BGYO’s Akira returns to acting in ‘Tabing Ilog: The Musical’
Akira Morishita, of the P-pop boy band BGYO, said acting is his true passion and that being part of a musical group was actually an unexpected turn in his career.
“Imagine my surprise when I ended up being part of a production where I’m able to act and perform onstage at the same time,” said Morishita, referring to “Tabing Ilog: The Musical,” which will have its month-long run this November.
The 23-year-old Filipino-Japanese was already into acting long before becoming a member of BGYO. He did TV commercials and then transitioned into being a talent in TV shows. His first big-screen project was the 2014 award-winning indie drama “Sundalong Kanin.” He also appeared in “Alienasyon” and “Kalel, 15.”
Morishita said he was actually planning on attending acting workshops by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta) long before but ended up being a Pinoy pop idol. “This didn’t push through because I did a lot of commercials. Years later, I’m now living the dream,” he told Lifestyle in a recent interview.
Successful run
After its successful run in November 2023, “Tabing Ilog: The Musical” will have its rerun from Nov. 8 to Dec. 1 at the Peta Theater Center in Quezon City. It is based on the youth-oriented series that aired on ABS-CBN from 1999 to 2003.
“There’s magic in doing theater, where acting is live. There’s no ‘take 2,’ so you can’t make mistakes. You also need to do well during rehearsals,” he pointed out.
Morishita said the bond he now has with his fellow cast members is also magical. He portrays Rovic, the character played by John Lloyd Cruz in the series. “I’ve made new friends, and they eventually turned into family. This is also why I feel very inspired when I do theater,” he added. “Others say mainstream actors should try doing theater so people will take them more seriously. I don’t look at it that way. For me, it’s all about passion.”
Morishita said it is also “for the experience, for the lessons I could learn, and for the discipline.”
“I know that I will be able to apply them not only to my work as an actor but also as a pop idol. Compared to doing a drama series, you go through rigid training in theater. You need to memorize your lines and know how to best portray your character. You also have to think of ways to make the character relatable to your audience,” he explained.
“You improve after every show, because you find yourself in a room full of people who allow you to express yourself in whatever way you like, as long as it applies to the character given to you.”
Lessons
Morishita added that while the work he does for BGYO is very different, he is able to apply the lessons he has picked up from doing musical theater to it.
“I got to share with my groupmates the importance of always being on time. I realized that it’s also important to have enough time to prepare for a performance, to not rush everything,” he said.
“Another lesson that the group is now adapting is being able to sing with emotion. There were instances when we would experience technical difficulties mid-performance, and during these instances, we had to make sure people were still able to relate to us, to feel us, even though they couldn’t hear us through our faulty mics.”
The first “Tabing Ilog” run also featured Jhoanna Robles of the popular girl group Bini, which released the hit songs “Pantropiko” and “Salamin” early this year. She is expected to rejoin the production—as the character Eds—even now that Bini has achieved music stardom. “I feel that on the nights Jhoanna performs, there will be so many fans that we will not be able to come out of the Peta theater anymore,” said Morishita, laughing.
Morishita also dispelled talk of any rivalry between BGYO and Bini, even referring to the latter as their “sibling group.” “Whenever we’re together, we would always talk about music and the work we do. BGYO and Bini have been working together since 2019. We used to live in one house. We trained together. I’m glad that Bini is slowly achieving all of its goals,” he said.
As for rumors that BGYO is disbanding, it’s not true, said the singer-actor. In fact, the five-member group has finally discovered the kind of sound their followers prefer for them. “We’re exploring this now. I can’t say much about it yet, except that we will be releasing new songs soon. They’re all good,” Morishita declared.
“Tabing Ilog: The Musical” is directed by Phil Noble, with a script by Eljay Deldoc and musical direction and songs by Vince de Jesus. It features performances by Star Magic artists Vivoree, Sheena Belarmino, Benedix Ramos, Anji Salvacion, Kobie Brown, Jordan Andrews, Kiara Takahashi, Andi Abaya, and Omar Uddin.
Tickets are available via Ticketworld.
