Sabel: A Musical Based on BenCab's Famous Sabel series

It is nice to watch a show that captures a country's history, art, music and culture in a nutshell.

I was able to watch the world-premiere of a musical entitled "Sabel: Love and Passion" at the Solaire Theatre in Manila last  30th of April 2015. The musical is based on BenCab's famous "Sabel" painting series.

A generous friend who also enjoys watching shows invited me and her friends to watch the show. It is a show that is certainly proudly Philippine made as the show was based on BenCab's long-running "Sabel" series which was an idea hatched by Rico Hizon, BBC presenter. The show was directed by Freddie Santos and the musical direction was by Louie Ocampo, one of the top pop songwriters in the Philippines.

The show was set during World War II and the lead character, Sabel, goes through the challenges of leaving her father in Manila to hide at a relative's place in the province, turned into a cabaret dancer in order to survive and make a living, fell in love with a man who was driven  by his political ambition and abandoned her when their relationship was deemed scandalous, got pregnant, gave birth in a shelter and lost her son through adoption due to her mental condition and reconnected to her past through dance.

Sabel was dubbed as the crazy dancing lady. She wanders out the streets and she exchanges a dance for a drink. It was through the work of an artist named Miguelin, that her images were captured and this led Miguelin to meeting an unknown patron. 

The story finished with a pleasant ending as Sabel's love and passion has come full circle when she discovers that the artist who depicted her images in his painting is her long lost son, Miguelin, and that the unknown patron is actually her own father whom she thought had died during the war.

The songs sang by talented performers such as Audie Gemora, Antoinette Taus, Bo Cerrudo and the rest of the cast conveyed the emotions felt by the characters. The energetic dance performance of the Philippine Ballet Theater team made the scenes lively.

Iza Calzado, the actress who played the role of the narrator and the lead character, performed well. 

Iza Calzado, was sketched by BenCab, Philippine national artist,
for the musical show's poster.

Sabel is a wonderful show. The visual effects on stage adds to the multi-sensory experience of the audience. There were scenes where the painting starts as puzzle like pieces that is transformed into a painting canvass on stage. Plus, the songs in the musical is filled with passion and emotion that it connects to the audience.

Sabel is definitely a show that truly gives tribute to BenCab's famous "Sabel" artwork series.