Bar Boys: The Musical, produced by Barefoot Theatre Collaborative, officially returns to the stage this October. It stars Benedix Ramos as Erik Vicencio, Alex Diaz as Chris Abueva, Jerom Canlas as Torran Garcia, and Omar Uddin as Josh Zuniga.
During its press preview on October 23 at the Arete in Quezon City, several celebrities were spotted in the audience, showing their support and sharing glowing reviews of the show.
With a film version released in 2017, Bar Boys: The Musical tells the story of four friends namely Erik, Chris, Torran, and Josh, who dream of becoming lawyers and changing the world. But as they face the pressures of law school and life, their ideals and friendship are put to the test.
Among those in attendance at the press preview was Elijah Canlas, whose brother Jerom Canlas plays Torran. “I loved it. I’ve seen this play, probably like five times or six times, from when they had their run sa Power Mac Spotlight Center [where the first run was],” he began.
“My brother is part of the Bar Boys, part of the four main boys. He plays Torran, and I couldn’t be any prouder of him. I know how hard they all worked for this, and sobrang successful. I mean people loved it, people are here, and punong puno ‘yung Hyundai Hall,” Elijah said. “Sobrang laki na ‘nung difference from the first staging. But it still has the same heart and same effort and energy from everyone.”
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Actor Andres Muhlach was equally impressed, calling the experience both enjoyable and insightful. “I loved it. I enjoyed it. It was really a great experience to get to watch Bar Boys: The Musical. Learned a lot from the show itself,” he said, praising the cast’s talent.
“There’s a lot of parts in the play that show the conflicts of the four main guys but I think I really enjoyed the ending— the reactions of the Bar Exams [scene] kasi parang a lot of students can relate to that feeling, di ba? And I think they showed it very well,” he said.
KD Estrada also shared his admiration, noting that it was his second time seeing the show. He said his favorite moment was the “Cross The Line” part.
Meanwhile, Kean Cipriano, who portrayed Joshua Zuniga in the original Bar Boys film, reflected on how the story translated beautifully from screen to stage. “Solid. Gustong gusto ko ‘yung every bit of it. Nakakatuwa dahil ang ganda ‘nung pagkaka-mount. It’s well-written, it’s well-thought of. ‘Yung quality alam mong nakasama talaga sa intensyon nila to elevate also the production. Kumbaga, aside from the fact na ‘yung Bar Boys ay napakagandang materyal, it is original.”
“Me being part of the film, parang mas lalong lumalim ‘yung tingin ko dun sa Bar Boys dahil ibang landscape ito, ibang medium din ito. Ang lupit kung paano tumatawid yung materyal sa iba’t ibang klase ng medium,” he said, commending the production’s strong ensemble and creative direction.
Meanwhile, the Showtime Online U hosts, who came to support co-host Sheena Belarmino, were also all praises for the play.
Wize Estabillo shared that he got teary-eyed because of the show’s theme of reaching one’s dreams. “Tapos maliban dun sa pagtupad ng pangarap mo is parang meron ka pang ine-aim na makatulong ka sa ibang tao so parang maraming nakakarelate.”
AC Soriano agreed and said, “Ang ganda ng pagkatranslate mula sa pelikula hanggang dito sa staging nitong Bar Boys. Ang ganda ng music, ang ganda ng projection, ang ganda ‘nung stage mismo, ‘nung set mismo.”
Lorraine Galvez added, “At saka ang galing kasi para siyang representation ng bawat Pilipino. Iba’t ibang storya nakita natin dito.”
For Anne Tenorio, the musical struck an emotional chord. “Actually all ages din, all genders, lahat nakita natin nanood… Libre mangarap lahat ng tao, lahat ng Pilipino, maging mabuti tayo – parang ‘yun ‘yung natutunan ko. Especially naiyak ako kay Paping [character played by Juliene Mendoza] kasi ‘yung love of the parents din, kahit ano kaya nilang gawin para sa anak nila.”
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Jannah Alanise shared a lighter moment, citing the funny scene “Burnik” as her favorite, while Mackie Empuerto said, “Very tumatak ‘yung mga lines dun kasi [they’re] very relevant nowadays, and I’m so happy na makita ko ‘yung ate Sheena [Belarmino] ko dun. Very proud kami sa kanya,” with the rest of the hosts cheering along.
Bar Boys: The Musical opens its new run on October 24 at the Hyundai Hall of Areté in Quezon City, with shows scheduled until November 23, 2025.