MUSICAL REVIEW: Ang Huling El Bimbo

I heard that Ang Huling El Bimbo Musical will be restaged starting 1 March 2019 after after the final curtain call of a season of sold-out shows during its six-week run that started on 20 July 2018 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

The musical follows the story of three friends – Hector (Gian Magdangal), Emman (OJ Mariano), and Anthony (Jon Santos), who find themselves in an unlikely mini-reunion 20 years after their college graduation. Their younger selves—played by Reb Atadero (Hector), Boo Gabunada (Emman), and Topper Fabregas (Anthony)—are revealed in a slew of flashback scenes starting from how they met in a dormitory (“Minsan“) to how they parted ways on the last day of school. Along the way, things take a different turn in the life their friend, Joy (played by Tanya Manalang, later Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo), named in allusion to the song “Ligaya.”

Tanya and Menchu. Courtesy of Resorts World Manila

Eraserheads’ songs, but not all, are expertly put together to build the story of these individuals.

The backdrop and set are made of wood, capturing the state of their friendship. The sets take references to characters and contexts found in the songs of the most iconic rock band of the 90s . One of these is “Toyang.”

Ang Huling El Bimbo is a piece that tackles current social issues – a son struggling with identity, a dreamer trying to get out of poverty, a man with a commitment phobia, a girl who lost herself.

The musical brings you into a world of emotions – from a lively and energetic tone of the first and last acts.

I commend Fullhouse Theater Company, Resorts World Manila, writer Dingdong Novenario and director Dexter Santos for this great piece.

Thanks to Pisay ’96 for providing discounted rates for KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. as one of its corporate sponsor. I got the SVIP ticket at PHP3,150 from a regular price of PHP3,500 for an exclusive show on 25 August 2018 with my colleagues Tel and Jenny.

The restaging runs until 6 April 2019. Get your tickets now via TicketWorld. Ticket price starts at PHP1,000 for Bronze. Click this for more details.

WRITE A RESPONSE ARTICLE
Response article enables VoicePoints readers to respond to the article published by the author by completing the form below. Under ‘Message’ box, please ensure to include the title of the main article you are responding.

About the Author

Paul Michael JaramilloChief Executive Editor

PJ is a CPA, writer, storyteller, environment and youth advocate. As a writer, his articles on national development were published in a Spanish newspaper and local news network Rappler. As a storyteller and environment advocate, his documentary films on mining and environment were featured by ABS-CBN News and GMA News. He launched his career as a CPA at KPMG in the Philippines in late 2015. He started his professional journey as an external auditor of a global workspace provider (the largest audit client of KPMG in the Philippines), global bank, leading MFCG in the Philippines and a number of shared service centres. As an auditor, his team won the KPMG Asia-Pacific Data & Analytics Challenge and coached the Philippine team that placed third to the KPMG GlobalRunner Cup. More than two years later, he led KPMG in the Philippines’ Network of Audit Innovators and Data & Analytics Champions and its academic arm, while serving as a member of the KPMG Asia-Pacific Audit Digital Transformation Workstream. He served as a member of the Audit Methodology Group and Root Cause Analysis Team of KPMG in the Philippines. He was a regular training facilitator of KPMG on audit methodology, innovation, data and analytics, professional standards and regulatory updates. He also served as a coach for newly promoted supervisors. PJ was also the Firm’s System of Quality Management Implementation Manager and a Workforce of the Future Champion. He was also a Sampling Specialist of the Firm. In 2019, PJ was a member of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)’s Technical Working Group on Audit Methodology. PJ led in developing some of the innovative solutions of KPMG in the Philippines. Above all, PJ is a people investor. He invests on people who have potential and talents. That makes him a coach and mentor to some young professionals in the profession and served as a People Committee member of KPMG in the Philippines. He leads advocacy projects that help communities. He produces vlogs thru his YouTube channel, PJspirations which features stories of different individuals. As a volunteer, he is the Academic Master and Head Coach of PREMIER International Learning and Development Center, which provides coaching, mentoring, training and learning programs and platforms that promote growth and development in every individual’s life and career. He is also with the Middle East and Caspian regions of KPMG as a member of its Professional Practice group and Audit L&D for the Saudi Levant Cluster, providing subject matter knowledge and guidance on audit methodology, and learning and development programs to its offices. He is a proud Ilocano and a graduate of Northwestern University.

He also conducts #IamRemarkable sessions, a program initiated by Google for women and underrepresented groups.