month for me to adjust. Initially, I thought four months of work was too long… and now we’re halfway through.”
Hindi ba siya worried sa kanyang career na iniwan niya sa Pilipinas? “I was worried, but changed my mind when I saw how big this was going to be. It more than makes up for all the time I’d be away.”
Hirit naman ng manager ni Christian na si Carlo Orosa: “He sees that his career could flourish more here, that he could do more things region-wide. He’s been in and out of the country for the past few years. He’s already made his mark in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.”
DISADVANTAGE KAYA?
Pero inamin ni Christian na walang mangyayari kung mayroon siyang maiiwan na girlfriend sa Pilipinas. “I have thought about that—four months somewhere, two months elsewhere— it’s not going to work out. So maybe it’s not time for a serious relationship.
Still, I go out and meet people, make new friends, wherever I am,” he said, adding that he tends to seek out Filipino girls just the same, because of the “instant connection.”
Aniya pa, “I’ve noticed that there are two kinds of Singaporean girls—those who are lively and those who are very serious and business-minded. This whole country is about business.”—Inquirer
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