‘Zsazsa Zaturnnah’ remains relevant as LGBTQIA+ issues persist, says creator

Carlo Vergara says the themes on identity, love and discrimination continue to resonate 20 years after debut.

“As long as these problems persist, Zsazsa Zaturnnah will remain relevant.”

Thus said Carlo Vergara, who added that he created the story of “Zsazsa Zaturnnah” from a very personal perspective.

First introduced in 2006 through Vergara’s graphic novel “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah,” the character has since appeared in films and onstage, but her staying power goes beyond the different versions of her story. For Vergara, it comes down to the issues at the heart of Zsazsa’s world, many of which remain familiar two decades later.

In a 2020 interview with When in Manila, Vergara described the story as having a “timeless quality,” pointing to its treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community, women and love.

“May timeless quality siya. A lot of the concerns sa libro about LGBTs, not just LGBT, but also about women, about love — favorite topic natin ang love — nandiyan pa rin siya. Hindi siya nawawala,” he said.

“Sad to say, habang nandiyan pa rin yung mga problema, hindi talaga mag-eexpire yung relevance ni Zaturnnah,” Vergara added.

At the center of the story is Ada, a gay man who transforms into the powerful and glamorous Zsazsa Zaturnnah. Through Ada, the story explores experiences familiar to many members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including the search for love, discrimination and rejection from society and family.

Those struggles are often folded into the story’s fantastical elements. In one of Zaturnnah’s adventures, for instance, Ada confronts a zombified version of his father, turning a supernatural encounter into a reflection of complicated family relationships.

Zaturnnah’s influence has also extended into local drag culture. The character’s exaggerated beauty, flamboyant look and larger-than-life personality have drawn from the culture while also inspiring drag performers over the years.

The character has appeared in several adaptations, including a live-action film starring Zsa Zsa Padilla and the stage musical “Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal.” Across these versions, her story has continued to engage with Filipino queer experiences while becoming part of the country’s broader pop culture landscape.

Humor is another constant in Zaturnnah’s story, particularly its use of distinctly Filipino and “bakla” humor.

“Siguro comedy…that’s how we deal sa mga problema, concerns,” Vergara said in the 2020 interview. “So in a way, it’s a means for us to process things.”

That approach to humor will once again be part of “Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal,” which is set for a revival at Shooting Gallery Studios from April to June 2027.

Produced by Wishbone Collective, the production features a creative team that includes playwright Chris Martinez, award-winning lyricist and composer Vincent A. De Jesus as musical director, and director Chris Millado, former artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Twenty years after Zsazsa first appeared, the character remains tied to many of the same questions that shaped Vergara’s original story: how LGBTQIA+ Filipinos navigate love, family, discrimination and identity, and how humor can help make sense of them.

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