(SPOT.ph) Two years ago today, Metro Manila was declared to be under what they called "community quarantine" (a.k.a. non-lockdown lockdown). Malls, restaurants, indoor and outdoor attractions, and cinemas were all mandated to close down temporarily. But this "temporary" closure, especially for theaters, turned into a two-year hiatus. So you can only imagine our excitement when hit Filipino musical Mula sa Buwan announced today, March 15, that they're returning to the theaters for a live performance this 2022.
From 2016 to 2018, the all-original Filipino musical by director-playwright Pat Valera had three runs—almost an annual staging that just got better and better every year. Since then, we've just gotten bits and pieces of the show: 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 on May 16. Back in May 2020, they were hoping to have a rerun in 2021—but, of course, that didn't happen given the back-and-forth with our quarantine restrictions.
Mula sa Buwan is based on Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac and Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo's Filipino translation of the French classic. The sarsuwela-esque production is set in 1940s Manila, where Cyrano is an ROTC cadet and Roxane is a blushing colegiala. Christian, the lead's best friend, falls in love with the beautiful damsel. The musical's cast members during its previous runs were Nicco Manalo and Boo Gabunada as Cyrano; Fred Lo, Myke Salomon, and Edward Benosa as Christian; and KL Dizon, Gab Pangilinan, and Cris Go as Roxane.
Mula sa Buwan was originally staged with the title Cyrano: Isang Sarsuwela in December 2010 at the University of Asia and the Pacific. The piece was later turned into an even bigger musical through the collaboration of Valera and William Elvin Manzano.