Article By Marie Modesto
Photos by Chloe King
Admit it. At one point in your life, you’ve had an Eraserheads song as your anthem—whether you were brokenhearted and religiously singing Pare Ko, head over heels for someone and singing Ligaya, or just enjoying a trip with your friends while Overdrive was playing in the background. We’ve all been there and Eraserheads has been a part of our lives in one way or another.
But did you know that a musical based on the all-time favorite Ang Huling El Bimbo is in the works? Here are five things you should expect from Ang Huling El Bimbo Musical.
ALSO READ:Â WATCH: Eraserheads Classic ‘Ang Huling El Bimbo’ is Now a Musical
5. It will feature a star-studded cast
For theatre junkies, the cast is full of familiar faces that we all know and love like stars of the recent Chitty Chitty Bang Bang adaptation, Gian Magdangal and Reb Atadero. Cast also includes veteran comedian Jon Santos, OJ Mariano, Topper Fabregas, Boo Gabunada, and Miss Saigon Alumni, Tanya Manalang.
4. There were 35-40 songs used
During the press conference, Director Dexter Santos said there will be about 35-40 Eraserheads songs to be used in the play. Albeit not all of them will be played in full, we can expect snippets of some of our favorite songs. Some of the songs included are “Overdrive”, “Pare Ko”, “Alapaap”, “Poor Man’s Grave”, “Spolarium”, and of course “Ang Huling El Bimbo”.
3. Some of the songs were arranged differently
With regards to the song, fans will still get the melodies we’ve all taken to heart but they will be getting a musical treatment to it. Myke Solomon, Ang Huling El Bimbo’s musical director said “It’s a musical naman, not a tribute album, so we can do anything”. Your favorite songs might change in shape a bit, but expect that at its core, they’re still the songs that we grew up with.
2. Narrative first songs
One of the things to look forward to in the show is not just the songs but the narrative itself. It’s an all-original play written by Dexter Santos and Dingdong Novenario. During the press conference, Dexter said: “We don’t want to be slaves to the music, or slave to the lyrics”. They wanted to provide a different take on the music that we’ve heard growing up. During the selection of what songs to use in the show, they took the narrative and selected which songs fit best in different scenarios. So expect that one scene isn’t sung in just one song but different lines from different songs that best fit the narrative.
1. The heart of the story is about friendship
The musical at its core will be a story about friendship, reconnecting with old friends, and dealing with old scars. Director and Playwright, Dexter Santos, said they will be tackling different social issues, but at its heart, the story is about a group of college kids reconnecting after several years of parting ways. (And yes, there’s two timelines!)
Go ahead and grab your tickets at ticketworld.com! The show premieres on July 20 at The Resorts World Newport Performing Arts Theatre.
