No, this is not a parody of a Tom Cruise-starrer film. This original musical play has an identity of rock on its own. I got the chance to watch it, thanks to the complimentary ticket of a dear friend.
The band Aegis has been a part of Filipino culture since they started making hits. Actually, I realized that more after I watched the play - so many karaoke stations and pirated music stores have played the songs of Aegis. With their distinct husky voice and "birit" notes, the band was able to create their signature sound and was able to penetrate the masses.
It is not uncommon to create musical plays based on the songs of a band. Mamma Mia! was based on the music Swedish group Abba. Locally, Sa Wakas was based on the songs of Sugarfree. Iconic as the Aegis is, much is expected from a musical based on their songs.
The first thing that will catch your attention when you enter PETA theatre is the unique set design.
There is an actual floodwater in the middle of the stage full with makeshift slum houses. There's a boat, patterened to commonly seen mode of transportation in perennially flooded areas such as Malabon, attached to a dolly trail to traverse across the waters. A set of screens hang in the middle that goes up and down. The screens have been utilized fully in the play as part of the story. Since the theatre is very intimate, the set was perfect. From afar, it really resembles the slums in Malabon and Navotas. When I learned who designed it, it was no surprise that it was Mio Infante. It was a fresh take on set designing, making the set an actor on its own right.
The story takes place in a flooded slum neighborhood of Brgy. Venecia (inspired by the architectural layout of Venice) whose main livelihood is making shoes. I believe the story is based on the Typhoon Ondoy situation in Marikina. Aileen (played by Aicelle Santos) dreams of rising into fame via Internet. She made one by singing in the midst of the flood. As she rises to fame, the flood became an attraction and paradoxically the thing that can get the barangay out of their poor situation. Brgy. Capt. Mary Jane (played by Kailila Aguilos) quipped the irony in the line "Ang salbabida nating baha, lumulubog na."
The story was very close to the hearts of the people. Laudable was the script by Liza Magtoto, the tone of which is resembling the masses, which again is the most relatable segment for the Aegis band. There's a lot of references to pop culture, but then again it's the language the masses speak. The jokes were obvious and spoonfed but the acting and delivery made it funnier as well. The only thing maybe is that it came as a common Filipino ending where suddenly, everyone's happy. But again, if you're speaking the language of the masses, that's the way to go.
There was never a dull moment in the play. The ensemble acting of the cast kept up the show always energized, may it be a dramatic or comedic scene. They made it very natural that you can almost see the real situation it was patterned to. For me, Kailila Aguilos stood out as the Brgy. Captain. She knows her nuances and has the singing voice closest to that of Aegis. She alternates for Isay Alvarez. Aicelle Santos came to me as a surprise. She became better in acting, very quick and natural. Another scene stealer is the actor that played Tolits. He really studied the role and his quips were the funniest. Vocally, the mother role, Mercy (which coincidentally is the name of one of the members of Aegis) stood out with her aria-like solo. The ensemble had their own moments which contributed to the life of the play.
The musical disrupted the mainstream of musical play. The usuals are full non-repetitive songs with lavish production numbers and grand endings. The music in Rak of Aegis was arranged like the sing-alongs at home or in the neighborhood. The songs were reprised in some parts with changed lyrics. And most of the endings is not the usual high note bang. They were arranged to be solemn when needed. My favorite of the songs was the arrangement for "Gumising na tayo". Aegis made a number of hit songs yet very limited. The writer and the music arranger played with it by using the limited and applicable songs and rounding them up around the play. Although, Aegis is known for their high notes and rock songs. I was hoping to hear more of that.
I also liked the witty pre-show announcements tailor-fit to the play. It made me try not to sing-along or I would have to sing Halik two octaves higher. Also, it's a musical play not a karaoke. :)
Overall, it's not actually a miss-half-of-your-life experience yet it's a show worth your time and dime. Go catch them until March 9.
The band Aegis has been a part of Filipino culture since they started making hits. Actually, I realized that more after I watched the play - so many karaoke stations and pirated music stores have played the songs of Aegis. With their distinct husky voice and "birit" notes, the band was able to create their signature sound and was able to penetrate the masses.
It is not uncommon to create musical plays based on the songs of a band. Mamma Mia! was based on the music Swedish group Abba. Locally, Sa Wakas was based on the songs of Sugarfree. Iconic as the Aegis is, much is expected from a musical based on their songs.
The first thing that will catch your attention when you enter PETA theatre is the unique set design.
There is an actual floodwater in the middle of the stage full with makeshift slum houses. There's a boat, patterened to commonly seen mode of transportation in perennially flooded areas such as Malabon, attached to a dolly trail to traverse across the waters. A set of screens hang in the middle that goes up and down. The screens have been utilized fully in the play as part of the story. Since the theatre is very intimate, the set was perfect. From afar, it really resembles the slums in Malabon and Navotas. When I learned who designed it, it was no surprise that it was Mio Infante. It was a fresh take on set designing, making the set an actor on its own right.
The story takes place in a flooded slum neighborhood of Brgy. Venecia (inspired by the architectural layout of Venice) whose main livelihood is making shoes. I believe the story is based on the Typhoon Ondoy situation in Marikina. Aileen (played by Aicelle Santos) dreams of rising into fame via Internet. She made one by singing in the midst of the flood. As she rises to fame, the flood became an attraction and paradoxically the thing that can get the barangay out of their poor situation. Brgy. Capt. Mary Jane (played by Kailila Aguilos) quipped the irony in the line "Ang salbabida nating baha, lumulubog na."
The story was very close to the hearts of the people. Laudable was the script by Liza Magtoto, the tone of which is resembling the masses, which again is the most relatable segment for the Aegis band. There's a lot of references to pop culture, but then again it's the language the masses speak. The jokes were obvious and spoonfed but the acting and delivery made it funnier as well. The only thing maybe is that it came as a common Filipino ending where suddenly, everyone's happy. But again, if you're speaking the language of the masses, that's the way to go.
There was never a dull moment in the play. The ensemble acting of the cast kept up the show always energized, may it be a dramatic or comedic scene. They made it very natural that you can almost see the real situation it was patterned to. For me, Kailila Aguilos stood out as the Brgy. Captain. She knows her nuances and has the singing voice closest to that of Aegis. She alternates for Isay Alvarez. Aicelle Santos came to me as a surprise. She became better in acting, very quick and natural. Another scene stealer is the actor that played Tolits. He really studied the role and his quips were the funniest. Vocally, the mother role, Mercy (which coincidentally is the name of one of the members of Aegis) stood out with her aria-like solo. The ensemble had their own moments which contributed to the life of the play.
The musical disrupted the mainstream of musical play. The usuals are full non-repetitive songs with lavish production numbers and grand endings. The music in Rak of Aegis was arranged like the sing-alongs at home or in the neighborhood. The songs were reprised in some parts with changed lyrics. And most of the endings is not the usual high note bang. They were arranged to be solemn when needed. My favorite of the songs was the arrangement for "Gumising na tayo". Aegis made a number of hit songs yet very limited. The writer and the music arranger played with it by using the limited and applicable songs and rounding them up around the play. Although, Aegis is known for their high notes and rock songs. I was hoping to hear more of that.
I also liked the witty pre-show announcements tailor-fit to the play. It made me try not to sing-along or I would have to sing Halik two octaves higher. Also, it's a musical play not a karaoke. :)
Overall, it's not actually a miss-half-of-your-life experience yet it's a show worth your time and dime. Go catch them until March 9.
No comments:
Post a Comment