May 4, 2024
16 year-old student Aiza (Felicity Kyle Napuli was lame in one leg, always bullied by her classmates. Jen (Marynor Madamesila) lived in the streets sorting through garbage piles with her brother Tikmol (Noel Comia, Jr.). 30-something mall security guard Girlie (Natasha Cabrera) was always teased because she was not yet married. Middle-aged housewife Norma (Tex Ordonez-De Leon) was left by her husband Lambert for a younger woman.
The four of them had their birthdays on the same date, December 6. However, because of the sad circumstances in their lives on that day, none of them were in the mood of celebrating. To make things worse, all of them were hearing a constant drumming sound in their ears. At the same time that night, they were each sucked into mysterious doors, after which they all materialized in a fantastic realm beyond reality populated by colorful quirky characters.
Newport World Resorts last project, "Ang Huling El Bimbo" (AHEB), the beloved, multi-awarded 2018 jukebox musical based on the discography of the Eraserheads, officially closed last July 23, 2023 on its nth restaging. After its massive success, NWR decided to go the same route in its next show, this time creating a jukebox musical around the songs written and popularized by anther Filipino alt-rock band of the 1990s -- Parokya ni Edgar.
I was not as familiar with discography of Parokya as I was with Eraserheads, so I was worried that I may not appreciate the show as much as I did AHEB before. I did not even know that the multi-syllabicated neologistic title was the title of their second album (yikes!). I was pleasantly surprised that I actually recognized many of the 47 Parokya songs that musical director Ejay Yatco integrated into the story. The infectious beats of "Bagsakan" and "The Yes Yes Show" were recurring themes throughout the show. Having the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mickey Jacinto) playing the music live in the pit is always a big plus.
The script by Rody Vera tackled mental health issues experienced by four different types of women. The story took a sudden fantasy route when they were teleported to an alternate reality where they can become characters who can express their problems best -- a mermaid for Aiza, an alien for Jen, an "aswang" for Norma. Girlie's story took a different form of self-realization to the tune of "This Guy's in Love With You, Pare", which added another dimension to the layered plot. My personal favorite song number was "Don't Think" where the four ladies share comfort and wisdom with each other.
These three disparate fantasy elements certainly triggered the designing genius of creative team to think way outside the box. Scenic designer Lawyn Cruz worked with lighting designer Meliton Roxas, Jr., and video projection designers GA Fallarme and Joyce Anne Garcia to create different worlds for the action to inhabit. Most eye-catching were the amazing over-the-top costumes and monster-designs created by Raven Ong. Jen, Girlie, and most spectacularly Norma, all took off the ground to fly on cables, so props to the engineering and safety teams for ensuring that these dangerous stunts go on without a hitch.
The story included characters from Parokya songs, like Mr. Suave (Pepe Herrera), Mang Jose (Nicco Manalo), Buloy (Boo Gabunada) and even Buloy's dog Murlock (an endearing performance by a very well-trained Belgain Malinois dog named Deevo). The names of the Bigotilyos, namely Tito Ralph (Jasper Jimenez), Gilbert Magat (Stephen Vinas), Charvis Manlabat (Rapah Manalo) and Ric Mercaro, Jr. (MC dela Cruz) were from the spoken intro of the song "Alumni Homecoming."
The plot had to take a lot of seemingly extraneous side trips just in order to fit in Parokya's most popular songs which audiences will surely anticipate. There were courtship scenes to accommodate love songs like "Harana" and "Gitara." A big communal booze drinking spree had to happen so that the whole cast can sing "Inuman Na" together. A rather contrived naughty bull session on male psychology segued smoothly to the raunchy crowd favorite, "Don't Play with My Birdie."
There may have been only 4 main female characters, and 9 male supporting characters with names. Then, there were 23 other actors (many recognizable names themselves - like Red Nuestro, Teetin Villanueva, Miah Canton, Cara Barredo, Jep Go) comprising the ensemble playing various unnamed minor characters who filled up the expansive Newport Theater stage. Furthermore, there were five understudies and two swings to take over absent cast members just in case. This huge triple-threat cast can be quite formidable for any director to control as a smooth unit, but Dexter M. Santos was more than up to the task.
Individual song numbers can be very entertaining on their own, especially if the song being sung is very popular. However, with multiple visual elements to see and story subplots to follow, the overall viewing experience can be rather overwhelming and confusing. Those who are very familiar with Parokya ni Edgar lore and lyrics can be rewarded with plenty of Easter eggs, but these may just feel like inside jokes flying over the heads of casual fans. The unintelligible rapped lyrics due to unclear delivery and mic issues should be addressed soon. It's just the beginning of the run, and I trust Santos and his crew can make necessary adjustments to streamline this new show, as they were able to do for AHEB before.
*****
BURUGUDUYSTUNSTUGUDUNSTUY: The Parokya Ni Edgar Musical runs at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at the Newport World Resorts in Pasay City from April 26 to June 8, 2024, with 8pm shows on Fridays and Saturdays and 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be bought via Ticketworld, with the following prices: SVIP - P5,525, VIP – P4,420, Gold - P3,315, Silver – P2,210 and Bronze – P1,105.
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