After several restagings, ‘Mula sa Buwan’ comes to maturity

It has taken 12 years for Mula sa Buwan to reach its matured version, which is now seamless, more realised, trimmed of its excesses, and clearer about each scene’s objectives.

“Not many playwrights, especially in this country, are given that space and privilege [to create, recreate, revisit, and reshape the musical],” says Valera. 

Mula sa Buwan traces its roots to Cyrano: Isang Sarsuwela, Valera's thesis project, on which he collaborated with his batchmate in the theatre arts programme of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Manzano, who served as his co-lyricist and musical composer, had only one song ready for Valera when they were about to present something... anything... in class back in 2009.

With just apple boxes and now a complete musical libretto, Cyrano: Isang Sarswela was staged at the University of Asia & Pacific (UA&P) in 2010 by Dulaang Rock Opera Company and Talinhaga Theatre Collaborative.

The succeeding variations, titled Mula sa Buwan, included stagings at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater (December 2017 and February 2017) and Hyundai Hall in Arete (November 2018), both inside the Ateneo de Manila University. After a four-year hiatus, Mula sa Buwan returned to a grander stage: the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. This was followed by succeeding reruns, including this 2024 version.

“The adaptation and book of the musical culminate in a version that is not only about the unrequited love between Cyrano and Roxane but also the often bittersweet love story between dreamers and their future, misfits and their nation, and the wide-eyed youth and the truth,” says Valera.

Valera happily passes the baton to Angeles as its new director, who brought a point of view that is respectful to the material and its 12-year heritage “yet willing to challenge and push boundaries”, as described by the playwright.

“Over the years, Mula sa Buwan has proven itself to be one of the most beloved and successful original Filipino musicals,” Angeles says. “It has beautifully evolved into a musical juggernaut, revealing its shades of complexity and significance in every incarnation,” he adds.

Preserving the choreography by JM Cabling, the 2022 rearrangement and musical direction of Myke Salomon based on the songs written and arranged by Manzano, Dana Marquez and TJ Ramos, and infusing the creative character interpretations of the 2024 cast, the new Mula sa Buwan pushed to a higher notch the “familiar, resonating charm” of the musical “to exciting new dimensions”, as described by Angeles.

Having watched many versions of Mula sa Buwan except for the very first one in 2010, I see now in this version a better insertion of video projection, a clearer transition at the beginning where Roxane touches the ghost light of the old theatre which brings us back to how it was before the war, a more cathartic instead of unnerving and quite avant-garde Act Two opening without the tap dance of an assemblage of actors in a confined space, and a tighter dialogue in Roxane and Cyrano’s bittersweet meeting at the end. Although I would still prefer the tap dance in a confined space for subjective reasons, the new version blends well with the following scene after, where Cyrano and his cadet unit are hiding in a building’s ruins inside a forest. Carissa’s (Ericka Peralejo) whimper is now more tolerable to the ears and Christian’s (MC Dela Cruz) taunting in Ang Ilong (The Nose) is no longer a daredevil act on a scaffolding but an entertaining transition from Tanghalan (the theatre) to Jones Bridge.

These and more are subtle yet significant changes to the beloved musical, which forces one to focus on the text itself and the narratives of each character.

“As Mula sa Buwan draws on memory, ideals and gravity, this production now brings forth the delicate dance between romance and resistance, elegance and madness... and truth be told: love and defiance,” says Angeles.

The romance story often overshadows the layers of youth empowerment and inclusive theatre in Mula sa Buwan’s narrative. Although subtle changes to the blocking and lighting cues were only made for these characters in the new version, there is now a sense of balance and harmony in the storytelling.

“These forces, so powerful for the wide-eyed youth, become even more vital in times of socio-political turmoil when artists are called to the forefront—a cultural relevance so apt for the Filipino experience as any piece of necessary theatre should be,” says Angeles.

Jumping off from Mula sa Buwan’s rock-zarzuela music influenced by “Billy Corgan’s push and pull between balladry and grudge; Billie Joe Armstrong’s sneering, punk defiance; Brian Wilson’s soaring melodies and harmonies; and Ely Buendia’s common-man eloquent lyricism,” as described by Manzano himself, Salomon sailed through Mula sa Buwan’s uncharted territories for future generation’s musical taste. Before becoming its musical director and portraying Cyrano multiple times, Salomon portrayed Christian in the 2018 run. It took him a year before he could respond to Valera's email request in 2016, and even a longer time due to the pandemic before his refreshed take on Manzano’s songs was heard.

“Hindi ko inasahang tanggapin ang hamon na gawan ng bagong disenyo ang musika ng Mula sa Buwan sa tenga at pandama ni Cyrano [I didn’t expect to accept the challenge of creating a new musical design for Mula sa Buwan based on the sensibilities of Cyrano],” says Salomon. The musical director described it further as an out-of-body experience in discovering the sound that beats in Cyrano’s heart as the story progresses.

“Building on Mula sa Buwan’s more-than-a-decade-long history, Myke Salomon’s arrangement and musical direction has given these strings of pop hooks its much-needed structure to really fly as a musical,” comments Manzano.

Barefoot Theatre Collaborative recently released Mula sa Buwan’s 2022 live recording album on Spotify and made it available on Apple Music.

“Please enjoy our labour of love and defiance, which is given a fresh, energetic boost by Mikko Angeles’s direction and this year’s exceptional cast. We hope it sticks with you and resonates in your heart throughout your life like your favourite pop song,” concludes Manzano.

Mula sa Buwan runs until September 8 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

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