Why AlDub?

POPE Francis garnered 3.3 million tweets during his visit in January. Last Saturday, Aug. 29, “AlDub” broke that record with 3.5 million.

How those things work — Twitter, tweets, hashtag — is beyond me. For now, the more entertaining mystery is trying to explain the “love affair” when AlDub haven’t met, held hands, or spoken to each other to exchange sweet nothings, not even on their cellphones. So far, only their images have been joined on a split screen whenever Bulaga’s “Juan for All” goes on air, live.

They call “AlDub” a “kalyeserye” but it’s not street theater, though the location is always a corner of some street, a different street in a real crowded neighborhood, every day Monday to Saturday. With the unprecedented success of Yaya’s biography — foundling? adopted? — Eat Bulaga has added Sunday to the mix, with all its improbable comedies and ad-libbed melodramas. Question: Is this art imitating life imitating art? Or TV mocking TV? Either way, what fun!

It’s not a staged soap opera, it’s all impromptu without prompters. It’s more than a stand-up comedy, the actors costumed and made-up to the hilt, specially Wally as Lola Nidora and Jose as the English-speaking Frankie with a twang or as one of the Lola triplets. What script? One hour before showtime, Jenny Perez, creative head, sends the day’s storyline by text — text! — to the actors, who must by themselves establish the direction of the twists and turns, flesh out their characters, and arrive at the appropriate cliff-hanger within the time allotted, before the director gives the signal to cut throat.

All that I am certain of is that Alden Richards is the most refreshing cutiepie to come along in a long long time and that Maine Mendoza is TV’s funny girl of the hour, without having to speak a single word.