June
20-August 31, 2014
Earlier
this year, Philipine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) musical Rak of
Aegis had a stellar run despite going head to head with a big budgeted, wicked musical by a foreign touring company.
So it’s no surprise that the very Filipino story featuring love triangles, long
shot dreams, and natural calamities told through the music of legendary rock
band Aegis returns for a longer run from June 20 up to August 31, 2014 at the PETA PHINMA Theater to start PETA's 47th Theater Season.
 |
| The cast of Rak of Aegis |
Returning
to reprise their roles are Aicelle Santos playing the lead role Aileen, the
young woman from Villa Venezia who dreams of becoming a YouTube sensation; real
life couple Isay Alvarez-Seña and Robert Seña, playing Mary Jane and Kiel
whose romantic past resurfaces amid the flood that has blanketed their subdivision.
Returning cast members include Kalila Aguilos, Kakai Bautista, Neomi Gonzales,
Jerald Napoles, Pepe Herrera, Myke Salomon, Poppert Bernadas, Nor Domingo,
Julienne Mendoza, Ron Alfonso, Phillip Palmos, Gold Villar, Gimbey Dela Cruz,
Jet Barrun, Paeng Sudayan, Carlon Matobato, and John Moran.
 |
| Arnel Ignacio, Isay Alvarez-Seña and Aicelle Santos |
Rak
of Aegis’ rerun welcomes new cast members Kimverlie Molina (a vocal power house whose timbre is very much in keeping with Aegis' vocalists) as Aileen, Oj
Mariano as Kiel, Arnel Ignacio as Fernan, and Jimmy Marquez as Jewel, while choreographer
Gio Gahol and Abigail Sulit join the ensemble. Rak of Aegis’ creative team is
composed of director Maribel Legarda, playwright Liza Magtoto, and musical
director Myke Salomon.
I had
the opportunity to catch the musical on its initial run. The story is indeed
very Filipino, reminiscent of the guilty pleasure comedy films of the 1990’s,
complete with musical production numbers. Aicelle proved that her Katy! stint was
no beginner’s luck as she delivered yet another solid performance. Robert and
Isay, with their decades of theater experience, showed great chemistry playing
former lovers. One of the most unexpected surprises in the musical was scene
stealer Jerald Napoles who played Tolits, one of Aileen’s suitors. Another
actor who also almost stole the show with a gender bending "duet" was Philip Palmos as Jewel.
There
were times when I thought that the tension was broken especially when the scene
shifted the other characters’ respective storylines. It smacked right to my
impatience when I couldn’t wait much longer to see how certain plot lines would
be resolved (like with whom Aileen end up with) but had to go through to see how
Kenny (Poppert Bernadas) would earn the approval of his mother Mary Jane.
 |
| Aegis band members join the cast in a post show interview |
Undoubtedly,
the real star of the show was the music of Aegis. And it was a treat to be in
the performance where the band Aegis was in attendance. It was like watching two
shows at once, seeing the actual musical and trying to catch the reaction of
the band members especially during the musical numbers. And the band members were
very pleased by what they saw since they were usually the first to applaud whenever
they recognized which of their songs were being played. Finally, the band made
a special encore performance right after the curtain call which only cemented
their status as one of the music acts that have made a significant impact in
the Philippine music industry. I was very pleased to learn that Aegis CD’s on sale were flying off the shelves after every show which meant that
people do want to relive more of the show afterwards. And now, people have more chances to
experience (or experience again) Rak of Aegis as the show returns for almost 70
performances for their second run.
For
inquiries:
TicketWorld
891-9999
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