Bugal sang Bacolod & Broadway | Lydia "LydLyd" Gaston
Long
before Lea Salonga became the global poster child for Filipino performers, we
had Lydia Gaston as our bugal sang
Bacolod [pride of Bacolod]. Syempre, we mean Lyd-Lyd - the daughter of Tita Lydia.
Many
now know Lydia Gaston as Jokoy's mom, Tita Susan - in the Fil-Am comedian’s
upcoming movie, Easter Sunday - slated for release this August.
On working with Jokoy: “I
feel very fortunate and grateful to have gotten to know Jokoy. He was so
excited to be working with fellow Fil-Ams, reminding us of the
significance of the moment. I hope people sense this when they watch the
movie.”
 |
| selfie with Jokoy - Lydia Gaston gallery |
On training from her mom,
who would say: “‘Just keep at it.
They will look your way. Offer your talents to God.’ Which I took to mean,
share your talents with the world. They are the richer for it.”
A
deeper and broader perspective of Lydia's career encompasses her Masters
in Applied Theatre - mirroring her
mother's path of a foundational
education in the arts. Her own efforts and perseverance led to an eclectic and
productive performing career.
 |
| Anak-Bulan, CCP Dance Company, Ballet Philippines, 1976 |
Years before Lydia
became a New Yorker, she danced with Ballet Philippines where she became a
soloist at 16. In New York she performed with various dance companies, most
prominently with choreographer/playwright Rachel Lampert.
Her first
experience outside strictly being a dance performer was with the National Tour
of The King and I, starring Yul Brynner. “This job enabled me to get my actor’s
union card and I gradually moved into musical theater, and straight theater.”
[South Pacific reel -
https://vimeo.com/113926061]
Lydia’s career
has spanned six Broadway shows: The King
and I revivals at Lincoln Center (2016) and at the Neil Simon Theatre
(1996), Miss Saigon, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Shogun and The Red Shoes. Off-Broadway she created
roles with Ma-Yi Theater Company, National Asian American Theatre Company
(NAATCO), and Pan Asian Rep.
At the Public
Theater in New York, she understudied multiple roles in Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters, and was a member of the 2008
Shakespeare Lab. On TV Lydia appeared in The
Sopranos (HBO), The Blacklist
(NBC), The Path (HULU), and as a
fictional 2020 presidential candidate on Late
Night with Seth Meyers.
[on The Sopranos/HBO -
https://vimeo.com/114186323]
On
future work and bigger dreams: “All
characters are interesting to play, whether tragic or comedic. It’s fun to take
up the challenge. I also think audiences do want to be surprised and see fresh
perspectives. I’d love to do Moliere and Chekhov whose plays show the tragic,
comedic, and ironic facets of life.
“I also see how Filipino playwrights and filmmakers are skillfully
doing this and I would love to work with them. I’ve been following director and
moviemaker Isabel Sandoval. She has been prolific and fearless in putting her
work out there. It’s inspiring. Of course, I’d like to work with the cast and
creators of Easter Sunday again - Jo, Tia Carrere, Jay Chandrashekhar.
“I’ve always dreamed of working in London but I don’t know if that has
passed me by - but like my mom always used to say, ‘keep at it.’”
 |
| [Gallery - As Bloody Mary on South Pacific] |
Lydia is an arts
educator with a Master of Arts degree in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of
Professional Studies. She is an adjunct professor at SUNY Empire State College,
and has shared her theatre and dance knowledge in various communities including
seniors, and students from pre-elementary to high school.
 |
| [Gallery – As Corazon Aquino in THE ENCOUNTER - The Pearl Project] |
She lives in
Brooklyn with her husband Karl Greenberg. Their daughter Maya has flown the
coop and is pursuing a Masters in Spain.
Though Lydia is no
longer compelled to doing eight shows a week on Broadway – she plans on more TV
and film work, and more parts on new plays by young playwrights in NY.
She is writing
and developing a solo piece titled, Her Mother’s Daughter - an homage to
her mother Lydia Madarang Gaston, her first dance teacher and mentor.
 |
| [Gallery – As a Principal Soloist in SUITES BY SONDHEIM] |
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