Rak of Aegis is :
"A rock comedy musical using the songs of Aegis will tackle Filipino resilience, or how the country faces and resolves compromising situations, whether this be a natural disaster or a broken heart. Set in a subdivision that has been flooded for two months, “Rak of Aegis” will revolve around the love interests of the main characters, whose names are derived from those of Aegis band members as a tribute to the Filipino novelty rock group that made waves 90’s."
This was our first time to watch a performance at the PETA Theater Center so it was quite exciting for Dana and me. We got there as people were lining up and heading to their seats. We got tickets at the Balcony.
While seated and even upon entering, we were reminded of the following rules:
- Turn off phones and other gadgets when the show is about to begin. (Which we did)
- No photo or video taking while the performance is ongoing, unless authorized by PETA. (Yep, we didn't)
- Eating, drinking and smoking are prohibited. (Nope. We didn't eat, drink or smoke)
Of course, there was a much more interesting and entertaining version of the reminder before the show started. :)
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| Waiting at our spot |
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| The Set |
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| The Playbill (P200) |
As I sit here writing, I am at a loss for words to describe what the show made me feel. I was in awe at the range of vocal talent this show has. Aegis songs are lung-breakers, throat killers and diaphragm quenchers! (haha, I'm not a singer so I'm not sure of the anatomy but I know you get my drift). Kim Molina (Aileen), Kalila Aguilos (Mary Jane), Jerald Napoles (Tolits), Myke Solomon (Kenny), Renz Verano (Kiel), Neomi Gonzales (Mercy), Jimmy Marquez (Jewel) and Nor Domingo (Fernan) gave such chilling performances. They just make you grip your seat. The supporting cast played their parts well too: Jet Barrun,
The story itself is humbling because we Pinoys have all experienced being trapped by floods and having to live in that kind of environment for months is something that we all can empathize with. There is also that dream of making it big and dragging the family out of the dreary and staid life that resonates in all of us. In this case, we watch it unfold through Aileen's musical talent and her dreams of landing a gig through Ellen Degeneres and Youtube. There is a bit of love story thrown in - it's cute and quirky - quite the foil to the heavy drama ;)
The set (by Mio Infante) featured a pool of water because Barangay Venezia is supposed to be flooded. Our angle from the balcony gives us a great view of it :) Tolits (Jerald Napoles) has the most sequences on the water as he's the boatman (and love interest for Aileen) for the play. Another feature I liked about the set is that they incorporated TV's and videos for the show. We saw Aileen's Youtube video, "press coverage" of their success and other "enhancements". It was really cool. :)
The music is a well-crafted and seamless combination of Aegis songs, perfect for the flow of the story. I was thinking how hard it would be to piece the music together, to choose which lines go with what scene. The script was also very contemporary, the audience was just laughing and clapping and enjoying themselves. That success is attributed to Writer Liza Magtoto, Musical Director/Arranger Myke Solomon and Director Maribel Legarda. Kudos to you all for a a job well-done!
The performance was 3 hours in length with a 10-minute intercession. It may seem long but when you're watching it, time flies because you're engrossed in that world. You don't want it to end.
But it does and it did to a STANDING OVATION for the cast and crew!!!!
We all trooped out to see the cast share a selfie :) and then it was picture taking time :)
Raaaaaaaak ON!!!
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