‘Generational’ drama in show business

GARLAND AND MINNELLI. Victims of other people’s machinations. Photo from perezhilton.com

A “generational” drama has been playing itself out in the entertainment scene that deserves to be highlighted, for thematically instructive purposes: It’s the fact that quite a number of female stars’ daughters “succeed” them in the trade, but only a few are able to match—let alone surpass—their iconic mothers’ achievements.

That may sound like just the way things are in show biz’s time-worn scheme of things, but it can harbor deep conflicts and fuel feelings of inadequacy that make some stellar daughters’ careers and lives difficult and even painful.
Take Judy Garland and her daughter, Liza Minnelli: Judy was such a great singer-actor that Liza had a very hard time coming into her own, even after she won a Best Actress Oscar for “Cabaret.”

Judy Garland had her drug and drinking problems, which were partly induced when she was only a juvenile star by producers who used uppers and then downers to make her work for very long hours. Similarly, Liza has been known for her occasionally erratic behavior.

Despite their excesses, both Judy and Liza have elicited sympathy rather than scorn, because they were victims of other people’s machinations.

KARYLLE AND PADILLA. A charismatic shadow to step out of. Photo from www.facebook.com

Liza still performs every now and then (we saw her most recently on “Glee”), but she’s had a hard time clambering back to the top—unlike her iconic mother, who is still remembered as the better, greater star.

Local scene

On the local entertainment scene, it’s instructive to note that the same “generational” drama is playing itself out—happily, with much less emotional strum and drama. For instance, Zsa Zsa Padilla is such a charismatic singer, beauty and all-around performer that her daughter Karylle has had to work double-time to keep pace with her. Happily, Karylle has done well regionally, especially on the Singapore TV production, “Kitchen Musical,” so she could in time fully step out of Zsa Zsa’s charismatic shadow.

Another instructive relationship is that of Sharon Cuneta and her daughter, KC Concepcion. Treated for years as a show biz “princess” due to her parental “lineage” (Sharon and Gabby Concepcion), KC had a hard time breaking free of her restricting “image”—but, not for want of trying.

Some years ago, we were alarmed by her unexpected display of acrobatic and aerial dance skills, which we felt were too much of a stretch for her to make, just to prove a stellar point.

More to our liking was her recent “gun moll” portrayal in the film, “Boy Golden,” where she effectively portrayed a seething, sexy killer with a throbbingly vulnerable core to her.

With that feisty portrayal, KC said goodbye to her stultifyingly “sweet” image of yore. We’re not saying she should “go sexy” all the time, but variety is the spice!