Alexa Ilacad and KD Estrada led the successful opening night of the musical play Walang Aray, held at the PETA Theater in Quezon City on Friday, February 17, 2023.
Walang Aray is a modern adaptation of Walang Sugat, a classic zarzuela written by Filipino playwright Severino Reyes in 1898 and was first launched as a stage play in 1902.
The original music for the play was composed by Fulgencio Tolentino.
This time, playwright and liberittist Rody Vera gave the play a modern take with original Pinoy music by Vince Lim.
The production is helmed by director Ian Segarra, who also worked as an acting coach for GMA-7's hit prime-time series Maria Clara at Ibarra.
Set during the Spanish colonization era, the story revolves around secret lovers Julia and Tenyong.
Julia is a popular zarzuela star who has earned the admiration of the townspeople, while Tenyong is the boy next door who has nothing much to offer to Julia except his noble intentions.
Conflicts begin to unfold as Julia's match-making mama insists on pairing her up with the town's most eligible bachelor.
Tenyong, for his part, is forced to choose between his love for Julia and his love for country as war starts to break out between the Katipuneros and the abusive friars in their town.
As Tenyong decides to answer the call of duty, Julia starts to doubt if love is enough to keep them together.
ALEXA ILACAD AND KD ESTRADA'S WALANG ARAY PERFORMANCE
Best known as the on-screen love team KDLex, KD and Alexa admitted being nervous about performing live, which they described to the press in December 2022 as "wala pong take two, walang cut" in the two and a half hours it will run.
On stage, however, on opening night of Walang Aray, the two Kapamilya stars transmuted their nerves into a force that drove them to deliver an inspired performance of their roles as Julia and Tenyong.
Alexa captivated the crowd with her warm and rich singing voice from the moment she entered the stage for her first number to the very end of the show.
That she can sing and, in fact, has been recording original songs for quite sometime may come as a surprise to those who have watched her in Kapamilya teleseryes.
She also delivered a memorable performance as Julia, a feisty woman atypical of the demure Filipina in Spanish time, who knows what she wants, and is not afraid to voice out her opinions,
KD enchanted the crowd with his portrayal of the charming and clean-cut Tenyong, if a bit comical as a jealous lover in the musical.
His beguiling smile and air of confidence as he made the audience laugh with his witty lines and funny antics seemed to convey that he really enjoyed playing the part.
It is also interesting to note that Walang Aray does not deviate from the central theme of Walang Sugat, which is to place under farcical scrutiny the abuses in religious institutions, the desire to marry for love or covenience, and what it means to be a Filipino as depicted by the Tenyong character of a romantic lover turned revolutionary.
The characters' use of colloquial phrases relevant to the young generation today makes Walang Aray a hilarious treat that just might encourage more audiences to appreciate theater as an accessible and fun means of entertainment.
As PETA's Artistic Director Maribel Legarda puts it, "Walang Aray's call is 'Tumindig at Umibig,' not only for ourselves, for our family, but for our country."
READ: Alexa Ilacad, KD Estrada reveal struggles playing lead roles in PETA's Walang Aray
LAURENTI DYOGI CONGRATULATES KDLEX
Among those who watched the the premiere showing of Walang Aray was Laurenti Dyogi, head of ABS-CBN TV Production for Entertainment as well as Star Magic, the talent management arm of ABS-CBN.
Dyogi went up on stage during the end credits to give Alexa and KD a congratulatory hug for giving their best in the show.
Alexa and KD said in an earlier interview that it was Dyogi who, while they were all in New York for the Star Magic tour in August 2022, encouraged them to watch theater plays.
In the brochure of Walang Aray, Dyogi wrote a message saying in part, "I have always believed that the theater stage is the perfect arena to mold the most passionate of artists like our very own Alexa Ilacad and KD Estrada."
In light of the changing landscape in TV and film industry, he added, "Now couldn't have been the most opportune moment to push for efforts that go beyond the usual channels and platforms - to diversify the process and bring together new and traditional approaches, creating something innovative for our exacting audience."
Walang Aray is showing at the PETA Theater in Quezon City from February 17 to May 14, 2023.