She’s got a long, long way to go
DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda
Monday, November 26, 2007
Inside her dressing room, people gathered to applaud her bravura performance — in “the greatest performance of her life.” Thank God, it remained just the title of the show of Ai-Ai de las Alas at the Araneta Coliseum — and quite ironically — it assured me as a viewer and fan that the greatest one on stage is yet to come for Ai-Ai, one of the most powerful performers of this generation. In that dressing room, she was soft spoken while answering questions from interviewers from different TV shows that covered the concert. Almost whispering, she was grateful, “Salamat sa lahat ng sumuporta, kinaya ko pa rin. I was worried the last few weeks before the concert. I am always nervous kahit hindi halata.” In one corner of the dressing room (a huge one by the standard of dressing rooms in concert venues), this one obviously reserved for stars — big stars. It has dividers, bathrooms, dressers and mirrors all around. I spotted international concert producer Ana Puno in a huddle with Ogie Alcasid who was backstage even before the concert started — to lend support to good friend-stage partner Ai-Ai. “She’s a good person,” he enthused. Ai-Ai and Ogie have been doing the rounds of international concert venues, making homesick kababayan laugh and have a good time.
Hardworking ABS-CBN executives took time off to be with Ai-Ai. I saw the ever dependable Linggit Tan, creative genius and always helpful Deo Endrinal and of course Ai-Ai’s Tita Love, the formidable Cory Vidanes, friend, mother, mentor, peacemaker, teacher, boss to Ai-Ai and to all of us Kapamilya artists. In that dressing room after the show, I saw Dr. Albert Wongchai and Dr. Dennis Ngo of the UST Hospital — friends, fans, doctors of the great talent of Ai-Ai. The air was happy, celebratory with a beaming Louie Ocampo, musical director non pareil. Designers Eric Pineda, Maxi Cinco, makeup artist Jinky Ilusorio, production and artistic people gathered all their staff — happy that all their efforts paid off. In every nerve-wracking major concert outing of Ai-Ai, this is the team that understands Ai-Ai’s mad, mad, mad side.
You go to an Ai-Ai show for good laughs. Don’t expect wholesome punchlines — you’ll be disappointed. Her sexual jokes are so funny — they’re everything we want to say but can’t. They’re everything we want to do but can’t. She says and does them so bodaciously and vulgar becomes funny, lascivious becomes hilarious, raucous becomes Merry Christmas because she makes us laugh at our own unfulfilled aberrations. Only Ai-Ai de las Alas can get away with this kind of stuff — and go straight to heaven. By the way, some of her closest friends are Catholic priests who spank her when she needs it.
Let’s talk about the guests:
Pilita Corrales is divine. She is the one and only Queen of Songs in Asia and in our hearts. She is ageless. It’s blasphemous to even describe her. The wonderful production number with Ai-Ai was hilarious and deftly engineered by Louie Ocampo. When you watch Pilita, you get a whole package that she so generously shares with her audience. No one comes close to the great Pilita Corrales.
The three comedians. No doubt, they were very good and earnest. Might have been tough for them. After a while, it was gratitude that dictated that I applaud because I got complimentary tickets. The problem was that the comedy of the trio was personal, intimate — the thing that they do best in smaller venues. At the gargantuan Coliseum, the lack of affinity with the bigger part of the audience was felt. The applause was kind and the impatience that Ai-Ai was not coming back on stage sooner was palpable. But this is not to trivialize the talent and audacity of the three comics.
G-Force, the dance company, was electrifying. They were having fun and we knew it.
Derek Ramsay and Zanjoe Marudo. Lord oh Lord, my small and large intestines went berserk in lascivious miasma. I prayed they stayed on stage longer. My prayers were dismissed. Indeed, God knows!
Sarah Geronimo has a voice that can incite a revolution — so powerful, so solid, you know this girl is going to conquer the world. And she’s a natural. She does not pretend to be who she’s not — when she sings and when she does her spiels. And her choice of clothes is always appropriate. That night Sarah sparkled like a true champion.
Ai-Ai has three beautiful children. She sang for them. In between notes and tears, she was a mother — loving living, leaning on her children.
No, not yet. It wasn’t her greatest performance. Not ever a prelude. She’s got a long, long way to go. Ai-Ai reigns supreme as the Comedy Concert Queen.
In that dressing room after the show, was the lady who mounted this spectacular production, a lady who has faith in the amazing, unbelievable talents of Ai-Ai — Saripaz Villar.
Bravo, Sari! Bravo, Ai-Ai!
http://philstar.com/index.php?Entertainmen...;aid=2007112542
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i labs u Tito Boy!!!
3
donna_sag, on Nov 23 2007, 01:46 PM, said:
ito pa po hehehe
kilala mo ba yung sumigaw... 
...di ko napansin..hahahaha 
...binalot ko...
hahahaha
Mabuti nalang nagawan mo ng way, atleast may naishare ka dito! 
yown! thanks sa additional pictures....
