Pinky Amador just being herself (left) and made up as Edith Piaf (right)
Fresh from her acclaimed performance as Edith Piaf in Atlantis Productions’ 2013 staging of the play, “Piaf” which recently won for her the Best Actress in a Play award from BroadwayWorld Philippines’ Theater Awards, Pinky Amador is paying tribute anew to the legendary French chanteuse in a pre-Valentine’s concert at Bar 360 of Resorts World Manila.
Simply called, “Paris Romance with Pinky Amador”, the show already had two successful performances last January 18 and 25 at the same venue. Pinky is scheduled to have two more concerts this February 1 and February 8.
If 2013 is a landmark year for the versatile theater, film and TV actress who has over the years proven to be a very good singer as well, 2014 is appearing to be a very busy time for Pinky. Aside from her upcoming concert, she was part of the recently concluded all-star fund-raising concert, “Do You Hear The People Sing?”.
Even though her “role” as part of the Miss Saigon Ensemble was basically a cameo, the veteran actress was more than happy to lend her time and waive her talent fee in an event where proceeds are going to go to Yolanda rehabilitation efforts, specifically for rebuilding of new homes thru Habitat for Humanity.
This coming February, Pinky is also part of the cast of Repertory Philippines’ production of “August: Osage County”, Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer prize winning play that was recently adapted into a film that garnered several nominations for this year’s Academy awards.
Starring opposite Baby Barredo who plays the family matriarch played by Meryl Streep in the film, Pinky plays her eldest daughter played by Julia Roberts. Both Streep and Roberts were nominated for Academy awards for their performances in the film.
During the recent press conference to promote “Paris Romance”, Pinky was asked by Interaksyon how she feels about the state of theater in the Philippines.
“I think it’s a very exciting time for theater here. Now you have weekends where you got plenty of options to go to from Rep, from PETA to Atlantis and other productions. Matira ang matibay and I think that’s a great thing. With better production values, I also hope that it will also lead to a more discerning audience,” she replied.
With more and more mainstream film and TV actors crossing over to theater (i.e. Tom Rodriguez, Rachelle Ann Go, G Tongi), Pinky said it’s a natural progression even in the US and other countries to try different things to keep the industry fresh and vibrant.
“Being an educator, I’m very supportive and welcoming of film actors doing theater. I welcome and relish the opportunity of working with them,” she noted. Pinky is currently the department head of Theater Arts at Meridian International School.
She added that popular film actors also lead to higher production values and strong marquee value which ultimately translate to better turnouts in terms of patronage.
The two-time Aliw Awardee for Best Stage Actress has also been nominated by the Star Awards for Movies (“Magdusa Ka” in 1984) and the Gawad Urian (“Sana’y Pag-Ibig Na” in 1988) for her stellar work on film.
Still, it comes as no surprise that she is reprising the character responsible for her most defining moment onstage. While being a cast member of the original West End production of “Miss Saigon” was a breakthrough moment for a then young Pinky, “Piaf” is even more meaningful for her at this stage of her career as she got to play one of France’s best known international superstars.
In interviews prior to the Atlantis staging of the play last year, Pinky said it’s a role that she has been coveting for 25 years. When she finally got the nod, she even went as far as visiting Piaf’s grave in Paris to prepare for the role and yes, ask the late singer’s “permission”.
“Believe it or not, there’s an urban legend about Edith Piaf that if you don’t ask her permission, something bad will happen. I don’t know if people believe actually believed it, but for me, it has done me a lot of good so far,” she revealed.
Pinky’s spellbinding performance was so indelible that she continues to receive requests to perform the songs she sang in the play including the immortal, “La Vie en rose” as well as other favorites like “Milord” and “La Foule”.
“They want to hear the songs again, so I’m doing them now for my pre-Valentine’s Day concert,” she quipped.
Despite her fluency in speaking French, she admits that singing in that European language remains challenging for her.
“The guttural ‘r’ sound is what makes singing in French so challenging. Actually, you’re not supposed to sing in that manner because that will be damaging to your voice,” she pointed out.
She’s doing it—again—just the same. For her Bar 360 shows, Pinky will be accompanied only by an accordion on stage and will be joined by “Piaf” cast mate Sandino Martin for some duets.
How’s that for some real “Paris Romance” ambiance?
Bar 360 is located at the ground Casino floor of Resorts World Manila. For ticket information, visit www.rwmanila.com or call the Tourist hotline at 908-8833.
Pinky Amador channels Edith Piaf anew in pre-Valentine’s Day concert
Source: InterAksyon.com (February 01, 2014 at 10:25AM)
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