Atasha Muhlach, KD Estrada talk about their ‘Bongga’ chemistry
MANILA, Philippines — Atasha Muhlach and KD Estrada have been bringing the kilig in “Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical.” The co-stars chalked up their onstage chemistry to the friendship and comfort they developed offstage.
Three weekends into the musical’s run at the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT), The STAR caught up with Atasha and KD, who play Annie Batungbakal and her childhood friend Burn, respectively, in the show that draws heavily from the Manila Sound era and the music of ‘70s band Hotdog.
Asked what it has been like working with each other so far, KD answered first, “Atasha is like the sun. Very radiant,” adding, “Because she just lights up the room everytime she goes in. She lights up the stage every time she goes in. So, I would say radiant.”
Atasha, on the other hand, expressed gratitude for having KD as one of her closest scene partners, especially as she continues to learn the demands of theater. Annie Batungbakal is her first-ever lead role in a musical.
“I’m very, very grateful for KD because he’s taught me a lot, actually, when it comes to theater — with blocking, with singing and just learning the ropes of it,” she said.
Since KD previously starred in “Bagets: The Musical,” wherein he got to work with Atasha’s twin, Andres Muhlach, the singer-actress suggested that there was a level of trust.
“It was a very, very honorable moment because galing din siya sa ‘Bagets,’ so parang it was a feeling of like the best of friends talaga. And I’m just very, very happy that we clicked,” she added.
That friendship obviously helped them establish the relationship between their characters.
When asked how they built Annie and Burn’s palpable chemistry, KD said they had to study their characters and fill in parts of their shared history that aren’t spelled out in the script.
“I guess it just helps na we just go to work and we work on the script. We read the script talaga so we can really analyze what Annie and Burn are going through,” KD explained.
“Nag-usap din kami with direk Chris (Millado), na ano bang history nitong dalawa? Kasi hindi siya explicitly told sa’yo. So kinailangan naming gumawa sa utak namin, like actors’ imagination, to create a connection with Annie and Burn.”
Part of that imagined backstory is finding out what happened between the two characters, who had already known each other since they were kids, before the events of the musical.
“Kami lang nakakaalam kung anong nangyari kina Annie at Burn,” KD said.
But whatever work they put into their characters became easier because of their comfort with each other offstage.
The actor said, “We’re just really good friends din. Sobrang solid,” to which Atasha agreed, “As in, from Day 1, sobrang comfortable lang.”
As for Atasha, the entire “Bongga Ka, ’Day!” experience has been something she wouldn’t trade for anything.
Before landing the role, she had previously “manifested” in a 2025 interview with this paper about wanting to do a musical again.
It’s been 15 years since she first performed in a musical, “The Sound of Music” as one of the Von Trapp kids, also at NPAT.
Looking back now, she said the experience had more than lived up to what she had hoped for.
“Super, super. I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she said. “This whole experience and just being with this family, this production and working with such talented artists by my side has been nothing but the biggest blessing for me.
“I’ve learned a lot within this process, and I just want to continue learning and continue growing.”
She has also been enjoying how audiences have responded to the dance-heavy production.
“Sobrang saya, sobrang happy, good vibes,” Atasha said. “It’s just really, really heartwarming to see everyone smiling, dancing, laughing with us and going through the story of this whole musical.”
And after experiencing the musical stage again, Atasha isn’t ruling out doing more.
“Why not?” she said when asked if “Bongga Ka, ’Day!” had made her want to pursue more musicals.
“Like I always say, I will never ever close my doors to anything. An opportunity is always a blessing, and I just want to continue working and trying to do good work.”
Meanwhile, singer-stage favorite Anthony Rosaldo has finally joined Atasha and KD onstage as Romer Pasion, assuming the role played by Sam Concepcion for two weekends.
In the musical, Annie develops a crush on the ladies’ man Romer, the heir to the House of Pasion where she works as a “dispatsadora” or sales assistant.
Anthony enjoys sharing scenes with Atasha, saying her personality comes through in her performance.
“You can see a lot of Atasha and her true self — full of energy and character,” he said. “She’s a very fun person, so I love doing it.”
Among his favorite scenes is their performance of Ikaw ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko, where audiences see a softer side of Romer.
“Doon lang talaga naging tender and sweet siya, kaya lang binasted siya,” Anthony quipped.
Although his performance schedule came later in the run, the Sparkle GMA artist had already been rehearsing with the company for months.
“I really wanted to show yung pinaghirapan namin together. It’s not just ako ’yung nagtrabaho for myself. It’s teamwork,” he said.
On finally making his entrance as Romer over the weekend, Anthony further shared, “Grabe, iba ’yung feeling. And now, Sunday na, parang it’s my fourth show.
“I want to keep doing it, and it started to sink in na parang ilang shows lang din ’yung gagawin ko. Nalulungkot na ako.”
As his own turn as Romer already feeling too short, Anthony has one wish for the production: “Sana ma-extend pa kami.”
Fellow Kapuso artist Jeff Moses will alternate as Romer after Anthony.
(“Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical,” produced by Viva Communications, The Philippine STAR and Newport World Resorts and staged in association with PETA Plus, runs until Oct. 31 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Tickets are available via TicketWorld and the Newport World Resorts Box Office.)
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