It was 1979. Suzy Batungbakal (Air Paz-Pablico) had been raising her two daughters by herself by being a dressmaker in their house. Her eldest Annie (Atasha Muhlach) a fashion design school dropout now working as a salesgirl in House of Pasion, a fancy couture shop owned by socialite Aurora Pasion (Jackie Lou Blanco). At night, Annie would try to enter the exclusive disco Coco Banana with her work buddy Toots (Gerhard Khrysstopher), but was repeatedly denied entry by its proprietor, Tarurit (Dindo Divinagracia).
One day, two men arrived at the Manila International Airport from abroad. Romer Pasion (Anthony Rosaldo) was an airline steward with a passion for photography. However, his mother Aurora wanted him to take over the management of their business, an idea which he did not relish. Burn Rivera (Rapah Manalo) was a folk singer who just came home after working in Japan for a number of years. He had a serious crush on Annie since before he left, but she was still sore at him because he left without letting her know.
Like "Bagets The Musical" in January this year, this latest show at the Newport Performing Arts Theater was once again a jukebox musical produced by the Newport World Resort in cooperation with the Philippine Star and Viva Communications. This new musical uses the catchy songs composed and performed by the iconic 1970s Manila Sound band Hotdog, founded by Dennis and Rene Garcia. Annie Batungbakal was the title character of one of their songs, which had been adapted into a 1979 film starring Nora Aunor.
The creative and artistic direction of this project was care of PETA Plus, led by Program Director Melvin Lee. The playwright is Liza Magtoto, guided by dramaturg Eric dela Cruz. The stage direction was by Chris Millado, while the musical direction was by Vince Lim, who also did the arrangements and sound design. As the show about 70s fashion and dance, the throwback costumes by Hershee Tantiado and choreography of Stephen Vinas were front and center. The lighting effects of John Batalla enhanced the grandness of that stage and set.
Ohm David really stepped up with the nostalgic set pieces for this show, big and small. He made a movable wall that covered the whole expanse of the stage, with each box containing a vintage television set. One back-to-back set piece was that of the Batungbakal home in Frisco, QC. One side had their cramped living room, while the other side was Annie's messy bedroom. The grander back-to-back two-tier set piece had the elegant House of Pasion on one side, and the lavish Coco Banana complete with grand staircase on the other.
In Act 1, we hear them sing the ever-exuberant "Manila" upon the arrival of Romer and Burn at the airport. "Totoo Ba ang Tsismis" was heard during a gathering of neighborhood gossipmongers. "Kulang" was used to humiliate Annie about her fashion sense shortcomings. "A Special Part of Me" was the song Annie shared with her "sidecar fairy" adviser Amor (Akie Cedilla). The hilarious "Badaf Forever," a Garcia composition originally recorded by Charing, a gay Hagibis clone, fit right at home among the parade of drag queens of Coco Banana.
I liked the flow of the story in Act 2 more, as well as the choice of songs for the supporting cast to have their featured solos. "Panaginip" became a mother's promise of dedicated lifetime support to her daughter. "Parang Robot" was Aurora's acceptance about the change in direction her store should take. "Bitin sa Yo" was the resignation of Iste (Andrea Babierra) that her crush Burn loved her sister more. On the debit side, I felt "Beh Buti Nga" was awkwardly used in a squabble between two supposedly English-speaking Coco Banana denizens.
The Triumphant Curtain Call
The matinee show we caught today featured actors who were not among the cast members in the press preview nor on gala night that we saw in the show's advertisement videos or read about in reviews, like Sam Concepcion, KD Estrada or John Sweet Lapus. Instead, we got to see Anthony Rosaldo as Romer, Rapah Manalo as Burn and Dindo Divinagracia as Tarurit, which I welcomed as this variation gave us another perspective to the show. Part of me was actually curious to see Annie understudy Iya Villanueva, but no such luck.
I have seen Anthony Rosaldo before as Roger in "Rent" (2024) so I knew he had soaring vocals, best heard here in his rendition of "Ikaw ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko." He actually had more of that flashy playboy rascal vibe the role of Romer needed, worthy of that "high waist na, see-through pa" outfit. I have seen Rapah Manalo before in "Chorus Line" (2026) so I knew he could sing and dance very well. He was able to showcase his strong vocals best in the love song "Langit na Naman," which his Burn supposedly wrote for Annie.
Atasha Muhlach has been Annie for two weeks already when I watched. She is no doubt charming, actually proficient in the quiet dramatic scenes. Her major solo number "Pers Lab" was noticeably given a lower arrangement. Her very slender frame made some movements she had to do look ungainly. Nervous jitters were still there as she sometimes felt dwarfed or drowned out by everything going on around her in those ultra-busy group numbers. She has the talent, just needs to build up more confidence so can she sell it and stand out.
**********
"Bongga Ka, 'Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical" runs from September 18 to October 31, 2026 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City. Tickets can be bought via Ticketworld at the following prices: SVIP P4,500, VIP P4,000, Gold P3,400, Silver P2,400 and Bronze P1,300.
Jeff Moses also alternates as Romer. Ring Antonio alternates as Aurora Pasion. Yani Lopez alternates as Iste. Other covers and swings include Tep Logmao and Jannah Baniasia. The female ensemble include Chez Cuenca, Abi Sulit-Racho, Abegail Turiano, Mica Fajardo, Coleen Paz, Mia Bella, Misha Fabian, Sam Marasigan, Yna Arbiol and Paui Luzariaga. The male ensemble include Mark Panganoron, Gerald Magallanes, Dan Wesley, Jay Cortez, Yahweh Sangalang, Vyen Villanueva, MC dela Cruz, Moi Gealogo, Richardson Yadao, and effortless standouts Bombading and Franco Ramos.
No comments:
Post a Comment