Karylle not admitting Yael visits

Karylle and Yael Yuzon

SINGAPORE—Karylle Tatlonghari has remained tightlipped about her relationship with Yael Yuzon, frontman of the band Spongecola, who has reportedly come here three times to visit her.

“I don’t know about that,” Karylle told Inquirer Entertainment when asked to confirm Yael’s “stopovers.”

Karylle is the lead star of “The Kitchen Musical,” a TV series shot here and set to premiere in 19 countries in Asia and Europe in October. It will air on ABS-CBN and Studio 23 in the Philippines.

“A lot of friends come over,” she explained. “Last week, I had two visitors. Zia (Quizon, her half-sister) is also coming because she felt jealous of mom (singer Zsazsa Padilla), who had so much fun the last time she was here.”

Reports linking Karylle and Yael have been going around since last year. Yael’s brother, Pupil guitarist Yan Yuzon, confirmed in a TV interview early this year that the two were a couple.

Musical collaboration

Karylle admitted having collaborated with Yael to produce her latest album, “Road Trip” (PolyEast Records). “Labor of love nga ito for Yael,” she recently told ABS-CBN’s “The Buzz.” She also said Yael, who has a degree in English Literature, had written a children’s book for her, which will be published soon.

Karylle “I know I’m a brat but I’m behaved and I work hard.”

The singer-actress said her mom was planning another visit to Singapore, this time with her US-based grandmother. “That will be bonding time for three generations of Padillas,” said Karylle.

In “The Kitchen Musical,” Karylle plays Maddie, a rich young girl who works as sous chef at her father’s famous restaurant, The Avilon, after graduating from the culinary school Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Maddie believes the restaurant menu needs a major overhaul but she has to contend with the tyrannical head chef, Alex Marcus.

Also in the cast are British actor Stephen Rahman Hughes, who plays Alex; French fashion model and singer Rosemary Vandenbroucke as Selena Argon, the sommelier (in charge of wines); stage actor Arthur Acuña, as Harry Shaw, the general manager; and singer-actor Christian Bautista, as Daniel Ray, Maddie’s best friend, also a sous chef.

Boot camp

The cast started working on the show on June 1. They had four weeks of intense rehearsals and were made to attend a kitchen boot camp as preparation.

“More than learning how to chop and cook properly, we were taught the dynamics of a restaurant kitchen,” said Karylle during a media gathering held in Republic Polytechnic, where the TKM set is located. “Teamwork is important. You have to help a teammate in trouble because the most important thing is for a dish to be on the table at a certain time.”

Karylle said they were also taught to work under pressure. “There was a time limit to everything. Nagkakagulo kami in the beginning. After a while, we—the kitchen staff—found our rhythm. That’s the best thing that happened in boot camp, we all found our rhythm.”

Admittedly “intimidated” by kitchen chores, Karylle said cooking while performing was the most challenging part of TKM. “It felt like I was going back to school, especially because a lot of the terms used are French. Since my character studied in France, I had to be confident while talking about these things. I watched French channels and listened to French music whenever I had the time. I also asked help from Rosemary.”

Food trips

She is likewise grateful to cast member Juwanda, who comes from a family of caterers and cooks. “He’s a baker. I actually had dinner at his house already. Whenever I eat something, I ask him about the ingredients. He enumerates them super fast!”

Karylle said she had taken a lot of “food trips” here. “I went to a French resto in Little India. It was good that there were many Pinoys on the staff. I took time to talk to them,” she recounted. “I also visited Mario Batali’s Pizzeria Mozza at the Marina Bay Sands. The chef there is a Filipina. I kept coming back and they kept giving me free food. I also took time looking at spices in grocery stores. Unlike the usual scripts that are easy to study, I have to treat mine like a textbook. I have to memorize all the terms. ’Di pwedeng dayain ang pangalan.”

Karylle’s favorite chef is Jamie Oliver, host of “Food Revolution” on ABC. “He’s super enthusiastic about food. I’ve never seen anyone as so in love with food like him. He’s so energetic about it,” she added. She said she has plans of enrolling in a cooking school in Manila.

“I told my mom, ‘When I come home, we have to take cooking classes. It’s impossible to finish this show and still not know how to cook properly.’ We’ll take short courses together. This will be in November, just in time before we go on tour to promote the show.”

Secretly bratty

Karylle said she is similar to her character in a lot of ways. “But the most significant thing is that Maddie and I are both secretly bratty. This comes out when we’re pushed to our limits. I know I’m a brat but I’m behaved and I work hard,” she pointed out. “It’s not like we’re being bratty all day long. It has more to do with challenging creativity.”

She revealed that she produced her own album because “I really wanted to do something new. Ang hirap ipaglaban ang gusto mo. You’re always get told, ‘these are the rules, you have to stick to them.’”

Living abroad was a major adjustment, she confessed. “I’m very lucky I have [my assistant] Rose with me. She’s my second mom. She’s been with me since I was a kid. If not for her I’d be crying at night. It also helped that I have friends who live here,” she said. “I don’t feel like a stranger since there are a lot of Filipinos here. During the first weeks I always got lost. The first time, I saw a Filipino and asked for directions. It felt good to know you’re not alone.”

TKM is a creation of Malaysian director CheeK or Cheah Chee-kong. Australian choreographer and dance consultant Jason Coleman is director of choreography. Italian artist Massimiliano della Maggesa is makeup consultant. Gerald Salonga is musical director and arranger.

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