Quick Review: Going Home To Christmas: A Jose Mari Chan Musical Play

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Caught the evening performance of this musical last night at RCBC.

First: the new arrangements by Ejay Yatco--amazing! It deserves an orchestra to better appreciate the genius behind the "new" sound. Didn't expect to hear Jose Mari Chan songs arranged in a very stagey way! 

Second: Standouts (for me) were Carla Guevara Laforteza (her breathtaking rendition of "Hahanapin Ko" blew me away), Floyd Tena (his JR hits close to home--it reminded me of my dad in so many ways), Lorenz Martinez (his frenetic portrayal of a short-fused husband is so natural like he has done this so many times it looked effortless), and Justine Narciso (as the endearing Raya, the love interest to Neo Rivera's JD)--you and Neo made me believe you were meant for each other! Worthy to mention is the quartet of carolers (ang blending!). You know who you are lol! Pwede na kayong rumaket sa mga Christmas parties!

Storylines: written by three theatre vets (Joel Trinidad, Robbie Guevara, and Luna Griño-Inocian, with some additional dialogue by Jeremy Domingo, they were all easy to follow: the father and son going home for a family reunion, grandparents introducing their apo to how Pinoys celebrate Christmas, a couple of empty-nesters rekindling their romance, an LDR between a pilot and the chief flight attendant, a couple of baristas trying to catch the eye of two female stewards, and a quartet of airport carolers who have their own subplots. The quartet was outstanding (ang galing-galing!) but their storyline seemed forced just so there'd be Christmas songs from Jose Mari Chan's rich repertoire to sing. I'd rather see a backstory for Mang Juan if given a choice between the quartet and Mang Juan (ang galing kaya ni Alfritz Blanche!) What we're seeing unravel on the stage kasi are stories from the middle class. Don't we have a story for the lowly Mang Juan? Missed opportunity lang is what I'm saying. (Inclusivity issue na din hehe)

Oh yeah, the storyline that hits close to home was the father and son storyline (written by Luna Griño-Inocian). It was so me and my dad. The father's loss and finding new love was soooo like how my dad found his second wife. The relationship between father and son is like how my dad was with me and brother, very barkada and liberal. I am sure others may have their favorite stories but this one really resonated with me. 

Song Use: Because this is a jukebox musical, mahusay yung pagkakagamit ng mga kanta except for some scenes where a little tweaking to the lyrics may help greatly. 

Technicals were superb! Direction was on point (ang daming tao sa stage, ang daming nangyayari sa background. Na-capture yung atmosphere ng NAIA, sa totoo lang). Kudos to Jeremy Domingo in his directorial debut for Repertory Philippines. Looking forward to more stuff from you under Rep!

Going Home to Christmas is running at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati until December 15, 2024! Watch it!!!

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