Why 'Bar Boys: The Musical' is the comeback we need right now
In the vicious political hamster wheel the Philippines keeps finding itself on, Filipinos can discover one thing to painfully laugh about: National scandals seem to refresh every year in this country. And that means theater companies like Barefoot Theatre Collaborative have lots of material to work with.
It explains why Barefoot’s Bar Boys: The Musical had two sold-out runs last year, and, due to public demand, is gearing up for another run this October.
Based on the 2017 film Bar Boys by Kip Oebanda, the musical follows four friends—Chris, Erik, Torran, and Josh—through their journey to becoming lawyers. As they navigate law school, reality sets in, challenging their friendship, family relationships, and faith.
All-new staging
The same core creative team that developed the musical from the start returns for this staging: Mikko Angeles as director, Jomelle Era as choreographer, and Myke Salomon as musical director. Also reprising the roles they originated in the first staging are all four of the main cast: Jerom Canlas as the competitive and secretive Torran Garcia; Omar Uddin as sweet and idealistic Josh Zuniga; Alex Diaz as “Inglisero” Chris Abueva, “who’s the top-one in their class,” Diaz added; and Benedix Ramos as Erik Vicencio, whose financial challenges dampen his big dreams.
“I prefer to call it an all-new staging [instead of a re-staging],” said Angeles. “Whatever was lacking in the previous runs, we will supply everything in this new staging.”
“Proud kami na mas maraming pagbabago itong musical na ‘to kaysa sa bayan natin,” cheekily added Salomon. “Bigger cast, more voices, beefier storytelling.”
And for the first time, Era’s choreography gets to stretch its legs on the big proscenium stage in Hyundai Hall, Arete.
“We didn’t get material from the previous runs,” said Era. “We looked at the material through a new perspective.”
True to life
“Our [musical] tells the story of our people and our nation,” said Nor Domingo, who plays Atty. Maurice Carlson in the new staging. “Even if we stage Bar Boys ten years from now, a lot of things in the story will remain true.”
Gimbey dela Cruz, who stars as Boss Mama, Torran’s tough mother, expounds on why Filipinos can identify with the story.
“Bar Boys has always talked about the class system…in the Philippines. And it has this strong message of ‘subukan mong muli,’” dela Cruz said. “We can change the world by always trying to move forward. It resonates now more than ever [because of] where we are as a nation. Stories that we tell in theater can change the world.”
Gio Gahol, who plays Atty. Victor Cruz, added, “The arts these days come with a social responsibility. We’re lucky that we get to work with theater companies that put a high value on the educational aspect of pursuing the arts; in this case, in doing theater.”
Lorenz Martinez, who plays Paping, Erik’s father, pins hope on the Gen Z main cast and audience members.
“Right now, the Gen Zs are the ones who are very politically motivated,” he said. As for the main cast, “the four boys are so hungry [to learn]. Outside of rehearsals, they continue to talk about their characters and discuss scenes.”
Breaching boundaries
Having done the first two runs of the musical, Canlas, Uddin, Diaz, and Ramos face an unexpected challenge: how to keep their performances fresh.
“We can’t be too complacent with discovery, especially in theater,” said Diaz. “The main topic of our improvement is how we can discover new experiences.”
Uddin agreed. “How do we empty our cups from the previous runs?” he asked.
“The familiarity scares us,” added Ramos. “We’re already too familiar with the script and our characters. Pero ang kagandahan nu’n, because we’re familiar with each other, we became closer. Mas madaling magtrabaho ‘pag lahat kami nasa iisang pahina.”
Beyond showing law school students what dreams may be achieved, “’pag subukan mo,” the musical keeps deeper patriotic undertones all throughout.
“It shows that we’re all Filipinos at the end of the day,” said Diaz. “I hope we can have that reverberate past the stage…and find ways to break down those boundaries across the Philippines.”
Breaking stereotypes
Four boys singing and dancing onstage—how many stereotypes does that break? It seems Bar Boys the Musical is out to shatter not just political barriers but also societal norms.
“It’s an opportunity to break toxic masculinity,” said Ramos.
Uddin sees beyond the gender. “[The themes] can also resonate with a group of women,” he said. “I hope there can also be a show targeted towards women and their friendship.”
“Also, we need more women writers and more women creators,” added Canlas, in the context of musicals all headlined by men, including Ang Huling El Bimbo and the upcoming Bagets the Musical. “All these materials were actually written by men. Men would write for men.”
Díaz, for his part, is optimistic that a change in the rhetoric will soon be forthcoming.
“Because there’s an influx of male-led musicals, I’m pretty sure that we can expect to see, very, very soon, a female-led musical. It’s about time,” he said.
Bring home hope
“May dadalhin kang lootbag pag-uwi [mula sa musical],” said Carlon Matobato, an ensemble cast member. “Iiyak ka, tatawa ka, mapapaindak ka. And you will get hope.”
“It doesn’t require a lot from the audience,” Gahol shared. “You don’t have to know what happens in a courtroom, what lawyers really do, how hard the law is, how hard the bar exam is. You don’t have to be aware of all that to understand this. Because this show has a lot of heart.”
Angeles agreed that the musical goes beyond the theme of law school. He hopes that through the musical, the Philippines will find its light.
“These are dark times in the Philippines right now,” he says. “Sana [dahil sa Bar Boys], mahanap natin lahat ang liwanag sa loob natin…ang apoy para magpatuloy, para lumaban. Kuwento nating lahat ito.”
Bar Boys the Musical runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 23 at the Hyundai Hall, Arete, Quezon City. Tickets are available at Ticket2Me.
