THEATER
Dirty Old Musical
Presented by Spotlight Artists Centre
Dirty Old Musical (DOM), the musical about the “titos of Manila,” has been so successful that it is not just back for its third run with new cast members and new songs, but may even go on tour.
“We have the best actors in the industry doing funny things… [Dirty Old Musical] is one hell of a ride,” Dexter M. Santos, the show’s director, said during a press conference last month in Quezon City.
The Dawn front man Jett Pangan joins the cast as Freddie, a role originally played by John Arcilla, while former cast members Robert Sena, Nonie Buencamino, Bo Cerrudo, and Carlo Orosa reprises their individual roles.
Also in the cast are Soraya Ray “Kitkat” Banas, Ima Castro, Neo Rivera, Katherine Tiuseco, Anthony Castillo, Matel Patayon and Carlon Matobato.
First presented in 2016, DOM is a musical about the Bench Boys, a 1980s one-hit-wonder that disbanded due to personality difference (among other reasons) and whose members reunite more than 30 years later to raise funds for an ailing member.
The show has performances until March 23 at the Music Museum at the Greenhills Shoppine Center in San Juan.
“It’s a feel good story. Playfully naughty and irreverent, the musical takes a peek into the personal struggles of five men dealing with [mid-life] crisis and all its telltale signs,” said a press release.
The musical, written by Rody Vera with musical direction by Myke Salomon, uses songs from the 1980s, from novelty songs like “Mag-Exercise Tayo Tuwing Umaga” to ballads like Basil Valdez’s “Nais Ko” and National Artist Ryan Cayabyab’s “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika.”
This production sees the inclusion of two more songs: Mike Hanopol’s “Kengkoy” and Sampaguita’s “Nosi Balasi.”
Aside from the songs, for its third run, Mr. Santos said that they have added text and dialogue because the musical “is always evolving.”
“It’s a riot, you discover something new every time you watch it,” he said.
“[The musical] is a good vehicle to introduce millennials to the songs of the period,” Mr. Pangan said in the same press conference.
Because of its success, Spotlight Artists Centre, which produced the musical, has toyed with the idea of creating a live album but no concrete plans are currently in place.
“We also want to tour the musical all over the Philippines,” Isay Alvarez, who founded Spotlight with her husband, Mr. Seña, told BusinessWorld.
She said that the appeal of musical is multi-generational as she noticed the audience ranges from people who lived in the 1980s all the way to millennials who watch the show and sing the songs. — ZBC
Dirty Old Musical runs until March 23, 8 p.m. (with matinees on March 16 and 23 at 3 p.m.) at the Music Museum. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph), the Music Museum (721-6276), via Spotlight Artists Center (776-4487/0919-911-4444). Ticket prices range from P1,000 to P3,000.
