Viral “Pers Lab” clip sparks debate, but all eyes on Atasha’s September debut in “Bongga Ka, ’Day.
The announcement that Atasha Muhlach has been cast in the role of Annie Batungbakal for the upcoming “Bongga Ka, ‘Day” musical at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in September has created quite a stir among theater aficionados. After videos of her loud but less than note-perfect rendition of Hotdog’s “Pers Lab” at last week’s press conference were shared on social media, the ensuing furor reached fever-pitch.
But the outpouring of interest was entirely expected. In a nation where exceptional singers are the standard, delivering at least a stable cover of a 52-year-old jukebox hit is practically a prerequisite, even when it isn’t the formidable likes of Kim Molina, Katrina Velarde or Sarah Geronimo—all Viva talents, ironically—performing the bejesus out of the OPM classic.
Indeed, while the 24-year-old actress boasts an impressive show biz pedigree, singing isn’t really her—or her family’s—primary claim to fame. True, Atasha made her theater debut at age 9 as the brutally honest fifth Von Trapp kid, Brigitta, in “The Sound of Music,” but that doesn’t say much about her ability as a solo singer-performer.
In the eyes of baby boomers and millennials, Atasha has big shoes to fill because Maryo J. delos Reyes’ star-studded disco film “Annie Batungbakal,” released in 1979, starred Superstar Nora Aunor no less.
Don’t get us wrong, it isn’t our intention to come down hard on Atasha. But lead characters cannot hide behind a strong stage presence or a loud orchestra. And neither can they vanish into a dancing ensemble singing a four-part harmony. They’re expected to have vocal power, confidence, consistency, stamina and a soloist’s pleasant tone.
If Atasha thinks she can dig deep into her pool of resources from now till opening night to prove her detractors wrong, then we’ll be happy root for her. After all, theater always brings out the best in its practitioners. So director Chris Millado (“Mabining Mandirigma,” the upcoming “Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal” revival) has his work cut out for him—to coax a peerless and fearless delivery from his lead star.
Atasha’s underwhelming singing at the preview may have set off a tempest in a teapot, but she has enough time to “develop the character” and prove her naysayers wrong. As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so let’s wait and see.
With that being said, it’s important to note that musical theater has special requirements that set it apart from those in straight plays. We believe that everybody can be an actor, but not everyone can be a singer. Singing is a gift that can be honed as a special skill, but there’s only so much that one can do with a limited range or a compromised singing ability.
Great musicality can take you places. We remember how Joaquin Pedro Valdes managed to steal the spotlight in the 2024 London musical, “A Song of Songs,” despite a relatively small role. He didn’t even get to do much in it, but theater website WhatsOnStage singled him out for his “commanding presence,” and called “Dance for Me,” his solo song number, “the evening’s take-home number.” Joaqs will next be seen in “Rent” playing Benny in the West End beginning Sept. 26.
Having acted and directed a good number of musicals and straight plays since the mid-‘90s, we’ve always been partial to actors who can sing—as opposed to singers who can act—because, in our view, there are a lot of hammy singers who can’t act to save their lives. So they tend to play the peanut gallery as a crutch.
For their part, brilliant actors can bring a showtune’s lyrics to life and find their way out of complex melodies—the way Judi Dench did in Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” at the National Theatre in 1995.
As Desiree Armfeldt, Dame Judi’s spoken-sung delivery of “Send in the Clowns” still sends shivers down our spine—a performance that is widely considered one of the definitive versions of the track.
Another glowing example of character singing is Jonathan Pryce as The Engineer in the original West End production of “Miss Saigon.” But they’re among the prodigious exceptions to the desultory rule.
While supporting players aren’t always required to be melodically flawless, lead roles are usually expected to do full justice to both the lyrics and melody. Can you imagine Christine Daae “character singing” “Think of Me” in “The Phantom of the Opera”? Or Cinderella rhythmically reciting “On the Steps of the Palace” in “Into the Woods”?
As a final note, actors should adjust to the script and the music. They must always be at the service of the material, not the other way around.
Knockout performances in ‘The Odyssey’
Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of “The Odyssey” is a glorious gargantuan endeavor that slowly but spectacularly lifts the load off of Homer’s heavy exposition. The three-hour movie (which has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) follows Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) soul-crushing 20-year journey back to his loyal wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) in Ithaca after the Trojan War.
There are very angry gods, vengeful monsters, shrewd witches, sleazy suitors, faithful servants and a lot of tired soldiers as Nolan’s three-hour film delivers a story that stuns as much as it satisfies, especially in its knockout third act. Every actor, including Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and an unrecognizable John Leguizamo, delivers his A-game. It could very well be his best film to date.
