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PETA to stage 'One More Chance' musical featuring the songs of Ben&Ben in 2024
The year 2024 has never been this exciting for theater lovers.
"One More Chance," the 2007 blockbuster film starring John Lloyd Cruz and Kapuso Bea Alonzo, will be adapted into a musical by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), featuring the songs of the nine-piece indie folk band Ben&Ben.
No further details have been disclosed, except for the scheduled staging in April 2024.
The announcement was made during the curtain call following the 8pm performance of "Walang Aray" on Sunday, October 22.
“Walang Aray’s” lead actors Gio Gahol and Marynor Madamesila, who portrayed the lovers Tenyong and Julia, reenacted the iconic garden scene from "One More Chance." In this scene, Cruz, as Popoy, and Alonzo, as Basha, have a confrontation about their feelings. It's a moment that's well-remembered for Popoy's famous lines: "You had me at my best, she had me at my worst..."
Then PETA actor Johnnie Moran, who played the funny villain Padre Alfaro, leader of the Spanish friars, made the announcement.
What surprised everyone was that, following Moran's confirmation of the good news, members of Ben&Ben took the stage and performed two of their earlier hits.
Their first song was "Kathang Isip," which instantly put the audience in a mini-concert mood. People were taking videos with their cellphones, singing along with the band, and, at least the younger ones who knew the lyrics, they turned the PETA-Phinma Theater into a concert hall.
Before their next performance, titled "Araw Araw," one of the vocalists, Miguel Benjamin Guico, mentioned that it was PETA choreographer-actor Gio Gahol who had taught the Ben&Ben members how to dance, or at least some dance moves.
Gahol was on stage, seated in the background with the other cast members. Aside from playing Tenyong, Gahol is also the musical’s choreographer.
The crowd asked them to dance, shouting, “sample, sample, sample.”
Miguel hushed them and said, “Huwag na po. Wait lang. The common reaction when we dance on TikTok is like this: ‘Grabe ang galing nyo talagang kumanta. Buti na lang naging banda kayo.”
The crowd erupted in laughter, and after the cheers subsided, Miguel assumed a more serious tone, asking, "Meron po akong tanong... If you had one more chance, pipiliin nyo pa rin ba sya araw araw?"
He then started singing the first line of "Araw Araw," sending the crowd into a frenzy as they joined in singing in unison.
When PETA shared the news on their social media pages a few hours later, reactions began pouring in. Some questioned why Ben&Ben was chosen, given that the band was formed in 2017, around 10 years after the release of "One More Chance."
Members of Ben&Ben are in their 20s, and comments suggested they might be too young for a musical adaptation of the modern classic movie. One commenter even mentioned Jeremiah Band's 1998 song, "Nanghihinayang," and the unofficial theme song of the movie, Nexxus band's "I'll Never Go," which was released in 1998.
However, judging from the overwhelmingly positive reactions from the crowd that night, including the Titos and Titas who might not have heard of Ben&Ben, the band's style of music seems tailor-made for this feel-good romantic film, now considered a modern classic.
"One More Chance" is still available for streaming on Netflix and other devices. It tells the story of a young couple, Popoy and Basha, who have been together since college, promising to love each other forever. Years pass, and Popoy becomes an engineer while Basha becomes an architect. At some point, Basha feels suffocated in the relationship with the over-caring Popoy, leading to their breakup.
PETA has announced that details about the playwright, director, actors, and other members of the artistic team will be released in stages. Are you excited to see Popoy and Basha on the stage? We are! Stay tuned for more updates.
— CACM, GMA integrated News
