Story & photo by Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez
THE Divine Diva, also known as Zsa Zsa Padilla, is set to stage an intimate concert with daughters Karylle and Zia Quizon at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila (RWM) on May 11. The concert looks back on Zsa Zsa’s 35 years in the industry and serves as a celebration for Mother’s Day and her upcoming birthday.
Titled The Best Day of My Life, the show features Homer Flores as musical director, Noel Ferrer as writer and Paolo Valenciano as stage director.
“We’re featuring our songs [as mother and daughters], and it’s something that’s not been exposed yet because we only get to do it on special occasions,” Zsa Zsa said during a recent press event at Passion Restaurant in RWM.
She added, “I’m very proud of my girls, that’s why we named the concert The Best Day of My Life. More mothers can identify with this. K and I used to sing a song together when she was just starting her career. She used to sing this song, titled ‘Thank You’, and it goes like, ‘Thank you for having the best day of my life,’ so parang gan’un. When you’re with your children, it’s the best—and of course, with everything that we have to celebrate, we hope that it will be the best day of our lives, as well.”
Coming from a sold-out concert in Cebu, the singing icon shared how the one she’s staging at RWM will be very different: “The show I did in Cebu was a combination of the last two shows that I did, one of which was also here in Resorts World, and [featured] some of my oldest hits. This is different in a sense that we are concentrating on my 35 years in showbiz.”
Zsa Zsa started off her career with the Pinoy band Hotdog in the mid-1970s before going solo at Tavern on the Square in 1982. In 1987 she ventured into acting via the TV drama series Lovingly Yours, Helen before appearing on the big screen in Mga Anak ni Facifica Falayfay with her late husband of more than 20 years, comedy king Dolphy.
Her most notable works in the music industry include Ikaw Lamang (under Vicor Music), which won a Gold Album Award in 1985; Zsa Zsa (under Viva Records), which won a Quadruple Platinum Award in 1998; Sentiments (also under Viva Records), which won a Platinum Award in 1999; and Unchanging Love (under PolyEast Records), which won Gold Album Award in 2009.
“These [works] are something really worth celebrating. And then of course, there’s [also] my birthday and Mother’s Day, so it’s really special. Also, I haven’t been able to perform with Yael, so this will be the first time because he’s going to be in the show. He’s our rock star.” Zia’s partner and the son of singer Martin Nievera, Robin Nievera, will also be performing with the family.
Zsa Zsa Padilla: The Best Day of My Life is presented by RWM in cooperation with Ultimate Shows Inc. With Newport Performing Arts Theater’s capacity of more than 1,000, the production team is hopeful for a full show.
The Divine Diva shared that Paolo Valenciano, son of Gary Valenciano, is very hands-on in terms of stage production. “Our art director is POF. As her mom would say, ‘part of family.’ He’s actually my inaanak and it’s the first time he’s directing me.”
The young director replied: “When we first met, the first thing I asked her was ‘What do you want to communicate with your audience?’ and I just felt that it was a story worth telling. I thought I knew a lot about Ms. Zsa Zsa Padilla with all that history with my dad, but there’s still so much that I learned from that conversation and I just felt that if we could build on the things that she told me about. I was really intrigued and surprised; I feel that it’s something that will communicate with and entertain her fans a lot.”
According to the producers, the concert is special in a way that it will bring together Zsa Zsa and her daughters on a single stage. They’ve only done this once—in a show in Australia.
When asked how she felt about performing with her daughters, Zsa Zsa said: “I read recently that K said that it’s nerve-wracking to sing with me. Maybe because I’m a parent, [so the question will be], ‘Are you going to be a performer or a mother onstage?’ Medyo nakaka-conscious siguro para sa anak. But we always hold hands, so, you know, she and I feel comfortable.”
She added, “And minsan kami ni K, it’s hard eh, when we sing together kasi magka-boses kami. So minsan kapag hindi ako naka-in-ear monitor, nahihirapan ako because I can’t distinguish our voices because they’re so similar. With Zia, she has a very unique alto voice but it’s always fun. That’s a revelation to me also, that K gets nervous pala when she sings with me because when you’re there, you’re kind of looking for your parent’s approval eh, like ‘Okay ba, Mama?’”
Zia, who was also at the press launch, said that Zsa Zsa helped her develop her niche in music by giving her the liberty to build her own identity as a singer. “She’s attentive but at the same time, she gives me room to be myself and I’m glad. She was very balancing, she’s a working woman and she’s very present in her home. I think it’s a tough role and she did it gracefully. Not a lot of people get to work with their parents and not a lot of singers can. On both fronts, I consider myself lucky to be sharing the stage and the experience [with them],” Zia said.
Concluding the interview, Zsa Zsa said that more than marking an important milestone as a both a mother and career woman, the concert also pays tribute to everyone who has been with her since the beginning of her career.
“No man is an island. A lot of people helped me when I was just starting—producers, directors, bands and friends—and I am grateful. In retrospect, I also wish I could’ve done more, especially with OPM,” Zsa Zsa said.
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Tickets for Zsa Zsa Padilla: The Best Day of My Life are now available at the RWM Box Office, ground floor of the Newport Mall in RWM, and all TicketWorld outlets nationwide.
Image credits: Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez