(FROM left) Jhett Tolentino, Mayen Estanero, RS Francisco and Kanakan Balintagos. The producers of the forthcoming, Tony Award winner for Best Play M. Butterfly, led by Jhett Tolentino and RS Francisco of Front Row Entertainment, welcomes noted theater actress Mayen Estañero to the production as she steps into the role of Comrade Chin on 7 August.

Rebecca Chuaunsu, who was initially tapped to essay the role at the beginning of the production, has opted to vacate the role due to conflict in production schedules.

Award-winning artist Kanakan Balintagos will direct this masterpiece written by David Henry Hwang, inspired by Giaccomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly and loosely based on events surrounding a 1986 espionage trial about a mysterious Chinese opera singer and a French diplomat.

Francisco will reprise his epic portrayal of Song Liling, the Chinese opera singer, Gallimard’s object of affection who seduces him through his biases against the East then exploits their intimacy to collect classified information for agents of the Chinese Communist Party.

In the play, the audiences will get to know Comrade Chin, a member of the Red Guards, the paramilitary arm of the Communist Party in China. Song Liling communicates with Comrade Chin often to pass on the classified information he gathers from Gallimard. Chin is severe and unfeminine and Song derides her for her lack of womanly charm. She also plays Suzuki, a down-to-earth servant, in the reenactment of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.

Estañero is considered as one of Philippine theater’s precious gems, who has been gracing the stage for more than a decade with her talents. A true triple threat, she has appeared in some of the most successful theater productions such as Himala, Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and CCP Virgin Labfest’s Mula sa Kulimliman. In January 2017, she was the Wife (Asawa) of a NPA guerilla in Chris Millado’s Buwan at Baril sa E Major, produced by Sugid Productions and directed by Andoy Ranay.

In October 2016, Estañero played the role of Helen, an acclaimed actress and the best friend of Alex, the lead actor in The Egg Theater Company’s production of Moliere PMS, a fusion of three Moliere play adaptations: Praning (The Imaginary Invalid), Maniacal (The Learned Ladies) and Schism (The Misanthrope) directed by George de Jesus III.

In the second half of October, she played the role of Trudy, the mother of Adam, in Tanghalang Ateneo’s Boy, a thought-provoking play by award-winning American playwright Anna Ziegler about gender identity, translated by Guelan Luarca, under the direction of Ed Lacson Jr.

In November of that same year, she essayed the role of Maestra, a Filipino teacher during the Spanish period who falls in love with grave digger Honorato in a sung-through, one-act operetta Corazon Negro, written by Layeta Bucoy, with music by Joed Balsamo, and directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio as part of Dalanghita Productions’ Tatlong Linggong Pag-ibig.

In February 2015, Estañero appeared in Ballet Philippines’ production of Manhid: The Pinoy Superhero Musical, written by Kanaka Balintagos, inspired by comic book super heroes of the 1960s to 1990s, with the music of the Eraserheads and Vincent de Jesus, under the direction of Paul Alexander Morales.

M. Butterfly shows from 13 to 30 September at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center, Bonifacio Global City. For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999. For further inquiries, contact Isha Germentil at mobile number 0917- 6233834.