Raising the performance bar

Zsa Zsa Padilla

The recent addition of Zsa Zsa Padilla to the stellar cast of the teleserye, “Wildflower,” has markedly improved the extended series.

Her character’s edgy combination of beauty and personification of pure evil makes the seething melodrama more viewable than before, and has resulted in some acting “highlights” that have raised the show’s thespic level to uncommon peaks.

Most recently, the series’ best and feistiest “moment” was a scene between Zsa Zsa’s character and her former flame.

What made the scene flash and flare was the fact that the similarly villainous male antagonist was played by the similarly gifted Tirso Cruz III.

It was a real treat to see the two “senioring” acting icons biting into their “confrontation/seduction” scene with great relish. He flashed, she flared—and viewers thrilled to their display of symbiotic thespic pyrotechnics.

More to the point, the unusually felt and “primal” sequence passionately enacted by Tirso and Zsa Zsa made viewers realize how often they have been shortchanged by other and lesser teleserye players, who come up with predictable and merely proficient portrayals, because the creative spirit hasn’t moved them.

Having set a higher than usual standard for TV acting, Zsa Zsa and Tirso have unintentionally put their lesser and lazier colleagues on the spot, so they should shape up or ship out!

Viewers can speed up the process by insisting that TV performers come up with exceptional thespic “moments” of their own, to keep up with their more creative and dynamic seniors and betters.

Aicelle Santos

‘Awit Na, Aicelle’

Other talents who have raised the bar in performance this season are paced by Aicelle Santos, whose stellar singing showcase, “Awit Na, Aicelle,” will be staged at the Music Museum on Nov. 24.

The gifted actress-singer has come a long way since she first excited audiences in original Filipino musicals like “Katy!” and “Rak of Aegis.”

Aside from coming out with an album, she’s acted in a TV drama series and had her own popular “Traffic Diva” portion on “Eat Bulaga.”

Aicelle’s Nov. 24 concert at the Music Museum is only the latest example of how she keeps raising the performance bar for herself, by challenging herself with proactive projects that sequentially stretch her performing limits.

Aicelle’s show features special guest performers like Gary Valenciano, Quest, Myke Salomon, Bullet Dumas and The CompanY, but the heavy lifting for the musical evening will be done by Aicelle herself—because she loves to discover what else, what more she can do!

What about Aicelle’s performing prospects for 2018?
Since she likes to challenge herself and stretch her limits, she should topbill another original Filipino musical—this time, playing the sole protagonist, so the focus will be more rigorously on her stellar “K”—and her ability to hold viewers’ rapt attention, out there on her own.

In addition, she should give TV acting another go, but GMA 7 should give her a lead role that she can really bite into and savor—no more villainous or “shoulder to cry on” roles, please!