The long-awaited staging of “Walang Aray” marks the official return of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA)’s return to live performances.
The musical, written by Rody Vera with music by Vince Lim, is based on Severino Reyes’ classic 1898 Filipino zarzuela “Walang Sugat,” presented in a language, tone, and feel that is approachable for today’s audiences.
Although the musical involves historical events and commentary, it includes a generous sprinkling of modern-day cultural references. It is also primarily a comedy, promising audiences of all ages can enjoy the material.
The new original work was chosen as the theater company’s comeback piece for several reasons. Coming from an almost three-year drought of live performances, PETA deemed it best to kick off with a production that can uplift spirits the way we Filipinos know best: laughter.
“It’s necessary, after three years of what we went through—not only the pandemic, but also the elections—to do something irreverent and funny. I think that is what people need right now. They need a space to laugh, to sort of allow themselves to have fun and enjoy something,” says PETA artistic director Maribel Legarda.
“But of course, in PETA, it’s not just having fun,” Legarda adds, “PETA believes that good comedy makes you think and reflect, and ‘Walang Aray’ is exactly that.”
Vera, who was commissioned by Reyes’ great-grandson and creative heir Jun Reyes, first intended for the piece to be a jukebox musical film, but high production costs shelved the original “Walang Aray” screenplay. Years later, the playwright would present the material to Legarda, who then suggested turning it into an original musical instead. Small-scale stagings were then produced for PETA’s theater laboratory in 2018 and 2019. The result is a uniquely crafted sound that incorporates many elements of music that Filipinos enjoy today: pop, ballad, funk, and even bits of hip hop.
Although the musical has been set to be a feel-good, laugh-out-loud piece, it does emphasize a timeless message. The tagline “tumindig at umibig” calls on its audiences to rise up against challenges and fight for one’s love, whether for country, family, or one’s beloved.
Like the original “Walang Sugat,” the musical also depicts the hardships experienced by Filipinos under oppressive rulers. And while “Walang Aray” still references these points in history—particularly the revolution against colonizers—the injection of today’s slang, our own present-day challenges, and more contemporary musical genres make it a piece that is uniquely of this time.
“The hypocrisy, the power trips, hidden desires, deceptions, and idiosyncrasies—they’re all still here. And I think that’s exactly what makes this ‘slight’ adjustment from the original zarzuela relatable to us today,” Vera says.
The musical also serves as both a spoof of and a tribute to the zarzuela, as it alludes to and at times even subverts the traditional tropes and characters.
The media preview held on November 28 featured PETA regulars Gio Gahol (“Rak of Aegis,” “Under My Skin,” “Charot!”) and Marynor Madamesila (“Rak of Aegis,” “Batang Rizal”) in the lead roles of Tenyong and Julia. Performed with spectacular clarity and chemistry, it will be interesting to see how alternate leads KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad of Star Magic will match up to the energy. The project is set to be the love team’s first foray into musical theater.
This partnership with Star Magic is expected to bring in a new theater audience, PETA shares. This also follows the company’s tradition of involving television and film actors not just to bring in audiences, but to help develop their art further.
According to Legarda, a long-held belief by National Artist for Film and former PETA executive director Lino Brocka was that “it’s good for film actors to come and do theater because their experience of the theater will improve their craft as performers, and at the same time, their give back, is that they lend their celebrity to help theater become more popular to new audiences.”
“Walang Aray” will run at the PETA Theater from Feb. 17 to May 14, 2023. Tickets go on sale on December 10 via Ticketworld. “Walang Aray” is written by Rody Vera and directed by Ian Segarra, with musical direction by Vince Lim, sound design by Happy Constantino, production design by Julio Garcia, choreography by Gio Gahol, lighting design by David Esguerra, and costume design by JayLo Cunanan.
The cast also includes PETA artists Jarred Jaicten, Kiki Baento, Carlon Matobato, Gie Onida, Norbs Portales, Neomi Gonzales, John Moran, Tom Bienvenida, Donn Boco, Gerard Dy, Yeyin Dela Cruz, Ada Tayao, and Ayla Garcia, with Gardo Exconde and Csai Habla as the swings.
