Born and raised in Seattle, he would be asked to sing or dance the ‘tinikling’ when he was child invited to family parties. Like some Filipino kids, Don Darryl Rivera was born to perform. Proud of his ethnic origin, he writes “Mabuhay” on his Showbill bio. “I make sure I’m in the right spot on stage,” he added, “make sure all the lines, the songs, the dance moves are in my body, in my head.” But sometimes, he learns his fate just minutes before – when one of the ensemble players suffers an injury and can’t continue to perform. As one of four male swings, he is officially told of his assignment ahead of time, say, two weeks in advance. This highly focused actor has the capability to jump in any of the 12 male tracks at any given time. He grew up in Arizona, and graduated at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.Īs a swing, Angelo Soriano assumes many different roles (or tracks), including the principals Aladdin and the adorable villain Iago. He appeared in one theater production after another and travelled where the roles were. “We are all close friends.”īobby considers himself a “working actor,” telling the how he supported himself through school. “We have this sense of family,” he said of his Filipino castmates. After two years, he moved to New York and joined the cast here. Philippine-born Bobby Pestka was first cast in the Seattle production of “Aladdin” in 2011. At that time, there was no indication that a role was waiting for him, except that, he said, “I knew I was doing well.” Joshua has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Montclair State University in New Jersey. “Aladdin” is his Broadway debut, the result of a grueling audition process where he kept learning songs and dance routines, performing them in front of directors, learning more songs and returning for more auditions in front of more members of the production team. “It was amazing,” he said, describing the flying carpet moment of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine as “memorable” and “magical.” Within two days after returning to the set, he learned he was playing Aladdin. He had knee surgery a month and a half before. He remembers the first time he played the thief who was smitten with the Middle Eastern princess. In his Showbill bio, he dedicates his role “para sa mga mahal ko sa buhay.” (‘To my loved ones,’ in Tagalog) Joshua is with the ensemble cast he also understudies as Aladdin. “We don’t have any more relatives coming over but that’s great what Obama did,” he said in an interview with this writer and Makilala co-host Jen Furer.Īctors Joshua Dela Cruz, Bobby Pestka, and Angelo Soriano play a variety of parts that have them dancing and singing to the back and front of the stage and sometimes stealing the show. “He was granted permission to come to the US.”Īdam was grateful to President Obama for signing the parole program that would grant immigrant visas to families of qualified veterans in support of reunification. “My grandfather was a Philippine Scout,” he said in an interview with The FilAm and Makilala TV at the New Amsterdam Theatre where ‘Aladdin’ plays eight times a week. He credits his Filipino mother and Jewish father “for their whole-hearted encouragement (for him) to pursue a life in the arts,” according to his official website. The lead role of Aladdin is played by California-born Adam Jacobs whose mother is a nurse from Pangasinan and whose ‘lolo’ was a World War II veteran. If we are to count Angelo Soriano juggling a dozen male parts, it does feel like an all-Pinoy cast, validating a popular notion that there is, indeed, an ethnic Filipino enclave on Broadway. The FilAm photoįive of the “Aladdin” actors playing at least five distinct roles in this Disney musical are Filipinos. From left, Bobby Pestka, Joshua Dela Cruz and Angelo Soriano being interviewed by The FilAm and Makilala TV’s Jen Furer at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
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