Ang Huling El Bimbo Musical- PLAY Review PDF

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Summary

Ang Huling El Bimbo Musical – With a SmileAng Huling El Bimbo Musical is written by Dingdong Noverio and it is based on a song called Ang Huling El Bimbo by Eraserheads which the musical is named after, is arguably the most famous Eraserheads song. It was released in 1996 and tells the story of an u...

Description

Ang Huling El Bimbo Musical – With a Smile Ang Huling El Bimbo Musical is written by Dingdong Noverio and it is based on a song called Ang Huling El Bimbo by Eraserheads which the musical is named after, is arguably the most famous Eraserheads song. It was released in 1996 and tells the story of an unnamed longlost love who meets a tragic end. The musical is loosely based on the story recounted in this song. That's why we can see a lot of 90s references. The plaid fabrics, the baggy clothes, customs, roller skates, CAT and the university culture – it’s all here.

The second production ran from March 1 to April 6, 2019 and from July 5 to August 18, 2019. With the help of ABS-CBN partnering with Resorts World Manila, a recorded 2019 performance was shown on YouTube and Facebook from May 8 until May 9, reaching audiences overseas and in Social medias, garnering a total of 7 million views in 48 hours

The story focuses on the complicated relationships of 4. Eman (Boo Gabunada/ OJ Mariano), Hector (Bibo Reyes/ Gian Magdangal) and Anthony (Phi Palmos/ Jon Santos) are three friends from different backgrounds who meet Joy (Gab Pangilinan/Menchu LauchengcoYulo), the niece of a university food stall owner when they go to college. Joy becomes a best friend, a little sister and a lover to the three men but one tragedy severs their ties until they are summoned by the police one night to find out about her death.

I am happy and impressed by the director and producer's hardwork through this amazing play, the dialogues and lines were great, the musical, dancing and the overall plot are wellplanned. I'm also lost for words and my expectations are exceeded by the performers, they delivered their lines with confidence like they were talking normally without the awkwardness. I liked Boo Gabunada’s who portrayed young Eman with a Batanggenyo Accent that he maintained throughout the play, Bibo Reyes who portrayed young Hector who is a rich kid and English speaking character, Phi Palmos who portrayed young AJ with soft movements and impressive acting skills and Gab Pangilinan who portrayed Joy who is an enthusiastic and hardworking girl.

The key to delivering the story effectively is by the utilization of design elements which the Ang Huling El Bimbo musical production team did. They used colored lights to set a 90s vibe together with the sound system, baggy costumes and light make ups to fit the 90s theme, old cars, karinderya and more sets and props used to solidify the 90s nostalgic feeling.

Overall, I am deeply moved by the effort put by the playwright, producers, crew and of course to the actors who did so well in portraying their characters without fail. The story was delivered so well and impressed by the utilization of design elements to further make the plot close to perfection. Throughout the play the smile on my face didn’t fade away, even now whenever I remember some of the moments it still brings me to smile because of the fun, excitement and satisfaction that I felt. I love musicals and Ang Huling El Bimbo made me love musicals even more, I love the songs "Bahay Namin", "Alapaap", "Tindahan Ni Aling Nena", "Pare Ko", "With a Smile" and "Ang Huling el bimbo". I highly recommend this play to those youngster or teenagers who wants to know what happened in 90s and how big the potential of our plays are. If I am giving this a rating I am giving it 5 out of 5 and a thumbs up reaction....