May 24, 2025
For its 2025 season opener, the latest show being staged by Barefoot Theatre Collaborative is Drew Gasparelli's "We Aren't Kids Anymore." This is a very unique show in that there is no story with a defined plot being told, nor any spoken dialogue to speak of. Instead, the actors are performing a series of 19 songs about Gasparini's journey to adulthood. There was also a moving poem by Keith White recited before the last three songs were performed.
The show opens with the five cast members making their entrance onto the stage. However, since there are no words of dialogue to put things in proper context, it was not immediately clear who these people are, how they are related to each other and where they were at that moment. The opening song "Hello, My Name is Drew" suggested that all five members of the cast represented different aspects of the personality of the songwriter, Gasparini.
The first Drew who entered the stage would appear to be the actual physical person of Drew, here portrayed by Myke Salomon. It was he who sang those charming songs with an innocent homespun vibe that told the story of Drew's family, like his siblings ("Danny & Andrew," "Little Sister") and his parents ("The Essence of George," "Mom Could Play Guitar"). The latter two were Salomon's best songs in the show, and he sang them with palpable filial loyalty.
The other four actors would seem to be playing various other personae within Drew. The most damaged one would seem to be the Drew played by Gio Gahol, particularly with his heartbreaking song "Snow," about his experience with cocaine. Another Drew in pain was portrayed by Luigi Quesada, who delivered the Keith White poem, and immediately followed it up by belting that powerful ballad of self-redemption -- "I'll Stick Around."
Gab Pangilinan's crystal clear soprano resonated in the theater with songs like "On the Edge," "Caught in a Loop" and especially the self-deprecating "Faking Cool." Maronne Cruz had a richer lower register, evident in songs like "Turn the Page" and the title song "We Aren't Kids Anymore." My favorite song of the whole show was the song Pangilinan and Cruz sang as a duet -- "On and On and On" -- an absolute beauty of a song I have on repeat.
The fantastic live singing performances of this cast were undoubtable, as they nailed all those vocally-challenging songs. In fact, I think they should record their own soundtrack album. However to be honest, since there was no dialogue, audiences may not be able to figure out Gasparini's message right away during the show. They would need to listen to the songs on Spotify a few more times in order to understand the lyrics better, then it hits you harder.
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"We Aren't Kids Anymore" was written by Drew Gasparini, with orchestrations and vocal arrangements by Justin Goldner and Drew Gasparini. This production by Barefoot Theatre Collaborative was directed by Rem Zamora, with Myke Salomon and Farley Asuncion as musical directors. Joey Mendoza designed the smart square set with the 4-musicians pit in the center. It runs at the PowerMac Center Blackbox Theater at Circuit Makati from May 2 to 25, 2025. Tickets availbable at Ticket2Me, at P3,200 (Gold) and P2,700 (Silver).
