Back to school: 'Bar Boys: A New Musical' returns for a five-week run
All rise—Bar Boys: A New Musical is back in session.
Barefoot Theatre Collaborative’s first original musical, adapted from the 2017 film of the same name directed by Kip Oebanda, is returning for its second run this year starting October 4.
The musical will run under the direction of Mikko Angeles and Pat Valera, under whose pen the show was created. Myke Salomon and Jomelle Era serve as Musical Director and Movement Director, respectively.
Just like the film on which it’s based, Bar Boys: A New Musical centers its plot around four best friends—Erik (Benedix Ramos), Chris (Alex Diaz), Torran (Jerom Canlas), and Josh (Omar Uddin)—who face their biggest and most arduous challenge to date: law school.
“[The film] resonated with me because I’m the son of a lawyer, and I grew up with law.” Valera explained in an exclusive interview with PhilSTAR L!fe. “My father was a law professor as well, so I knew the ins and outs of law school and the realities of law.”
“Bar Boys was one of, if not the only film that addressed the friendship and life of law school. I wanted to expand that into a musical wherein it can not only talk about law school, but how law, or the lack of it, or the mockery of it, affects each and every one of us in this country.”
Despite being based on Oebanda’s film, the musical is not a direct copy of what we recall seeing on the silver screen. “Kip also knew and believed from the get go na iba ang language and elements ng film and stage. Inevitably, maraming magbabago.” Valera mentioned. “It’s also different because it’s not set in 2017 anymore; it’s set in present times. From 2017 to present ang dami nang nangyari; we wanted to make a more contemporary and urgent piece right now. All of these things are to expand the universe of what Kip already created.”
“It’s an exciting piece of work.” added Angeles. “Kahit na adaptation siya, it somehow took a shape of its own, and sobrang original niyang kwento para sa lahat.”
Bar Boys: A New Musical first premiered in May of this year, and its first run opened to much acclaim across all audiences, law and non-law alike. “[Sabi ng] isang professor sa law school, invite natin 'yung mga estudyante nating manuod … tapos biglang, ‘wag na lang pala kasi baka madismaya sila sa nakita nila.” Valera recalled. “Not because it’s hard, but because the musical also tackles the realities of being a lawyer [...] Nevertheless, the decision was to invite their entire school to watch, and they’re watching this time around.”
Angeles continued. “I can testify for those na non-lawyers, na they realized that Bar Boys: A Musical is not just a musical about law. It’s about friendship, dreaming, na hindi lang siya nakakahon sa konsepto ng law at law school.”
“After the show, may mga law students akong naririnig na okay, next year, I’m gonna take the Bar,” Musical director Myke Salomon recounted. “Transformative siya para sa mga ibang law students na nakanood; it ignited their hearts to take the exam this year.”
But even those who had enjoyed the production the first time around can anticipate new changes when it comes to this rerun.
“This is an opportunity to tell the story and invite more people again; we’re able to make the characters richer, our choreography, music, choices richer, but at the same time not being afraid to tackle all the updates and changes in our political and social landscape that have been happening just even in the past five months alone,” Valera explained. “Daming nangyari sa bansa natin since May; truly a circus that a contemporary musical must address.”
Choreographer Jomelle Era added, “‘Yung katawan ng tao, nagbabago siya; kung sino ka kahapon, iba siya sa kung sino ka ngayon. ‘Yung mga galaw, desisyon ng bawat katawan, nagmamatter siya sa pagbuo ng grand design nila. So kung ano yung kinukuha mula sa nagkkwento onstage, ‘yun yung ginagamit natin para ibuo yung kwento nang mas malinaw.”
This run of Bar Boys: A New Musical sees the original cast reprising the four main roles alongside Sheila Francisco as their disciplined and confident professor, Justice Hernandez. “[Since we did] the first run, mahirap siyang gawin ulit, pero dapat fresh pa rin.” Ramos explained. “Kailangang magawa mo yung ginawa mo nung first run pero dapat mag-improve pa iyon, magbago for the better.”
On fleshing out the group dynamic, Canlas stated that now that they had spent time getting to know and work with each other, there was more to discover about the group—which is vital to the storytelling process. “We’re only as good as our last performance, and we always have to try something better for the audience to discover something new. Part of the magic of theatre is it's unfolding right in front of you, so kailangang kami rin, nag-didiscover ng kwento as it unfolds.”
Beyond tough cases and tougher professors, the show explores themes of family, justice, and fighting for one’s dreams, as the main characters learn more about the law, themselves, and each other. The overture of the musical rings clear; truly, may singil ang pangarap.
“Maraming tao sa mundo na iniisip nila na [madaling] makamit ang pangarap nila. But the truth is, there’s an equal and opposite sacrifice para makamit iyon.” Diaz said. “You have to be willing to change everything about yourself in order to become the person na makakamit ang pangarap mo.”
“Kung malaki yung ambisyon mo sa buhay, dapat ganon din kalaki yung ibabalik mo sa maniningil sayo, kasi maniningil siya ng napakalaki, higit pa sa buhay mo.” Salomon explained. “Pag malaki ka mangarap, ganon din dapat kalaki yung buong loob mo para makamit mo ‘yung pangarap mo.”
Bar Boys: A New Musical, will run from October 4 to November 3, 2024, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theatre, Circuit Makati. Tickets can be found here.