Pooh is a veteran sing-along master having performed in Laffline, Sitcom Line, Punchline and The Library.
He has put patrons of comedy bars in stitches night after night by doing sketches of Manny Pacquiao and Bro. Mike Velarde, among others.
The surrogate gay parent of Maja Salvador’s character on the now defunct Pangarap na Bituin, however, is feeling first-time performer again for his major concert titled AsaPooh ’08 on Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m. at the Music Museum.
“This is my first time to perform outside the confines of sing along joints,” says Pooh of his post-Christmas show. “I’m comfortable with the small stage and intimate atmosphere of a comedy bar. The sing-along bar is my comfort zone and I’m going out of it.”
The venue is perhaps the funnyman’s secondary concern when it comes to entertaining people. After all, it’s Pooh’s funny antics and cut-above-the-rest impersonations that make people watch his show religiously.
Pooh has a bagful of comedy tricks and treats come his pre-New Year’s Eve concert. The Samar-born comedian will have a song-and-dance showdown dubbed Versus Vs. Versus with Rufa Mae Quinto and production numbers with Maja, Candy Pangilinan and Vhong Navarro. Highlight of the show is the sketch segment unveiling new characters: Brillantes and OCW. Brillantes is Pooh’s spoof of Sen. Antonio Trillantes and take on the Manila Peninsula siege. OCW, on the other hand, is a character study on the life of an Overseas Filipino Worker.
Without a doubt, Pooh, whose stage and screen name was inspired from the cartoon character Winnie The Pooh, is about to prove why Aliw Awards named him the Best Male Comedy Act for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007).
“Doing Manny Pacquiao was the turning point of my career,” recalls Pooh, also known as Poohquiao everytime he impersonates The People’s Champion. “It was through Poohquiao that people noticed of me. That’s why when I had the opportunity to meet Manny in an event. I never had second thoughts of approaching and thanking him.”
Does he have a secret trick or ritual to deliver hilarious performances? Pooh says he just copies the quirks of his subjects. He also reminds himself to be sensitive to the personalities he comically portrays by not going overboard with the impersonation. For instance, Pooh cannot fuss over Mike Velarde when he impersonates the spiritual leader.
Pooh agrees with Willie Nepomuceno when the latter said in a TV interview that one should not make fun of a person by exaggerating his looks. Comedy, in its true essence, is making people laugh with you, but not at you.
Like any comedian out there, Pooh wishes to bring a smile on somebody else’s face and help him forget his cares.
“What to spoof depends on the situation,” shares Pooh. “I do politics in my repertoire come election time. I also do sketches that will fit the holidays. It’s occasional. In the future, I want to do impersonations of househelps. Where do I get my inspiration? I would hang out with jologs and from there I start to brew an idea. As an artist, I do the script myself with the help of friends and improvise.”
AsaPooh ’08 is directed by Bert de Leon and is for the benefit of the Laoang 1 Elementary School in Northern Samar.
(For details, call 435-1120 or e-mail at backroomtalents@pldtdsl.net.)