EJ: A LAB EXPERIMENT FOR THE DAWN

by Francis Reyes

Published in STARWEEK,

Sunday, February 24, 2008

It is the second day of theater rehearsals for “EJ: Ang Pinagdaanang Buhay ni Evelio Javier at Edgar Jopson,” and the CCP Little Theater’s stage is occupied by thespians who call this iconic place home.

The wooden floors rumble as the artists run and dance across the stage. During moments of apparent rest, they memorize lines from a script. And then harmonies fill the air, each voice a rich hue contributing to a vibrant rainbow of sound, breathing new life to melodies and words to songs that are primarily rock. There is a lot of work ahead, but the atmosphere is light and playful.

Meanwhile, the authors of those songs, The Dawn, ponder over one of their old tunes chosen specifically to highlight a scene in the play. They whisper among themselves:

Me: I think we only played ‘Can You Tell’ four times at the most… I don’t remember the chord voicings…
JB: Wait, who came up with the music anyway?
Me: Um… you did. Those are your voicings, and you played keyboards.

The Dawn is a band that loves taking risks,” our drummer/keyboardist JB Leonor smiles reflectively as he sums up the attitude of the band he co-founded with guitarist Teddy Diaz two decades ago. I nod back in agreement, and almost immediately say to myself: “And sometimes, we realize it when it’s too late!”

My feeling is, of course, not one of regret but anxiety gilded with forgotten chords, and colored by caffeine. I can still hear those beautiful voices echoing around the theater… followed by a discordant clink that could only emanate from my guitar.

We were approached to provide the music for “EJ” late last year, and our response was a unanimous “Yes!” Our vocalist Jett Pangan is no stranger to musical theater and straight plays and garnered critical acclaim over the past few years for his performances. Buddy Zabala, our bassist, had experience as a keyboardist and musical arranger for “Jesus Christ Superstar,” among others.

As a group however, it was uncharted territory for us to do a rock opera or something of a similar nature. We have talked about it intermittently as one of our goals, and clearly “EJ” presented the opportunity. Equally as important, maybe even more so, are the lives of Evelio Javier and Ed Jopson upon which this play is based. We get a taste of one of our musical plans with a story filled with emotional and social resonance.

The idea was to pick out songs from our entire catalog to score, and underscore, key moments in the play. Director Chris Millado and the band went through Ed Maranan’s astonishing script and figured out which songs would fit certain scenes. JB was the most involved in the process, scribbling instructions all over a copy of the script; plus he went the extra mile and read a book about Ed Jopson.

We knew we had to change the original arrangements to fit the play, and we had to adjust our playing style. (During our normal performances, we tend to push decibel levels to the limit. Not maliciously, of course, but clearly not a good dynamic in the context of musical theater). Some of the choices were easy and obvious and the original lyrics remain as they were: “Abot Kamay,” for example, is simply a song about lovers separated by fate and in the context of the play embodies the feelings of Evelio and Edjop and their respective spouses Joy and Precious.

To provide a musical context for a rally, we suggested “Living Seed.” Its minor key main riff gives a sense of menace, and the descending chromatic motif that originally preceded Teddy Diaz’s tonally freewheeling guitar solo provided the right mood for a chaotic scene. “Salamat,” that old chestnut of ours about friendship, is used somberly in a bittersweet scene far removed from its reputation as a good ol’ celebratory drinking song. The song “Can You Tell” was something we rarely played, and only the most obsessive Dawn listener would remember it but when the script called for a wedding song of sorts, it practically presented itself.

We were genuinely flattered when a lot of our original lyrics fit specific scenes perfectly, despite the fact that we are not really a ‘political’ band, and we don’t fancy ourselves as having the degree of literary virtuosity as Mr. Maranan. The Dawn approaches music and songwriting like a lab experiment, trying out endless combinations of themes and ideas. I believe the eclecticism is what led to our involvement with “EJ.”

EJ, a rock musical, is presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Tanghalang Pilipino in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Performances are at 8 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, until March 9. For tickets, call 832-3661, 832-3704 or 891-9999, or visit www.tanghalangpilipino.com.