'Ang Huling El Bimbo': 7 things about the new Eheads musical

At long last, the much-awaited Eraserheads musical is finally here. "Ang Huling El Bimbo", the latest stage musical production of Resorts World Manila’s Full House Theater Company (FHTC) and Ultimate Shows Inc. joins the likes of "Rak of Aegis", "Sa Wakas" and "3 Stars and a Sun" — musicals that use the songs of one musical artist or group to power a narrative onstage.

It will make its grand debut on July 20 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater and on Wednesday, April 25, it was officially launched.

Here are a few things we learned about this all-original new musical:

1. Production spoke with the song publishers, not the members of the band.
The musical is the brainchild of producers Christine and Mark Manalang, who said they spoke directly with the song publishers of the Eheads’ vast catalog of songs. “We left it up to (them) to relay the plans to the members of the group,” Christine Manalang said. “We’re hoping (the members) come and watch.”

2. The story tackles social issues, but is about friendship and loyalty at its core. Writer Dingdong Novenario said it’s always been his dream to write a story based on the music of the Eraserheads. He said the story of the musical touches on issues like gender inequality and economic hardships, but ultimately is about three friends from high school who have drifted apart in adulthood. “It’s about reconnecting with people and (revisiting) the bonds that hold them together,” he said. 

3. It's not going to be a compilation of greatest hits. Director and playwright Dexter Santos started with the story and chose the songs to fit the narrative. If you’re worried that the production pieced together a weak story just to fit the lyrics of the songs, don’t be.

The production team made it very clear that they started with the narrative and then picked the songs that would work seamlessly with the story.

“The songs all have stories within them,” said Novenario. “The challenge is to connect all the stories into one cohesive whole.”

“We didn’t want to be slaves to the lyrics,” added Dexter. “We wanted to create new characters, retell new stories and create a new dynamic.”

4. That said, expect 35 to 40 of the Eheads songs in the production. Including such classics as “Pare Ko,” “Alapaap,” “Overdrive,” “With a Smile,” “Poor Man’s Grave,” Spoliarium,” and, of course, “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”

“But don’t expect all the songs to be sung in its entirety,” cautioned FHTC’s artistic director Menchu Launchengco-Yulo.

5.  The cast is composed of seasoned veterans and newbies. If you’re a fan of the local theater scene, the actors playing the major roles are all familiar names: Gian Magdangal, Jon Santos, Reb Atadero, OJ Mariano, Boo Gabunada, Sheila Francisco, Topper Fabregas and Tanya Manalang. All of them, of course, professed to being huge fans of the Eraserheads.

“I grew up with the music of the Eheads,” Magdangal said. “When I hear the songs, they just take me back to good memories of being with friends, playing basketball and even having my first crush.”

6. They’re not too worried about pleasing hardcore fans of the Eraserheads. “We want to satisfy the story,” Santos said. “All the songs are timeless, so we’re going back to the story and how the songs will be sung and what the message of the songs are. If you love the theater and if you love characters, we’re hoping you will love this musical. We’ll give you a musical that would resonate.”

7. There will be dancing. Fabregas confirmed he’ll be in at least one of the dance numbers. Exactly which Eheads song he dances to, we’ll just have to find out. — LA, GMA News

The original Filipino musical, Ang Huling El Bimbo, opens on July 20 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila. Tickets start at P1,600. TicketWorld outlets. Visit www.rwmanila.com for more updates.