Remember Cris Villonco? You know, that little girl who everyone thought got to enter showbiz just coz her grandmother is The Armida Siguion-Reyna. You know, that singer responsible for songs like “Crush ng Bayan” and “It’s You (The Problem Is You)”.

Whatever happened to her? Well, she may not be doing a lot of mainstream music and TV, but she was never really gone. In fact, she’s been very active in the local theater scene these past few years.

At present, you can catch the talented woman (yup, she’s all grown up now) in Repertory Philippines’ Leading Ladies, where she plays Meg, who is engaged to a pastor who doesn’t really want her to nurture her love for theater and performing. Her dream guy is Leo, a stage actor who she eventually gets to meet.

I got to watch the play and I have to say that Cris delivered an awesome performance. In fact, I realized a couple of things: 1.) Cris has found her niche; and 2.) Theater’s gain is definitely mainstream TV/movie industry’s loss. Cris was just flaw-free. And to think this was just a play. Now I can’t wait to catch her in a musical.

But going back to Leading Ladies, Cris isn’t the only reason why this Repertory production is a must-see. The rest of the cast are equally brilliant, especially the scene-stealing Topper Fabregas and breakout star Gianina Ocampo, who is actually a newbie.

Apart from stellar performances from everyone, another great thing about the play is that it is actually really funny—despite being a period piece. The cross-dressing is called for (and produced hilarious results, of course). The lines are witty. And the timing is just impeccable.

This is why you should make sure that you catch Leading Ladies at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. Shows are until March 4, Saturdays and Sundays at 8pm, with matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30pm.