‘Hook Up’ is Cebu’s latest hit musical with an important message

CEBU, Philippines — “Where do good Catholic boys like me meet other good Catholic boys like me?” says Tim, one of the lead characters of “Hook Up: The Musical,” who is on a quest to find love in a world full of hook-ups.

But don’t mistake this as some kind of “I am not like other gay boys” story. In fact, the musical celebrates casual sex as long as protection, such as condoms, is used. Yet beneath its provocative nature is a heartwarming queer love story that shows romance is not dead at all.

After years in development, Jude Gitamondoc’s latest production, “Hook Up: The Musical,” premiered over the weekend, November 29 and 30, at the Social Hall of Cebu Provincial Capitol.

The musical is presented like a concert, with the elevated stage blending with super energetic choreography and the pop sensibilities of its musical numbers, inspired by Western and K-pop boy bands, as well as male soloists such as Troye Sivan and Conan Gray.

The FREEMAN attended the Nov. 29 8 p.m. gala, where Paul Pablo and Grant Bacaltos played Tim and Manny, respectively. Shim Dagatan and Jan Echavarria took turns as Tim and Manny at the Nov. 30 shows.

The applause on opening night was tremendous that, at certain moments, you couldn’t hear the actors singing. By the time Manny (as his alias IAmAnnoymous) messaged Tim (as TimidTim) on a dating app called “Hook’d,” Tim was hesitant at first because he thought Manny was looking for sex. At that point, Tim was frustrated with receiving messages from people asking for hook-ups right away, not-so-subtle “massage” offers, and being blocked after sending a picture of his face.

The two eventually get to know one another quickly. Tim is a fresh literature graduate, while Manny is a law student. Their mutual smarts and quirky personalities clearly show they are a match, leading to romantic and sexual tension between them.

A highly personal revelation from Manny, and how Tim reacts, put the leads to the test as to whether they are meant to be at all. Throughout this, Manny works through the conflicting feelings he has about his politician father, Noel, while someone from Timmy’s past, Dan, gives him the epiphany he needs.

In between the musical’s main plot are vignettes from various characters about their experiences with sex and romance. There’s a story about a man who catches feelings for a hook-up who isn’t interested, another recalling his relationship with a former sugar daddy, a pregnant woman singing her conflicted emotions for her husband-to-be who is about to uninstall Hook’d on the eve of their wedding, and a trans woman flexing her vibrant personality against haters, among many others.

All of these stories form a clear aggregation of experiences that represent the casual dating culture in the Cebuano LGBTQIA+ community, while also making it universally accessible and relatable to non-Cebuanos, showing that the musical has national, perhaps even global appeal.

This is not just a two-hour spectacle about the joys of sex and romance; it also carries meaningful advocacy about HIV awareness and the importance of practicing safe sex, which is timely as the musical is taking place around World AIDS Day today, December 1.

Prior to its weekend staging, Gitamondoc invited The FREEMAN to attend its reading session last year in time for Pride Month. Throughout this session, there were a lot of great ideas for “Hook Up” to become a strong musical even in its roughest form. But a few plot beats, some musical numbers, and certain dialogue about HIV and other safe sex methods needed fine-tuning.

You can see how much Gitamondoc took the audience feedback to heart, which shows in the final product. It doesn’t feel like an after-school special with a preachy public service announcement; it feels like a realistic portrayal of the queer community without losing the core joy that makes this musical infectiously optimistic.

The pop-driven sound numbers translate well into great storytelling and serve as one of the musical’s biggest strengths, as Gitamondoc’s clear attention to songwriting and melodies makes its soundtrack universally relatable and catchy – a testament to his legacy as one of Cebu’s top composers.

The leads at the Nov. 29 gala, Pablo and Bacaltos, make their characters so fun to watch that they keep the audience invested in Tim and Manny’s “will-they-won’t-they” love story.

The rest of the cast likewise deliver committed performances in their respective vignettes. Highlights include Alem Garcia in her “showgirl”-inspired performance as La Femme; Euvic Ferrer’s diva rendition as Chublfchaser; Jaggy Gomez and Fritz Pepino as Alterboy and Quickienow with their sexually charged, hilarious bits; and Barret Richards and Maverick Niñeza in their respective emotional performances as Noel and Dan, which help ground the musical’s main plot.

With a relatable story, catchy numbers, and a timely message, “Hook Up: The Musical” is perhaps one of the most important original musicals to come out of Cebu – one that deserves to be staged across the Philippines, as well as a local re-run as soon as possible.

If you can’t get the musical numbers out of your head, five songs from the show (“Meet Up,” “Hook Up,” “Boy You Were Home,” “Little Black Book,” and “Safe Place to Love”) have been released as a soundtrack on streaming platforms under Gitamondoc’s label, Kadasig.