Bar Boys: The Musical is definitely not for the cynical.
While the more pessimistic of playgoers may be tempted to dismiss the optimism of Barefoot Theater Collaborative’s latest production, those same naysayers will find themselves pulled into a world of law school humor, vulnerable male friendships, and this unwavering idea that the worst that our country has to offer can be solved with just the right amount of hope. Like its source material, the Kip Oebanda-directed barkada film of the same name, Bar Boys: The Musical continues to believe in the Philippine justice system, no matter how decrepit it may seem.
But what makes the musical’s hopeful core so believable is its four main characters — Alex Diaz, Benedix Ramos, Jerom Canlas, and Omar Uddin, who play law school hopefuls Chris, Erik, Torran, and Josh, respectively. The story follows the young men as they navigate a multitude of pressures, from academic, to familial, to existential. What’s more, they must come face-to-face with issues that echo the nation’s own current problems: nepotism, corruption, and a legal system that too often fails its own people.
Created by Pat Valera (book and lyrics) and Myke Salomon (music and lyrics), and directed by Mikko Angeles, Bar Boys: The Musical has found steady success among its Philippine audience. It is currently on its third iteration with fresh staging at Arete’s Hyundai Hall in the Ateneo de Manila University, where it will run until November 23.
As audiences continue to delight in and resonate with the show, its four titular bar boys sat down with Rolling Stone Philippines to talk about the musical’s enduring optimism, the issues it continues to address, and what they’ve learned after three runs of working onstage together.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Now that it’s the third run of the show, do you feel like the four of you are more in sync on stage?
Diaz: I think that we’re so in sync now that we can just rely on each other onstage. It gives us so much more room to play and to be brave with our choices, because alam ko na when I’m there, even if I’m having so much fun, I’ll make these choices and be like, “Oh my God, what did I just do?” But I know that the boys have my back.
Ramos: It’s come to the point na we already know each other’s body languages, onstage and offstage. Kapag onstage kami, we know when to adjust if this person is about to move his body… mayroon akong feeling na pupunta si Alex dito, kaya medyo mag-a-adjust ako. Kasi siyempre in the theater, when one moves, everybody moves.
Canlas: Literal na para kaming barkada na, hindi na acting-acting lang ‘yong pagiging barkada namin onstage. Offstage, we’re really just a group of friends hanging out most of the time.
Has there ever been a moment when you haven’t been in sync onstage? Like if someone has forgotten a line?
Canlas: Ito! (Points to Uddin.)
Uddin: To be honest, may isang show na sobrang lala…
Canlas: Hindi naman siya forgetting the lines, it’s more forgetting what’s the exact text… pero the context is still there.
Diaz: Ano bang nangyari? Did you jump ahead?
Uddin: No, may nakalimutan ako isang line na dapat kong sabihin, tapos na off-rhythm na ako. Tapos my time din na parang nabaliktad ko ‘yong mga lyrics ko sa solo song ko ng “Quitters,” which never happens. Pero they were very supportive naman with their reactions towards my stumbles.
But perhaps that’s forgivable, seeing as this run of the musical involves a lot of complex choreography, quick scene changes, and very little time in between song numbers. How do you take a breath in between?
Diaz: We don’t. We don’t take a breath until after the first three songs.
Ramos: Or even after the first act. Act I is really about precision talaga, to the point na hindi kami humihinga. We really have to be on our toes every time we do scenes because ‘pag may bubunggo sa‘yo, may mga castmates na pwedeng matamaan ka. Even if it’s a big stage, we still stage it in a way that we’re all moving as one.
Canlas: Importante rin ‘yong hindi masyadong humihinga kasi the show is already more than three hours. So kung masyadong maraming hinga, ma-bo-bore na ‘yong mga tao — they will feel that the show is too long. Pero noong napanood nila, na walang masyadong hinga, the way Kuya Mikko Angeles directed the show, na dire-diretso, until the very end, the show doesn’t feel long. It feels alive.
Ramos: I don’t know if you’ve noticed, pero nobody’s really walking on stage. Everybody’s running or brisk walking kasi hindi kami aabot sa next cue. It’s really all fast-paced. We also need to give credit to the stagehands, the set movers: sila din, as in, tumatakbo sa backstage and sa onstage mismo.
I feel like the fast-paced nature of the musical makes sense, given that it’s focused on Philippine law school. Having done three versions of Bar Boys, do you feel like you have a better grasp of legal jargon now? What have you taken away about the legal justice system here in the Philippines?
Diaz: I wish I could say yes. I think we’ve learned the material well, but it’s nothing compared to what law students go through. I think we just try to capture it to the best of our ability. Just the immense sacrifice that law students undertake when they become public servants. The legal jargon, I think what’s in the text, of course, we have to study and know it. But of course, we really don’t know it all. I think that’s the point of theater, though: having that allowance of not knowing things.
Canlas: We’re really not law students. And our job isn’t to know it all. It’s knowing what the point is, why it’s being said in the first place. That’s what we’re focusing on. It just solidified my perception of law school and how hard it is — that it’s really no joke. If you think that the title of becoming a lawyer is just something you get out of paper or out of your credentials, it’s really not. It’s about principles, values, beliefs, and your understanding of the system in general, and how you would be [contribute] to the world.
Diaz: Okay, and what is mens rea?
Canlas: Mens rea is the guilty mind!
Outside of the legal jargon, there are also a lot of pertinent political issues going on in the world of Bar Boys (e.g. nepotism, corruption). What do you hope audiences take away from Bar Boys? And how do you yourselves resonate with the themes in the musical?
Canlas: With the messed-up world that we have, I hope they still find hope in real people who are trying to change the world for the better. All these issues now — flood control, corruption — they are all interconnected. What we’re doing is telling the story of the Filipino through a legal system that fails us. But we don’t just present the failure of our legal system: we also show what’s possible. Hope is possible if we do something about it.
Ramos: The ending [of Bar Boys] is like this pinprick of light in the distance: that is hope. Even if it’s too far away now, we know that it’s there. I hope that the audience will wake up if they’re not awake yet, and I hope they continue to dream of a better world.
In between the show’s three runs, have you talked to audience members to see if they’re responding differently depending on the version of the musical they see?
Diaz: Hmm, especially in the scene with the barkada fight, people were like, “Yeah, in the past, you guys were just shouting a lot. In this run, there’s a little more nuance.” We [understand] what our characters are going through now.
Uddin: Honestly, halo ‘yong mga opinions ng audience members with this run, because I’ve heard that the previous runs were more intimate. They felt more like they were part of the classes before. Maybe because the theater was smaller… pero with this run, with the big sets, and the added parts ot the text and songs, it feels clearer. More emotional.
Canlas: I also think there’s more impact now. The musical has a clearer statement this time around, and it’s clearer to us what we want to say.
Last question: Alex, you once described theater as like being caught in Groundhog Day. I wanted to ask all four of you if this rings true and whether it’s a good thing.
Uddin: Definitely a good thing. Before this run ng Bar Boys, may ibang projects na ginagawa ko outside of theater, but it was very stressful and I felt like I was being controlled by those in authority. I didn’t have that much freedom. When I came back to theater, on the first day of rehearsals and we were still even reading pa… bigla akong nakahinga, tapos naramdaman ko na sobrang genuine ng luha ko noong lumabas siya habang nababasa ng script ng Bar Boys. So that felt like home to me. Also may aspect din noong nakasama ko ulit silang tatlo, which felt like… parang magkakasama kami sa isang bahay.
Canlas: There’s repetition, but I don’t feel trapped, especially for this run. There’s always this opportunity to be better. That’s even the message of the whole musical: to always strive to be better.
Ramos: I think what’s crucial to remember is that as actors, we have a tendency to approach things the same way we did yesterday. But for me, what excites and motivates me is really jumping into character. Like now, I’m excited to be Erik again. I get to be Benedix my entire life, but I only get to be Erik for a few weeks. This is my opportunity to live as a character that might inspire other people. That is the power that I hold.
Diaz: I just want to agree with what Alex said. I think Alex is really, really intelligent. [Laughs] And I just want to add that there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with being able to do it over and over again. Some days you feel like you didn’t hit the mark, but then there are those days when you walk offstage and everybody’s high-fiving you and you’re just like, “Wow, we did it.”
