US-bound Nora holds free show at the FAT

First, the sad news: Nora Aunor won’t be here to celebrate her 51st birthday on May 21 because she and Kuh Ledesma are scheduled to go on a series of shows in the US the whole of May until June.

And now, the good news: Nora will star in a concert called Through the Years on April 25 at the Folk Arts Theater (FAT), open to the public. (For free tickets, call Sonia at 02-7220254, Albert at 0917-8367428, Vonnel at 0919-5607472, Marlon at 0920-5414019 or Nestor at 0920-23070219.)

Between now and then, Nora is, of course, busy campaigning for her favorite Presidential candidate, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who, I’m sure, will grace the FAT event. Nope, it’s not going to be a miting de avance for GMA and his team but plain and pure concert as a tribute to the legendary Superstar described by her followers as "the quintessential Filipino artist who continues to excel in the field of music, film stage and the concert scene."

With Nora’s bosom friend and manager Norie Sayo as over-all director, Mel Villena as musical arranger and Noel Ferrer as scriptwriter, Through the Years is touted as a reunion concert for Nora’s fans and friends who have stuck to her through thick and thin, come what may, whether Nora is up or down.

Produced by Ace Entertainment, Through the Years will serve as Nora’s 51st birthday concert.

"Last year," said Nora, "I did Gold as my (50th) birthday concert at the Araneta Coliseum. "But since I’ll be away on my birthday this year, the FAT concert will be my birthday celebration."

The audience will see a "reinvented" Nora in Through the Years, singing the hits of such contemporary artists as Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Beyonce and Whitney Houston. Nora will do production numbers choreographed by Geleen Eugenio and a duet with Keith Martin (of Because of You, who seemed to have opted to remain in the Philippines after his concert last Valentine’s Day). Also performing are the Masculados, Ate Glow (a duet with President GMA, perhaps?), Yul Servo (Nora’s co-star in her movie-in-the-making, Angora Films’ Naglalayag, directed by Maryo J. delos Reyes) and "surprise" guests.

Besides taking Noranians down Memory Lane with Nora Aunor classics in the repertoire and the showing of vignettes and images from her films, Through the Years will also pay tribute to Nora’s friends who have passed away, like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Charito Solis, Rolando Tinio, Inday Badiday and Joe Salazar (who had Nora as his very first signature model from showbiz).

For the presscon, Nora’s fans and friends prepared a collector’s-item press kit which includes Nora’s filmography (142 starrers so far in 37 years, starting with Sampaguita Pictures’ All Over the World circa Sept. 1967 to her latest one, Naglalayag), discography (55 albums so far, starting with Nora Aunor Sings in 1969 by Alpha Records which built her up as a singer) and list of awards and trophies (154 so far, including those for Best Actress won both here and in filmfests abroad, recording trophies and plaques of appreciation).

The people behind Through the Years are thinking of launching a "Search for Maria Leonora" gimmick. You know, of course, who Maria Leonora Teresa was – the doll who served as the "daughter" of Nora and Tirso Cruz III at the height of their loveteam heyday and for whom a song, named after the doll, was recorded by Tirso (who, I’m sure, will show up at the FAT concert as one of the "surprise" guests – barring any hitch; incidentally, it’s Tirso’s birthday today).

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