A musical showcase of artistic talent

By far, it’s the most beautiful Filipino musical that I’ve seen. It made the kind of impact on me that I felt when I watched the very first musical that I saw abroad, “Les Misérables.” Filipinos should watch this play because it quintessentially showcases our life reality, language, music, culture, and the immense artistic talent in our midst.

I joined family and friends in watching the musical “Ang Huling El Bimbo” (AHEB) at the Newport World Resorts’ Performing Arts Theater last Sunday. For three hours, I sat riveted as I got entertained with a cocktail of performances composed of songs, dance numbers, dramatic dialogue, and live musical instruments, all woven together to form one impressive musical show. The high energy of the performances was outstandingly sustained throughout the whole length of the show.

The heart and soul of the musical are the iconic songs of the rock band Eraserheads, which is one of the most influential and successful in the history of Filipino music. Often called as the “Beatles of the Philippines,” the Eraserheads produced Original Pilipino Music which have now become Pinoy rock classics. If the ’70s and ’80s had the Apo Hiking Society, the ’90s were dominated by the Eraserheads.

The story line revolves around the lives of three young men who become college dorm mates. They patronize an eatery where they become friends with the owner’s niece. Through intertwined and alternating scenes of the past and present, the exuberant years of youth collide with the sordid defilements of reality. The idyllic period of youthful years—characterized by dreams, love, idealism, and pure friendship—become smeared and disfigured by heartbreak, sexual violence, corruption, drugs, and poverty.

Eraserheads songs punctuate pivotal scenes of the show, either as stand-alone renditions or mixed with new compositions. Every song is paired with a dance interpretation by a sizeable number of dance artists, whose performances are consistently impressive and intense throughout the show. Much has been written about, and praise has inordinately been given to, the actors/actresses-cum-singers, but the dancers should share equal credit for their enthralling performances.

Among the cast of artist-singers, experience stands out because the performances of Sheila Francisco as the eatery owner Tiya Dely, and Jamie Wilson as Sergeant Banlaoi, really shine with their very convincing acting and singing.

Another cast of performers who should share the limelight of recognition is the Manila Philharmonic AHEB band, led by the very youthful and talented conductor, Mickey Jacinto. An ensemble of guitars, piano, drums, violin, and other strings, impressively provide rhythm, harmony, and pulse to 30 song numbers. How the band is able to sustain three hours of conducting or performing instruments, twice a day on certain Saturdays and Sundays, is a testament to pure passion and love for music artistry.

The award-winning musical has staged more than 100 successful shows from its premiere in 2018 and until August 2019. A recorded performance streamed online in 2020 for an ABS-CBN fundraising project garnered seven million views in just 48 hours.

There’s a noticeable upsurge of performing arts events in our country, with a number of theaters for live performances having sprouted in Metro Manila. This is thankfully happening at a time when TikTok, YouTube, and Netflix overdominate as sources of entertainment for most of our countrymen. This is also transpiring at a time when we’re now living most of our lives in virtual reality. This resurging counterculture of the performing arts must be supported and backed by those who care to shepherd the direction of culture and the arts to where they should rightfully be, lest we get completely overrun by inane forms of entertainment and degenerative culture.

Our country has an immense pool of artistic talent, and their geniuses are in full display for everyone to witness and enjoy in the musical “Ang Huling El Bimbo.” The survival of our way of life rests on the shoulders of our artists.

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