EXCLUSIVE: Markki Stroem is excited to join Bench Underwear show this year

Rhea Manila Santos

Excited to start his run as a hippie in the local stage adaptation of Hair the musical from November 17 onwards, Markki Stroem admitted he looks forward to returning to the theater company that opened up his love for acting on stage. “I started with Repertory Philippines when I was eight. I did a REP workshop and that’s when I fell in love with theater. And then my first professional play was with Atlantis which was Next to Normal,” he told PUSH.Although he is playing one of the lead characters in Hair, Markki said it is one big group effort. “There’s no lead character in this show. The tribe is the lead. My role is that he’s in between the worlds of hippie-dom and what is real. It’s very interesting the hippie revolution because it was the Age of Aquarius, the time of rebirth, the time of creativity. And it was a time when it was a time when they were fighting a war that shouldn’t even have happened, the Vietnam War. They were fighting for peace, love, freedom, happiness and everything against killings,” he shared.Although currently busy with theater, Markki said he also enjoys acting on television. “I’ve had amazing experiences working with actors like Sam Milby and Iza Calzado. We get to talk, we get to share, we get to analyze situations. Right now I’m working actually on a TV series now which I will be doing the music for. It’s for an online show. And I’m compiling the music for the show and I’m working with a music director. For next year pa yun. Basta it’s my foray into sound production and scoring a series because I love watching American TV series. I’ve recorded a couple of songs that I want to release there and meeting different artists. It’s a Tagalog series but it will be released all around Southeast Asia,” he said.With his image as a sexy jazz singer, it’s no surprise Markki will also be part of the annual Bench Underwear fashion show on November 18 at the MOA Arena. “I guess that’s my image because I’m doing Bench and I’m also doing corporate events and I perform are jazz. They are pop songs that I convert into jazz. It’s not crooner because it’s not full on Sinatra style but this is like my own arrangements of jazzed up pop songs. And it’s been pretty lucrative actually. I do maybe two corporate events a week. The fashion show is the second big runway that I’m doing for Bench. I did Naked Truth and then this is the second one. But I’m getting in shape. I need to be in tiptop shape at 30 you know you have to show those kids that you can still look good when you reach the 3-0,” he admitted.

Although currently busy with theater, Markki said he also enjoys acting on television. “I’ve had amazing experiences working with actors like Sam Milby and Iza Calzado. We get to talk, we get to share, we get to analyze situations. Right now I’m working actually on a TV series now which I will be doing the music for. It’s for an online show. And I’m compiling the music for the show and I’m working with a music director. For next year pa yun. Basta it’s my foray into sound production and scoring a series because I love watching American TV series. I’ve recorded a couple of songs that I want to release there and meeting different artists. It’s a Tagalog series but it will be released all around Southeast Asia,” he said.With his image as a sexy jazz singer, it’s no surprise Markki will also be part of the annual Bench Underwear fashion show on November 18 at the MOA Arena. “I guess that’s my image because I’m doing Bench and I’m also doing corporate events and I perform are jazz. They are pop songs that I convert into jazz. It’s not crooner because it’s not full on Sinatra style but this is like my own arrangements of jazzed up pop songs. And it’s been pretty lucrative actually. I do maybe two corporate events a week. The fashion show is the second big runway that I’m doing for Bench. I did Naked Truth and then this is the second one. But I’m getting in shape. I need to be in tiptop shape at 30 you know you have to show those kids that you can still look good when you reach the 3-0,” he admitted.

Excited to start his run as a hippie in the local stage adaptation of Hair the musical from November 17 onwards, Markki Stroem admitted he looks forward to returning to the theater company that opened up his love for acting on stage. “I started with Repertory Philippines when I was eight. I did a REP workshop and that’s when I fell in love with theater. And then my first professional play was with Atlantis which was Next to Normal,” he told PUSH.Although he is playing one of the lead characters in Hair, Markki said it is one big group effort. “There’s no lead character in this show. The tribe is the lead. My role is that he’s in between the worlds of hippie-dom and what is real. It’s very interesting the hippie revolution because it was the Age of Aquarius, the time of rebirth, the time of creativity. And it was a time when it was a time when they were fighting a war that shouldn’t even have happened, the Vietnam War. They were fighting for peace, love, freedom, happiness and everything against killings,” he shared.

EXCLUSIVE: Markki Stroem is excited to join Bench Underwear show this year | PUSH.COM.PH