Now a senior bagets: Raymond Lauchengco stages 60th birth-day concert

TO celebrate turning 60, Raymond Lauchengco is showing his gratitude to all those who have supported him throughout the years with a grand birthday concert, a heartfelt new song, and a book featuring his stories and art-works.

As a 1980s matinee idol best known for the coming-of-age film Bagets who was also an acclaimed singer with hits like “I Need You Back,” “Farewell,” and “So It’s You,” he has never rested on his laurels. In the years since, he has cultivated a creative journey in music and art.

For Mr. Lauchengco, this milestone marks the perfect time to look back at a lifetime of beloved hits and meaningful memories. His concert, Everybody Loves Raymond, which takes its name from his favorite 1990s sitcom (the lead of which he happened to share a name with), takes place on Nov. 28 at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque.

“Last year, for my 40th anniversary in show business, I went back to the ’80s. This year, the scope will be wider because it starts even before that, from the time I was a choir boy at 11 years old up to now,” Mr. Lauchengco told BusinessWorld in an interview.

“The repertoire is going to cover more genres, from the choir to Broadway, because I started out acting on stage,” he added. (He had made his stage debut at the age of 12 in Repertory Philippines’ staging of The King and I.) “Af-ter that, I dreamt of becoming a balladeer like Barry Manilow.”

Sharing the Solaire stage with him are three performers he deeply admires: Sharon Cuneta, Ice Seguerra, and Mitch Valdes, among other surprise guests. With them, he hopes to showcase the wide variety of music that has shaped his life and career over decades.

“Without Sharon Cuneta, there would be no Raymond Lauchengco,” he said. “She was supposed to be at my show last year, but couldn’t make it, so it means the world to me that her schedule aligned this year!”

His sister, acclaimed theater actress Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, will be directing her brother for the first time ever for the concert. She said that he knows exactly what he wants. “I’m really just putting it together and making sure it happens. He’s a director as well, so it’s his concept, and since he’s my brother, it’s not as intimidating,” she explained.

She added that her role has simply been to implement his vision, with the help of musical director Marvin Querido and producer Girlie Rodis. Meanwhile, for Mr. Lauchengco, there is “no better person to direct than my sister.”

A SINGLE AND A BOOK
Aside from the concert, his 60th birthday is also marked by the release of a new single, titled “My Favorite Story,” dedicated to family, friends, and fans who have supported him.

“You know how our life is made up of thousands, millions of little stories? You put that all together, you have a life. So this song is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to everybody who has become a part of that,” he explained. Mr. Lauchengco’s first book, Dance With the Wind, has also been released, available online via raymondlauchengco.com. It is a collection of essays and artworks that reflect his personal transformation over the years, many of which were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. A long-time photographer whose oeuvre covers art photos to portraits, he took up the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which broken objects are repaired with lacquer and gold, and sculpture during the pandemic

The title of the book takes its name from one of his short stories, referring to a tree that has remained standing amid strong winds because of its ability to bend and sway with it — a representation of his own resilience and lon-gevity.

“If someone had told me years ago that I would have my own book by 60, I would have stared at them in disbelief. Yet here it is,” he said.

ON TODAY’S BAGETS
Mr. Lauchengco confirmed that the concert will contain many of his hits, especially from his time as part of the iconic 1984 film Bagets. The topic shifted to the musical adaptation of the film which will be coming out early next year. “At that time, we were just horsing around, we were just playing,” he said of his co-stars — William Martinez, JC Bonnin, Herbert Bautista, and Aga Muhlach — when they were making the film. “We had no idea that what we were doing was going to turn into some sort of a classic, representative of an entire generation,” he told BusinessWorld.

With the advent of digital technology, the bagets of today have an entirely different culture, which he thinks will make the new adaptation “interesting.”

“It’s a totally different world. Back then, there were no such things as gadgets. We relied on people. We connected with people. We would go to each other’s houses, go outside with our barkadas. It’s different [today],” he said.

His character in the film, the rich kid Arnel, will be played by young stars Ethan David and KD Estrada in the upcoming musical. “I’m not going to presume to give them any kind of advice except to enjoy it and be yourselves, be-cause that’s what we did,” said Mr. Lauchengco.

“The reason it clicked so well is because we honestly liked each other. We really became friends — JC, myself, Herbert, William, Aga,” he added. “That’s one of the secrets why the film worked, because our caring for each other was so real.”

Despite the key differences that today’s version of Bagets will surely exhibit, he expressed confidence in the universal themes present in the material.

“You’re a teenager, you’re trying to discover yourself, you’re trying to navigate the world,” he said. “Those things are universal. The only difference is the world has changed. The environment has changed.”

With that said, Mr. Lauchengco maintained that, like how he’s been able to “dance with the wind” as per his book, Bagets will live on in its own way.

Everybody Loves Raymond takes place on Nov. 28, a day before his 60th birthday. Those who pre-order the book or concert merchandise bundles will receive a free meet-and-greet pass after the show. Details can be found on https://raymondlauchengco.com. Tickets are available online at ticketworld.com.ph. — Brontë H. Lacsamana