By Terence Repelente Images by Pinggot Zulueta
The cast of Himala: Isang Musikal gave the media a peek of the much-anticipated musical
We know them by heart—Sister Stella L’s “Kung walang kikilos, sinong kikilos?”; Lavina Arguelles’ “You’re nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!”; and Clarissa Rosales’ “Ayoko ng tinatapakan ako. Ayoko ng masikip, ayoko ng mabaho, ayoko ng walang tubig, ayoko ng walang pagkain, ayoko ng putik!” Among those is Elsa’s legendary line “Walang himala! Ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao, nasa puso nating lahat!”
This month, the Sandbox Collective, in their very first collaboration with 9 Works Theatrical, is bringing National Artist for Cinema Ishmael Bernal’s timeless masterpiece back to the stage to enchant old and new audiences. Adapted from the original film written by Ricky Lee, Himala: Isang Musikal remains vivid to Filipinos who’ve watched the film or the stage adaptations, like the director himself, Ed Lacson Jr. During a press conference, Ed expressed how thankful he is for the chance to reimagine a masterpiece. “Watching the first musical is an experience I will never forget. The images were burned in my mind after seeing it. It was in a very small space, and with the scale of emotion, seeing all of the action only a few feet away was a really powerful experience,” he said. “It stayed with me after college when I decided to work in theater. I had no idea that I would be in this position, directing it.”
Kakki Teodora
Formed in an inuman (drinking) session, the musical was something Ed wanted to do to inspire. “We’ve always wanted to do this, mainly, for the new generation. Because if you’ve seen Himala, in musical or film, it’s imprinted in you, and it’s probably your best memory of it whatever I do. So this is really for the first timers.” Ed said. “When I was just starting, not even for professional theater yet, the musical really made an impact to me.” Ed believes that Himala is one of those things that would drive you to your chosen path. “I feel like there’s a new generation who would benefit from seeing this material. The drinking session was almost two years ago, and it took us almost a year and a half before we found the right people to produce it. Here we are.”
Himala: the Musikal remains faithful to its original source as Lee himself wrote its script. During the press conference, Lee told the story on how Himala came to life, from a rejected script to now a national treasure. “I wrote Himala in 1976. I peddled it around, and it got rejected by producers left and right,” he said. “Dahil walang love story eh (Because there was no love story in it). Eventually it got produced in 1980. I just got out of jail after one year as a political prisoner when I wrote it, so I was questioning everything—the government, the educational system, religion, God.”
Clockwise from top: Ricky Lee; Ed Lacson Jr. and Vincent De Jesus
Lee also shared his experience with Bernal, during the making of the film. “He was a great filmmaker. I remember he wanted everything to be true. Our assistant director was Joey Lamangan. If the role is a sick person, Bernal would ask Joey to find a sick actor, and if Joey brings a sick actor, Bernal would say, ‘No, I want to see the sickness. I want to see the disease!’ And, I remember, Joey would apologize to the talents lined up outside, ‘Sorry, you need to be sick and look really sick.’” According to Lee, Bernal’s vision of Himala is different from other mainstream films back then. He wanted it real and raw. “There was a blind person, and even the makeup was removed, everything seemed so real,” he said. “That’s the philosophy I brought with me through the years, Bernal wanted a real and minimalist production, which is why I like Ed’s vision for this musical.” For Lee, Ed embodies Bernal’s vision for Himala. According to him, Ed told him that he wanted this musical to be as real as possible, with minimal cast and production design.
Vince De Jesus, who was also one of the people behind the first Himala musical broke the silence about the ‘what’s the better version?” dispute and argued that: “All the Himala musicals, each version, they’re all great, all different experiences, but all of them are equal. They each had their own time,” he said. Back as the musical director, Vince urged everyone. “You have to be there,” he said. “You have to shed your armor para lumabas yung emotions mo (to let your emotions out), otherwise you cannot take the songs.”
Sandino Martin with Neomi Gonzales
The talent of Aicelle Santos surfaced in the Philippine mainstream audience when she appeard in the first season of ABS-CBN’s Star In A Million. She would soon appear in multiple TV shows and performances, earning the monicker “Undefeated Pinoy Pop Superstar.” And now, on a different stage, she will play as Elsa, a role that she believes will be the hardest she’ll every play in her lifetime. Fresh off her recent performances in another musical Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag and Ang Larawan, Aicelle shared how she pulled out an Elsa inside of her. “In each rehearsal, I’ve built Elsa’s identity. Direk Ed and the entire cast really work hard to help each other develop their roles. Everything is a process as this role is very big for me. In fact, when I got the news, I jumped out of excitement then, after three minutes, I was afraid if I could pull it off. But now, thanks to Direk Ed and everyone, I’m ready for it.”
Kakki Teodora will play Nimia, Elsa’s childhood friend who leaves a life of prostitution in Manila behind to open a cabaret. Neomi Gonzalez will play Chayong, Elsa’s right-hand woman with a tragic fate. Sandino Martin will play as Pilo, Chayong’s former lover who is driven to unspeakable crimes. David Ezra will play Orly, a filmmaker from Manila who comes to Cupang to document the events as they unfold, up until the bitter end. A set of veteran and up-and-coming talents complete the rest of the cast, with musical arrangement by Jed Balsamo, lighting design by Barbie Tan-Tiongco, and costume design by Carlo Pagunaling.
Ricky Lee and Vincent De Jesus’ Himala Isang Musikal will be showing at the Power Mac Center Spotlight, Circuit Makati from Feb. 10 to March 4; 02 586 7105; sab@thesandboxcollective.com