How God shone through Carla Guevara Laforteza
I got a call from Carla Guevara Laforteza months back excitedly announcing that she was asked by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to be part of this year’s “Triple Threats” series featuring leading ladies—a theme long overdue. The concert series, which began in 2013 with Nonie Buencamino, Menchu Lauchengco Yulo and myself as headliners, has over the years presented various musical theater artists.
She called to ask if I could be one of her guests. How could I not be part of her milestone concert?
Carla and I go ways back. I first met her in 1995 when she was a wide-eyed teenager starting in the ensemble of Repertory Philippines’ production of “Les Miserables.” A decade later we cast her as Princess Sapphire in Trumpets’ “Little Mermaid” (where she met her husband-to-be Godfrey). I have watched her evolve to become one of the country’s preeminent performing artists. Carla has starred in numerous musicals over her illustrious 30-year career.
The biggest challenge putting together a “Triple Threats” show is whittling down one’s expansive body of work into a 90- minute revue. I suggested to Carla to not limit her repertoire to theater songs, since she has also done pop concerts, television and movies. She confirmed that’s exactly what she had in mind.
Months passed and the next time I heard anything about the concert was mid-July, when she started a group chat with the guest performers. I learned that I was going to be part of a leading men medley. I also learned she had tapped Paolo Valenciano to direct and no less than Gerard Salonga to be musical director, conducting a chamber orchestra!
The “Triple Threats” series offers a modest production budget. All past performers have at most used a five-man band. But trust Carla to pull out all stops. She bought the whole show so she could give away the tickets to family and friends. In turn, she mandated that everyone come dressed in formal black attire.
Fabulous show
The original playdate was July 25, but typhoon “Carina” forced a postponement to Aug. 8. Some of the guest performers could no longer make the resched. I myself already had a previous engagement and could not attend the one and only rehearsal. So, I had no idea what the show was going to be like until the day itself during the technical run. Even if Carla was still focused on getting music cues right and reviewing her spiels and lyrics off the teleprompter, I could tell it was going to be a fabulous show.
After company call and prayers, we guest artists were asked to join the audience. I loved the set-up. It was in the round—the orchestra upstage, the audience wrapped around on three sides. Guest performers were assigned to sit in the front row to the left so that we could watch the show and simply step up on the stage when it was our turn to perform. Tanghalang Ignacio Jimenez was packed. The theater community came in full force. It was such a joyful reunion, and the excitement was palpable.
Finally the star of the show made her grand entrance. In a room of black, she appeared on the stage dressed in an elegant red ball gown, so that all eyes were drawn to her immediately. That entrance alone garnered a lengthy welcome ovation.
She opened with “Yentl’s” “Papa Can You Hear Me,” recalling how as a young girl she prayed to break free from the confines of her all-girl school to pursue a frowned-upon career in the performing arts. This was mashed up with “Waving Through a Window” from “Dear Even Hansen” to dramatize how she struggled at first to get noticed. The pursuit of this passion is what brought her to this evening.
This may have been the grandest of the “Triple Threats” concerts and yet the most personal and intimate, a labor of love.
She served up her “A La Carlotta” repertoire showing off her flair for comedy with “I’ve Got This,” a song especially written for her by Rony Fortich; her ability to convey a broad range of emotions singing Ben & Ben’s “Magpahinga” and “Hahanapin Ko,” which I did not even know was composed by Jose Mari Chan. (He and his lovely wife Mary Ann were there that evening.)
Leading men and women
Our leading men medley was up next. I kicked it off with “Stars,” from “Les Miserables.” Loy Martinez did “Music of the Night,” from “Phantom of the Opera,” Raul Montesa sang “If I Can’t Love Her” from “Beauty and The Beast,” and Arman Ferrer wowed the crowd with “This is the Moment” from “Jekyll and Hyde.” Together we serenaded Carla with “Tonight” from “West Side Story.”
To pay tribute to two of her music idols, Carla then performed a Karen Carpenter medley. Another idol of hers is Gary Valenciano who, because of the change in playdate, could no longer make it that night.
In his stead, Carla called up Gian Magdangal and Sheila Fransisco to perform “Spain.” R&B and jazz were styles I did not anticipate, but they were a welcome novelty. Gian stayed on as Carla called up her leading lady “sisters” Shiela Valderrama Martinez and Yanah Laurel Siguion Reyna to cap Act One with the rousing “Schuyler Sisters” from “Hamilton” accompanied by her jaunty song and dance backups Jim Ferrer, Abi Sulit, Johann de la Fuente and Paula Paguio.
Act Two opened with a duet between Floyd Tena and Carla, an easy breezy rendition of “Pure Imagination.” The vibe was so relaxed. It felt like we were all just in Carla’s sala, jamming.
The next portion was dedicated to her immediate family. She honored her parents with a heartfelt “Smile.” When Tito Boy and Tita Monette got up to dance during the instrumental, there was a collective sigh in the house.
Incredible range
“I would like to dedicate the next song to the leading man of my life…” Carla said as all eyes fell on her husband. She continued, “… Piolo Pascual.” If you know how much of a comic Godfrey is, you would have laughed as hard as all of us did. She serenaded him with Stevie Wonder’s “Too Shy To Say/Overjoyed.”
For her children Bailey and Oreo who were present and Sophia (who is in the US, on the verge of international stardom via the girl group Katseye), Carla sang “Not While I’m Around” from “Sweeney Todd.”
We had been waiting all night for when Carla would sing from “Miss Saigon,” having played Kim at the West End. She gave us that, performing “Sun and Moon” with Noel Rayos. They were a love team in “Little Mermaid” and will again be paired up in the upcoming production of “Once On This Island.” Although Carla has essayed a lot of ingenue roles, she does not come across as the typical sweet and innocent kind. She has spunk, which make her portrayals a lot more compelling to watch. She is a belter with an incredible chest range.
When she sang “He Opens a Window,” reprising her award-winning portrayal of Rachel from the 2022 staging of “Joseph The Dreamer,” this time with her niece Paloma Laforteza dancing, I grabbed the arm of Sheila Francisco who was seated beside me and together we teared up. It was so moving. Anointed. As performers we always pray before a show and often would say, “We do this for your glory.”
That evening, God was shining through Carla.
