THIS YEAR, Nasaan si Hesus? (Where is Jesus?), a musical first performed in the mid-2000s, is being revived as a film just in time for election season.
The original piece, produced by Balin Remjus, Inc. and Great Media Productions, Inc., was written by the late Nestor U. Torre, with music and lyrics by Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel.
The story follows members of a Filipino community as they test their faith and spirituality amid modern pressures and temptations. “[It] works well as a musical, both on stage and screen,” Ms. Pimentel said at a news conference in San Juan City.
Ms. Pimentel, who swapped her composer hat for that of a producer for the film, added that she wrote the songs for the piece after the execution of convicted rapist Leo Echegaray in 1999, a time when “everyone was screaming for the death penalty. ”
“[Nestor and I created] a very simple story: the life of a family in this village, a young lady who discovers she is pregnant, a man who cheats on his wife, and the buying of votes in their community. These are realities that we all experience in life,” she explained.
“Because the teachings on faith are in song, it’s not a hard sell. That is the power of music. When you watch the movie and watch the movie and start to wonder kung nasaan ba si Hezus at kung anongklaseng Kristiyano ako (where is Jesus and what kind of Christian am I?), the film is already successful.”
The ensemble cast includes singers and actors from stage, recording and screen. Rachel Alejandro as caring housewife Brenda, Jeffrey Hidalgo as philandering husband Roger, and Rachel Gabreza as pregnant daughter Cindy, form the family at the center of the story.
They are joined by Geneva Cruz as the generous nun Sister Remedios, Janno Gibbs as a priest and Marissa Sanchez as the selfish store owner Mrs. Varona, and many others.
Dennis Marasigan is the writer and director who will adapt the play for film. “It was in 2018 when we first started talking about this project. Before we could finish the script, the pandemic hit,” he told the press.
Once the pandemic restrictions were lifted, they returned to the script and decided to make it more contemporary.
“Talagang nangyayari itong kwento. Mei eksena rin tungkol sa pandemic. You may be in Kasalukuyang Panahon. (It’s a story we see in real life. There are even scenes about the pandemic, so it’s a really timely story),” Mr Marasigan said.
RESONATING WITH PHILIPPINES
In the 2000s, the play was performed more than 80 times throughout the Philippines. It was approved by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“When someone asked me if this musical could be performed again today, given the chaos that occurred in the country recently, I took it as a sign from God that it was time to bring it back,” Ms. Pimentel said.
She said there will be more songs in the film – “17 songs and counting,” said musical director TJ Ramos.
Mr. Ramos told it Business world that it is a great challenge to bring the original music to the present. “We are currently arranging and editing the music before filming starts this month,” he said.
Like Ms. Pimentel, he expressed the need to reach “as many Filipinos as possible,” with a newer sound that can resonate with the Gen Zs of the TikTok era.
Singer-actress Rachel Alejandro recalled how she was drawn to the script. “It is very relevant. What left an impact on me when I read it is that in order to be good Christians, we need to think about our effect on others. The film is a mirror in which we can see ourselves,” she said.
According to Mr. Marasigan, the characters’ intertwined lives are meant to present a microcosm of the Philippines. “If you want to spend a lot of time on electricity, you can check out these pages Lenten season, for a matulungan tayong mag-isip tungkol in the Philippines (We hope to screen the film before the elections, including in time for Lent, to help us reflect on the current state of the Philippines.),” he said. — Bronte H. Lacsamana