With catchy, new original songs, 'Muli: An OPM Musical' is worth the wait

Much praise has been given to Kakki Teodoro, lead actor in “Muli: An OPM Musical,” now on its third and final weekend run at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater.

Some close theater observers say she’s the main reason why people should catch the musical, others even say “Muli” looked like it was written with Teodoro in mind.

Such accolades on Teodoro are not surprising. She has won the Urian best supporting actress trophy for “Isang Himala” in 2025, and the Gawad Buhay Top Female Lead Performance award, or the equivalent of best actress, in 2020 for “Every Brilliant Thing.”

In "Muli," the new original musical created by producer-writer Charissa Pammit, co-writer Jose Paolo dela Cruz and director Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan, Teodoro plays 42-year-old single mother named Anita.

In the beginning of the musical, Anita is shown with a happy young family composed of a husband and child. She also dreams of being a pop star.

Somewhere along the way, life takes an ugly turn. Anita tries to cope with her losses and audience members are with her, taking the surreal rides from reality to fantasy and back.

She is later shown with her grown-up daughter Kath, played by OPM singer Janine Teñoso.

The story jumps not only from the present to the past and vice versa but on different dimensions, infusing imagined possibilities. At some point, it may get confusing since audience members may not know the difference between alternate realities and actual events in Anita’s life.

For those who are trying to recover from traumatic events, it is shown that healing is a long process and sometimes, as Anita has portrayed, healing never ends.

But Kakie Teodoro aside, what really makes this new material stand out are the original compositions by musical directors Nica del Rosario and Matthew Chang.

They co-wrote 11 new songs for “Muli,” blending genres from ‘80s new wave, ‘90s alternative Pinoy rock, emo to the usual acoustic-driven love ballads that easily stick to the ears. We remember some lines even after leaving the theater.

Earlier, Del Rosario and Chang have written songs together for Tanghalang Pilipino’s “Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical” and they’re cited as among the best original compositions in contemporary musical theater.

Del Rosario, of course, is the composer of “Rosas,” a campaign anthem for Leni Robredo’s presidential run during the 2022 elections. It also featured Chang as violinist. The heart-wrenching song about holding on to hope amid fake news and the evils of Philippine politics eventually had a life of its own, beyond the “Pinklawan” color.

Three of the 11 songs from “Muli” have been made available on Spotify.

Besides Teodoro, “Muli” has two of the most beautiful faces and talented leading ladies in musical theater, Justine Peña and Marynor Madamesila. They played two of Anita’s best friends, serving as Greek chorus.

Peña and Madamesila are perfect alternates for Teodoro’s role, though the two are younger than the lead character being portrayed.

One of the under appreciated leading ladies in local theater, Peña famously played Gabbi, the free-spirited lifestyle magazine editor-writer who stole the heart of artist-photographer Topper, played in several iterations of “Sa Wakas the Musical.”

Madamesila meanwhile has played titular roles in several original musicals like in TP’s “Gregoria Lakambini,” PETA’s “Walang Aray” and as one of the conjoined twins in Sandbox Collective’s “Side Show the Musical”. All roles she has proved she’s not only a pretty face with a golden voice.

“Muli” also has Vien King and Marvin Ong, two of our finest musical theater actors with the most powerful voices that can make any song memorable.

In earlier write-ups, Janine Teñoso is introduced as theater newcomer but from what we’ve experienced, she aced the role as if she’s been doing theater for a long time.

I mentioned these five actors playing supporting roles because “Muli” is definitely not Teodoro’s one-woman show.

The twist in the story might sound trite for some theater lovers, especially critics who’ve seen a lot and have higher standard but for the general audience, it’s the one that makes “Muli” an excellent piece of theater.

I had the privilege of watching it twice. The first was during press preview, where critics, influencers, actors and VIPs converged. Since most in the audience were friends of Teodoro and the other cast members, the reaction was like that of—for lack of a better term—Filipinos cheering for Alex Eala in a surefire winning match. It’s normal during media previews and gala shows.

The second time I saw "Muli" was a matinee show during the first Saturday. While less cheerful, the crowd remained appreciative, laughing and clapping at the right moments. In the final few scenes, in fact, they were crying, even after curtain call.

It was in the second viewing that catharsis replaced the confusion from the first experience. If there is still time, I’d strongly advice to see it twice.

It took Pammit and Pamintuan nearly a decade before collaborating again and despite the long wait, I found “Muli” a gem of a musical. All I had to do was absorb everything happening onstage, all at once.

“Muli” is on its last five shows until September 27, Sunday.

It would take some time before there could be another staging, so catching this maiden run is the best thing to do. Suffice it to say, “Muli,” in its raw, pure, original form, might not happen “muli”.

Tickets are available on Ticketworld and mulimusical.com. — LA, GMA News