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Most recent in the series of theater plays I have seen in the last six months (Avenue Q, Into The Woods, Hamlet, and Dulaang UP’s Orosman at Zafira before this) is Repertory Philippines‘ production of the award winning, off-Broadway musical comedy Altar Boyz. I enjoyed falling off the edge of my seat laughing at its OMGFTWBBQLOLCAT brilliance. And, quite literally, this is a re-view because I’ve already seen the show twice. Oh, look! A fluffy gazelle prancing behind a pink flamingo on a rainbow colored, diamond studded pavement! Also, lacey parasol!

Altar Boyz is about a boy band comprised of 5 devout Christians, 4 of them Catholics and the other, Jewish, performing the last night of the last leg of their world tour concert in Manila. They have one grand mission: to reduce and eventually bring down the number of troubled souls in their audience to zero. With a mixed genre of (up-tempo and ballad) pop, hiphop, and a hint of Latin here and there, the cast performs a total of 12 songs, all with catchy tunes and lyrics.

Being a musical comedy with a plot revolving around the sensitive topic of religion, it is reassuring to know that the show’s writer (Kevin Del Aguila) and composers (Gary Adler & Michael Patrick Walker) were keen on incorporating careful measures to ensure that fundamental doctrines and practices in Christianity were not satirized to the point of being subversive. Key to its effectiveness is how these ideas are conveyed.

Staford Arima, Director of the Altar Boyz show on Broadway (or off-Broadway – I’m a novice to theater jargon so pardon the ignorance) explains, “the creative team and myself made very clear kind of rules in how we dealt with the religious aspects of the show. And what basically the recipe was is the boys are true believers and so anything that they say and anything that they do comes from a place of genuine honesty and belief” (transcribed form a video interview from Broadway.com). Chari Arespacochaga had this premise down to pat with her able direction and in coming up with a most believable cast of very talented actors and creative team.

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More than religion, the show touches on the more personal aspects like camaraderie, trust, acceptance, and belongingness. Its relevance pinches a soft spot moreso towards the end of this 90-minute, one-act production.

Don’t get me wrong. Altar Boyz is still a light musical comedy. The side-splitting instances in the show were mostly courtesy of the lyrics in some songs which led me to expect something nasty else, witty one-liners, in-character delivery, almost everything that Red Concepcion’s character (Mark) does, and the ridiculous lengths the boyz would willingly go through in order to ease the burden of all the souls in the audience. It’s surprising to see that the “ways of religion” everyone is too familiar with can be shamelessly expressed, professed, and imbibed in permutations of the unorthodox media that is pop music. This makes Altar Boyz both hilarious and ingenious.

PJ Valerio’s boyish good looks and high voice range makes him perfect for the role of Matthew, the leader of the pack. Reuben “Ryu” Uy gives Luke’s bad-boy character life with funky moves and soulful voice riffs. Red Concepcion, playing Mark, can out-do Tyler Maynard with the stuff he does on the sidelines (props for the outstanding “Epiphany” number). Reb Atadero makes a believably good Latino-loverboy impression (complete with wavy hair and tanned skin-color) as he plays the ladies in the audience every chance he gets in his role as Juan. Chevy Mercado’s flexible vocal chops and sincere song renditions can melt the most jaded soul to submission as he performs Abraham.

The dance moves may not best the country’s top street dancers but doing the routine together with singing and acting can be a stretch for anyone on stage. The boyz were required to dance about 80% of the time to add to the over-all concert vibe. I can just imagine how hard it was for Rep to screen and find the best fit.

Altar Boyz is one musical I’d want to see on Broadway. With the entire local production in it. I have that much faith in them. Did I just say “faith?”

While waiting in line outside OnStage before the play started, I jokingly said that if Chevy Mercado could not pull off singing “I Believe” to the standards I expect it to be delivered, I’d be forced to write bad things about Altar Boyz.

I was only kidding, of course.

And, as expected, Chevy nailed it.

Preview from the Press Con: The Altar Boyz Musical Hits Manila This April

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