What if you could go back and make a different choice? What if the life you have now had taken a completely different path? These are the questions at the heart of FlipMusic’s Muli, an all-new Filipino musical that looks at memories, relationships and the possibilities that linger in the question of ‘what if?’
Featuring 11 original OPM songs, the musical follows Anita, a 42-year-old mom looking back on the different paths she could have taken, with ’90s and early 2000s nostalgia woven throughout the show.
It begins with Anita, played by Kakki Teodoro, and her daughter Kath, played by Janine Teñoso, sorting through boxes of old belongings and memorabilia. Among their finds are old video recordings of Anita singing, setting up its preoccupation with nostalgia and looking back.
Y2K core
That idea of looking back is practically built into the production. Nostalgia runs through “Muli,” not just in its story but in its music, visuals, references and costumes. The show knows how to evoke the ’90s and early 2000s, with callbacks to everything from beepers and early mobile phones to the unmistakable sound of dial-up internet, alongside details that have fueled the current Y2K revival.
For those who grew up in the era, there are plenty of familiar details to spot, recognize and laugh at.
The stage gives the production a much bigger canvas, though its darker, almost somber look can sometimes make “Muli” feel heavier than the nostalgia at its heart suggests. The costumes also help make each version of Anita feel distinct and believable. I especially loved seeing her in the school uniform with its oversized skirt, which felt so convincing and familiar, down to the kind of girl you might remember seeing around school.
Beautiful score, compelling castThe 11-song score, written and produced by Nica del Rosario and Matthew Chang, is easily the production’s most fully realized element. You can hear the artistry and chemistry between the two, which they have also demonstrated in their earlier work on “Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical.”
Here, they bring that same knack for crafting distinct sounds and moods into “Muli,” with the songs shifting alongside Anita through different eras of her life. The track ‘Anita’ is infectious, while ‘Ina Niyong Lahat’ builds into a grand ensemble number that makes for a fitting Act 1 closer.
More importantly, the songs feel like they were written for a musical rather than tracks simply placed between scenes. They move the story and reveal character… where “Muli” feels most fully formed.
Kakki Teodoro is convincing as Anita, carrying much of the musical’s weight with remarkable stamina. She is almost constantly onstage, moving between Anita’s younger, more ‘tweetums’ self in the lookbacks, particularly in her scenes with Ian (Vien King), including their number ‘Sarili Nating Kwento,’ and the more mature mother she becomes, as seen in her scenes with Marvin Ong (Maki). She also takes on different versions of Anita across the what-if scenarios, giving each iteration of the character its own distinct take.
Meanwhile, Janine Teñoso is another standout. As Kath, she brings both vocal power and emotional conviction to the role, making it easy to forget that this is her theater debut. Her scenes with Teodoro ground the mother-daughter relationship. The two make the song ‘Baka Bukas’ especially believable and moving.
The supporting cast gets its own moments to shine, too, particularly Anita’s three best friends, played by Baus Rufo, Marynor Madamesila and Justine Peña, who also double as her backup performers in most of the musical numbers. Their friendship provides some of the show’s lighter and genuinely funny moments, especially in ‘Barkadolls’ and a portion of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time.’ The trio share an easy chemistry, whether they’re teasing Anita, backing her up or simply being there for her.
A musical about what could be”Muli” finds a deeply relatable premise in one of our most human impulses: wondering what might have been. ‘What if?’ can surface in a quarter-life crisis, when we question our careers or relationships, or much later, when we look back at roads not taken.
Sometimes, it comes from comparing our lives with others and imagining whether we would be happier, more successful or simply different had we chosen otherwise. “Muli” taps into that familiar longing without suggesting that another version of our lives would necessarily be better. Sometimes, it is enough to wonder.
Funny, nostalgic and emotionally stirring, “Muli” takes audiences on a rollercoaster of emotions as it turns the universal question of ‘what if?’ into a distinctly Filipino musical experience.
At times, the ideas do not always come together as neatly. As we get to know Anita, we begin to wonder what prompts her regrets and looks back, and while the eventual reveal makes sense, its payoff feels less satisfying. Some emotional turns could also use more buildup and tigthening, but these are relatively small gaps in an otherwise affecting exploration of possibility.
This is where the status of “Muli” as an entirely new Filipino musical becomes most apparent: its music already feels formed, while its story is still finding its shape – with room to become even richer and more cohesive.
Perhaps the cabinets and boxes that fill its set offer a fitting metaphor for the musical itself: there is much worth opening up, even if some pieces could use more sorting. However, rummaging through them is all part of the fun: songs worth streaming again, a cast that gives the material plenty of life, and nostalgic references that are fun to spot. There is something for audiences to recognize in its mix of original music, Filipino nostalgia and the very human urge to wonder about the road not taken.
Like Anita, “Muli” may still be sorting through some of its pieces, but it has already found many worth keeping. There is enough heart, music and familiarity here to make the rummaging worthwhile and make this a musical worth opening yourself up to.
“Muli” runs until September 27 at the BGC Arts Center in Taguig.