Thea Astley excited to play Mimi in Manila staging of 'Rent' in first foray into acting

Thea Astley is more than excited to play the role of Mimi Marquez in the highly anticipated revival of the hit Broadway musical "Rent" in Manila.

The Queendom Diva said that this will be her first foray into acting, so she's "ecstatic."

"I'm pressured definitely pero it's good pressure kasi it pushes me do my best and show up everyday," the Kapuso singer said in an interview with GMA News Online.

When it came to auditioning, Thea said she just took the leap and gambled, even though she has never done theater professionally before.

When she got her audition schedule, she even had to ask people for advice on what pop-rock song with a 16-bar cut she could sing.

"I really had no idea with the process of theater auditions. But you know what, I just showed up, and hoped for the best, and then, ayun, thank God and 9Works for believing in me. And now I'm here," she said.

From singing live on television to taking the world of theater, portraying Mimi is a big challenge for Thea as this is her first time embodying a character.

"Kasi, diba, when we sing on TV, the message of the song is still always at the forefront. But in theater, this is a multitude of steps, of levels higher than that kasi, you are playing a real person, you have to think, that you are playing a real person and because there are Mimi's who actually exist, who are actually living this story," Thea said.

With this, she went through a lot of research, character analysis, and discipline because to her, playing a specific role or being in the theater itself means bearing yourself to the audience.  

"Kaya now, I'm literally breathing and living 'Rent' right now. I really focus on this, I'm not really hanging out with friends all that much kasi this is really important for me and I signed up for this," she said.

"At the end of the day, we wanted to be good. I want to do my job properly. To tell the truth of the character, in telling the truth of 'Rent,'" she added.

Thea is part of Queendom with Julie Anne San Jose, Rita Daniela, Jessica Villarubin, and Hanna Precillas.

Other Kapuso cast members of "Rent" are Anthony Rosaldo, who will play Roger Davis, and Garrett Bolden as Tom Collins. 

The cast also includes Molly Langle, who will be alternating with Thea as Mimi, Reb Atadero and Ian Pangilinan as Mark Cohen, Lance Reblando and Adrian Lindayag as Angel Dumott Schunard, Justine Peña and Jasmine Fitzgerald as Maureen Johnson, Mica Fajardo and Fay Castro as Joanne Jefferson, Markki Stroem and Guji Lorenzana as Benny, Kai Banson as Sue, Jordan Andrews as Gordon, Chesko Rodriguez and Paul Valdez as Steve, and Misha Fabian as Ally.

Jonathan Larson's "Rent" is a rock-inspired musical known as one of the most popular and influential modern musicals that premiered on Broadway in 1996.

It tells the story of eight individuals trying to figure out life amid the challenges of love, friendship, loss, and everything in between.

9Works Theatrical will stage the musical from April 19 to June 1, 2024, at the RCBC Theater Plaza in Makati.

Tickets are available via Ticket2Me at bit.ly/TicketstoRentMNL. —JCB, GMA Integrated News