Aside from the incredible music, what made me a fan of Wolfgang was the depth and breadth of vocalist Basti Artadi’s lyrics. I always thought that this was the work of a well-read, deep, and creative man.
Hard rock isn’t usually given to a literary bent, but whenever I hear Wolfgang, I always think of Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden; bands given to songs about literature, war, mythology, and dark fantasy, among others.
And it is cool that in the last several years, we’re seeing a greater appreciation and a revival of all things Wolfgang. Is this the second act of their lives?
First, there was a re-release of Acoustica in record format. Then there was the graphic novel treatment of their song, ‘Darkness Fell’. And more recently, the 30th Anniversary editions of their self-titled debut album, which is one of the greatest OPM albums ever.
Now, there is Si Faust, a rock and roll opera making use of reworked Wolfgang songs wrapped around a reimagination of the magnum opus of German Literature – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s ‘Faust.’ Now, if that isn’t a sign that it is a match made in both heaven and hell, I don’t know what is.
In a nutshell, the German tragedy is about a man named Faust who makes a deal with the devil and ends up biting more than he can chew.
That is not the case for Arete, the hub for creativity and innovation at the Ateneo de Manila University. Si Faust is their first stab ever at a rock opera staging.
While there have been previous stagings of rock operas locally – Jesus Christ Superstar comes to mind – Si Faust is a bold musical to stage because the play director Nelsito Gomez studied and dissected Wolfgang’s songs and once finding a common thread, decided to use Faust. Except it isn’t set in 16th-century Germany but in a Philippine setting.
It wasn’t just the Wolfgang songs but even the performances. The band’s brilliant guitarist, Manuel Legarda, had to perform and change the guitar parts for an opera setting. His work on them, including the performances, well, I will never look at a Wolfgang song in the same light.
Adding to the bold moves is casting Joseton Vergel de Dios as Faust in his first stage performance. He was brilliant.
Post-show, I joked to Wolfgang guitarist Manuel Legarda, you know where to get a singer in case Basti isn’t free.
Add to that the minimalist design of the stage by director Nelsito Gomez and the fitting of Wolfgang’s songs into a localized setting of the German play. brilliant!
I love that they cast Maita Ponce as Mephistopheles. Sometimes, I actually thought she stole the show from Vergel de Dios’ Faust.
Without giving away anything, as this will be the final week of its stage run (at least for now), Si Faust is mesmerizing from the story, the reworked songs, and the powerful performances.
As for the soundtrack, from the opening scene and medley of ‘Twist of Lime’, ‘Molds’, ‘Emperor Wurm’, and ‘Sanctified’ (from Wolfgang’s third album, Wurm) to the final medley of ‘Aching Tree’, ‘IOU’, ‘Hell Looks’, ‘A Matter of Time’, ‘Le Fusilier’s Theme’, and ‘Cast of Clowns’ (all songs save for the latter that is from Wolfgang’s self-titled debut while all the others are also from Wurm), my hair stood up. Who needs gel or spray net when you have Si Faust! In fact, during the break between the first and second acts, I asked Basti to feel the goose bumps that had not subsided. That is how much I was feeling about Si Faust.
And I am happy to say that you do not need to be a Wolfgang fan to appreciate or even enjoy Si Faust. The young girl who sat next to me wasn’t even a fan. To borrow her words, she had her mouth open in amazement from the beginning.
But don’t just take it from me. Embrace the darkness – and brilliance – of Si Faust in this final week at the Arete. And. the exciting second act in Wolfgang’s life.
Thursday November 20 at 7:30PM
Friday November 21 at 7:30PM
Saturday November 22 at 2PM and 7:30PM
Sunday November 23 at 2PM and 7:30PM