November 9 ------ The cast members of Tabing Ilog: The Musical gave a sneak peek of what to expect from the theater adaptation of the ‘90s teen drama series with the same title. They performed a remake of the original theme song, Barbie's Cradle's Tabing Ilog, along with new additions May Nagbabalik and Pag-ibig Nanaman, during a recent media conference.
Tabing Ilog: The Musical is a collaboration between Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and ABS-CBN. It was originally conceptualized in 2019 but was postponed due to the pandemic. It is directed by Phil Noble (Dicktalks and Maynila), written by Eljay Deldoc (Virgin Labfest and Past, Present, Perfect?) and with musical direction and songs by Vince de Jesus (Changing Partners and Third World Romance).
The musical was based on the ABS-CBN television series Tabing Ilog, which was released in 1999 and topbilled by then-emerging stars John Lloyd Cruz, Jodi Sta. Maria, Baron Geisler, Paolo Contis, Desiree Del Valle, Patrick Garcia, Paula Peralejo and Kaye Abad. “Again, after two decades, we bring back the same stories of love, friendship, and family but with the new issues of Generation Z. We are excited about this. May this be a continuation of our partnership beyond this year! We look forward and are excited to see Tabing Ilog: The Musical,” said direk Lauren Dyogi, head of ABS-CBN TV Production and Star Magic. The theater remake will surely evoke feelings of nostalgia as it brings back the relatable stories of love and friendship of Eds, Badong, Corrine, James, Fonzy, Anne, George, and Rovic, but this time, in a modern-day setting. The musical will feature fresh faces in the showbiz industry, including, theater first-timers and Star Magic artists Anji Salvacion, Andi Abaya, Kobie Brown, Sheena Belarmino, BGYO members Akira Morishita and JL Toreliza, BINI’s Jhoanna Robles, and Vivoree. They will be performing with Omar Uddin and seasoned thespians, namely, Teetin Villanueva, Neomi Gonzales, Lance Reblando, Red Nuestro, Joann Co, among others.
Direk Phil shared the challenges they encountered while adapting Tabing Ilog to a more modern milieu. “We studied kung ano ang kabataan ngayon, their needs and kung ano yung pinagdadaan nila,” he told The STAR. “Plus, we just came from a pandemic so we thought of the original characters like kung sila ay nasa ngayong panahon ano yung maaring pinagdaanan nila.” From there, they reworked the script and also made adjustments on the songs to be performed on stage. “Iba rin yung tunog ng kabataan ngayon. Iba rin yung klase ng awit na meron sila. Those were the challenges. Plus now that we are face-to-face working with these young people, nandun talaga yung pinaka-challenge namin,” he continued. Another challenge for them, he noted, is the busy schedule of the young actors. “We know that these kids are all working, doing television (projects), etc, etc. But we want to give them a happy experience, not traumatic. At the same time, may napupulot din sila (lessons). That’s what’s important to us. Yung may nakukuha sila sa mga ibinibigay namin.”
Source: philstar.com
Comments