‘Triple Threats’: Leading ladies light up CCP stage with solo concerts
At a media preview that had maybe around 30 in attendance, the three artists headlining this year’s “Triple Threats” concert surely gave memorable performances that prove why they are among the leading women in Philippine musical theater.
Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez and Tanya Manalang-Atadero fit the bill perfectly, as they all excel in singing, acting, and dancing and they are each set to showcase their talents in solo outings for this year’s annual concert series produced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
In her opening remarks, CCP president Kaye C. Tiñga highlighted the institution’s commitment to providing a nurturing space and a robust platform for artists to flourish.
Making the concerts unique and exciting is that the artists are given free reign on the songs that they will perform, showcasing sides of their repertoire that their fans may not have yet seen before.
Guevara-Laforteza, who is celebrating her 30th year in the industry, is a multiawarded leading lady and character actress and has graced the international musical theater scene with roles including Kim and Gigi in “Miss Saigon” at the Theatre Royal Dreary Lane in London. She is also currently on tour with “Disney in Concert,” and some of her more notable local theater productions include roles in “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” where she won the 2019 LEAF Awards for Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and “Rak of Aegis,” where she received the GEM Award for Best Featured Artist and recently in “One More Chance The Musical.”
Journey
She gave a moving rendition of “He Opens a Window” from “Joseph the Dreamer” during the presscon, and she herself opens the series on July 25 with her show “A la Carlotta,” which she explains roughly means “according to me.”“When I turned 45, I did a concert at 12 Monkeys where I did all the solos I’ve done in my career up to that point,” she said. “So I said I don’t want to do musicals, I want to sing songs I bop my head to when I listen to it on the radio—pop, dance, something you wouldn’t expect me to do. And please wear all black … because it’s going to affect the entire show.”
With Rony Fortich on the piano, Valderrama-Martinez sang a Disney medley as a nod to her time as a performer for the global entertainment company. Her concert on Oct. 17 will talk about her journey through the songs she has always wanted to sing.
“And others are a surprise,” she says. “I have Menchu (Lauchengco-Yulo) and Rony and I’m pretty confident that we’ll put on something amazing. I’m in good hands.”
Valderrama-Martinez is also three decades deep in the industry, having won awards including the LEAF Awards for Best Actress in a Musical, Awit Awards for Best New Female Recording Artist and Aliw Awards for Excellence in Dramatic Performance. She played notable roles in “Binondo,” “Dani Girl,” “Rak of Aegis” and in Stephen Sondheim’s “Passion.”
Bring everybody up
The youngest in the group, Manalang-Atadero closes the series on Dec. 12. Considered one of the most accomplished actresses on the musical theater stage, she sang “I’d Give My Life for You” from “Miss Saigon,” where she played Kim in the West End revival. While clearly a nervous bundle of energy during the open forum, Manalang-Atadero made constant jokes about her concert’s artistic team—or the lack thereof—at that time.
“Why me? I’ve never done a show with CCP but I’ve always wanted to. Totoo ba ito? (Is this for real?) And then I asked my friends and they said one thing, ‘Bobo ka lang kapag hindi mo ginawa iyan (you’d be dumb not to do it),’” she said.
“To have been asked to do this is insane. Right now I’m just thinking of the songs I want to sing, and also be able to reintroduce the people who have been part of my journey in theater and in anything I do. This is really an exciting thing to do that would summarize everything I’ve done so far.”She has been in other well-loved productions such as “The Sound of Music,” “In The Heights,” “All Out of Love” and “Rak of Aegis,” winning Best Actress in a Musical from Aliw Awards and GEMS Awards, respectively.
Asked whether they will be watching each other’s concerts, Guevara-Laforteza said that while there may have been rivalries in the past, everyone should just work and be supportive of each other to make things more pleasant.“We are all in the same circle and we are in a small community,” she said. “After the pandemic, nakakabaliw (it was crazy). So let’s do everything right and bring everybody up. Gandahan natin ang local productions natin (Let’s make our local productions) because at the end of the day, ang kalaban natin ay iyong mga (we’re competing with) international shows so we have to be at par, if not better than them.” —contributed INQAll shows will be held at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Black Box Theater). Ticket prices are P1,000 (standard) and P1,500 (VIP). INQ
Dexter R. Matilla
