How Rico Blanco’s songs were brought to life in ‘Liwanag sa Dilim’ musical

The cast of “Liwanag sa Dilim” during a curtain call. Image: Geri Reyes of 9 Works Theatrical

One of the challenges in mounting the jukebox musical “Liwanag sa Dilim” was selecting which songs of Rico Blanco — whose music became a beloved fixture by many generations — would perfectly suit the message its storyline was trying to convey.

According to the show’s writer and director, Robbie Guevara, the musical was written in 2018 and set for a March 2020 production. “A lot of things happened after. And then, ‘Liwanag sa Dilim’ was used in the 2022 elections,” he recalled during a press preview. This led to Guevara revising its storyline until it felt right to kick off.

“When we decided to redo and finally produce the musical, we revisited how to make it more [fitting to the times] because a lot has changed in the past five years after the initial intended [production] date,” Guevara explained.

“Does it reflect the current political landscape? It could’ve. But not fully. At that time, when we wrote this, we never thought [that things would turn out to be that way],” he added.

“Liwanag sa Dilim” tells the story of Elesi, an orphaned adult struggling to piece together his past. As he discovers more of his identity, he comes face to face with the dashing Cris until they eventually join hands to fight for the underprivileged. It is led by Khalil Ramos, Anthony Rosaldo, CJ Navato, Vien King, Alexa Ilacad and Nicole Omillo.

The cast of the musical “Liwanag sa Dilim” based on the music of Rico Blanco. Image: Hannah Mallorca/INQUIRER.net

The musical features 40 of Blanco’s songs including “Kisapmata,” “You’ll Be Safe Here,” “Elesi,” “Umaaraw, Umuulan,” “214,” “Himala” and “Ulan,” to name a few. Guevara intended the musical to focus on songs the singer-songwriter did during his Rivermaya days.

“The process where I studied each song, standard ‘yun. You have to segregate what this song is about and how can we reinterpret this song,” he said. “And for me, I wrote it down. I outlined it and I segregated which songs can be fast production numbers and which [ones] can be ballads, which one can be transformed into ballads like ‘Kisapmata.’”

(The process where I studied each song is a standard. You have to segregate what this song is about and how we can reinterpret this song. And for me, I wrote it down. I outlined and segregated which songs can be used for fast production numbers, which can be used as ballads, and which can be transformed into ballads like “Kisapmata.”)

‘DAIG MO PA ANG ISANG KISAPMATA’ 🎶

WATCH: Alexa Ilacad, Nicole Omillo, and Vien King perform “Kisapmata” during a press preview for the upcoming staging of “Liwanag sa Dilim” last Wednesday, February 12.

The musical is based on the songs by Rico Blanco. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/V62HxSvqjI

— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) February 14, 2025

Deciding which songs to use for the musical involved back-and-forth between the musical’s creators and Blanco, noting the latter had a “priority of which songs to use and not to use.” The singer-songwriter wasn’t strict with the decisions of the musical in terms of creative liberty, although he was “strict with the notes.”

“What I really wanted to do was to just limit it to the songs he wrote during his Rivermaya days. And he had several hits,” Guevera said of Blanco. “He’s more strict with the notes. For some reason, even his choice of notes is personal to him.”

Also considered in the creative process was weighing the political landscape of 2018 and 2025 while making sure that its message resonates with the Gen-Z and younger millennial audience.

A scene from “Liwanag sa Dilim.” Image: Geri Reyes of 9 Works Theatrical

“Going back to the political flavor, lines were drastically different from 2018 to now, and that influenced me and the voice I wanted to be heard regarding that issue. [Since we began production], the Gen-Z and younger millennials have a preference for how they view entertainment which we have to be open to,” Guevara said, sharing that they sought the help of younger staff to help them throughout the creative process. “They’re the future audiences and to service that, [they asked the help of younger staff].”

Also part of the cast are Neomi Gonzales, Rita Daniela, Arnel Carrion, Boo Gabunada, Jon Abella, Raul Montesa, Denzel Chang, Lucylle Tan, Derrick Gozos, Mark Tayag, Iya Villanueva, Paji Arce, Chez Cuenca, Rica Laguardia, Jasper John Jimenez, Lani Ligot and Brianna Bunagan.

The musical runs until April 13 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati.