Ang Huling El Bimbo relives music of the E-heads

MANILA, Philippines — Just when everyone thought the popular The Eraserheads quartet of Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro, Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan disbanded for good and had no chance of performing again, their songs were turned into a well-received musical with Ang Huling El Bimbo in 2018.

The E-heads surprised everyone when they regrouped for a major concert at the SMDC Festival Grounds in December 2022, followed by a North America concert tour this month.

Meanwhile, Ang Huling El Bimbo, the musical that compiles the E-heads songs into a full-length show, continues to pack it in since it opened anew at the Newport World Resorts in April this year.

Ang Huling El Bimbo, which compiles The Eraserheads’ songs into a full-length show, stars Topper Fabregas, Paw Castillo, Gab Pangilinan and Anthony Rosaldo.

It’s a musical based on the E-heads songs, not a story about the E-heads, in case there are those who are still misinformed to this day. Although there are many things in the musical that hew closely to the E-heads, like the group’s fancy with Voltes V (their debut album was even titled Ultraelectromagneticpop) and the many references made to the Iskolar ng Bayan.

Before the start of Ang Huling El Bimbo, the audience was given a trigger warning that the musical had sensitive themes, strong language and sexual violence.

The matinee performance on a Sunday, filled the venue to the rafters. The house was simply jampacked, proof of the E-heads’ massive following. On a Saturday, Ang Huling El Bimbo has two performances — matinee and evening. While Fridays start the weekend performances. A new generation of music fans undoubtedly adored the E-heads’ songs again.

Shiela Francisco as Tiya Dely, who runs Toyang’s Eatery.

The band has been unquestionably embraced by new generations of music fans. The success of their songs through the years, from the time they were introduced to the public three decades ago, remains constantly marketable.

Thanks to Full House Theater Company, which made Ang Huling El Bimbo possible with Newport World Resorts, where the musical is now being restaged until July this year.

Set in the early nineties, the time the E-heads rose into prominence, the musical weaves a touching story of songs from familiar hits of the group that take the viewers into three hours of nostalgic trip.

Told in a series of flashbacks, Ang Huling El Bimbo is the story of three male friends — the probinsyano Emman, the effeminate Anthony and the “middle class” Hector (played respectively by Paw Castillo, Topper Fabregas and Anthony Rosaldo) — who started bonding when they became dorm mates at the State University.

Told in a series of flashbacks, Ang Huling El Bimbo is the story of three male friends — the probinsyano Emman, the effeminate Anthony and the ‘middle class’ Hector — whose bond gets formed while dorm mates at the State University.

The friends’ hangout turned out to be Toyang’s eatery, owned by Tiya Dely (played by Sheila Francisco), where they met and became friends with Joy (Gab Pangilinan).

Anybody from UP can easily relate and identify the activities in the university, like the enrollment, the shopping center with its busy stalls in the pasilyo, the UP Lantern Parade, the rallies.

The adult counterparts of the three friends were Bullet Dumas, Niño Alejandro and Gian Magdangal, while the adult Joy was played by Katrine Sunga. A phone call disrupted and complicated the present-day lives of the adult men, who were summoned to the precinct for interrogation.

Musical director Myke Salomon beautifully weaved the wondrous the E-heads playlist — Alapaap, Toyang, Tindahan ni Aling Nena, Ligaya, Pare Ko, Shirley and Overdrive — into the lyrical narrative.

Live music courtesy of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) under conductor Mickey Jacinto, bridged the gap between the orchestra and the audience. Gino Gonzales was the set designer.

Joy is an idealistic, young vendor inside the campus, who strikes a friendship with Emman, Anthony and Hector.

The musical was admirably written by playwright Dingdong Novenario, with Dexter Martinez Santos at the helm. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo was associate director, dramaturg Floy Quintos provided the additional scenes and dialogue.

A different take on Pare Ko was sung in a drill, with marching numbers and rifle exercises. The boys took orders from their sergeant, Arturo Banlaoi, played by Jamie Wilson, in their Citizen’s Military Training. Two decades later into the story, Banlaoi graduated to the role of a corrupt councilor engaged in the drug trade and sex trafficking.

The car used by the four friends in a joy ride to Antipolo became an iconic image of the musical. Emman, Anthony, Hector and Joy standing on top of the car’s roof graced the back cover of the souvenir program.

The young girl, who played Joy’s daughter, Ligaya, was Sophia Bragais. She makes her theater debut in Ang Huling El Bimbo. That Sunday matinee we watched the musical, Sophia repeated her lines although she instantly corrected herself with perhaps very few who noticed.

Now on its third iteration, Ang Huling El Bimbo can still be viewed repeatedly without the audience getting tired of the story, the plot and most especially the songs.

(Ang Huling El Bimbo has added more shows until June 30.)