2010 a good year for Jesse

MANILA, Philippines - Life is all about balance — we receive, we give. The universe makes sure that there is enough for everyone. Kindness is to be spread, talent is to be continuously honed and shared.

Multi-awarded but low key composer Jesse Lucas, acclaimed locally and internationally for his numerous works on film, television and musical theater certainly knows this by heart.

Lucas is extremely excited over his latest undertaking, a rock-dance musical called Junto Al Pasig, from one of the earlier writings of Philippine hero Jose Rizal. To be staged at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines tonight, Junto Al Pasig will feature the young students of the Valenzuela City Center of Performing Arts as actors, singers and dancers.

“I am really pleased with this project. It is something really fresh in terms of concept and staging style. The music I created is so out of my comfort zone. I am also enriched because I work with a very young and brilliant team,” shares Lucas.

He adds, “It is the first time that we are introducing live media into musical theater. Young contemporary artist Nasser Lubay, who is the only Filipino to have won at the prestigious Celeste International Art Prize, infused interactive live visual art to the project. He used the most advance technology to create a whole new audio-visual aesthetics that are generated via human motions and sound.

Junto Al Pasig is a rock musical that will take the audience to a deep contemplation and re-evaluation of one’s existing political beliefs. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy, who, while waiting for the fluvial parade of the Virgen del Antipolo, had a colorful confrontation with an evil force dressed as a local fairy, an ancient evil goddess who attacks and questions the young boy’s faith.

The story focuses on breaking the simplistic view that the world is black and white, where good is always good and evil is eternally bound to be bad. It questions the standards of good and evil in reference to the improvement of human conditions.

Lucas shares that dance will be a major component in the show. “We will include contemporary, folk, ballet, hip-hop into the alternative rock music and live media, presented ala rock-dance concert style which the young generation is well familiar with. Our choreographer Arnie Umayam created wonderful dance routines for the show.”

This project is so different from the signature Lucas melodies and the master composer couldn’t agree more. “It’s my first rock musical and that alone says a lot about the unfamiliar territories I have to tread. That is why it is a personal challenge and I enjoyed the process tremendously.”

2010 is a good year for Jesse Lucas. Aside from creating original music score for the hit series Magkaribal and Kristine, Lucas has composed and conducted a 30-minute piece for the orchestra, choir and native ensemble that premiered at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He also got good reviews for the music he did in Jose Javier Reyes’s new film for Star Cinema, Till My Heartaches End.

Lucas also launched his website (www.jesselucascomposer.com) recently, designed specially for him by one of Europe’s top web designers, Miro Koljanin.

“I have a lot to be thankful for, that’s why Junto Al Pasig is one way of giving back. This is a community theater project, participated by students and the youth from some of the marginalized sections of Valenzuela City. For them to perform at the Cultural Center of the Philippines is something they will cherish all their lives.”