Joaquin Pedro Valdes —PHOTO BY RUTH CRAFER If his current projects don’t convince you just how prolific theater star Joaquin Pedro Valdes is, we don’t know what will. The latest adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s “Pacific Overtures,” which was headlined by the homegrown Filipino actor, had yet to officially open late last year when we asked what was up next for him. Answering with unconcerned nonchalance, Joaquin said, “Oh, nothing yet.
” Fast-forward six months later, Joaquin isn’t just about to tick off yet another coveted item on his bucket list, he’s also staking his claim as one of the London theater scene’s most sought-after heartthrobs. In fact, Joaquin plays the Lover in both “A Song of Songs”—running until June 15 at Park Theatre in north London—and “The Baker’s Wife,” the eagerly anticipated Stephen Schwartz musical that is scheduled to run from July 6 to Sept. 14 at Menier Chocolate Factory.
READ: From ‘Death Note’ to Sondheim: Joaquin Pedro Valdes on a roll For the uninitiated, Schwartz is the 76-year-old composer-lyricist behind such musical behemoths as “Pippin,” “Godspell,” “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Enchanted” and that precious little musical called “Wicked.” Joaquin doesn’t even get to do much in “A Song of Songs,” but theater website WhatsOnStage still singles him out and describes his performance and presence as “commanding,” calling his solo song “Dance for Me” as.
