Why Ayen Laurel ‘buried’ Ella Lopez Miller

So will the real Ella Lopez Miller please raise her hand?

Excuse me, but there’s no "real" Ella Lopez Miller which happens to be the pseudonym of a very real person – Ayen Munji-Laurel, that’s who!

Four years ago when she produced a concert called One for the Soul at the Folk Arts Theater – topbilling Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Jaya and Robert Seña – Ayen was too shy to reveal herself, so she decided to hide behind that foreign-sounding (Miller) name and she got away with it... up to now.

Tomorrow night also at the FAT, Ayen will be "burying" Ella Lopez Miller and using her real name as the stage director of a concert simply called One which she herself is producing and starring in, together with her husband Franco Laurel, Verni Varga, Luke Mejares and Anna Fegi, with the special participation of Paolo Santos and backed up by an 18-strong ensemble composed of theater people (Edward Granadosin, Reuben Laurente, Carlo Orosa, Eric Antonio, Joel Trinidad, Roy Rolloda, Ricci Chan, Roden Araneta, Alvin John dela Pena, Sheila Francisco, Gigi Posadas, Tex Ordoñez, Lana Jalosjos, Mayen Bustamante, Mylene Evangelista, Stella Cañete, Tricia Jimenez and Luchie Huang), 10 dancers (Ellezar Canlas, Jay Dyogi, Stanley Caneta, Joseph Laforteza, Cecile Martinez, Tintin Limjap, Liza Chingcuangco, Camille Joson, Alvin Aficionado and Ayi Vega) and The Kids (Yela Laurel, Yanyan Laurel, Sam Concepcion, Vincent Ching, Kathleen Francisco and Cheska Ortega).

"I could not use my real name at that time because I was still married (Yes, to ‘the prince’. – RFL)," said Ayen who has two children from her previous marriage and one by Franco. "I wanted to protect my privacy. It was around that time that we were planning Rama at Sita, the musical that I produced (And where she and Franco first met, during the auditions. – RFL). Six months after the run of Rama at Sita, we were divorced na."

She used her pseudonym when she directed several other productions, including Pops Fernandez’s Shindig and Franco’s Franco Laurel Presents.

"One is some kind of my ‘coming out’ project," she smiled.

Tackling three roles in One – as producer, director and performer – isn’t really that hard, according to Ayen. "Somebody takes care of the financial side so I can concentrate on the artistic side of the project. As a performer naman, I only have a few numbers so it’s not really that taxing."

But the most exciting part, added Ayen, is her real-life role as a mother to three kids – Mariella, 12; Kiko, 9; and Angia, one-year old.

"These past few weeks, we’ve been rehearsing and rehearsing so I miss my kids so much. By the time Franco and I get home, they’re already asleep."

Contrary to what some people think, One is not a Christian concert although it’s "a soul inspiring one" with a repertoire that includes, besides pop, secular songs calculated to, yes, "inspire" the audience.

Dust in the Wind (by Kansas), my all-time favorite because of its humbling message (All we are is dust in the wind...), is part of the repertoire and I’ll watch the show if only for that. And also, Mandy Moore’s Only Hope.

Isn’t she "scared" of foreign acts also mounting concerts around this time?

"No, I’m not – we’re not! Their shows are different from ours. Ibang-iba ’yung sa amin. They have their market and we have our own."

Ayen’s decision to drop her pseudonym is part of her "coming out" both as a person and as an artist. She isn’t as uptight as she used to be, unlike when she seemed to be living inside a cocoon while married to "the prince."

A few Thursdays ago, she even allowed her life story to be dramatized on Maalaala Mo Kaya (with Rica Peralejo as Ayen, Bernard Palanca as Franco and Raymond Bagatsing as "the prince"). But one hour and a half wasn’t enough to tell the whole story. The Maalaala episode only glossed over the pain that Ayen felt when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with another woman.

"I was the fourth wife, so you would think that you would be the last at settled ka na," said Ayen. "He had an affair with a woman who was working for us. No, she wasn’t a Filipina. Maalaala didn’t show the great pain I experienced and my long recovery thereafter."

Following the Muslim tradition, Ayen initiated the divorce proceedings and, luckily, her husband cooperated.

"Otherwise," she said, "kung hindi siya pumayag, wala akong magagawa. When you sit down, the wife can’t say, ‘I divorce you.’ Only the husband can say so. Mabait naman siya kaya pumayag siyang mag-divorce kami."

Oops! That’s another story altogether.

Meanwhile, do take time out to watch One which is guaranteed to "inspire" you.

(One is sponsored by the Elbow Room, Uva Restaurant, [email protected], Emphasis Salon and PLDT. For tickets, call ML Entertainment at 638-7776.)

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