Zsazsa Zaturnnah
Encyclopedia
Zsazsa Zaturnnah is a fictional comic book
superheroine created by Filipino
illustrator
and graphic designer
Carlo Vergara
in December 2002. Zsazsa Zaturnnah or Zaturnnah, attracted considerable attention from Philippine media in the years following her first appearance and currently enjoys a cult fanbase.
The character first appeared in the graphic novel
, Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah (The Spectacular Adventures of Zsazsa Zaturnnah), originally self-published in two parts in December 2002 with very limited distribution. When the graphic novel won a National Book Award
in 2003, given out by the prestigious Manila Critics Circle, Vergara approached book publisher Visual Print Enterprises to compile the two parts into a single volume for distribution throughout the Philippines.
The graphic novel landed on the 12th spot of top selling Philippine fiction books for 2005, based on records of National Bookstore, the largest bookstore chain in the country. It is also being used as reference and subject in gender studies
courses in some universities, including the government-run University of the Philippines
.
On May 25, 2008, author Carlo Vergara released the first six pages of the Zaturnnah sequel through his blog as an online preview. The sequel, entitled Zsazsa Zaturnnah sa Kalakhang Maynila (Zsazsa Zaturnnah in Metro Manila), will chronicle Ada and Dodong's stay in Manila. Based on the first fourteen pages, the story hints at an exploration of the romantic relationship between the two characters.
character Wonder Woman
and the classic Filipino superhero Darna
. The distinct difference is the sexuality
of her alter ego Ada, who is an effeminate homosexual male. The proprietor of a small town beauty salon, Ada receives a huge spiky stone that, when ingested, physically transforms him into Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.
Ada seeks to prove to himself and his parents that he can make a decent living as a beautician, while remaining haunted by the memory of his father as well as a failed relationship marked by violence. His father vehemently disapproved of Ada's homosexuality, even going as far as dipping Ada's head in wet pig feed to emphasize his disgust. His life experience prompted him to turn inward, seemingly cold and unfeeling, while rebuilding his life from the point of his parents' deaths. Ada's previous relationship with a man named Lester ended dismally, with a punch to Ada's face which seemed to disconnect his jaw.
It was in a small town where Ada rented a space owned by Aling Britney, and set up shop. With his assistant Didi, Ada was on his way to what he believed to be a normal life. That is, until a strange pink stone fell from the sky, granting Ada the ability to transform into a superhuman woman whenever he ingests it and shouts the word "Zaturnnah!" (which was etched on the stone). Didi proudly names the new hero Zsazsa Zaturnnah.
, one of the country's top theater companies. Credits include Chris Martinez (for stage adaptation), Vincent de Jesus
(for lyrics, composition and musical direction) and Chris Millado (stage direction).
The musical was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
from February 10 to March 5, 2006. Former teen idol-turned-dramatic actress Eula Valdez played the title role to positive reviews. Other lead roles were played by Tuxqs Rutaquio (as the character Ada), Ricci Chan (as Didi), alternates Lauren Novero and Arnold Reyes (as Dodong), and alternates Agot Isidro and Kalila Aguilos (as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux).
Even before the musical's opening night, almost all tickets for the scheduled 16 shows had been booked, unprecedented in Tanghalang Pilipino's experience with original stage material. The musical has had 31 shows over three stagings between February 10 to June 18, 2005.
The musical received a nomination for Best Stage Musical from the 19th Aliw Awards, an annual event giving recognition to Philippine live entertainment, which includes theatrical and concert performances. Tuxqs Rutaquio and Eula Valdez have also received nominations for Best Stage Actor and Actress, respectively, for a Musical. In addition, Chris Millado earned a nomination for Best Stage Director. Among all the nominations, it was Valdez who took home the trophy during the August 31, 2006 awards night.
from April 21 to 30, 2006. The role of Didi was played by Tanghalang Pilipino veteran, Joey Paras.
. Most of the cast of the 3rd staging were present in this run, except for Lauren Novero. He was replaced by theater newcomer Janvier Daily. Agot Isidro returned to alternate as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux.
Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza
in Makati City
. Playing the role of Didi was Nar Cabico, 16 year old, a graduate of Philippine High School for the Arts; alternating with Tuxqs Rutaquio as Ada was composer, musical director Vincent de Jesus
; and alternating with Eula Valdes was recording artist/comedienne K Brosas as Zaturnnah.
New actors joining the sixth run: Meliza Reyes (Queen Femina) and Red Anderson (Dodong). Joey Paras and Lauren Novero returned to reprise their roles as Didi and Dodong, respectively. The chorus was likewise doubled.
's "My Brother, My Executioner," the seventh staging of the Zaturnnah musical took place from February 18, 2011 to March 19, 2011, also at the Aurelio Tolentino Theater of the CCP. It ran for 16 shows.
New actors joining the seventh run: Philippine theater veteran Pinky Amador (Queen Femina), ramp model and indie film actor Rocky Salumbides and television actor Prince Stefan (Dodong), comedian Gabe Mercado and Tanghalang Pilipino resident actor Jonathan Tadiaoan (Didi).
With a total of 91 shows at the end of this run, Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Ze Muzikal is the longest running musical ever staged by Tanghalang Pilipino.
and Zsa Zsa Padilla
, and comedian Rufa Mae Quinto
. The role had originally been awarded to Quinto, but was subsequently given to Zsa Zsa Padilla.
Other actors with principal roles include Rustom Padilla (as the character Ada), Chokoleit (as Didi), Alfred Vargas (as Dodong) and Pops Fernandez
(as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux).
The film had been accepted as one of ten films for competition in the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival
, which is held every late-December. Despite the media hype surrounding the film, it didn't win any of the festival's awards, and performed far below expectations in the box office.
However, Rustom Padilla and Chokoleit bagged Best Male Lead and Best Supporting Actor awards, respectively, from the Gawad Tanglaw, a five-year old body composed of critics, scholars, historians and humanities professors. The original song "Multo ng Nakaraan" (Ghost of the Past) won the Best Original Song award from the same group. The song was composed by Vincent de Jesus, originally for the stage musical. Rustom Padilla also went on to win his first Best Actor award during the 30th Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, or Urian, awards.
The film was nominated for Best Picture (musical/comedy) in the 4th Golden Screen Awards, given out by ENPRESS, a breakaway group of the Philippine Movie Press Club which gives out the Star Awards for Movies. Rustom Padilla, Chokoleit, Zsazsa Padilla was nominated for female lead, musical/comedy; Dinno Erece won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Vincent DeJesus won Best Original Song for "Ikaw Ang Superhero ng Buhay Ko" (You are the Superhero of My Life) at the 4th Golden Screen Awards and a Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Original Song for "Multo ng Nakaraan." Vincent de Jesus also won Best Original Score at the 2006 Star Awards
for Film (which was held at the UP Theater), an Urian Award for Best Musical Achievement at the 30th Urian awards (held at the Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila) and Best Achievement in Music at the 2007 Film Academy of the Philippines awards.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superheroine created by Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
Carlo Vergara
Carlo Vergara
Visconde Carlo San Juan Vergara or simply known as Carlo Vergara is a Filipino graphic designer and illustrator best known for creating the comic book character Zsazsa Zaturnnah.-Biography:...
in December 2002. Zsazsa Zaturnnah or Zaturnnah, attracted considerable attention from Philippine media in the years following her first appearance and currently enjoys a cult fanbase.
The character first appeared in the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah (The Spectacular Adventures of Zsazsa Zaturnnah), originally self-published in two parts in December 2002 with very limited distribution. When the graphic novel won a National Book Award
Philippine National Book Awards
The Philippine National Book Awards, or simply the National Book Awards, is a Philippine literary award sponsored by the NBDB and the MCC . It is the national book award of the Philippines...
in 2003, given out by the prestigious Manila Critics Circle, Vergara approached book publisher Visual Print Enterprises to compile the two parts into a single volume for distribution throughout the Philippines.
The graphic novel landed on the 12th spot of top selling Philippine fiction books for 2005, based on records of National Bookstore, the largest bookstore chain in the country. It is also being used as reference and subject in gender studies
Gender studies
Gender studies is a field of interdisciplinary study which analyses race, ethnicity, sexuality and location.Gender study has many different forms. One view exposed by the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir said: "One is not born a woman, one becomes one"...
courses in some universities, including the government-run University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
.
On May 25, 2008, author Carlo Vergara released the first six pages of the Zaturnnah sequel through his blog as an online preview. The sequel, entitled Zsazsa Zaturnnah sa Kalakhang Maynila (Zsazsa Zaturnnah in Metro Manila), will chronicle Ada and Dodong's stay in Manila. Based on the first fourteen pages, the story hints at an exploration of the romantic relationship between the two characters.
Fictional character biography
Zaturnnah, a powerful and voluptuous female with large red hair and a muscular physique, is reminiscent of the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
character Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and the classic Filipino superhero Darna
Darna
Darna is a fictional character and Filipino comics superheroine created by writer Mars Ravelo and artist Nestor Redondo. In her more popular incarnations, she is a deceased warrior from another planet manifesting herself through a girl from Earth, named Narda...
. The distinct difference is the sexuality
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
of her alter ego Ada, who is an effeminate homosexual male. The proprietor of a small town beauty salon, Ada receives a huge spiky stone that, when ingested, physically transforms him into Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.
Ada seeks to prove to himself and his parents that he can make a decent living as a beautician, while remaining haunted by the memory of his father as well as a failed relationship marked by violence. His father vehemently disapproved of Ada's homosexuality, even going as far as dipping Ada's head in wet pig feed to emphasize his disgust. His life experience prompted him to turn inward, seemingly cold and unfeeling, while rebuilding his life from the point of his parents' deaths. Ada's previous relationship with a man named Lester ended dismally, with a punch to Ada's face which seemed to disconnect his jaw.
It was in a small town where Ada rented a space owned by Aling Britney, and set up shop. With his assistant Didi, Ada was on his way to what he believed to be a normal life. That is, until a strange pink stone fell from the sky, granting Ada the ability to transform into a superhuman woman whenever he ingests it and shouts the word "Zaturnnah!" (which was etched on the stone). Didi proudly names the new hero Zsazsa Zaturnnah.
Magazine
In June 2009, Zsazsa Zaturnnah was featured in the Philippine edition of FHM magazine. The character was illustrated by Vergara in various stages of undress to conform to the visual style of the magazine.Musical
The graphic novel was adapted into a stage musical by Tanghalang PilipinoTanghalang Pilipino
Tanghalang Pilipino is the leading exponent of Philippine theater and the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines since its organization in 1987...
, one of the country's top theater companies. Credits include Chris Martinez (for stage adaptation), Vincent de Jesus
Vincent de Jesus
Vincent Abenojar De Jesus is a Filipino composer, librettist, musical scorer, and musical director for theater, television, and film. He is also a writer, lyricist, actor, singer, and educator.-Biography:...
(for lyrics, composition and musical direction) and Chris Millado (stage direction).
The musical was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
from February 10 to March 5, 2006. Former teen idol-turned-dramatic actress Eula Valdez played the title role to positive reviews. Other lead roles were played by Tuxqs Rutaquio (as the character Ada), Ricci Chan (as Didi), alternates Lauren Novero and Arnold Reyes (as Dodong), and alternates Agot Isidro and Kalila Aguilos (as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux).
Even before the musical's opening night, almost all tickets for the scheduled 16 shows had been booked, unprecedented in Tanghalang Pilipino's experience with original stage material. The musical has had 31 shows over three stagings between February 10 to June 18, 2005.
The musical received a nomination for Best Stage Musical from the 19th Aliw Awards, an annual event giving recognition to Philippine live entertainment, which includes theatrical and concert performances. Tuxqs Rutaquio and Eula Valdez have also received nominations for Best Stage Actor and Actress, respectively, for a Musical. In addition, Chris Millado earned a nomination for Best Stage Director. Among all the nominations, it was Valdez who took home the trophy during the August 31, 2006 awards night.
2nd Staging
A 10-show repeat took place at the PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) Theater Center in Quezon CityQuezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
from April 21 to 30, 2006. The role of Didi was played by Tanghalang Pilipino veteran, Joey Paras.
3rd Staging
The International Theater Festival was hosted by the Philippines in June 2006 and Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Ze Muzikal was one of the Philippines' representatives. Five shows were successfully staged from June 16 to 18, 2006. Joey Paras reprised the role of Didi, and Kalila Aguilos played the role of Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux with no alternate.4th Staging
The 4th staging took place from January 19 to 28, 2007 at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute at the Cultural Center of the PhilippinesCultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
. Most of the cast of the 3rd staging were present in this run, except for Lauren Novero. He was replaced by theater newcomer Janvier Daily. Agot Isidro returned to alternate as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux.
5th Staging
Fourteen shows were staged from June 15 to July 1, 2007 for the musical's fifth run, which took place at the Carlos P. RomuloCarlos P. Rómulo
Carlos Peña Rómulo was a Filipino diplomat, politician, soldier, journalist and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32...
Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
The Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation was established in 1960 as a development bank and is licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for both commercial and investment banking...
in Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
. Playing the role of Didi was Nar Cabico, 16 year old, a graduate of Philippine High School for the Arts; alternating with Tuxqs Rutaquio as Ada was composer, musical director Vincent de Jesus
Vincent de Jesus
Vincent Abenojar De Jesus is a Filipino composer, librettist, musical scorer, and musical director for theater, television, and film. He is also a writer, lyricist, actor, singer, and educator.-Biography:...
; and alternating with Eula Valdes was recording artist/comedienne K Brosas as Zaturnnah.
6th Staging
A six-show stint was scheduled to run from November 16 to 18, 2007 in Cebu City, marking the first provincial run of the musical. The Cebu run was postponed, however, and tentatively reset for the first quarter of 2008. Despite initial promotional efforts conducted by Tanghalang Pilipino and the author, the musical wasn't staged. Instead, the sixth run of the musical ran from February 6 to March 8, 2009 for 15 shows at the Aurelio Tolentino Theater of the CCP. This was meant to be a fund-raising event for Tanghalang Pilipino, which had to shelve the staging of another musical "Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon" due to budget constraints.New actors joining the sixth run: Meliza Reyes (Queen Femina) and Red Anderson (Dodong). Joey Paras and Lauren Novero returned to reprise their roles as Didi and Dodong, respectively. The chorus was likewise doubled.
7th Staging
With Tanghalang Pilipino still struggling with financial woes , prompting the theater company to shelve the staging of the adaptation of F. Sionil JoseF. Sionil José
F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José is one of the most widely-read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society...
's "My Brother, My Executioner," the seventh staging of the Zaturnnah musical took place from February 18, 2011 to March 19, 2011, also at the Aurelio Tolentino Theater of the CCP. It ran for 16 shows.
New actors joining the seventh run: Philippine theater veteran Pinky Amador (Queen Femina), ramp model and indie film actor Rocky Salumbides and television actor Prince Stefan (Dodong), comedian Gabe Mercado and Tanghalang Pilipino resident actor Jonathan Tadiaoan (Didi).
With a total of 91 shows at the end of this run, Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Ze Muzikal is the longest running musical ever staged by Tanghalang Pilipino.
Film
On December 25, 2006, a film adaptation of the graphic novel (Zsazsa Zaturnnah: ZE Moveeh) was released under the production of Regal Films, Inc. and directed by the award-winning Joel Lamangan. Among the actresses who had been tapped or had expressed interest to play the title role were singers Regine VelasquezRegine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...
and Zsa Zsa Padilla
Zsa Zsa Padilla
Zsa Zsa Padilla is a Filipina singer and actress. She is currently part of ABS-CBN contract actresses.-Biography:Padilla was born as Esperanza Padilla in 1964, the daughter of actor and sportsman Carlos “Sonny” Padilla, Jr. who served as the referee in the Ali-Frazier world heavyweight boxing...
, and comedian Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto is a Filipino actress, comedienne, and television host.Quinto has won four PMPC Star Awards and is one of the most bankable stars in the industry with top grosser films like Apat, Dapat- Dapat, Apat, Pasukob, Desperadas, Manay Po 2, I.T.A.L.Y. & Desperadas 2...
. The role had originally been awarded to Quinto, but was subsequently given to Zsa Zsa Padilla.
Other actors with principal roles include Rustom Padilla (as the character Ada), Chokoleit (as Didi), Alfred Vargas (as Dodong) and Pops Fernandez
Pops Fernández
Maria Cielito Lukban Fernandez , also known as Pops Fernandez, is a Filipino singer and actress. She is dubbed the "Concert Queen."-Career:...
(as Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux).
The film had been accepted as one of ten films for competition in the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival
Metro Manila Film Festival
upright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
, which is held every late-December. Despite the media hype surrounding the film, it didn't win any of the festival's awards, and performed far below expectations in the box office.
However, Rustom Padilla and Chokoleit bagged Best Male Lead and Best Supporting Actor awards, respectively, from the Gawad Tanglaw, a five-year old body composed of critics, scholars, historians and humanities professors. The original song "Multo ng Nakaraan" (Ghost of the Past) won the Best Original Song award from the same group. The song was composed by Vincent de Jesus, originally for the stage musical. Rustom Padilla also went on to win his first Best Actor award during the 30th Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, or Urian, awards.
The film was nominated for Best Picture (musical/comedy) in the 4th Golden Screen Awards, given out by ENPRESS, a breakaway group of the Philippine Movie Press Club which gives out the Star Awards for Movies. Rustom Padilla, Chokoleit, Zsazsa Padilla was nominated for female lead, musical/comedy; Dinno Erece won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Vincent DeJesus won Best Original Song for "Ikaw Ang Superhero ng Buhay Ko" (You are the Superhero of My Life) at the 4th Golden Screen Awards and a Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Original Song for "Multo ng Nakaraan." Vincent de Jesus also won Best Original Score at the 2006 Star Awards
Star Awards
The Star Awards is an annual ceremony where the media organisation, Mediacorp, recognises entertainers in their employ for their outstanding performances...
for Film (which was held at the UP Theater), an Urian Award for Best Musical Achievement at the 30th Urian awards (held at the Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila) and Best Achievement in Music at the 2007 Film Academy of the Philippines awards.
External links
- VisPrint - Zsazsa Zaturnnah booksite
- International Hero - Zsazsa Zaturnnah's entry on International Hero