WONDER V
Mara Clara magic captures Iloilo
WHEN ABS CBN announced that it was going to do a rehash of the 1990s hit soap opera now dubbed as the “Mother of all Teleseryes”, Mara Clara, I must admit I was kind of skeptical whether the soap would be a success the way it was the first time. However, since its launch on Philippines TV with a completely new cast earlier this month, the soap opera that made Judy Ann Santos the superstar that she is today has dominated the ratings game, beating its competing shows on its time slot, especially in the Kantar-TNS nationwide surveys.
Further proving that the new Mara Clara is just as smashing as the original was the jam packed venue during its mall show at Robinsons Place Iloilo last November 19. Having attended countless mall shows of several artists in my 10 years of being an entertainment/lifestyle columnist, I can honestly say that the new Mara Clara mall show has generated the most deafening cheers from the fans. The mere mention of the names of the cast–John Manalo, Albie Casiño, Kathryn Bernardo and Julia Montes–was enough to make the crowd go gaga! Can you just imagine what transpired as each of these young stars rendered their individual song numbers? Riot!
Over the years, classic Tagalog movies have hit the boob tube in the form of drama series and some drama series (either Filipino, Mexican or Korean) in the past have been revived and given a new flavor appropriate to the time. While this move can leave an impression that producers and writers are running out of new ideas, the success of the present day Mara Clara only sends a message that remakes are okay as long as they are at par with, or maybe better, than their original counterparts.*
