There was a conundrum among the writers in my section at the March 6 press preview of Liwanag sa Dilim: “How do we keep our reviews spoiler-free and how long can we go without telling anyone the plot of the musical?”

As the official first audience of this new original Filipino musical, we were on a high with so much to process.

The Long Road to LSD

After the final curtain call of Once On This Island last year, 9 Works Theatrical announced their next musical through GMA singer Anthony Rosaldo, who had just played Roger in Rent. Like a rockstar, Rosaldo went onstage to belt out Rico Blanco’s Liwanag Sa Dilim to a pumped-up crowd.

What a way to announce that the project they’ve been teasing about for years has finally come to fruition. Liwanag sa Dilim was set to be launched in 2025, several years after director Robbie Guevera casually asked rockstar and former Rivermaya frontman, Rico Blanco, at a party if he’d be open to making a musical based on his songs, to which the latter said yes.

When the teasers were unveiled this January, the media and theater fans were baffled. Except for the two main characters of Elesi and Cris, why aren’t the rest of the characters named or at least described? Why did they reveal so little about the plot?

Because the musical was shrouded in so much mystery, writers like myself went into detective mode, bombarding director Robbie Guevera, as well as the cast and crew, with questions.

Is it a political piece? After all, “Isang Bandila” was the long-time theme song and title of ABS-CBN’s late-night newscast, while “Liwanag Sa Dilim” was the battle cry of the Leni Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan 2022 campaign. Is it a love story or a biography of a band? Is it set in the ’90s, the decade Rivermaya was formed? Does the cast’s edgy, almost cyberpunk-like wardrobe in the posters mean anything?

This is the summary from the press kit: “Follow Elesi, an orphan on his quest to uncover the secrets of his past. Together with Cris, his trusted ally, they fight for justice—while an undeniable connection sparks between them and the people who challenge their hearts. This ignites a revolution that redefines their worlds.”

One of the main things I got from my interviews with director Robbie Guevara, dramaturg Jonjon Martin, producer Santi Santamaria, and scenographer Mio Infante was that they spent sleepless nights working on the twists and turns of this story. The rest of the cast and crew mouthed the same cryptic description—that it was neither a pure love story nor a full-blown political play, which left me again with nothing.

And that is exactly what made my experience of Liwanag Sa Dilim a unique, twisted ride—coming in knowing nothing.

Big Cast, Big Story

There are over two dozen cast members in Liwanag Sa Dilim, with two main sets of leads:

GMA’s Khalil Ramos, ABS-CBN’s Alexa Ilacad, and seasoned thespians Vien King and Neomi Gonzales

GMA’s Anthony Rosaldo, VIVA’S Nicole Omillo, GMA’s Rita Daniela, and musical theater actor Boo Gabunada.

I caught the latter mix.

Two years after crossing over to musical theater, singer Rosaldo is on a roll and carrying his biggest role yet—Elesi. You have to hand it to Rosaldo, who is in almost every scene, powering through with his singing and acting chops, and who would have thought—some comedy as well!

As expected, Daniela gave the most powerful vocals of the bunch, while Omillo made a charming female protagonist, just like her recent One More Chance role.

Gabunada as the antagonist was so sly and effective that your hatred for his character grows as the story moves along. But the standout performance for me was Navato, who embodied his character so flawlessly, from his looks and movements to his enunciation.

Part of me wants to watch the show again to see the version of Ramos, Ilacad, King, and Gonzales.

Cast: Anthony Rosaldo, Khalil Ramos, CJ Navato, Vien King, Nicole Omillo, Alexa Ilacad, Rita Daniela, Neomi Gonzales, Arnel Carrion, Boo Gabunada, Jon Abella, Raul Montesa, Rica Laguardia, Lani Ligot, Jasper John Jimenez, Paji Arceo, Mark Tayag, Chez Cuenca, Fay Castro, Iya Villanueva, Derrick Gozos, Brianna Bunagan, Lucylle Tan, Denzel Chang, Elian Santos, Giani Sarita, Prince España, and Clave Sun

Spoiler-Free Review of Liwanag Sa Dilim

Armed with a dozen predictions—none of which came true—I was kept at the edge of my seat until somewhere in the middle of Act 1 when the genre-bending plot of this musical finally untangled.

This ambitious, movie-like, and series-like musical will give you doses of love, comedy, and other elements I refuse to reveal because I want you to have the same eureka moments and mind-boggling questions that my fellow writers and I had on preview night.

As for the political angle, I didn’t think it was as subtle as they initially hinted, which is a plus for me. How can it not be when you’re dealing with Blanco’s catalogue of songs? Fans of Blanco’s music will enjoy hearing Orlando Dela Cruz’s arrangement of love songs such as “214” and “You’ll Be Safe Here”, and anthem-like tracks such as “Himala” and “Isang Bandila”. Like other jukebox musicals before this, the songs were weaved suitably into the story that you’re tempted to sing along (but please don’t!).

 

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Now I know why they kept the plot hush-hush: because the moment we reveal the name of one or two more main characters—aside from Elesi (based on one of Blanco’s songs), and Cris (such a generic name that it doesn’t elicit any clues)—or let out a few keyword descriptions, then that’s it—the cat will be out of the bag and it could ruin the ride for first-time viewers. Of course, inevitably the spoilers will be common knowledge. But wouldn’t it be great to be the audience watching the spoiler-free first run of a potentially long-running musical?

And while some of the tropes reminded me of similar ideas already pulled off in both Hollywood and the Philippines, this creative musical still has a unique twist that was a crazy delight to experience—all 2.5 hours of it.

Scenographer Mio Infante and video designer GA Fallarme did it again with their modern, multi-layered set and visuals, while PJ Rebullida’s choreography brought out the nuances of each character, especially the villain, which again, I shall not spoil for you. Trigger warning: there are sensitive themes such as SA.

And because it’s such a new musical, I expect more tweaks and kinks to be ironed out in the future runs. Plot holes and a cliffhanger tease a possible sequel, which might be a hit or miss, as this isn’t common for musical plays. A TV series version, maybe?

This musical was nothing like I predicted, but was one heck of a ride. You, dear reader, are better off not looking for spoilers in the forums and interwebs. Come without knowing anything, except that the universe of Liwanag Sa Dilim will slither into your mind, leaving you with conundrums to ponder for days on end.

Catch Liwanag Sa Dilim until April 13, 2024 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me.