‘Bar Boys’ proves it’s one of the best homegrown original musicals this year

Barefoot Theatre Collaborative’s “Bar Boys: A New Musical,” touted as among the best new homegrown original musicals this year, proves that being brave and straightforward in telling the truth will always work in theater.

We say one of the best original Filipino musicals because there is also “Mula Sa Buwan,” created by the same three creatives behind “Bar Boys”: Director-playwright Pat Valera, co-director Mikko Angeles and musical director-composer Myke Salomon. 

The three-hour long "Bar Boys" is an adaptation of the 2017 movie by filmmaker Kip Oebanda. During the writing process, Oebanda helped Valera in expanding the plot, giving more back stories for each character and stretching the narrative. According to Valera, Oebanda was a big help in creating the ending. 

This is actually a rerun of "Bar Boys," which was initially staged in May this year and which Valera calls the "workshop run." 

In the current version, Valera updated the dialogues and referenced current events like the arrest and detention of the alleged “son of god,” the total ban against Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and arrest of its key players, and the eventual fall out of the once-powerful political alliance of the two top leaders in the country.

“We also fixed the sound system,” he told GMA News Online. The Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater has been known from previous productions as having a “barangay hall” quality acoustics. Now it’s been fixed, Valera re-assured. 

But the story remains about four young men studying to become lawyers. They are initially shown more engrossed in playing computer games than dating. Torran (played by Jerom Canlas with Khalil Tambio as cover actor), Erik (Benedix Ramos, also with Tambio as cover), Chris (Alex Diaz with Ian Pangilinan as cover) and Josh (Omar Uddin) have dreams of making a difference, of creating a better country so they decide to enter law school.  

Audience members become witnesses in their individual struggles. Among the four, the idealistic Josh still believes that getting justice in this country is a black-and-white thing, and gets disillusioned early on. He gives up and packs his bags to Siargao not only for vacation but to create a new life, though he remains in touch with his friends.

There’s Torran, who is being raised by a very caring and tough single mother.

There’s Erik, who has a supportive father simply called Paping (played in alternate by Juliene Mendoza and Lorenz Martinez with Chino Veguillas as cover actor). Paping works as a security guard in a factory and is determined to provide Erik all he needs to finish law school.

And there’s Chris, the rich kid with a conscience, whose estranged father is a big-time crooked lawyer, Atty. Maurice Carlson (Nor Domingo with Veguillas as cover.) 

Sheila Francisco, the veteran multi-platform actress, plays the toughest professor, Justice Hernandez, with Naths Everett as cover. From terror teacher, she eventually becomes their life-long mentor. 

There’s a young gay professor named Atty. Victor Cruz, played by multi-platform much-awarded actor Topper Fabregas with Shaun Ocrisma as cover. The love angle between him and Torran has become one of the highlights in the story. A memorable line spoken by Torran: “Sino’ng nagsusuot ng singsing sa necklace?” 

On the night we watched the musical, among the ensemble there’s Katrine Sunga playing Female Professor and Carlon Matobato as Male Professor, both delivering punchlines without embellishments. Jam Binay played Samantha “Sammi” Marquez the once-timid student who transforms into, well, what lawyer should be, someone who can shout “penis” without hesitation if summoned to.  

Valera and Angeles chose the traverse stage setup, wherein actors are like fashion models sashaying on the ramp and there are two groups of audience members facing each other.  The movement direction of choreographer Jomelle Era proved crucial and there’s none of that awkward blocking common in this kind of intimate stage. 

Kudos too to D. Cortezano for the seamless technical direction, Arnold Jallores for a much-improved sound engineering, Ohm David for the appropriate set design, Tata Tuviera for costume design, Meliton Roxas Jr. for lighting design, Joyce Garcia for video projection design and Julio Garcia for property design.

It must be highlighted that this musical is the first for Salomon to compose original songs and they all showed his brilliance. Over the years, he has showcased his penchant for music, re-arranging songs to fit the script of various jukebox musicals like Full House Theater Company’s “Ang Huling El Bimbo the musical,” Philippine Educational Theater Association’s “Rak of Aegis," “Three Stars and a Sun,” and “One More Chance.” 

In "Bar Boys," he proves he can compose original songs for a musical with catchy lyrics and melodies that any music-loving Pinoys would love. 

Valera also considered “Bar Boys” as his first screen-to-stage musical adaptation and his co-director Angeles has been a big help. 

The energy that audience members would feel scene after scene is electrifying, though the emotions aren’t exaggerated or stretched to sustain attention. 

It has been pointed out in earlier articles how law students in the audience would tear up. They see their lives played before them on stage. There are the economically challenged parents who assure their children not to worry about finances, to the point of selling their appliances, of being buried in debt. 

The common premise in the lives of Erik, Cris, Torran and Josh reminds us of the taxi drivers, airport workers, common laborers, who, despite their financial problems, return big amounts of money in bags or wallets left by passengers and travelers.

The idealism of the young and fearless, of fighting for those who have less in life, of being tested by bribes, of getting ahead the easy way, all make “Bar Boys: A New Musical” the story of the Filipino youth, their mock courtrooms, microcosms of what the country has become.

It shows audience members, even first-time theatergoers, that holding on to hope is still valid, a vital weapon to win. More important, this musical proved that creating an original work in the post-pandemic theater renaissance will always have an audience. 

“Bar Boys: A New Musical” is the real game changer, running until November 3, 2024. 

— LA, GMA Integrated News