ElNella in millennial mermaid film

Former TV executive-turned-filmmaker Perci Intalan took over the directorial job of his partner Jun S. Lana in the Regal Entertainment project “My Fairy Tail Love Story” which opens today (Valentine’s Day) in cinemas nationwide.

Even if he knows how the story will go, Direk Perci said he still considered it a big challenge to handle the directorial chores of the film that features the tandem of Elmo Magalona and Janella Salvador.

“It’s a challenge for me since it is hard to put a twist to a mermaid story that we are all familiar with. People have expectations regarding a mermaid story which is well-loved in our culture. We can tweak the story but we have to be careful that what the people want in the story about a mermaid is still there. We have a lot of underwater scenes and mostly big scenes,” said Direk Perci in a recent interview.

He added that Direk Jun Lana had long been toying with the idea of doing a mermaid movie.

“A mermaid story is always a favorite among movie-goers that’s why we had remakes of ‘Dyesebel,’ the most iconic local movie about a mermaid. He pitched the idea to Ms. Roselle Monteverde, who liked it. When we were doing the story, we already knew it was suited for Janella. We wanted something light, with lots of kilig scenes, with touches of comedy and we are going to tweak the story a bit,” related Direk Perci.

When Elmo was added into the cast as Janella’s partner, the next move was to find a suitable third wheel. He has to be someone who will be a believable threat. The audience should get the feeling that the other guy is capable of snatching Janella away from Elmo.

Roselle and Arnold Vegafria suggested that they cast Kiko Estrada who had been doing shows in the Kapuso network. What was good about Kiko was that he was willing to audition for the role.

“I met him during the audition and I saw what style we can do for him to fit the role. And it worked,” said the director.

What makes “My Fairy Tale Tail Love Story” different from other mermaid stories that we have seen before? “First of all, Janella was not born as a mermaid. That is one big difference. The past mermaid stories has the lead character coming from the kingdom of mermaids under the sea who got into the land by accident. Plus, when Janella’s character becomes a mermaid because of a curse, she suddenly loves to sing. It is funny because she sings many of her lines in the movie,” said Direk Perci.

“The good thing about Janella was that she embraced the role wholeheartedly. She didn’t mind looking foolish to be effective in her role. Whatever it was that we asked her to do, she did it without question. Her character is not immediately lovable. In fact, she was kind of haughty because Chantel is suplada, maldita and selfish. But her character learns a good lesson in the end.”

“My Fairy Tail Love Story” also stars Dominic Ochoa, Dimples Romana, Kakai Bautista and Kiray Celis. It is the perfect movie date this Valentine’s Day.

***

Nyoy Volante and his wife Mikkie Bradshaw (who is also a theatre actress) are together in the hit West End and Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” which will have a rerun at the RCBC Carlos P. Romulo theatre from March 2 to 18.

Nyoy plays Lola, a drag queen who has a passion for shoes while Mikee plays Lauren who sings the showstopping solo number “History of Wrong Guys.”

At the recent press conference of “Kinky Boots,” Nyoy revealed that it was Mikkie who did his makeup for Lola. But she can’t do it anymore because she is already part of the cast.

“She’s very good and is perfect for the role of Lauren,” said Nyoy.

For her part, Mikkie said she loves working with her husband. “We can ask each other for feedback and we’re very critical of each other, but in a good way.”

“Kinky Boots” is directed by Bobby Garcia and the musical’s message is to accept each other’s differences. It tells the story of Charlie, the son of a shoemaker who didn’t want to continue the business of his dad, and Lola, a drag queen passionate about shoes. They will work together to save the shoe factory and in the process will become friends and accept their differences in personality and gender orientation. The musical features the music of pop icon Cyndi Lauper.

For tickets, contact Ticketworld at (632) 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.