Galerie Joaquin's Jack Teotico finds 'Silver Lining' in semi-autobiographical musical
Galerie Joaquin’s Jack Teotico has found his own "silver lining" as the man behind the music and lyrics of the semi-autobiographical musical "Silver Lining Redux."
“Silver Lining” tells the story of high school friends Leo, Anton and Raul — now seniors — across two timelines. The show starts off with Leo planning an “en grande” musical involving his longtime friends and bandmates from high school for their alumni homecoming. They revisit their youthful experiences, from inter-school and fraternity conflicts to teen romances, soirees and “bakuran” days, all set against the turbulent backdrop of the ‘70s.
Interestingly, it was Teotico’s real high school reunion that inspired the idea for this musical.
“’Silver Lining’ is semi-autobiographical,” Teotico told The STAR. “(The interest in music) started when we were in high school at La Salle Green Hills (LSGH). At that time, if you knew how to play the guitar, medyo may puntos ka na. So nagi-gitara ako. I’ve always kind of (done) music.”
“And then we’ve been in the art business for 20-plus years, almost three decades now, with the group called Galerie Joaquin Collective. We’ve been exposed to visual art — paintings and sculpture.”
From the arts scene, Teotico would find himself in the world of musical theater following the Golden Jubilee homecoming of his LSGH batch in 2022.
Before the reunion, he and some batchmates decided to form a band. “We wanted to sing at the homecoming,” he shared. “We presented the idea to have a different format for the homecoming.”
After rehearsing for almost four years, they ended up being allowed to perform just three songs at the homecoming as others also formed their own bands. Wanting to play more, this inspired Rockitwell, as they eventually called their band, to perform in other venues like 12 Monkeys, Red Rhino and RJ Bistro, among others.
During the pandemic, Teotico said past memories came rushing back that he ventured into songwriting. “For example, one of our batchmates was very ill in Baguio. He had a stroke, and syempre, nobody could help (at that time). But when we got together on social media, ang daming tulong na. Someone offered a van, others helped with medical needs. I got so inspired that the song Brothers came up,” he said.
More memories started flooding back, like their “bakuran” days. “When we were younger, we had these experiences where all the guys were in one corner, and all the girls were in another. Then, when the music started, we’d ask, ‘May I have this dance?’ No reservations allowed — we used ‘bakuran.’ So, the song Bakuran came up.”
The opening ensemble song Atin To was, on the other hand, inspired by a UP Maroons basketball game that he and friends attended more than eight years ago.
“This is the first time I wrote songs for a musical. I didn’t even know a musical could be made. I just had these songs,” Teotico further told The STAR.
It was his friend Jay Valencia Gloriso, who produces opera and Shakespearean productions, who suggested turning his songs into a musical. “I said, I had no idea how, I didn’t know anyone. Then she connected us with Maribel Legarda, and we talked,” he said, referring to the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) artistic director.
“I didn’t even know she was the legend, the icon behind ‘Rak of Aegis’ and recently ‘One More Chance,’ the super-hit musical. I said, ‘Sige, sige, let’s sit down.’”
Maribel also handled the casting, according to Teotico. “They sent the script to several actors, and one of the actors who received it was Ricky Davao. We were surprised and honored when he said, ‘I like the script.’”
The rest, as they say, is history. “Silver Lining Redux” made its theater debut last year and is now being restaged at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza. The story has evolved with the “backdrop of millenial and Gen Z concerns and other pressing issues.”
Beside Davao, returning cast members are Raul Montesa as Raul, Albert Silos as young Leo, Jay Cortez as young Raul, Krystal Brimner as Julia, Sara Sicam as young Josie, Dippy Arceo as Dalai and Rodel Pingol as part of the ensemble. New cast members include Jake Macapagal as Anton, Gina Respall as Josie, Don Tayco as Rico, Chesko Rodriguez as Mart, Raflesia Bravo as Agnes, Drei Sugay as young Anton, Moi Gealogo as Chito, and Nayr De Luna, Sam Marasigan, Misha Fabian and Nadia Tuviera as ensemble members.
The creative team are Joshua Lim So and Liza Magtoto (book and additional lyrics) and PETA’s Legarda (direction), with musical direction, arrangement and additional music by Vince Lim. They are joined by PJ Rebullida (choreography), Charles Yee (set design), Tata Tuviera (costume design), Meliton Roxas (lighting design) and Joyce Garcia (video design).
For Teotico, now 71, mounting an original Filipino musical is an indescribable experience. “It’s exhilarating and emotionally moving. Especially when you realize that the music we created is coming to life and being performed by amazing actors and actresses. It’s touching.”
Recalling last year’s staging, he shared, “We broke even, which was a good start, as we didn’t have any previews, or music on Spotify, nothing. But thanks to last year, we had five Aliw Award nominations and received positive reviews. Hopefully, it will do even better this year.
“It’s like a process. You start with off-off-Broadway, then move to off-Broadway, then eventually reach Broadway. We were fortunate that the RCBC theater was available, making it mainstream.
“But there’s still an opportunity to tighten everything. We’ve rewritten the script to make it stronger, enhancing the love and friendship themes — the core of the musical.
“Those who saw it last year, there are even more reasons to see it again, and those who haven’t seen it, we hope they will.”
Produced by Rockitwell Studios and Music Artes, Inc., the original Filipino musical “Silver Lining Redux” is happening this month at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, with shows from Nov. 15 to 17, including 8 p.m. performances and a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets are available at Ticket2Me.
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