‘Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya ni Edgar Musical’ gets ready to rock

The much-awaited “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya ni Edgar Musical” opens on April 26, roughly a month from now. It’s the follow-up project from Full House Theater Company, who mounted “Ang Huling El Bimbo: The Musical,” and who’ve made their home at Newport World Resorts. As the title should make clear, it is also a jukebox musical, this time taking inspiration and featuring the songs of the beloved band Parokya ni Edgar.At a recent media conference held at Newport World Resorts, the artistic directors of Full House Theater Company, Michael Stuart Williams and Menchu Lauchenco-Yulo, presented the creative team and cast of “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy,” along with a few performances of songs from the forthcoming musical.

The stage was filled with the ensemble and main cast, including their understudies, as they showcased a medley of numbers, including originals and the Parokya covers we would expect, albeit with a slightly tweaked arrangement as befits the context of the story they will be telling.

When the behind the scenes creative team joined them in front of the press, they played coy regarding the said story. Wanting to keep things mostly a surprise and mysterious, only a handful of details emerged despite it being a media con: there are four leads, all women, namely Felicity Kyle Napuli, Marynor Madamesila, Tex Ordoñez-De Leon and Natasha Cabrera. Supporting cast members include Pepe Herrera, Jasper Jimenez, Noel Comia and Nicco Manalo. Their character names all come from Parokya ni Edgar songs. There are over 30 Parokya tracks featured in the show. It’s a family-friendly show. And that’s about it. We don’t know if the lead characters will meet or are related, or whether they are in the same time period (not even a specific time period was given).

Story behind the story

The story behind the story was a little more forthcoming. Announced last July when “Ang Huling El Bimbo” was wrapping up its record-setting run as the most-watched original Filipino musical, the creators had already been thinking of “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy” around the time of the pandemic. Writer Rody Vera was asked aboard in February of 2023, and he admitted at the media con to being a little older than the usual Parokya fan, so his first order of business was to immerse himself in the discography of the band. From there, images and stories began to suggest themselves, and also, as a way to differentiate it from “El Bimbo,” the idea of an all-female quartet of lead characters also took root. In October of 2023 he submitted his first completed draft, and just last month full on rehearsals began.

Musical director Ejay Yatco spoke about how frantic it was preparing new arrangements for over 30 songs, while keeping their core melodies intact and recognizable, but was pleased to work with material he had grown up with. Director Dexter Santos emphasized how visual and technical “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy” is, so much so that they have a video designer, GA Fallarme, who, along with costume designer Raven Ong and scenic designer Lawyn Cruz, mentioned taking inspiration from Parokya ni Edgar’s various album covers. Santos also asked that eagle-eyed and -eared fans be attentive to easter eggs throughout the show.

In the audience was Parokya vocalist Chito Miranda, who was encouraged to say a few words and told how he and his fellow bandmates were initially skeptical about an adaptation, not because of the team but because they themselves look humbly upon their work and shied away from anything resembling a “big” or “official” production. It was only upon seeing “Ang Huling El Bimbo” in its initial run, and being so impressed with that show, that he was encouraged to give the greenlight. The band gave Full House artistic freedom, and he himself has not seen the full, finished show yet, emphasizing how excited he was to see it, telling his bandmates that what he’d seen at the media con was already making him emotional.

That emotional chord also expressed itself when someone asked Natasha Cabrera about this being her first lead role. The actress, fighting back tears, wanted to make sure the trust and faith put in her by the team was well-founded. Director Santos said that Cabrera had been in the ensemble of “El Bimbo” and other shows, and that it was high time for her to be given this opportunity.

One thing was abundantly clear: the cast and crew were brimming with excitement, bursting at the seams to finally share even just a taste of this show to an audience that was not already involved with the production. That enthusiasm bodes well for when the first proper audiences experience it for the first time next month when it begins its run.

Tickets to “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya ni Edgar Musical” are available at all TicketWorld and SM Tickets outlets, HelixPay and Newport World Resorts Box Office.

Visit newportworldresorts.com/buruguduy-stun-stugudun-stuy.