Director Pat Valera Talks About Pain, Hope, and Truth in Mula sa Buwan

(SPOT.ph) Unlike Broadway and West End, the present-day Philippine theater scene has yet to have long-running shows that span for at least a whole year. You can only name a few titles that enjoyed several reruns due to public demand: Rak of Aegis, which ran for seven seasons from 2014 to 2019 with sold-out shows; Joseph, the Dreamer, which was first staged in Cebu in 1989 and ran for a whole decade before its reboot in 2020 and 2022; and Ang Huling El Bimbo, which was staged in July 2018, March 2019, and July 2019—plus an upcoming rerun in 2023. Then there’s Mula sa Buwan, which traces its roots to an experimental play in December 2010 before it became a bigger musical in December 2016. It later had reruns in February 2017 and November 2018, a one-night-only musical concert in October 2019, an online streaming of a few scenes in April, and a playback of the musical concert's highlights in May.

Suffice to say, Mula sa Buwan is a well-loved piece; and a return this 2022, which incidentally signals the comeback of Philippine musical theater post-pandemic, is more than enough for it to get a crowd. But Pat Valera—Mula sa Buwan’s director, playwright, co-creator, and producer—thinks otherwise.

"We could choose not to revisit the play. And it will still sell tickets, sure, but it does not respond to what should be said and told right now. There's always an easy way. Alalahanin niyo lang kami as a nostalgic play—laugh, cry, hugot," he tells SPOT.ph in an interview during their rehearsals. The result? A revamped Mula sa Buwan that captures the present milieu. It runs from August 26 to September 11 at the newly constructed Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

Pat Valera on Revisiting Mula sa Buwan

"I guess the biggest change would come from the text. Plays have the opportunity to respond [to current times] because—I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse—we are live, we have the opportunity to respond to the times again and again," starts Valera when asked about the changes in the 2022 edition of the musical.

While a musical celebrates the spectacle of set design and richness of music, it is still first and foremost a written text. At its heart is the motivation of characters, which may or may not change through time. This means that the script can be revised again and again, while still working "within the DNA" of the story, explained the playwright.

Mula sa Buwan fans and new viewers alike can expect the same storyline based on Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac and Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo's Filipino translation of the French classic. There’s still Cyrano (Myke Salomon) and Christian (Markki Stroem), both ROTC cadets who fall in love with Roxane (Gab Pangilinan). But this premise is now even bigger than before.

"It's not just the story of Cyrano, Roxane, and Christian [anymore]. This time around, it's also the ensemble—led by Rosanna (Phi Palmos)—trying to find their own space in this world. There was a change in their intent. For example, the "Manifesto" scene is not just about writers or people wanting to eat in a cabaret. Now, it's a meeting place. Nagmi-meet sila—young as they are—because in a possible independence that we can finally have as a nation; maybe we, who are different—the misfits and fools and dreamers of our time, can be represented somehow. They try to think of ways how to get funds, etc, all within, of course, the DNA of what Mula sa Buwan is," Valera reveals.

He added that the revision is not done to be politically correct, "pa-woke," or "pa-relevant." Everything, according to him, comes from introspection on how best to navigate the present with the truth.

A Bigger, Brighter, and Bolder Mula sa Buwan

With the ensemble’s stronger motivations, the whole production also begs for a bigger set design, brighter lights, and bolder movements. Not to mention that it’s now being staged at the massive Samsung Performing Arts Theater—a huge leap from Mula sa Buwan’s beginnings at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater and Areté at the Ateneo de Manila University.

"When I saw the theater in December of 2021, sabi ko, 'Wow, I'm not even afraid of the pandemic anymore, I'm more daunted for us: this Quezon City-based production now moving into this big space. I'm more daunted by how we need to match the grandness of the space, especially [since] we're the first ones to open it in this really spectacular space. You have to match the vernacular architecture of the space. We need to really up our game. That's the big change,” Valera says.

Aside from having to match their new home, they also had to start from scratch as they had to let go of all of their sets, pieces, and costumes at the height of the pandemic-induced uncertainty of theater reopening. The set design is totally different, while the costumes are updated.

The cast also increased from 21 to 27 members, which is largely composed of strong dancers led by Mula sa Buwan's choreographer JM Cabling. They now have people from Ballet Philippines, which is a ballet company based at the Cultural Center of the Philippines; and from Airdance, which is also known as the Philippine Contemporary Dance and Aerial Arts Company.

"Sabi ko, let our dancing, let our movement really wake up the theater."

Myke Salomon of Ang Huling El Bimbo fame has also come on board as the musical director in addition to his onstage role as Cyrano. Having previously played the role of Christian, he's now offering a refreshed arrangement for the musical.

"There are these little additions and truths that you hear and can only be furthered by [Salomon's] musicality. So, fans of the old songs—as they have been covered numerous times—will now hear a different strength and flavor for most of the songs. That's a big change because as a musical, the texture of the sound really weaves into the story."

Mula sa Buwan was co-created by O/C Records' William Elvin, who composed all 13 songs in the play.

Mula sa Buwan, the Universality of Pain, and the Belief in Hope

In a 2018 SPOT.ph interview with Valera, when the musical was up for a third staging, he described it as: "There's a love story, there's question about war. But in between the lines, it also talks about virtues, what you fight for, what you give up."

Four years, a life-changing pandemic, and a nation-changing election later, he encapsulated the revisit as an ode to pain. "Lahat tayo may bitbit na lungkot [at] hapdi na hindi pa natin hinaharap."

In the story, Cyrano, Christian, and other cadets pranced around the streets proclaiming that they are going to fight for love, "radical love" even, as Valera pointed out. They're flung to war, where they fight for their country, and they're not rewarded for it. That just creates so much pain, the director said.

He likened this to the young ones who fought for the country and believed in the possibility of a better place for us. "It doesn't happen, di ba? The young right now are thoroughly pained. Sila ngayon, bata pa lang, tumalon, naniwala; and then, hindi pala gano'n 'yong nangyari."

But despite different types of pain felt by the characters of Mula sa Buwan, they still fight for the belief of a better future, that we can come together as a community and as a country, and that there is still goodness in people—never mind that it may be foolish.  Valera explained that while we have to address this pain that we have, we also cannot let go of hope.

(SPOT.ph) Unlike Broadway and West End, the present-day Philippine theater scene has yet to have long-running shows that span for at least a whole year. You can only name a few titles that enjoyed several reruns due to public demand: Rak of Aegis, which ran for seven seasons from 2014 to 2019 with sold-out shows; Joseph, the Dreamer, which was first staged in Cebu in 1989 and ran for a whole decade before its reboot in 2020 and 2022; and Ang Huling El Bimbo, which was staged in July 2018, March 2019, and July 2019—plus an upcoming rerun in 2023. Then there’s Mula sa Buwan, which traces its roots to an experimental play in December 2010 before it became a bigger musical in December 2016. It later had reruns in February 2017 and November 2018, a one-night-only musical concert in October 2019, an online streaming of a few scenes in April, and a playback of the musical concert's highlights in May.

Suffice to say, Mula sa Buwan is a well-loved piece; and a return this 2022, which incidentally signals the comeback of Philippine musical theater post-pandemic, is more than enough for it to get a crowd. But Pat Valera—Mula sa Buwan’s director, playwright, co-creator, and producer—thinks otherwise.

"We could choose not to revisit the play. And it will still sell tickets, sure, but it does not respond to what should be said and told right now. There's always an easy way. Alalahanin niyo lang kami as a nostalgic play—laugh, cry, hugot," he tells SPOT.ph in an interview during their rehearsals. The result? A revamped Mula sa Buwan that captures the present milieu. It runs from August 26 to September 11 at the newly constructed Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

Pat Valera on Revisiting Mula sa Buwan

"I guess the biggest change would come from the text. Plays have the opportunity to respond [to current times] because—I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse—we are live, we have the opportunity to respond to the times again and again," starts Valera when asked about the changes in the 2022 edition of the musical.

While a musical celebrates the spectacle of set design and richness of music, it is still first and foremost a written text. At its heart is the motivation of characters, which may or may not change through time. This means that the script can be revised again and again, while still working "within the DNA" of the story, explained the playwright.

Mula sa Buwan fans and new viewers alike can expect the same storyline based on Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac and Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo's Filipino translation of the French classic. There’s still Cyrano (Myke Salomon) and Christian (Markki Stroem), both ROTC cadets who fall in love with Roxane (Gab Pangilinan). But this premise is now even bigger than before.

"It's not just the story of Cyrano, Roxane, and Christian [anymore]. This time around, it's also the ensemble—led by Rosanna (Phi Palmos)—trying to find their own space in this world. There was a change in their intent. For example, the "Manifesto" scene is not just about writers or people wanting to eat in a cabaret. Now, it's a meeting place. Nagmi-meet sila—young as they are—because in a possible independence that we can finally have as a nation; maybe we, who are different—the misfits and fools and dreamers of our time, can be represented somehow. They try to think of ways how to get funds, etc, all within, of course, the DNA of what Mula sa Buwan is," Valera reveals.

He added that the revision is not done to be politically correct, "pa-woke," or "pa-relevant." Everything, according to him, comes from introspection on how best to navigate the present with the truth.

A Bigger, Brighter, and Bolder Mula sa Buwan

With the ensemble’s stronger motivations, the whole production also begs for a bigger set design, brighter lights, and bolder movements. Not to mention that it’s now being staged at the massive Samsung Performing Arts Theater—a huge leap from Mula sa Buwan’s beginnings at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater and Areté at the Ateneo de Manila University.

"When I saw the theater in December of 2021, sabi ko, 'Wow, I'm not even afraid of the pandemic anymore, I'm more daunted for us: this Quezon City-based production now moving into this big space. I'm more daunted by how we need to match the grandness of the space, especially [since] we're the first ones to open it in this really spectacular space. You have to match the vernacular architecture of the space. We need to really up our game. That's the big change,” Valera says.

Aside from having to match their new home, they also had to start from scratch as they had to let go of all of their sets, pieces, and costumes at the height of the pandemic-induced uncertainty of theater reopening. The set design is totally different, while the costumes are updated.

The cast also increased from 21 to 27 members, which is largely composed of strong dancers led by Mula sa Buwan's choreographer JM Cabling. They now have people from Ballet Philippines, which is a ballet company based at the Cultural Center of the Philippines; and from Airdance, which is also known as the Philippine Contemporary Dance and Aerial Arts Company.

"Sabi ko, let our dancing, let our movement really wake up the theater."

Myke Salomon of Ang Huling El Bimbo fame has also come on board as the musical director in addition to his onstage role as Cyrano. Having previously played the role of Christian, he's now offering a refreshed arrangement for the musical.

"There are these little additions and truths that you hear and can only be furthered by [Salomon's] musicality. So, fans of the old songs—as they have been covered numerous times—will now hear a different strength and flavor for most of the songs. That's a big change because as a musical, the texture of the sound really weaves into the story."

Mula sa Buwan was co-created by O/C Records' William Elvin, who composed all 13 songs in the play.

Mula sa Buwan, the Universality of Pain, and the Belief in Hope

In a 2018 SPOT.ph interview with Valera, when the musical was up for a third staging, he described it as: "There's a love story, there's question about war. But in between the lines, it also talks about virtues, what you fight for, what you give up."

Four years, a life-changing pandemic, and a nation-changing election later, he encapsulated the revisit as an ode to pain. "Lahat tayo may bitbit na lungkot [at] hapdi na hindi pa natin hinaharap."

In the story, Cyrano, Christian, and other cadets pranced around the streets proclaiming that they are going to fight for love, "radical love" even, as Valera pointed out. They're flung to war, where they fight for their country, and they're not rewarded for it. That just creates so much pain, the director said.

He likened this to the young ones who fought for the country and believed in the possibility of a better place for us. "It doesn't happen, di ba? The young right now are thoroughly pained. Sila ngayon, bata pa lang, tumalon, naniwala; and then, hindi pala gano'n 'yong nangyari."

But despite different types of pain felt by the characters of Mula sa Buwan, they still fight for the belief of a better future, that we can come together as a community and as a country, and that there is still goodness in people—never mind that it may be foolish.  Valera explained that while we have to address this pain that we have, we also cannot let go of hope.

"The pain of the past months, the past years, the desire for us to just leave—whether it's to migrate, to give up, to be apathetic, to just exhale everything out—is the feeling that people will get from the most painful parts of [the play]. We are not just there to peddle escapism, or giving up. We hope that with the changes that we have made, it's enough to say, 'Okay, I carry and sit with my pain; then, take that step forward.'"

The parallelisms between Mula sa Buwan and the current times are already there. It's so inescapable that to restage the musical without so much as looking outside the four walls of the theater is almost a disservice to art.

"Art, as how it's always been, is really for the service of truth," says Valera, which he attributed to a quote from fellow playwright Floy Quintos. As a storyteller who's a "weaver of imagination," he believes in the responsibility of artists to always yearn for the truth.

While this is getting harder and harder to do every day in this age of disinformation, he holds on to a line in the musical that loosely goes: "Saang tagpi ko ba nakalimutan na ang tanghalan, oo pinagtagpi-tagping parte ng ating mga haraya, ngunit ang tanging layon ay ang katotohanan."

Mula sa Buwan runs from August 26 to September 11 at Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Hippodrimo Street, Circuit Makati, Makati City. Tickets, which range from P927 to P2,884, are available through Ticketworld.

"The pain of the past months, the past years, the desire for us to just leave—whether it's to migrate, to give up, to be apathetic, to just exhale everything out—is the feeling that people will get from the most painful parts of [the play]. We are not just there to peddle escapism, or giving up. We hope that with the changes that we have made, it's enough to say, 'Okay, I carry and sit with my pain; then, take that step forward.'"

The parallelisms between Mula sa Buwan and the current times are already there. It's so inescapable that to restage the musical without so much as looking outside the four walls of the theater is almost a disservice to art. 

"Art, as how it's always been, is really for the service of truth," says Valera, which he attributed to a quote from fellow playwright Floy Quintos. As a storyteller who's a "weaver of imagination," he believes in the responsibility of artists to always yearn for the truth.

While this is getting harder and harder to do every day in this age of disinformation, he holds on to a line in the musical that loosely goes: "Saang tagpi ko ba nakalimutan na ang tanghalan, oo pinagtagpi-tagping parte ng ating mga haraya, ngunit ang tanging layon ay ang katotohanan."

Mula sa Buwan runs from August 26 to September 11 at Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Hippodrimo Street, Circuit Makati, Makati City. Tickets, which range from P927 to P2,884, are available through Ticketworld.