Indeed, Imelda Romualdez Marcos’ life was a fascinating tapestry of events, from her humble beginnings to her meteoric rise to power and fame, to the disenchantment of the Filipino people and final downfall of the 20-year Marcos regime, which ended in a suspenseful and emotional Miss Saigonesque helicopter exit from Malacañang.
Imagine this: Wide-eyed, young Imelda, fresh from Tacloban province, joins the Miss Manila beauty contest, the Ferdie-Meldy whirlwind courtship, Imelda facelifts Manila as Metro Manila governor (remember the once ubiquitous Metro Aides?), her daring and flamboyant state visits to Castro and Khaddafy, to China and the Vatican, the extravagant and controversial Manila International Film Festival, plus a curious coterie of luminaries and sundry characters in her jet-set circle, including piano virtuoso Van Cliburn and his mother, Brooke Shields, George Hamilton, eccentric heiress Doris Duke, the Reagans, and Arab billionaire businessman Adnan Kashoggi, among others.
Add the glittering champagne and caviar bashes at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, no-sleep disco nights on the presidential yacht Ang Pangulo, the no-limit shopping sprees in the most exclusive and expensive shops, those heart-stopping bling-blings fit for royalty from Cartier, Tiffany’s, Harry Winston, et al, the Canaletto, Raphael and spectacular old masters from Christie’s and Sotheby’s, an unrivaled collection of shoes to fill up an entire museum, a dramatic rusty bolo attempt on her life (in front of the Pope, no less!), a nation desperately stuck in debt and poverty, Marcos’ declaration of martial law, the alleged human rights abuses, the Ninoy Aquino assassination that shocked the world, Cory Aquino’s phenomenal rise through People Power, the issue of the hidden Marcos wealth (not to mention the suspense-gripped court proceedings in New York), and you have the perfect ingredients for a Broadway smash hit or a Hollywood blockbuster.
In 1980, during one of those exclusive, almost hush-hush events orchestrated for Mrs. Marcos, Manay Ichu Maceda and Vic del Rosario mounted a drama-musical on the life of La Madame at the Philippine International Convention Center. Directed by Fritz Ynfante, it was an ambitious project that featured a dynamic all-star cast. Only the best of the top local performers of that time were featured. Manay Ichu declared that it was to be "a show for an audience of one."
There were four Imeldas in the production – teenager Sharon Cuneta as the young Imelda, Leah Navarro as the beauty queen Imelda who auditioned for the movies with Dr. Jose Vera-Perez (played by yours truly), Becca Godinez as Imelda the young bride, and Boots Anson-Roa as Imelda, the Inang Bayan. Part of the visual spectacle was the use of original Imelda gowns worn by Leah, Becca and Boots. The role of President Marcos was handled adeptly by film actor Jay Ilagan, complete with the trademark high-front wave Marcos hair!
Others in the cast were Nova Villa, Geraldine, Mae Cendaña, Cris Bermont, Gary Bautista, Rudy Fernandez, Imelda Papin, the New York Philippine Folk Arts Group, Niño Muhlach, Anthony Castelo, Edgar Mortiz, Bernardo Bernardo, the Hagibis, Rico Puno, Mike Hanopol, yours truly, and many others.
What was odd about the performance night was that there seemed to be more people on stage than there were spectators. But we were properly warned: It was all meant for "an audience of one."
It is important to note that in 1980, the Marcos regime was still in its golden era. One thing that can’t be denied was Mrs. Marcos’ irresistible charisma during those Imeldific days. At the height of her power, people were willing to do almost anything for her. She was just totally overwhelming and larger than life.
Whatever it was, that production is now part of history and can’t be undone. What resulted, however, was a close bonding among the artists who performed in the show. We had fun, and, for us, that was all that mattered then. Politics was not on our minds.
Leah Navarro muses, "It was the opportunity to work with outstanding people like Jay Ilagan (little did we know that we were going to lose him soon – Jay died in a motorcycle accident several years later) and a great cast that made the experience truly unforgettable. It was a sterling cast that cannot ever be put together again!"