Diva Elisa Chan Kit-ling took her time agreeing to join her equally legendary contemporaries Frances Yip Lai-yee and Maria Cordero for another reunion concert next week. She wasn't sure if she was ready to return to the stage after losing her beloved husband of more than 13 years to lung cancer in June.
'They [Yip and Cordero] were also not sure if I was ready physically and emotionally. But frankly it wasn't much of an emotional roller coaster for me because I just tried not to think about it, and I hope I can remain stoical,' says Chan. 'This concert is a big step forward for our friendship.'
The three have known each other for more than 30 years, becoming friends before they hit the big time in the 70s and 80s. But Chan and Yip have grown especially close over the past decade due to their frequent collaborations in both theatre and concerts.
'It's funny that our friendship is more subtle than most people think. We don't make an effort to nurture our friendship and we don't have many common interests. It just came naturally for all of us ... Even our husbands were very good friends,' Chan says.
It's been more than two years since the three divas shared the same stage because of their conflicting schedules. There's little time for rehearsal the week before the concerts because both Cordero and Yip have been busy performing in Toronto and Kuala Lumpur respectively. But Chan doesn't seem to mind.
'My role is to put the show together and make it easy for them to pick up everything when they get back. We're here to help each other,' she says.
The concert will be more challenging than their previous collaborations because it represents a musical breakthrough, revisiting their classic songs but with fresh arrangements, in addition to a tribute to the late composer Joseph Koo Ka-Fai and singer Roman Tam.
