Rak of Aegis: Laughing out Loud the Second Time Around

Jul 19, 2016

“Rak of Aegis” review by Jelly Kiss

It was my second time to watch Rak of Aegis but I was laughing my heart out as if it was my first — first time to fall in love with the gags, with Tolits, and of course, with the songs of Aegis.

The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA)’s phenomenal musical uses the much-loved Aegis hits to depict the Filipinos’ resiliency in times of calamity. It tells the tale of Aileen, an ambitious promodizer who wants to raise her family “from the knee-deep floods that have plagued their town for months.”

Well true enough, the songs of this respected OPM group are perfect for this kind of theme — they have stood the test of time and transcended generations, proving that their tunes are as strong as the world-known tatak Pinoy fighting spirit.

During my second time, I watched along with my fellow DJ, Alice of the Wishlist. And the experience became so much more memorable as we shared hearty LOLs throughout the show.

(WeIl. I just can’t help but to laugh even before the punch lines were delivered although I knew what to expect already. That’s how awesome Rak of Aegis is!)

Well, what made my second Rak of Aegis experience greater is that for the first time, I was able to watch some of my good friends immortalize the characters on the musical.

I’ve seen Aicelle Santos (she previously guested on my program, The Roadshow) play the role of the lead character Aileen, who posts a music video of herself on YouTube, hoping she’d be discovered by Ellen de Generes and become famous; Poppert Bernadas (as Kenny); and Jerald Napoles (as Tolits, the love interest of Aileen).

I and DJ Alice grabbed the chance to take a selfie with one of the Rak of Aegis casts, Poppert Bernadas.

I and DJ Alice grabbed the chance to take a selfie with one of the Rak of Aegis casts, Poppert Bernadas.

I assure you that this talented ensemble will never fail to put you on the verge of singing out (loud) the songs with them. Just imagine the fun of hearing their superb renditions of classic Aegis tracks such as Halik, Sayang na Sayang, and Basang-basa sa Ulan.

With this brilliant show, writer Liza Magtoto and director Maribel Legarda all the more highlighted how great Filipino musicality is. Weaving a teleserye-worthy plot, injected with modern trends, the people behind this production successfully staged a very relatable musical show anew (Rak of Aegis first opened in 2014).

First-time and even second-time RAKers will definitely be overwhelmed with the overload of musical talents.

The award-winning comedy musical show runs until August 28.

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