Mula sa Buwan: Poetry in the time of love and war
Like the moon borrowing light from the sun to create a luminous night comes Mula sa Buwan, an original Filipino musical based on Edmond Rostand’s classic Cyrano de Bergerac.
To the initiated, the timelessness of Cyrano is surely retained in Mula sa Buwan through the familiar story of unreciprocated love, the cunning art of negotiation, the role of beauty in madness. All these and more were given the Filipino feel and texture through the genius of Pat Valera and William Elvin Manzano who created the award-winning musical in 2010. The musical, with the outstanding Filipino translation of Soc Rodrigo, reimagines the original French obra within the parameters of pre-World War II Philippines.
Mula sa Buwan, set in the throes of an imminent war in Manila in the 1940s, is a universe all its own as it posits the lives of dreamers, fools and misfits—what with Cyrano (played excellently by Paw Castillo on opening night) and his nose that’s so long it looks like an extra facial appendage. Cyrano is no Pinocchio—for his feelings are not wooden and he does not lie, except only to himself. How riveting it is for Castillo to capture the poet in Cyrano with the sincerity of his portrayal. How beautiful it is that the speaking lines of all characters in the musical are spoken poetry—without measure, without extent. For how can one measure love? Or pain? Not even the many comic relief moments that the musical provides can gauge love and pain.
These emotions become raw and real with many big thanks to the theatrical direction of Mikko Angeles and musical direction of Myke Salomon. Their grip on the material was so tight no stones were left unturned. They made sure Mula sa Buwan shines its brightest and every song and poem in the musical soars like a full moon.
The musical, a restaging from the 2022 production of Barefoot Theater Collaborative, an innovative and no-nonsense theater company, begins with a lullaby that rouses audiences’ emotions, heightens their belief in finding love and losing it, and suspends their discernment of good and bad. Morality is in defiance and submission—both in the actual war and the war of the hearts. And how the LGBTQ community, providing a complex subplot in the musical, through Kabataang Makulay, provides moral ascendancy in times of hunger and war is also a highlight worth pondering on.
It helps that the set design and lighting conform to the muted color palette, showcasing a subdued, gloomy mood of a city that’s about to taste the ravages of war. The lighting design is foreboding; and at times, light and darkness on stage are a poetry on their own.
The momentary sepulchral silence in the scene where Cyrano, Roxanne (Gab Pangilinan) and Christian (MC Dela Cruz) perform Tinig sa Dilim is bursting with feelings of love that is found and love that is not returned. (This scene, at the gala night I watched, was a Kleenex moment. Roxanne and Christian were head over hills in love with each other. Cyrano, not even a second fiddle, was languishing in a make-believe love.)
Pangilinan, who sounds and looks beautiful in all her scenes, is iridescent. She essayed well her role of a woman in love—captivating, alluring, scintillating.
Dela Cruz has a measured temperament as an actor and that makes him a pro and a joy to watch.
Castillo’s Cyrano is both a whiff of fresh air and an ominous merriment. His acting proves that the stage is his world—be it center stage, upstage left or downstage right. He lives and breathes theater.
All three prove that the thespians in them are alive and alert when they all performed Tinig sa Dilim.
Maging ang buong daigdig ang ipalit
Hindi papantay sa aking pag-ibig
At kahit anong yaman ang itapat
Walang kasing halaga
Ang pusong hinahangad
Ako ngayon ang tinig sa dilim
Dinggin mo sanang aking dalangin
‘Di man alintana ang aking mukha
Narito ang mga salita
Sa’yo ay iniaalay
Hinding-hindi mawawalay
Mananatili sa dilim
At sa’yo lamang iibig.
Giving their tour-de-force performances in Mula sa Buwan are other cast members including Phi Palmos (Rosanna), Brian Sy (Maximo), Jerom Canlas (Tato), Jillian Ita-as (Gabriel), the cadets portrayed by Omar Uddin, Rapah Manalo, Khalil Tambio, Jep Go and Ericka Peralejo, and the ensemble cast composed of Chesko Rodriguez, Lance Reblando, Mikaela Regis, Liway Perez, Ace Polias, Keith Sumbi, Jules Dela Paz, Ade Valenzona, Daniel Wesley, Jannah Baniasia, Cheska Quimno, Dippy Arceo and Iya Villanueva.
Prior to Tinig sa Dilim, the audience laughed at Cyrano’s pronouncement: “Patas nga ang Panginoon.” He was referring to his innate talent in poetry while Christian was bereft of that talent. But Cyrano’s long nose was no match to Christian’s handsome face. Patas nga ang Panginoon.
The last act of Mula sa Buwan defines love in another sphere—love of country. For whether or not Cyrano and the platoon of ROTC members are ready for the war, they need to stand up and defend the country. Love of country is also a story of love.
Mula sa Buwan is a poem, an epic that is both tragic and illuminating. Catch the moon before it fades on stage. It’s worth your laugh-tear.
(Mula sa Buwan has a limited run until Sept. 8 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.)
