‘Buruguduystunstugudunstuy’ Takes Parokya Ni Edgar’s Music To New Heights

For all their crude, candid humor, simplistic arrangements, and a knack for parody, Parokya Ni Edgar might be the last band anyone would consider for a lavish, full-scale theater production. The band, after all, has been widely known for not taking themselves too seriously, and this is why they’ve drawn crowds to their shows for three decades now.

Then again, Parokya Ni Edgar’s music might be perfect for a musical, as throughout their vast discography, they’ve littered their songs with a colorful cast of characters that longtime listeners would be familiar with: the carefree but troubled Buloy and his loyal dog Murlock, the superhero-for-hire Mang Jose, and the endlessly smooth Mr. Suave, among others. It’s a roster of personalities that could merit its own cinematic universe if there’s demand for it.

All of them and more feature in Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya Ni Edgar Musical, the latest all-original production by Full House Theater Company and Newport World Resorts. Here, they cross paths with the story’s four main heroines of different ages and backgrounds as the latter are transported into another world to discover their true selves. The story is very Wizard of Oz, interspersed with moments of Pinoy drama and irreverent jokes that is expected from a musical that incorporates Parokya songs and their themes.

I am by no means a theater critic, so this isn’t a review of the show itself. However, Buruguduystunstugudunstuy is thoroughly entertaining, with top-notch performances by the entire cast, especially from returning stage veteran Tex Ordoñez-De Leon, the talented 17-year-old Kyle Napuli, and the hysterically funny Pepe Herrera, who steals every scene as Mr. Suave himself. But it’s Parokya Ni Edgar’s music that is arguably the star of the show, because if the musical demonstrates anything, it’s that the band’s songs — no matter how absurd or juvenile we know them to be — are able to lend a certain weight and poignancy to the production’s mood and narrative.

By varying accounts, a total of 46 or 47 Parokya songs are included in the libretto, from familiar hits like “Halaga” (Worth) and “Inuman Na” (Let’s Drink) to deeper cuts like “Magic Spaceship” and “Anti-Matter.” Hardly any song is performed in its entirety by the cast; lines are plucked from various tunes — occasionally revised to suit the character and the story  — to form a major musical sequence. A filler track like Gulong Itlog Gulong (Roll Egg Roll)’s “Yakinikitombo” becomes a major plot device, while the main guitar riff from “Bagsakan” (Breakdown) becomes a recurring, scene-setting motif.

Whenever any of the cast members take on a rap — as on “One Hit Combo” or “Yes Yes Show” — they make it their own, and nail it like they’ve been rapping all their lives. And that’s the beauty of Parokya Ni Edgar’s music — not only are the songs relatively easy to sing, but they also make you feel like you could’ve written them yourself, and I mean this in the best possible way. Buruguduystunstugudunstuy simply proves that the band’s sometimes satirical, sometimes sentimental, but often straightforward (and unpretentious) tunes can be turned into something bigger, if not more epic than they are, and still hit home. 

There’s no question that Parokya Ni Edgar have earned their place in the Filipino rock hall of fame with their enduring anthems, but Buruguduystunstugudunstuy takes the band and their music to another level. If anything, the cast’s rendition of “Don’t Touch My Birdie” is worth the price of admission alone. It’s undoubtedly the most absurd and over-the-top performance of the song I’ve ever seen.

Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya Ni Edgar Musical runs every weekend at Newport Performing Arts Theater, Newport World Resorts until May 19, 2024. Tickets are available here.