The Noli Me Tangere, the Musical Experience Part 3

The Other Ibarra and Other Scenes

The cast of Noli Me Tangere

A week after the opening night of Noli Me Tangere, the Musical, I returned to the Cultural Center of the Philippines once again to see Mark Bautista, the other Crisostomo Ibarra, make his musical theater debut. I was very interested to see how he would fare as Crisostomo Ibarra and how he would tackle the role. I had to remind myself not to think of the other Ibarra, Gian Magdangal since it would not be fair to compare the two of them. I just had to think that seeing both Ibarras perform could only enrich my Noli experience which has been a blast so far.

I got to see Mark Bautista perform during the performance that was sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was a bit strange to be among the few people in the audience inside the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) who weren’t part of the DFA event and reception but was able to watch the performance through Tanghalang Pilipino.

RAd and Mark Bautista

Now on to Mark’s performance. Mark is a baritone with a deeper and darker timbre while Gian is a tenor with a brighter tone. I said that I wasn't going to compare the two Ibarras but I just stated the range and quality of their voices. I got a bit worried if Mark would be able to hit the high notes that his character is required to sing but he was up to the challenge and he did quite well vocally. And Mark also brought forth a brooding Ibarra to the production. What really surprised me the most about his performance was his vulnerability when it came to the scene when he had to say goodbye to Maria Clara (Cris Villonco). He entered the scene almost on the verge of breaking down emotionally and I almost broke down as well. I admit that I had to fight back tears throughout the Paalam na Pag-Ibig (Farewell My Love) number. I thought that since I was able to watch the musical before, I would no longer be moved but I clearly failed in that aspect.

Throughout the performance, I got a bit worried regarding the audience since they were very reserved. Only a few numbers received an applause and I felt a bit bad for the cast because of that. I wished that they wouldn't get affected by the tepid response and hoped that they would continue on doing their best. But my fear was unfounded when this audience at the very end gave a very generous standing ovation to the cast during the curtain call. The production hopes to go on a world tour after their run and I guess that the standing ovation from the DFA people and their guests just sealed the deal.

Birthday celebrant Audie Gemora

But not everything has been pleasant for the musical though. After the opening night, the following evening performance was also a special one since it served as a reunion/fund raiser for Tanghalang Pilipino by its alumni. But the celebration didn’t stop there since also on that day, the director Audie Gemora celebrated his birthday as well. I wanted to stay longer and join in the fun during the pre-show activities but I had to watch something else at a different but nearby CCP venue. After I was done with my show, I returned to where Noli was and saw a number of people hanging around at the lobby. I initially thought that I caught the intermission but that wasn’t the case at all. And it had to be Ryan Cayabyab who had to explain everything to me that 35 minutes into the show, the light board broke down. They weren’t able to fix it and they ended up not continuing the rest of the show for that night. I was stunned to hear that and I felt sorry not just for the cast and crew, but also for the TP alumni and the rest of the audience who were there. The TP alumni did everything that they can in order to salvage what was supposed to be their night. I was told that they took group photos, raffled off prizes and used that moment to get updated with each other. Tickets for that performance would be honored on other dates and since then, the performances have been going on without any major hitch.

RAd and Cris Villonco

Noli Me Tangere, the Musical continues its run until the end of August and here are the rest of the performance dates with the actor playing Crisostomo Ibarra in each performance.

August 19, 2011 10:00 AM (special performance) Gian Magdangal
August 19, 2011 3:00 & 8:00 PM Mark Bautista
August 20-21, 2011 Gian Magdangal
August 26, 2011 1:30 & 8:00 PM (special performance) Mark Bautista
August 27, 2011 3:00 PM Mark Bautista
August 27, 2011 8:00 PM Gian Magdangal
August 28. 2011 3:00 PM Mark Bautista

Part 1 The Music Run Through with Mr. Ryan Cayabyab

Part 2 The Opening Night
Part 4 The Closing Night