Photo / Barefoot Theatre Collaborative
It’s easy to think that Bar Boys: A New Musical is just for lawyers and law students. After all, the show, adapted from the crowd-favorite film of the same name by Kip Oebanda, follows a group of friends who try their luck in law school.
The musical’s playwright and director, Pat Valera, quickly dismisses the idea. He told WheninManila.com, “With Bar Boys, sinasabi nila, ‘Nako, pang lawyer lang ‘to.’ That’s not true. Pinagdadaanan natin lahat ‘yon, magaaral tayo para maging marangal, mabait na tao, makatulong. And then you’re confronted with a system and a reality that doesn’t reflect your ideals.”
Benedix Ramos (Erik), Alex Diaz (Chris), Jerom Canlas (Torran), and Omar Uddin (Josh) bring the musical to life on the stage. Their talent as actors is evident, as they effortlessly portray their roles and even relate to them, even if they are not involved in law.
“I can’t say it was easy for me to relate to Eric, but at least I have found some things that I can relate to, like the struggles of being an ordinary Filipino. Doon pa lang sa basic problems natin like transportation, the system, money. These are the things na nakaka-relate ako kasi growing up, hindi talaga naging madali ang buhay,” said Ramos.
Ramos shares a similar trajectory to his character Eric, who had second thoughts about going to law school because of the expenses. The actor shared, “I experienced becoming a working student just to sustain my college degree. Sobrang laking struggle noong college life ko. Nandoon sa point na kinabukasan ‘yong exam namin, pero wala akong pambayad ng tuition and I don’t know where to get the money. Kailangan kong isangla ‘yong laptop ko kasi ‘yon na lang ‘yong makakasagip sakin.”
Photo / May Celeste from the May 2024 run of Bar Boys: A New Musical
Ramos quit college the next day to find work because the pawnshop didn’t accept his laptop due to a faulty keypad. He returned to school two years later but couldn’t finish it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramos enrolled in three different programs at three universities in 10 years. According to him, “‘Yon pa lang, para na kong nag-law.”
Surprisingly, Ramos’s castmates don’t know about this story.
Diaz tapped into his family to tell Chris’s story. He said, “Chris’s story is close to mine. Especially with my father, we had our own things going on when I moved to Canada.”
When asked what he likes most about his character, Diaz said, “Chris is confident, charming, and quick. I love playing these parts because you trick your brain into countering your insecurities by embodying this character. At the same time, the negative traits put a magnifying glass on my life because you have to dissect these characters.”
He added, “I love and accept all the good and bad of Chris. I think you have to do that as an actor. You have to bat for your character to find that truth.”
Photo / Barefoot Theatre Collaborative
Canlas echoes the sentiment of finding that truth. He shared, “What do I know about this character na makaka-connect ako? For Torran, ‘yong anchor niya was always his family.”
Canlas grounded his performance on his family, who supported him and his siblings in the entertainment industry, even if they were not artistically inclined. He said, “What I love about Torran is ‘yong competitive aspect niya kasi super competitive din ako (writer’s note: his castmates playfully agree). At the same time, I love playing the things that I don’t share with him kasi it challenges me as a person and makes me grow as Jerom.”
Uddin, meanwhile, loves playing the drastic changes in his character Josh, “from always being agitated and stressed to the point of magwawala na siya to magiging kalmado and being so peaceful. Makikita mo sa mata na he already found his place to land.”
His perspective on Josh as a character also reflects his acting style. Uddin portrayed the role twice this year, the first in May and for their “second semester,” which is currently running. In our review of the second semester, we noticed that Uddin has matured, honed undoubtedly by his role’s physical and emotional demands in Mula sa Buwan (which was staged directly between Bar Boys’ two runs). There’s a restraint in his current portrayal that serves him well. Both Uddin and Josh have found their place to land.
Challenges
Photo / Jaypee Maristaza from the May 2024 run of Bar Boys: A New Musical
Preparing for the role had its own set of challenges.
Given Ramos’s proximity to his role, his main concern was sustainability. He said, “How will you open the wounds again each time na sasalang ka sa stage? You want to be as truthful as possible, but you should consider that it should be healthy and sustainable.”
Both Ramos and Canlas agree that each performance is different. Canlas said, “You’re only as good as your last performance. We strive to be better each time and to find something na magiging fresh, present sa moment, at may bagong discovery along with the audience. But we’ve been preparing for it, so it’s just a matter of taking care of each other and ourselves.”
Diaz and Uddin’s challenges were on the technical side of production. Diaz stated, “It’s just a complete overhaul of what you’re used to. It’s zero to 100.”
Uddin mentioned, “Challenge ko is hindi mabulol sa lines ko and tone down a little on what I do on stage. Hindi daw healthy. Challenge ko rin is to be more mature and find new ways to give this character more clarity.”
Preparing for the bar (Boys)
Photo / Barefoot Theatre Collaborative
The boys prepared extensively for the musical. Canlas said, “It’s really exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally, so kailangan ma-build ‘yong stamina.“
Diaz added, “In this line of work, when you get a role, your life changes drastically. The work doesn’t stop when you get home. You’re studying the music, the choreography, the blocking, and your notes for the day.”
Outside of rehearsals, each of them did their separate research. According to Canlas, “It’s highly technical. If hindi namin alam ‘yong sinasabi namin, we can’t really convey it na maiintindihan, lalo na on stage.“
Because Josh is Cebuano, Uddin asked people from Visayas for translations and tips on his accent to make his portrayal more authentic. Ramos interviewed lawyers and law students and watched videos to understand the industry better. He said, “Iba ‘yong hirap, pawis, dugo nila na inaalay doon sa pagaaral ng law. It also deals with life. I want to be a part of society’s solution, and to be ready for that, you should get to know the people doing it.”
Their efforts have paid off, as Bar Boys: A New Musical has earned rave reviews.
Canlas shared, “‘Yong challenge and ‘yong sarap din ay ‘yong we’re originating a role that’s based on a movie, but it’s completely different from the movie. Preparation also comes with ‘Ano ‘yong mabibigay ko?’ Kami ‘yong nag-originate ng role so ang laking privilege and honor to have that. And I think naman in-embody namin and pinagtrabahuan namin.“
Bar Boys: A New Musical runs for a limited five weeks, from October 4 to November 3, 2024, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater, Circuit Makati. Pat Valera and Mikko Angeles direct the musical with a book and lyrics by Valera, music and lyrics by Salomon, and movement design by Jomelle Era.
Tickets to all show dates are now available on Ticket2Me at bit.ly/barboystickets.
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