Eula & Arnel living Addams characters

From Friday, Nov. 15, to Dec. 1 (Sunday), Arnell Ignacio and Eula Valdez will be “weirdos” at the Meralco Theater as they play the couple Morticia and Gomez Addams in Atlantis Productions, Inc.’s The Addams Family, directed by Bobby Garcia.

You’ve probably enjoyed the movie (with Anjelica Houston and the late Raul Julia as the Addams couple) so you are familiar with the story, described as “every father’s nightmare”: Wednesday Addams, the princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man, and confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Gomez, the father, must do something he has never done before — keep a secret from his beloved wife Morticia.

Happily, when Eula and Arnell faced Funfare a few days ago, they were “normal,” except that Eula’s lips were colored flaming red and shaped like those of Morticia.

Here’s how our free-wheeling conversation went:

You seem to be doing the reverse. Other actors start in theater and venture into film.

Arnell: Actually, not many people know that I started in theater before I went into television and then movies, with the group of Bibot Amador. The three mediums are different from one another in terms of challenge. The last one I did was Full Monty.

Eula: I’d been doing TV and movies before I did theater, starting with ZsaZsa Zaturna as the title role (played by Zsa Zsa Padilla in the movie version). Then, I did Flores Para Los Muertos (as Blanche Dubois, Filipino version of A Streetcar Named Desire) and Nine (with Antonio Banderas on Broadway).

What satisfaction do you get in theater but not on TV and in movies?

Arnell: Eula and I always talk about it. Ibang-iba sa theater where you cannot fake it. No retakes; you are judged instantly on what you’re doing onstage. Either you’re good or you’re not. You cannot afford to make mistakes, otherwise konting mali masisira ang buong production. It requires so much energy to be what you are onstage.

Eula: You energy must be high, kasi nakakahawa kapag mababa ang energy ng ka-eksena mo. So you better be good…That’s why we keep on rehearsing you that you start living the role, to the point na matutulog ka na kumakanta pa ang utak mo and your lines keep repeating in your head.

Arnell: Eula and I play a couple. Now, after so many rehearsals we feel like a real couple already. Amoy nga niya kabisado ko na. When she passes by, even if I’m not looking, I know it’s Eula by her smell.

Eula: I try to confuse him by using a different scent every time and he can still identify me. Kabisado ko na rin ang amoy niya, hahahaha!

I can’t imagine how you are able to memorize those pages and pages of lines.

Arnell: Verbatim ha! You are not supposed to change even a word kasi magagalit ang writer. You have to respect the integrity of the work.

Eula: Bilib ako kay Arnel. I am amazed at his photographic memory!

Arnell: At bilib din ako kay Eula. She’s also doing the GMA soap Kahit Nasaan Ka Man where she cries and cries. When she reports for the rehearsal, tawa naman siya nang tawa. Mahirap ‘yan, ha!

Eula: Sa rehearsal pa lang, enjoy na enjoy na kami. It’s a fun musical and I’m inviting especially mga taga-showbiz to watch it.   

Is it your first time to work with Bobby?

Arnell: Yes, my first time. Full Monty, also produced by Atlantis, kasi was directed by Chari Arespacochaga. On the first day of rehearsal, I felt bad because Bobby wasn’t moving. His style pala is to wait for you start acting; kikilos ka and then aayusin niya kung dapat ayusin. Si Chari, she would tell you what to do. Si Bobby leads you exactly to where he wants you to go na hindi mo man lang nararamdaman.

Eula: It’s my second time. The first was in Nine. Masarap siyang director; napaka-positive na tao.

Any favorite scene?

Arnell: The pamanhikan scene. My daughter Wednesday Addams (played by K-La Rivera) has a boyfriend (American singer-actor Ryan Gallagher as Lucas Beneiken, a “normal” person). She doesn’t want to tell her mom that her boyfriend is going to do a pamanhikan. So we invite “normal” people. Mga weirdo kami. The scene ends with us weirdo acting “normal” and vice-versa. Ay, riot talaga!

What’s your dream role?

Arnell: I think this one…so far.

Eula: Ako, gusto ko tuparin ‘yung dream ko since I was a kid — to play Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar. I saw that musical when I was a child and I fell in love with that role.

(Note: For tickets to The Addams Family, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or Ticketworld at 891-9999. Or visit www.atlantisproductionsinc.com)

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