Rediscovering rock ‘n roll in ‘The Lost Anthem’

CEBU, Philippines - A rock and roll musical that will bridge the gap between the old and new will hit the Cebu stage next month.

 In a press conference Saturday at Coffee Bean and Scent, youth organization Inerxa Productions launched its pilot project, “The Lost Anthem,” an original musical to be held August 20 at Cinema 1 of SM City Cebu.

 The musical, directed by Jissa Saludar and with the musical direction of the maestro behind the recent International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) hymn, Jay-Arr Librando, “The Lost Anthem,” will tackle societal issues that people have been quite reluctant to discuss.

“‘The Lost Anthem’ deals with life’s lessons and struggles that have already existed in society ever since, but nobody has ever had the courage to unravel,” says executive producer Angela Conde.

 Starring Miss Mandaue 2014 second runner-up and It’s Showtime’s “Ka-Look Alike” winner Melody Hodgson (she impersonated pop superstar Katy Perry), and theater enthusiast Sol Casiño, plus featuring 11-year-old Sheena Belarmino of ABS-CBN’s “Dance Kids” – the production wishes to utilize the genre of rock and roll as a means to connect the young to the older generations.

 This tale of a lost cause, a lost love, and a lost voice comes with modern renditions of rock and roll classics and legendary songs we all know and love. Talents from different Cebu universities will grace the stage and bring the characters to life.

 Inerxa Productions decided to use rock music because of its ability to empower and express.

 “Rock and roll back then was different, it wasn’t just screaming and that’s one of the things we want to show,” Julianne Alexis Manibay, one of the credited writers of “The Lost Anthem,” said.

 The story follows the adventures of goody-goody Juliet (Hodgson) as she returns to a city called Saffron that was once rock and roll kingdom, to pursue her passion in music. Juliet and her friends— Ravie, the outgoing self-proclaimed diva who will be played by Dane Cabaña, with the smart, vibrant and stuck in the proverbial closet Jude, who will be brought to life by Vince Sendrijas, decide to resurrect rock 'n roll from the dead.

 To help their cause, they look for the members of Saffron’s legendary 80s rock band, The Savages, who unfortunately, are currently stuck in their own pity party of washed-up superstars. Juliet will soon find love with Fredd (Casiño), a young man who is trying to make his way into the rock scene. But Juliet’s endeavors have not won her mother’s favor. Juliet’s mom, Miranda, will be played by Krystalle Paz.

 The characters will go through different challenges both on their own and together as they rock and roll their way through life and hopefully come out swinging.

 “There’s a lot to live up to,” Justin Valiente, who will be playing Ramses X, leader of the play’s fictional band The Savages, says when asked about the greatest challenge in doing “The Lost Anthem.”

 “It’s the songs. People have really high expectations, and it’s nerve-wracking.”

 Vince Sendrijas, who plays the closet-gay Jude, found getting into character as a challenge. “It’s pretty difficult because Jude is gay, and Vince is not, but somehow I made it,” he says.

 Hodgson, a Fil-Brit who plays the female lead, imbibed lessons from her character’s development.

 “Juliet starts out as a good girl and as the story goes, she transforms not into a bad girl but as the person who she truly is, and she’s actually happy being that person,” the Psychology major from the University of San Carlos said.

 “The production is quite reason enough to assure theater-goers that what they’d pay for will all be worth it,” director Saludar assures, adding she is confident with the performance and skills of her passionate team.

 Inerxa Productions, which aims to help the youth hone their talents so they may find their purpose and goals, will be giving back to the community as well. Proceeds from “The Lost Anthem” will go to the Youth Development Community of Cebu.

 According to their press release, Inerxa is a newly formed youth organization committed to creating, developing and producing avenues for diverse youth groups—actors, entrepreneurs, musicians, writers, animators, etc.—to use their skills in dynamic environments such as event production, community involvement services and business ventures.

 Written by Alvin Molina, Cassandra Lomax Rodriguez, Melody Hodgson, Xanthe Daphne, Valerie Alcasid, Julianne Alexis Manibay and Angela Conde, “The Lost Anthem” is also brought to life by choreographer Danielle Cabaña and stage managers Reynan Dayot and Benedict Salise.

 Catch the two-hour production of “The Lost Anthem” on August 20 at these time slots: 10 a.m., 12:30, 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

 Ticket prices are as follows: P350 for Deluxe (exclusive for students of accredited schools), P500 for Premier and P850 for VIP.