By Dom Galeon
Images by Noel Pabalate
I think I was fortunate enough to have grown up during the ’90s, a time when there was “a fruitcake for everybody.” Oops, sorry I jumped right into that, but I can’t help it. Last Thursday, I watched a gala night performance of “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” the newest musical to be staged at the Newport Performing Arts Theater inside Resorts World Manila’s Newport Mall. And it didn’t disappoint.
As the title suggests, this musical revolves around the songs of ‘90s OPM rock band Eraserheads—with favorites like “Minsan,” “Pare Ko,” “Tindahan ni Aling Nena,” “Alapaap,” “Shirley,” “With a Smile,” “Poor Man’s Grave,” and, of course, the musical’s namesake “Ang Huling El Bimbo”—arranged for the show by Myke Salomon and performed by a talented cast led by Gian Magdangal, Jon Santos, and OJ Mariano who play a barkada (Hector, Anthony, and Emman, respectively) that first met each other minsan sa may Kalayaan, sharing a room number 214 in the dorm. Reb Atadero, Topper Fabregas, and Boo Gabunada play the younger versions of the trio.
One of the most memorable scenes from the show, with Boo Gabunada, Topper Fabregas, Tanya Manalang, and Reb Atadero
An original story written by Dingdong Novenario, “Ang Huling El Bimbo” takes us through the lives of these three major characters, cycling back and forth between the present and their college past, where they met a girl named Joy, played by Tanya Manalang and then by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, who also happened to be musical’s associate director. Stage veterans Shiela Francisco and Jaime Wilson add their voices to “Ang Huling El Bimbo’s” impressive pool of thespians.
Well, if these aren’t reasons enough to convince you that this musical is worth the nearly four hours you’ll spend sitting inside the beautiful Newport Performing Arts Theater, listening to Eheads hits played by a live band and chamber orchestra under the baton of Manila Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Rodel Colmenar, then let me make a case.
First reason: Much of it is set in the ‘90s, that pre-Internet or pseudo-digital decade that saw the rise of many boybands, girlbands, rock bands, and a host of local TV shows that almost everybody watched. Even better, like a “Pop Machine,” the musical makes a ton of pop culture references—from dance moves to soap brands to even the “three o’clock habit”—that really take you on a nostalgic overdrive. And what better way to enjoy all of these than with the Eraserheads hits playing in the background.
Ang Huling El Bimbo delivers a musical experience that transports you back in time, in a rollercoaster of emotions that begin with a relatively light first act, followed by a second act that’s truly a ‘Julie Tearjerky’—I mean tearjerker.
Which brings me to my second reason: DJ Myke did one heck of a job arranging all the music, from full-on, group performances and solos to mashups of several Eheads hits—all of them were truly “nakakaindak, nakakaaliw, nakakatindig balahibo.”
“It’s the narrative,” Myke tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “And my primal goal was to make the audience smile and think, and it’s in the crying that they do the thinking,” he adds, half-jokingly. “The song choices came with the script, and it took a collective effort to build it.”
OJ Mariano, Gian Magdangal, and Jon Santos play the adult versions of the lead characters
One of my favorites is the duet by Joy and Andre (Vic Robinson), which reminded me a bit of that confrontation scene in Les Mis, except this one was more romantic. And keep your ears open to catch bits from other Eheads songs that weren’t directly featured but were still somehow inserted in the play.
Third reason: It has a story with substance, a narrative that’s firmly grounded on reality. Pretty much like the songs from the Eraserheads, “Ang Huling El Bimbo” paints a “Spoliarium” of deeper issues, as Hector, Anthony, Emman, and Joy learn how to remove the “Maskara” that keep each of them from confronting their inner demons. But don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all just about problems or suffering. It’s also about dreaming and about not forgetting people who also shared the same dreams.
Boo, Reb, and Topper, with the ensemble, performing ‘Tindahan ni Aling Nena,’ one of the musical's funniest moments.
“We have a vibrant Philippine theater scene today,” Resorts World Manila president and CEO Kingson Sian told the gala night’s audience. “We are honored to be part of it. Let us remember to support Philippine theater, especially original Filipino performing arts productions.”
Directed and choreographed by Dexter M. Santos, “Ang Huling El Bimbo” delivers a musical experience that transports you back in time, in a rollercoaster of emotions that begin with a relatively light first act, followed by a second act that’s truly a “Julie Tearjerky”—I mean tearjerker. And all to the tune of beautiful, classic OPM hits from the Eraserheads.
Eraserheads front man Ely Buendia
But I don’t want to spoil anything here, so you better make your way to Newport Mall soon and catch this one-of-a-kind musical that’s as much about a generation’s fears, frustrations, and tears as it is about their hopes, dreams, and loves.