IT’S been almost two decades since his first lead role in musical theater and this time, Jett Pangan plays the title role in the Atlantis musical “Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
The powerful vocalist said this is not his first foray into portraying complicated characters. “I liked the movie Sweeney Todd. I’m a fan of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. In 2012, I did ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ for Repertory Philippines and that was a fun role to do.”
“This is kind of on a similar track. Anti-hero roles are something that I enjoy doing. Iba yung treatment namin eh. Iba-iba kami ng styles and imagery. Ours is going to be different and the staging is something so different from what you would expect,” he shared.
Unlike his rehearsals for concerts with his band The Dawn, Jett said preparing for “Sweeney Todd” was so different. “It was very exhausting and very difficult because if you’re familiar with Stephen Sondheim and his music, any theater actor will tell you it’s really a challenge,” he said.
Headlining the show alongside theater veteran Lea Salonga was a revelation for Jett. “As a co-worker, you’d think that since she’s Lea Salonga, she’d be like, ‘I’ll do my thing, bahala na kayo humabol’ because we know Lea to be a fast learner. She can get the music down in a breath. But she’s the exact opposite. In this production, I’ve seen how generous she is in a sense that she wants everyone to excel,” he said.
The “Sweeney Todd” star said Lea helped make the rehearsal process better for everyone in the cast. “She’s very inspiring to work with. If it weren’t for Lea I think our work would be a little bit harder…she makes sure that everybody does good. Of course our director Bobby Garcia is also there to do that for us always. But with the added input of Lea, counting for us and making sure I remember our lyrics and it really helped because this musical is not easy,” he added.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will run from Oct. 11 to 27 at the Theater at Solaire. The musical stars Lea Salonga, Jett Pangan, Ima Castro, and Nyoy Volante. (Push)
