In late January of last year, organizers behind the Philippine Educational Theater Administration (PETA) held their collective breaths and voted to produce a rock musical they called Rak of Aegis. Despite being shown about the same time as the Broadway musical Wicked, PETA’s rock-comedy musical Rak of Aegis quickly became the talk of the town and the must-see show in Metro Manila. From its initial schedule of 36 shows, Rak of Aegis added seven more sold-out performances, ending its initial run with a total of 43 shows.
This month, PETA expects a total of 30,000 to flock to the theater for this monumental musical extravaganza. Inspired by the popular songs of the local rock band Aegis, Rak of Aegis is a musical filled with visual spectacles showcasing the Pinoy’s love for music and innate resilience in the face of calamity. The calamity, in the case of the musical’s characters, is the continuous flooding of their village that has made it almost impossible to live in.
With its successful comedic approach to social issues plus catchy musical arrangements, Rak of Aegis has succeeded in bringing thousands of Filipinos to the theater.
“We took a risk and were surprised with the outcome,” PETA’s president CB Garrucho admitted.
The musical is a playlist of chart-topping Aegis songs such as Luha, Halik, Sundot, Christmas Bonus and Basang-Basa sa Ulan, its most popular song which possibly led to using actual water in the show to simulate the flooding. The talented cast is led by the husband-and-wife team of Isay Alvarez and Robert Seña from London’s West End, plus home-grown performers Aicelle Santos and Kim Molina.
The story revolves around Aicelle, who plays a young promodizer caught between finding love and seeking fame to support her family. Since this was our third time to watch, we turned to our friend Jose Cabaltera beside us and asked him what he thought of the production, its cultural significance and enduring power as a literary piece. He answered, “We were reminded of Rent. It dealt with an issue that was important during the time and place that the musical is staged.”
So what is the universal truth to be found in Rak of Aegis, we prodded Jose. “The perseverance of the Filipino as recently lauded on news agencies the world over for smiling in the face of calamity, notably Typhoon Yolanda,” he replied. “Rak of Aegis is a quintessential story of our times. What brings this story deeper into the digital age is Aicelle’s determination to become a YouTube celebrity to help her family survive the calamity and hopefully, to be discovered by Ellen DeGeneres.”
“By the nature of the songs themselves,” Jose continued, “the musical readily showcases the Filipino’s penchant for singing. Even the set design is uniquely Pinoy, having on one side a sari-sari store where actors and ensemble make tambay. To the other side is the home of Aicelle and her parents. A large open window offers very little privacy as one of Aicelle’s suitors, Jerald Napoles, has the house roaring with his one-liners and comedic antics.
“Crucial to this play are the songs of the Pinoy ’90s rock sensation Aegis whose love-rock ballads are known for their gut-wrenching lyrics and broad range.”
Very good review, we told Jose. Now, when will you start singing their songs, we laughingly asked him.
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