‘Mula sa Buwan’ returns: A playwright’s dream come true
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I’ve never heard such a roaring welcome. In 2022, when the cast of “Mula sa Buwan” finally came to the lobby, the audience just went wild! To be honest, I was a bit scared. Not because people were unruly—they weren’t. It was just all new to me. Usually, theater post-shows would have a restrained energy, quite formal and obligatory, to be honest.
But that day (and the other days when the cast went out), it felt like a rock concert, or kind of like the fevered screams welcoming a beloved P-pop group. Nakakatuwa. Nakakataba ng puso—that theater, too, can elicit such reaction and emotion.
Whenever people ask me why we’re restaging “Mula sa Buwan” again, there are, of course, ready answers: That “Mula sa Buwan” is a brave musical that deserves to be seen by more people, especially now that appreciation and love for theater, for original Filipino works, is greater than ever.
That the themes of the musical, while it’s set in 1940s Philippines, still resonate today. Perhaps it becomes even more relevant as our own territories are threatened by looming forces.
That, for the first time in the history of the musical, I will not be directing it, but Mikko Angeles will. He adds his own point of view as he continues the tradition of “Mula sa Buwan,” but also courageously challenges it. There are new members in our cast. There will be surprises from the various artistic elements. Suffice to say, there are many things to look forward to in this 2024 staging.
Community
But what I am really excited for, and I hope it still continues, is that every rerun extends and enriches the community this musical has wonderfully created.
During those crazy postshow moments, sometimes people would recognize me and request for a photo-op or have their souvenir programs signed. (I would admit, nakakakilig!) Often, they’d profess that they’d seen the musical more than once. I know of a couple who saw the first staging more than a decade ago, and with each watch, they’d bring along a new set of friends. In these interactions, some would share how the musical inspired them, whether to pursue theater or just anything creative. Happiest for me would be stories of how people became friends because of their love for this musical.
“Mula sa Buwan,” I would like to believe, is not just about the musical. Somehow it has created a space for the same misfits and dreamers on stage. For those who have seen it and plan to watch it again, it will feel like an embrace. And for those who will watch it for the first time, because of the production and the community, I assure you that it will never be intimidating. It will feel like home.
Possibilities and moments like these are hard to come by. They are special. And even for that reason alone, I think it deserves a rerun, don’t you think?
“Mula sa Buwan” runs Aug. 16 to Sept. 8 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati. Tickets available via Ticketworld or mulasabuwan.com/tickets
Pat Valera is a playwright, director, and producer for the stage. He, along with William Elvin Manzano, is the creator of “Mula sa Buwan,” a musical that debuted in 2010.
