Inside Celeste's heart

Celeste Legaspi makes her stage come back in American Hwangap, a play about a family shaken by the homecoming of a father who abandoned them many years ago. Hwangap or 60th birthday is the most significant event in a Korean adult’s life. It is the completion of life’s zodiac cycle.

Recently, Celeste celebrated her 60th birthday. “Mas nararamdaman ko ang pag-ibig,” she said. She also felt she wanted to have a creative exposure. Celeste began her career in theater. She appeared in PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) productions and got to work with Lino Brocka and Rolando Tino. She was in Katy!, North Diversion Road, Paglipas ng Dilim and Larawan, her last stage appearance.

American Hwangap written by Lloyd Suh, will have its Asian premiere at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino on Sept. 10 and will run until Oct. 3. The play will have English and Tagalog versions. Joi Barrios LeBlanc translated the play into Filipino. Celeste is part of the English cast together with Bembol Roco while the Tagalog cast is topbilled by Gina Pareño and Mario O Hara. As an artist, Celeste has made her contributions to the flourishing of original Pilipino compositions. She is one of the prime movers of OPM (Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mangaawit). Let’s hear it from Celeste:

1. If you were to dedicate Sarangola ni Pepe to somebody, who would it be?

From the very moment my husband Nonoy showed me the lyrics of Saranggola and strummed its melody using our son’s little ukulele I knew it was to be our song for our children. It made my heart soar to learn recently from President Noynoy that our little song had helped his family through their pains and nightmare when his father Ninoy was imprisoned. It underlines for me the profound power of music and the lyric; when everything fails, it remains true and meaningful.

2. What talent would you like to have that you don’t have?

The talent for always being poised. I don’t mean just the grooming and the looks. It’s the decorum, the grace and the reflective inner quiet that prevails that I covet. I envy the likes of Jackie O, Susan Roces, Audrey Hepburn — their public persona is that they never get ruffled. I’m more like Maria Callas — masyadong emotional, very often flustered. I always try to start out poised and I always end up somehow… too engaged!

3. What is your idea of a romantic date?

My husband and I — we meet after he’s done with office and have a simple dinner out using our — ha, ha — senior citizen’s cards; maybe a movie, again with 20 percent discounts, and we find that terribly romantic. Or we take long walks around our subdivision in Batangas where the streets are hilly and windy. We go bird watching early in the morning. That’s terribly romantic, too.

4. What makes you beautiful?

I have serious doubts if I am. Too short. Eyes too big. Skin has greatly changed at age 60. But if the beauty you’re talking about is what is in my heart then I must be because my husband loves me; my children constantly are by my side even if they are grown; I am surrounded by wonderful people and things to learn about.

5. Are you sentimental?

Yup. A beautiful sunrise can make me very happy. Scenes in movies easily make me cry. A chord in a song can distract me from whatever chore I am doing; that’s why I don’t work with music playing.

6. If you could eliminate one emotion from your life, what would it be?

When I was much younger I would tend to concentrate on the negative — as in days and weeks just whining about it. Till I realized everyone around me was miserable because of it so I decided I should learn to conquer that. Now that I’m much older I look at the negative — maybe relish it for a few hours — and then try to understand it as best I can so that I can learn from it and then I decide to forget it. There are days when it doesn’t work out as neatly as that but I continue always trying.

7. If you were a precious stone, what would you be?

My first impulse is to say I’m a pearl. Because it’s about poise and elegance and depth. But to be truly honest I think I’m a ruby. Because I’m really more like the color red and I like its kind of sparkle — not too shiny like a diamond but with a deeper sheen.

8. Favorite part of your body?

I am absolutely proud of my hair. For years I fought my naturally curly hair. Spent many years keeping it in a bun when I was starting out on television. Then many more years having it blow-dried to look straight. Finally some years back I decided it deserves better. I accepted it and realized I’m extremely lucky it didn’t say goodbye despite those years of my disowning it. So today I am the very proud owner of magnificently healthy and extremely curly hair with my true platinum/gold/salt and pepper-y hair. Well ok, the gold is through the courtesy of highlights given regularly by my hair-expert-suki of the salon I go to. I love it!

9. If I open your heart what do I see?

You’ll see that I am amazed. I didn’t sit down to plan how my life should be. I just tried to use the talents that God blessed me with and went where it would bring me. And now that I’m certainly much older, I can confidently say that because of my family and friends and the arts and the music, life is indeed good. I’m amazed and humbled by God’s tremendous blessings and deeply grateful.