The Universe must have heard my silent plea for Dalanghita Productions to bring back the Filipino musical Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady that I missed when it first opened in May because it’s now set to run on all weekends of July 2015—and I was able to catch the press preview in its new venue, Onstage Greenbelt, last Thursday, July 2.

If you enjoyed the Filipino musicals Zsazsa Zaturnnah ze Muzikal and Rak of Aegis and would like more, more, MORE hilarious, action-packed musicals that prove Philippine theater is alive and kicking, then you definitely shouldn’t miss the second run of Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady, which is based on Carlo Vergara’s one-act play and graphic novel of the same title. (Carlo also happens to be the creator of Zsazsa, and Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady is brought to the stage by the same artistic team behind Zsazsa Zaturnnah ze Muzikal!)

I must admit I didn’t know much about the musical before I went to the press preview. I just heard it was funny and a must-watch. So now that I’ve seen it, allow me to list the reasons you will enjoy this three-hour play (with a 10-minute intermission):

1. It has everything: singing, dancing, comedy, drama, superheroes, supervillains, family, romance, action, deception, betrayal, a love triangle—even a shirtless hot guy!

Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady revolves around the story of two sisters, Mely (played by Frenchie Dy during the preview, who alternates with Bituin Escalante) and Viva (played by Natasha Cabrera during the preview), who both have their own dreams of a better life. Their relationship and sibling rivalry are complicated by an unsettled past and a budding romance, as they get caught up in the ongoing war between the superhero team Fuwerza Filipinas and supervillain team Kayumanggilas.

When Mely lands a job as the maid of Fuwerza Filipinas, she steps up to the unique challenge for the sake of her family. The musical takes us through the journey of the characters as each tries to find his/her place in the world where superheroes and supervillains exist—and sing, and dance, and get mobbed as they show off their super powers, and are either exceptionally good in English (complete with a twang) or really bad at it but trying hard to learn, and have cool costumes that they sometimes do not wear, etc. etc.

There’s definitely A LOT going on, but even if you feel it’s overwhelming, I can assure you you’ll be able to keep up and be entertained. There’s just plot twist after plot twist, surprise after surprise (including an arguably necessary appearance of Leading Man, played Hans Eckstein in the preview, in nothing but a towel wrapped around the lower half of his body).

2. The cast is composed of talented and respected artists—some of which are very familiar to you

The cast of Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady boasts of talented and highly-respected artists from the theater, television, and film industries. Besides the familiar Bituin and Frenchie, and Natasha, there’s also Markki Stroem, who alternates with Hans in the role of Leading Man, the newest member of Fuwerza Filipinas.

Also part of the cast who performed during the preview were Shiela Valderrama-Martinez (Madre De Dios, leader of Puwersa Pilipinas), May Bayot (Nanay, Mely and Viva’s mother), Giannina Ocampo (Nena Babushka), Caisa Borromeo (Windang Woman), Chesko Rodriguez (Popoy Pusakal), Chuck Lazaro-Hipol (Bazooka Man), Domi Espejo (Senyor Blangko, leader of Kayumanggilas), Red Nuestro (Marakas Marko), Red Concepcion (Itak-Atak), Elliot Eustacio (Jeryc Sans Rival), and Mikoy Morales (Henyotik).

Dodi and Natasha in Senyor Blangko and Viva’s first encounter

My favorite performances were from Dodi, who never failed to crack me up with each of his lines and antics; Natasha, whose comedic timing likewise got me LOL-ing; Frenchie, whose awesome vocals impressed me; and Hans, who provided the necessary male eye candy in the play—you won’t be able to help yourself, you’ll really root for him (and be kilig)!

The ensemble is composed of Kakki Teodoro (who also played the funny P.A. System robot, haha), Raflesia Bravo, Brian Sy, Francis Benjamin Jorvina, Miguel Ocampo, Jem Baldisimo, Juancho Escoto, and Alejandro Santos. Click through the gallery below for a closer look at the cast members who performed during the preview.

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3. A lot of the songs are good and the dance routines amusing

Musical Director and Composer Vincent de Jesus, Director Chris Martinez, Choreographer Nancy Crowe, and their teams went all out to come up with songs that take us on an emotional roller coaster ride, from sympathetic to amused, angry to in love, happy to devastated, thrilled to laughing hysterically. The lyrics are often hilarious and cut straight to the heart, while the dance routines are mesmerizing—I really couldn’t take my eyes off the stage! My favorite: the performance of Kayumanggilas! Actually they’re my favorite part of the entire musical—never mind that they’re the supervillains, haha.

The Kayumanggilas!

4. The set is simple but they made good use of it

Production Designer Tuxqs Rutaquio, Technical Director Lambert de Jesus, and Lighting Designer John Batalla worked together to give the musical a simple set with minimalist props that allowed us to focus on the acting and the song and dance routines, while also effectively taking us to and from various settings: from the slums to the city, from the superheroes’ headquarters to the supervillains’ lair. The doors that slide up and down in the Fuwerza Filipinas residence are minimalist but definitely cool. I particularly like the revolving platform, which they used to highlight the most dramatic, most hilarious, and most pivotal points of the story.

Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady will run on all weekends from July 3 to 26, 2015 (Fridays at 8PM; Saturdays at 3PM and 8PM; and Sundays at 330PM, except July 26, with shows at 3PM and 8PM) in Onstage, 2F Greenbelt 1, Makati For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or purchase via ticketworld.com.ph.

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