Kagay-anon 'Big Penoy" makes big splash in solo debut
Mike Banos
May 29, 2009
"Jarrel Montes is a very promising young talent," noted Cheryl Larrazabal, a Kagay-anon now residing in Canada. "He is destined to become a star. He may only be 19 but already he's got all the makings of a great Pinoy stand-up."
Kristina Ilogon, Jarrelīs schoolmate in Corpus Christi in Cagayan de Oro, and her parents Roy and Nikki, along with her siblings, also watched the show.
"Jarrel's performance was, to say the least, impressive!" said Nikki Ilogon. "Accomplishing an hour long show with non-stop laughs and pure entertainment, demonstrates true talent. He can only go up from here and I can't wait to see what else he has to offer!"
Suzette Montes, former producer of a local TV news show, tells of her son Jarrelīs first solo show produced by Studio Six entitled "Big Penoy."
"Successful kaayo ang show," Montes wrote in an email to this writer. "First time Jarrel did Pinoy jokes. He usually does jokes for younger Fil-Canadians audience. Pero I have invited man gud mga friends nako so nag-research siya og lain nga pama-agi para sa older audience."
Big Penoy ran from 8pm-12mn and also featured Ruth Morales and Darius Ciria, two celebrated singers of the Filipino community; the Over Statement Band and a guest appearance by Jeanette Ricasio.
"Nalingaw ang tanan including mga youth," Montes said. "Ruth and Darius made the audience dance sa ilang repertoire. Pinoy fast song. Bibo lagi. Another guest singer, Jeanette Ricasio closed the show with three English songs."
Many Kagay-anons came to watch the show and show their support for the budding comic. Among them were Bobby and Lagrimas Balinado and family, , Mating and Cheryl Larrazabal and family, Philip and Ellen Abalos, Rolly and Emma Montes and family, Bado Montes and children, Elizabeth Montes, Rodel and Amy Juliano, Hazel and Chito Hernandez (elementary teacher of Jarrel in Corpus Christi )- Teacher Yuri Bajao ( arrived Canada late last year with family) Mona Agawin, and Jarrelīs Lola Anita Montes.
Other Kagay-anons present during the show included Ping Estonilo, Lilet Barcenal (who used to work at MusicVision) and Xenia Caballero of Adela Subdivision, Camaman-an.
"What is important is that the fundamentals are there: he is smart and intelligent, he can think on his feet and feels 100% at home on stage," Larrazabal added. "He surely will survive on the comedy circuit both here and the in the Phils. in the days to come."
After the success of his first solo show, the "Big Penoy" another show lined up this September in Toronto.
Others in the audience were equally effusive in their praise of the budding Kagay-anon comic.
"The show was great ! It was SRO!" said Ailene Alix. "We will watch Jarrel again in his future shows."
"Magaling nakakatawa talaga si Jarrel Montes," said A. Santiago. "More power to him!"
Jarrel is the youngest child of Joseph "Popo" Montes and Suzette Ricalde-Montes, who used to produce and direct the local news in RMN TV-8 during the late 1990s. Now based in Mississauga, Jarrel still calls the Philippines his home country and Cagayan de Oro his hometown.
"Nag joke siya og translation from Tagalog to Bisaya," his proud mother gushed. "He was proud to say he was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro."
Jarrel spent his elementary school days at Corpus Christi School and was already tickling peopleīs funny bones at a very young age.
"Even at a young age, Jarrel was destined to be an entertainer!" his classmate Kristina Ilogon noted, citing the following blurb from his 2001 picture in the Corpus Christi School Yearbook Sulo:
"This aspiring engineer believes that laughter is the spice of life -- he can't get enough of it! He always watches funny comedies, so that he'll always have fresh stories to entertain his friends with. He treasures his friends, and he never goes through the day without a warm smile and a hearty laugh for his pals"
"When he was but nine years old, he would make family and friends cry their eyes out laughing at his jokes and funny antics," Suzette recalls. "His unique talent paved the way for his short skits to become a favorite during gatherings. In grade 5 he was recognized as the best actor performing in one school play."
The family's migration to Canada when he was 13 did not stop the budding entertainer from pursuing his passion. As an active member of the "Youth for Christ" it was here where he first showcased his talent with his portrayal of a potato that brought the house down, and as they say, everything else was history.
Some of his past gigs include a front act for a comedy night at M Studio inspired by the presence of popular Pinoy comedian Rex Navarrete in the audience. He also hosted and front acted for Comedy Week, another comedy show which features Laffline/Punchline, a group of Filipino Comedians.
In an article posted at www.ugnayan.ca dated March 19, 2009, writer Gail Limcumpao quotes Jarrel describing himself : "I am baby faced so donīt get fooled by my pogi-ness because really, I am older than you think!" She adds how Jarrel is "an ordinary guy who likes video games and making random funny videos."
In the subsequent interview by Limcumpao, Jarrel said he simply "stumbled" upon being a comedian after "walking aimlessly" for a while. He claims he gets the inspiration from his gags by observing how people do things, especially Filipinos whom he describes as "seriously born funny, from their logic to the accents, endless possibilities."
"By observing, I usually research the source on why people do them, but other than that just going around the city or even talking to random people I can already get a sense of what to talk about," he adds.
Besides the usual Filipino stereotype jokes, Jarrel said the audience should just come in for a good time and not expect anything to enjoy the full impact of anything he takes out.
30 -
Print
Email
