Spotlight: ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! [Original Filipino Musical]

In Celebration of Original Pilipino Music

We were driving to a relative's birthday party when my father mentioned that he read in the newspaper that there was a musical currently ongoing that featured the songs of the APO Hiking Society.

My father and I are both music lovers and musicians. He is practically the biggest musical influence I have.

I immediately got my phone out and searched. True enough, ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! was currently having it's run from August 3 to the 26th. I immediately booked tickets for us. [That sparked a debate because I was a theatre geek and I really wanted to sit up front but my dad preferred a higher vantage point.]

Last August 17, a week before the show was to close. My father and I finally got the chance to see it. Here's the rundown!

PLOT:

ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! is a story of a college barkada who during the tough times of their youth and the current government, stumbles upon a song writing competition. Given their musical talents, the boys decide to give it their all and write an original song, assigning tasks to specific people in their barkada with the talent to create a winning song.

The barkada is composed of three graduating students (Rick, Sonny and Butch), and four younger students (Jaime, Bobby, Donnie and Ray). I count Ray as a younger student because he calls the three "Kuya" but is not stated if he is a Senior or not.

The seniors are living the life until they are suddenly thrown a curve ball when they face problems with their love life. Rick, the lyricist, struggles to focus on either his music or his long-term girlfriend Anna. Sonny, the musical composer, is faced with a crisis when his girlfriend announces she'll be leaving the country. Lastly, Butch has finally met the girl for him when he meets a new classmate named Michelle.

The younger bunch all want to finish the song as quickly as possible, especially Ray who will work on the voicing for the song. He's also pressured because he is under scholarship and is studying to become a doctor to help with his family's finances, especially because of his mother's poor health.

The task of writing a song is proven to not be a walk in the park. Friendships go head to head with individual responsibilities and the barkada is forced to chose what to prioritise. All of this is happening as they are facing the trials of living under Martial Law.

THOUGHTS:

First of all, I was very excited to watch this. Not only one was it an original Filipino musical, it was going to feature songs I grew up hearing.

I didn't research much on the story, all I knew was what I heard from my dad: a group of friends joining a song writing competition during Martial Law. I learned more about the plot when I bought the souvenir program a few minutes before the show.

Needless to say, the plot was a bit overused. It's your typical coming of age, group of friends story were friendships are tested either by family, love life or responsibilities. In this case all of three.

But what made up for the predictability of the story, were the songs and how they perfectly fitted the story plus how the actors played their respective parts. You could guess where the story was heading but when the time came, the dept of emotion the characters will make you feel will still shock you.

Not to mention the comedy and one-liners that Robbie Guevara and Jonjon Martin have written in. Those were golden and expertly executed by many of the actors.

Jobim Javier's rendition of "Panalangin" was the stand-out performance for me. His portrayal of a young man truly and utterly in love with someone he had just met but was already making plans for the future was a heart warming and equally comedic master piece.

Jon Philippe Go and Neomi Gonzales' take on "Batang Bata Ka Pa" early on in the show gives us that impression that this is more than just a happy story of friends goofing around while they are in college.

And finally, "Pag-Ibig" led by Raul Victor Montesa had me (and most people in that theatre) in tears. This particular part really claws at a person's heart and gives you the feeling of what it was like during that time of the country's history.

But as much as the songs resonated with me, there were still parts that didn't quite reach their mark.

First of all was the technicalities of the show. It was my first time to see a musical or play in Maybank Performing Arts Theatre. I love how small and homy it felt, but acoustic wise--well it might have deafened some people.

There was no space for most of the equipment, both technical booth and orchestra being situated in the second level (loge) area. My father and I were sitting right next to the tech booth while on the opposite of the theatre I prayed that those sitting next to the orchestra would still have hearing by the end of the show.

The other downfall of the show was, with at most around 6-8 people on stage all with their own microphones, sound difficulties were bound to happen. Some dialogue were drowned out by either the music or the microphones not being turned on [I assume they would be opened when characters were going to say a line and not a moment earlier due to feedback]. Other instances is with all those microphones turned on at the same time, a resounding feedback gave the audience a surprise jolt, which happened unfortunately during one musical number.

My other difficulty with the show was the language. My father is not really a theatre person but if he had been, he'd probably have shushed me for asking so many questions. The program had the definitions for the 70s vernacular heard all throughout the show but it's not like I was going to look at that as the characters said their lines. I had to ask my dad what some words meant and why most people in the audience, who were alive during those times, laughed. This is probably not the fault of the show, as its target audience are people who had lived through the 70s. But those of younger generations planning to catch it, I'd do my homework if you want to understand some of the jabs [and trust me, the punchlines are worth brushing up on 70s speak].

Lastly, though I think this wasn't much of a downside for me as it may be for others, the show was long. I've been a theatre goer for the past decade or so and I'm used to long shows but, I'm ok witht the length for as long as the story keeps its pace. There were parts of the musical that I felt were a little too dragging, the first song in particular. My dad turned to me and even asked if they were just going to sing that one song over and over again. There were other songs too, that I felt were just added into the show because they were some of APO's popular songs and people would love to see it in the show but unfortunately they missed the mark story wise.

OVERALL:

ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! is a timely, feel good, heartstrings tugging show that I would recommend to all, may they be fans of theatre/musicals or not, may they be fans of APO or not.

It gives you a question that many generations, old and new, ask themselves: how do we make our voices heard? May it be in pursuing a dream, planning for the future or surviving the rough tests of current times...the show gives us a look on the hardships that our country has faced and how, with a little help of friends, family and music, people survived.

It is timely that the show has its run during August as the country celebrates Buwan ng Wika. OPM is making rounds in the theatre world and no time like the present to do just that. No matter what, you will find yourself humming or singing along to timeless classics that the APO Hiking Society has graced the music stage with. It will make you ride a rollercoaster of emotions that, at the closing scene, the round of applause is truly and utterly deserved, not just for the show and the people behind it, but as a celebration of Original Pilipino Music.

Details:

ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! has been extended for another week! (Yeah!) The last show is now scheduled on September 2 instead of August 26. Get your tickets now from TicketWorld!

Run time: Close to 3 hours with a 15 minute intermission number.
Souvenir Program priced at 350, other souvenir programs like shirts, jackets and umbrellas available.
Disclaimer: You might not want to bring along young children as the character do curse in both English and Filipino, and a particular violent scene involving guns.