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Theater review: Edgy Eraserheads musical keeps it real - and dark

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Vladimir Bunoan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/26/theater1.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>(From left) OJ Mariano, Gian Magdangal, Jon Santos and Jamie Wilson in a scene from &#x27;Ang Huling El Bimbo.&#x27; Handout</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — It wasn’t the sing-along musical that many theatergoers were probably expecting but “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” which features songs from the beloved OPM band Eraserheads, made its much-awaited debut to a prolonged standing ovation from the packed audience who braved the rains to attend its opening night last Friday at Resorts World Manila.While Full House Theater Company promised a trip down memory lane for those who grew up in the ‘90s, the three-hour original musical doesn’t deliver the kind of feel-good nostalgia associated with jukebox musicals like Broadway’s “Mamma Mia” or “Rock of Ages.” It doesn’t end with audiences dancing in the aisles and singing along like the good ol’ days.In fact, for the musical’s lead characters, who meet as freshmen in college, they would much rather forget the past. Playwright Dingdong Novenario and director Dexter Martinez Santos wasted no time in quashing any expectations of a theatrical version of retro night with your favorite cover band.“Ang Huling El Bimbo” opens with a body covered in newspapers dead center on the revolving stage of the Newport Performing Arts Theater and the first song the audience hears is a frustrated version of “Poor Man’s Grave.” This is present-day Manila and Hector, Emman and Anthony have been summoned to the police station. Friends in college, they haven’t seen each other in more than 20 years. While the three anxiously wait at the precinct, uneasy at the unexpected reunion, they are forced to remember how their friendship started — and how it all fell apart.Novenario earned his stripes in theater with several well-received one-act plays in Virgin Labfest and he somehow brought that indie vibe to this big-budget musical. The two storylines — one set in the present, the other in the past and with the same bunch of characters — unfold in a non-linear manner with the action seamlessly shifting between the two time periods.The early flashback scenes set in the ‘90s bristle with youthful energy and evoke more innocent times, particularly for those who graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman — where members of the Eraserheads studied — with references to Kalayaan Hall, and the Oblation run. The video background for the fictional Toyang’s carinderia even brings back memories of the Sunken Garden.With hits like “Minsan,” “Tindahan ni Aling Nena” and “Pare Ko,” the musical seems to be chugging along well on the nostalgia track like a daydream but stopped from time to time by the sinister realities of the present. But at the end of Act 1, the story totally derails from the grips of sentimentality with a shocking act of violence that’s totally unexpected and which sends the musical on an entirely different realm -- darker but also painfully real.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/26/theater2.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Reb Atadero (center) leads the ensemble in the number &#x27;Tindahan ni Aling Nena.&#x27; Handout</figcaption></figure></div>&quot;What makes me worthy to write about a generation&#x27;s musical heroes?&quot; Novenario asks in his program notes. &quot;Well this is a story about friends and relationships we have lost and can only try to bring back. So it is not just about them. It is about us.&quot;“Ang Huling El Bimbo” is a brave undertaking for Resorts World Manila, which is known for mounting more family-oriented fare like “The Sound of Music,” “Annie” and last year’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” which features a flying car.(Perhaps coincidentally, a car also served as a major plot point in “Ang Huling El Bimbo” for a different reason.)More than the downbeat story that even hints at police corruption and the government’s war on drugs, giving it a surprising jolt, there is also that refusal to totally give in to the nostalgic yearnings of the audience looking to be entertained.But the standing ovations that greeted the musical on its opening weekend proved that for both Resorts World and the creative team, the risks are worth taking.For Santos, in particular, “Ang Huling El Bimbo” is a vindication of sorts given the less-than-stellar results of his previous commercial ventures outside UP like “A Little Princess” for Repertory Philippines.Santos, who is also the musical’s choreographer, brings his signature kinetic style to the musical, which flows naturally and efficiently — despite NPAT’s enormous stage — from scene to scene. There were moments which teetered on melodrama, as well as questionable casting decisions, but Santos clearly nailed the mood he was aiming for, delivering an edgy reworking of the jukebox musical format and adding some political urgency.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/26/theater3.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Tanya Manalang and Sheila Francisco in a scene from &#x27;Ang Huling El Bimbo.&#x27; Handout</figcaption></figure></div>Gino Gonzalez’s stylized set also helped suggest the musical’s less-than-cheery tone. Hardwood planks were used to form various platforms with visible gaps and missing pieces, which are at once symbolic yet also give off a modern vibe. The mostly youthful ensemble also fully embraced the musical&#x27;s general cloudy mood. Reb Atedero as the artistic Hector, Boo Gabunada as the &#x27;probinsyano&#x27; Emman and Topper Fabregas as the closeted Anthony ably projected the dramatic shift in their respective characters from carefree teens to scarred, guilt-ridden young adults, unsure of what the future has in store for them.As their adult counterparts, it was Gian Magdangal as the older Hector who stood out with his powerful vocals and effortless portrayal of a bruised playboy artist with commitment problems. Tanya Manalang as the younger Joy was finally given a meaty role after her stint in the West End revival of &quot;Miss Saigon,&quot; showing off her vocal and dramatic range, particularly in her scenes with theater veteran Sheila Francisco, who gave the much needed warmth to the proceedings. But the real star of “Ang Huling El Bimbo” is musical director Myke Salomon, who has already built a reputation as the go-to guy for original Filipino jukebox musicals with his acclaimed work for “Rak of Aegis,” “3 Stars and a Sun” and “Ako Si Josephine.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/life/07/26/theater4.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>&#x27;Pare Ko&#x27; was performed as a CMT song. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>The songs of the Eraserheads are, on their own, little narratives and Salomon had to rethink and reconceptualize most of them to suit the story. “Pare Ko” becomes a CMT (Citizen’s Military Training) song, while “With A Smile” was turned into a graduation hymn. By altering the arrangements, Salomon gave the songs entirely new meanings. This isn’t by any stretch of the imagination a sing-along show masquerading as theater.But Salomon here is more than a musical arranger. He is really a master storyteller, brilliantly taking snippets from practically every Eraserheads song that we loved to aid Novenario’s book. While the program lists only 12 songs, which were staged as full blown numbers, Salomon used much more than that. He selects musical samples and presents them in surprising and ingenious ways as part of the dialogue. In the process, he evokes more than the emotions required by the narrative as he also triggers personal memories associated by the audience with such ditties. “Ang Huling El Bimbo” is perhaps not the Eraserheads musical many are expecting but it is arguably the musical that we need to see at this time. The greatest tribute it can give to this iconic band is to make its music resonate and remain relevant to the present generation. And this is as current as it gets.&quot;Ang Huling El Bimbo&quot; runs at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila until September 2, with shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

“Ang Huling El Bimbo,” which features songs from the beloved OPM band Eraserheads, made its much-awaited debut to a prolonged standing ovation from the packed audience who braved the rains to attend its opening night last Friday at Resorts World Manila.

“Ang Huling El Bimbo,” which features songs from the beloved OPM band Eraserheads, made its much-awaited debut to a prolonged standing ovation from the packed audience who braved the rains to attend its opening night last Friday at Resorts World Manila.

Theater review: Edgy Eraserheads musical keeps it real - and dark

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Theater review: Edgy Eraserheads musical keeps it real - and dark

Vladimir Bunoan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 26, 2018 05:40 PM PHT

|

Updated Jul 29, 2018 11:07 PM PHT

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theater

theater review

Ang Huling El Bimbo

Eraserheads

Resorts World Manila

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