Ogie Alcasid
In his 30 years in show biz, Ogie Alcasid has written many hits and held sold-out concerts. He has starred in movies and built a formidable television career as a comedian. But there’s still an item on his bucket list that he has yet to fulfill—writing his own musical.
Finally, this year, Ogie has begun working toward achieving that long-standing dream.
At a recent press conference for his coming 30th anniversary concert, “OA,” he revealed that he’s currently in the process of writing a musical that would feature his enduring love songs, as well as some new material.
“It has always been a plan of mine. And a lot of people had been actually approaching me with ideas and possible stories, but none of them came to fruition… I can’t tell you much yet, but we have been brainstorming and writing,” Ogie told the Inquirer.
Challenge
The creative process is proving to be quite a challenge, he admitted, but is nonetheless “very exciting.”
“It’s hard to create the story and characters if we’re just basing them on the songs. So, we had to come up with a story first and then look for songs in my catalog that would be suitable. I also have to produce new music,” the singer-songwriter related.
He described the concept of the musical as “contemporary” with a dose of kilig.
“We have been studying how musicals are done and found out that most of them takes at least three years to create and polish. While I want to finish the project next year, I’m not rushing things,” said Ogie, whose latest movie, “Kuya Wes,” is an entry in this year’s Cinemalaya film festival.
Luck
Looking back at his career, Ogie said he still can’t believe he was able to achieve as much as he did.
“It was clear to me from the beginning that I wanted to be an entertainer. I simply wanted to write songs and sing them in concerts… But I didn’t imagine I would be where I am right now,” said the 50-year-old music artist, who admitted that his longevity isn’t a product of talent alone.
There’s also a good amount of luck involved.
“I have managed to stay in the industry, not because I forced it, but because of God’s blessing—He put me in the right place at the right time,” he surmised. “And I never stopped learning and trying out new things. I’m still a student to this day.”
While he’s primarily a musician, he also attributed a huge chunk of his success to his television work.
Combination of things
“It was a combination of a lot of things, really. I was lucky enough to be part of different television projects, which helped me become a household name. Television carried me through the years,” pointed out Ogie, who considers “Kailangan Kita” his best composition and Angelina—the whiny girl he played in a former “Bubble Gang” segment—his best comedy work.
“‘Kailangan Kita’ was probably my best song… It also became the theme of a big film starring Aga Muhlach and Claudine Barretto,” Ogie said. “And Angelina, well, the fact that a grown man is doing something like that is crazy.”
Set to take place on Aug. 24 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, “OA” will be directed by Paolo Valenciano and feature the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of musical director Gerard Salonga.
“For the opening, we will have a fiesta atmosphere with about 80 to 100 performers onstage. I want to celebrate everything Filipino,” he said. “I want that kind of flavor.”
Aside from his guests Rey Valera, Michael V., Vice Ganda, Janno Gibbs, Yeng Constantino and Moira dela Torre, Ogie will be joined onstage by his children Leila, Sarah and Nate, as well as his wife Regine Velasquez. “I will perform ‘When I See You Smile’—a song composed for Leila when she was a baby—with my girls,” he said.