Thea Astley to play her dream role in 'Once on This Island': 'A full circle moment'

After her successful debut in theater, Thea Astley is ready to play her dream role in the Philippine staging of "Once on This Island."

In an interview with GMA News Online, the Queendom Diva said getting the lead role of Ti Moune feels like a full circle moment as she has always loved the musical after watching it on Broadway years ago.

“I fell madly in love with the musical. So, when I came back to the Philippines I was entering my first year in Ateneo and joined Ateneo Blue Repertory, and I auditioned to the song 'Waiting For Life,'” said Thea.

She also related to Ti Moune’s story of having to face the world with a certain beauty standard, especially before, where one can only be considered pretty if one has fair skin and straight hair.

“I can never fully claim to know the experiences of the Black people, of Ti Moune, of the peasants, pero I’ve known what it feels like to be looked down upon because you’re darker,” she said.

“So, this is really a dream role of mine and it feels like a full circle moment to be doing this musical now,” Thea added.

Courtesy: 9 Works Theatrical

Apart from their rehearsals, she is also taking voice lessons to improve her range as Ti Moune’s voice is way beyond her capabilities.

In fact, she almost quit playing the role as she is not confident that she could do it. Still, being the brave woman that she is, Thea chose to continuously grow as she learned not to limit herself.

Besides, she said there’s this eagerness inside her that pushes her to keep doing theater.

After playing the role of Mimi Marquez in “Rent,” Thea only had two weeks to rest and be with her family in Qatar before heading to the rehearsals of "Once on This Island."

“We ended Rent early June, tapos we started rehearsals na parang end of July, so there really wasn’t much rest, but I love what I do. Parang after 'Rent,' I am craving na to be back onstage, so I am so happy that this came along when it did,” she said, adding that she also brought all the lessons from "Rent," making her confident to conquer the stage once again.

"Once on This Island" tells the story of star-crossed lovers Ti Moune and Daniel Beauxhomme, and the class differences that stand in the way of their love. It is based on Rosa Guy's 1985 novel "My Love, My Love" or "The Peasant Girl," which is a Caribbean reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."

In the past, 9 Works Theatrical has staged other award-winning musicals, including "Grease," "Tick, Tick... Boom!" and “Rent,” among many others.

The Queendom Diva said she hopes that many Filipinos get to watch the show as it is very relatable, especially in this era.

“I really hope they can catch it kasi it is set in the Caribbean pero the culture and the experiences are very similar to what we live through as Filipinos,” she said.

The musical will be staged at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City from Sept. 6 to 29.

Ticket prices range from P2,200 to P3,900, available via Ticket2Me.

— CDC, GMA Integrated News