Si Manang Sa Sharon

"Guest si Lea sa taping ng Sharon tomorrow. I have only one slot available. I put your name on it. 7:30 ang call time. Text me if you can make it," was the message that I got after coming out of the Huseng Batute Theater. It was from Gigi of Sharonians Online. Buti na lang at hindi niya ko nakalimutang imbitahin. I managed to ask her if she could squeezed Biboy in and she agreed the morning after.
Excitement crept all over me! Lea and Sharon, together? Lea on Sharon? Ay, grabe! Heaven ito! Better than sex talaga! Hahaha!
As expected, Sharon didn't fail to amuse us fans with her funny antics and comedic dialogues. Ika nga ni Biboy, watching her is like watching a stand-up comic. Mega-laugh ka talaga sa mga pinagsasasabi niya off cam. "Sabi ko sa n'yo, masaya rito pag taping, eh. Dami kayong malalaman off cam tungkol sa 'kin," she said while on a break. Her fave jokes are about her ex'es, her weight, and Kiko.

However, s'ympre ang special that day ay si Ms. Lea Salonga. I haven't seen her or watch her that close. She even interacted with the audience from the AFLS group. Nasabi nga ni Acy, "Sarap manood nang malapitan!" She almost cried during Robert Seña, Isay Alvarez, Michael Williams, and Lea's performance of Miss Saigon songs. "Ikaw ba naman manood ng Miss Saigon ng libre sa balcony at hindi pa si Lea ang Kim," she added while reminiscing the day she went to see the play in CCP. Pagkalayo-layo nga raw nila dahil complimentary lang ang ticket mula sa munisipyo ng bayan nila. The MS alumni sang "Sun and Moon" and "Last Night of the World".

The whole show can be summarized as a mini-concert conducted by her brother, Gerard Salonga with the Global Studio Orchestra. During the opening, Sharon and Manang (as what her legion of fans fondly calls her) sang "It Had to be You." It was followed by "Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal" to which the audience gladly sang with her. "Oh they remember the song and the movie," Manang blurted out. Sagot naman ang Acy sa tabi namin, "Oo naman! Gusto mo Dear Diary pa, at Pik Pak Boom, eh!" (Incidentally, Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal will be showing on QTV11 this Saturday at 9PM. Buti na lang at miss ko na ito! Wala pang new release nito on video.)
Then I answered back, "Next song naman 'Please Naman'."
"Ano 'yun?" Acy asked. Ay, hindi niya naabutan ang kantang iyun. Napahiya naman ako! Lumabas tuloy 'yung edad ko. Hehehe! (Anyway, eto, pakinggan mo ang "Please Naman".)

Afterwards, she sang her Inspired debut single called "Promise Me" followed by her soon to be Fantine song "I Dreamed a Dream". At the end, she and Mega sang "Sana Maulit Muli." Hay, kung lumabas sina Poknat at Bokbok, mas sulit! Hahaha!
During the interview, Sharon fondly remembers how they were together in a film but not exactly together. It was in Captain Barbel where Lea played Tenten's (Herbert Bautista) love interest while she played Darna. "Oy, naging Darna rin ito minsan, " Sharon jokes. "Hahanapin ko nga 'yung picture ko n'un at ikakalat ko!" Then, nagkantiyawan nang ipalabas ang message ni Bistek. "Honestly, he never made his intentions clear before," Lea reminices. "Either that, or I was too naive to realize that he was already courting me." In his My Favorite Show interview though, Bistek said that not admitting to Lea his feelings towards her was his biggest regret until now. He was too torpe back then that every visit he made in their house, he would end up talking to her dad all day.
Sharon thanked Lea for the wonderful rendition of her songs that she did in her Songs from Home concert. "We really didn't do much arrangement on them. They were good the way they are. We believe in the saying, 'If it's not broke, why fix it', right?" (Listen to her "Sharon Cuneta Medley" on My Playlist. Truly magnificent!)
So, yun! T'was an unforgettable night, indeed. Sa sobrang saya ko, nakalimutan kong isipin na baka pwedeng ma-meet siya backstage. Nakibuntot sana kami kay Gigi uli.
Anyway, I hope to meet her on her Uncut concert on the 11th. Excited na ko!
Watch Lea's guesting on Sharon on Sunday after Rated K!