Four days before their flight to Berlin, John Lloyd Cruz has backed out from the musical play that filmmaker-poet-musician Khavn dela Cruz co-created for Germany’s most iconic theater, Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.

Titled “SuperMacho AntiKristo” or “SMAK!”, the avant-garde musical is described “a revenge tale about mother-warrior who lost her children in 38th century Mondo Europa.”

Khavn calls it his hybrid homage to French dramatist-poet Alfred Jarry and Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal that combines silent cinema, avant rock music, spoken word poetry, folk dance and installation art. He is director, composer and co-writer of “SMAK!”.

“Hayaan na lang natin siya,” Khavn told ABS-CBN News on Tuesday, March 9, the same day he received an email from Cruz’s management firm, Crown Artist, about the sudden decision to withdraw participation in “SMAK!”.

The reasons cited were safety and security due the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the German embassy’s requirement for foreigners coming to the country to have second booster shot of Moderna or Pfizer. Cruz only had one booster shot. The letter was emailed to Khavn with attached documents.

The Filipino actors, together with Khavn, are leaving for Berlin this Friday night, March 11. Rehearsals will have to begin on March 14, Monday.

“SMAK!” will have its world premiere on April 13 and will run for six more performances until April 28.

Though he and the production crew for “SMAK!” are now in a quandary to find a last-minute replacement, Khavn harbors no ill will against Cruz. He told ABS-CBN News he understands the eleventh hour notice from a most sought-after big star like Cruz.

“I think I learned my lesson well when it comes hiring big stars. I respect his management company’s decision and I am still looking forward to working again with John Lloyd,” he said.

Incidentally, it was also on Tuesday, March 9, when the news about Cruz’s film project with Jasmine Curtis-Smith circulated. Curtis-Smith is also a talent of Crown Artist Management.

The 108-year old Volksbühne is the most radical and artistically daring theater company in Europe, according to The New York Times. Its main theater can set around 800 people.

Together with the German Federal Cultural Foundation, it is co-producing “SMAK!”, which also has German actors. Besides shouldering the talent fees of everyone involved in “SMAK!” they are shouldering air fares and accommodation of the Filipino actors and production crew members.

Cruz was supposed to play Faustrollol, one of the lead characters in “SMAK!”. The other Filipino cast members are Bituin Escalante, Bullet Dumas, Bong Cabrera, filmmaker-cartoonist Rox Lee and Hobbit House’s King John, who played the midget Mutya in Khavn’s earlier film “Mondomanila.” Costume and stage designer is Filipino acclaimed installation artist Leeroy New.

Khavn co-wrote the libretto with Filipino prize-winning writers Douglas Candano and Homer Novicio. He co-wrote the music with Brezel Goring from the French-German band Stereo Total. Khavn and Goring both function as musical directors and they will play live music accompaniment in all seven performances.

German top-notched film-theater actress-fashion model Lilith Stagenberg plays the female lead named Sisa Jarry.

Prior to “SMAK!,” she has worked with Khavn in his 2020 film, “Orphea,” described by German Films quarterly “a female version of the Orpheus myth, set in the underworld of Manila slums.” “Orphea” had its world premiere in Berlin International Film Festival in February, 2020.

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Stagenberg also acted in Khavn’s latest opus, “Love Is A Dog from Hell,” which is the closing film in Berlin Critics’ Week this April.

“SMAK!” is not the first time Cruz and Khavn made an attempt to work together.

In 2017 after Khavn’s success with “Balangiga: Howling Wilderness,” he and Cruz had exploratory talks for Cruz to play the titular role in a musical biopic of Jose Corazon de Jesus or “Huseng Batute,” known as the “King of Balagtasan.”

“Huseng Batute’s” script was written by Kapamilya writer Jerry Gracio. But it was the time when Cruz suddenly took a hiatus from the entertainment industry to focus on his personal life with then partner Ellen Adarna. The project was put on hold and Khavn looked for another lead. It is still a work-in-progress as the script is being revised again, Khavn told us.

“Balangiga: Howling Wilderness” is Khavn’s most popular and much-awarded film in the Philippines. It gathered best picture and other major awards in the 2017 QC International Film Festival, 2018 Urian and Famas. “Balangiga” is still streaming on Netflix.

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In the latter part of 2021, Khavn was able to include Stagenberg and Cruz for his film adaptation of “Makamisa,” Jose Rizal’s unfinished novel. Shot in the scenic mountains of Zambales, “Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge” is scheduled to be shown either the end of 2022 or the early part of 2023, Khavn told ABS-CBN News.

“When we shot ‘Makamisa,’ two films came out. One is slow cinema with abstract, dreamy sequences, monochrome colored. Each sequence is one minute long and we were able to come out with 100 minutes. These will be used in the live performances for ‘SMAK!’,” Khavn said.

“The other film ‘Makamisa,’ a stand-alone, fast-paced narrative version done in black and white like a silent film. This is post production na but we have no immediate plans to show it anytime soon. Probably next year,” he added and we can only think of the Silent Film International Festival.

In theater, Khavn has directed Layeta Bucoy’s virtual play “Makbetamaximus” for Tanghalang Ateneo. It was streamed from April to May in 2021.

This April, TA brings back “2 Bayani: Isang Bagong Rock Opera,” via streaming platforms. It is an adaptation of Jose Y. Dalisay’s “Ambon sa Madaling Araw” with music and libretto composed and written by Khavn and Zosimo Quibilan. It was initially staged as part of TA’s 1995-1996 theater season, when Khavn was still in college.

“SMAK!” is Khavn’s international debut as theater director for the live stage.

Before flying to Berlin, he invited an acclaimed Filipino actor based abroad and a well-known German theater actor to fill in for Cruz’s role though nothing is final yet.

But that’s where Khavn’s mysterious mind thrives. Everything is organic. A final product is never finished. And we can’t help but think Cruz’s non-participation in “SMAK!” at the last minute is part of Khavn’s ever-changing story line.