“Eto Na! Musikal nAPO!” reruns this February

By: Brian Jules Campued

It seems like musical enthusiasts are still craving for another trip down memory lane as the timeless, more like immortal, music of the Apo Hiking Society fused with a compelling narrative in the life of three people in the 70s is back again due to insistent popular demand.

“Eto Na! Musikal nAPO!” is an all-original Filipino musical which tells the story of Jaime, Donnie, and Bobbie as they try to win a singing competition and survive their college life, adulthood, and the dark years of the Martial Law era. The characters were loosely based on the lives of Apo’s members, Jim Paredes, Danny Javier, and Boboy Garovillo. As the title implies, the story is told through the songs penned by the iconic trio.

The original cast in its 2018 leg will return to reprise their roles—Mark Bautista, Jobim Javier, Alfritz Blanche, Jon Philippe Go, Jef Flores, Jon Abella, and Vyen Villanueva. While Rita Daniela, Marika Sasaki, Sab Jose, Raul Montesa, Neomi Gonzales, Gian Gloria, Shalee Vicencio, Peachy Atilano-Guevara, Anton Posadas, Jourdan Bartolome, and Derrick Gozos. New additions include Floyd Tena, Mica Javier, Roxanne Barcelo, Vien King, and Luis Marcelo were added to the boot.

The inclusion of martial law in the script was not originally intended by the playwright and director, Robbie Guevara. He initially wanted the story to be a “fluffy” musical set to honor the musical legacy of the group. However, the Apo members themselves influenced Guevara to add a major change to the script.

The detailed description of the 70s lifestyle and setting was successfully represented in the musical with the help of thorough research by Guevara and his co-writer, JonJon Martin. Aside from their experiences during the martial law era, they interviewed people who lived during the time and studied on the tastes, behavior, and habits of the generation of Baby Boomers and Gen X’s.

The Apo musical was met with generally positive responses by its audience when it had its first run in August last year. So, fans who didn’t get the chance to snag a ticket before will now have another shot to witness the musical people are talking about. The show, which is produced by Globe Live and 9Works Theatrical, runs from February 2 to March 17 at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater.