‘Bagets’ musical digs deeper into friendships, mother-son relationships

MANILA, Philippines – Once upon a time, a generation of young people who grew up without mobile phones turned to friends for fun and entertainment — and somewhere in the middle of shared laughter and trying times, turned their friendship into a second home.

This is what the beloved, iconic ‘80s movie Bagetsinstilled to the hearts of a whole generation through screens four decades ago. That barkada feeling is set to linger this time on stage, as the film gets its first musical adaptation through Bagets The Musical.

The original coming-of-age film follows high school kids Tonton, Topee, Arnel, Gilbert, and Adie as they navigate through life in their last year of high school. The characters were originally portrayed by William Martinez, JC Bonnin, Raymund Lauchengco, Herbert Bautista, and Aga Muhlach, respectively.

Ten actors will breathe life into these five teenage boys.

Alamat member Tomas Rodriguez will bring the awkward but funny spirit of Gilbert on stage. Joining him in the cast are other P-pop artists, Milo Cruz (Xerenade) as Tonton — the group’s mischievous high school repeater — and Ethan David (G.A.T.) as Arnel, the conyo (rich) and go-with-the-flow friend.

The P-pop stars will play the characters alternately with other cast members: Noel Camia Jr. as Gilbert, Migo Valid as Tonton, and KD Estrada as Arnel.

Jeff Moses and Sam Shoaf will portray Topee, the athletic friend with Hiligaynon roots. Finally, taking on the role of Adie, the charming but confused sweetheart, are Mico Hendrix Chua and Andres Muhlach, son of the character’s original actor Aga.

All 10 actors have appeared in several films and shows on TV prior to the stage production. However, aside from Noel, KD, and Mico, Bagets The Musical marks the main cast members’ first appearance in theater.

“I can see their hunger, and that’s what counts,” the musical’s director Maribel Legarda said, when asked how it’s like working with the main cast, who are mostly relatively new to the craft.

Refining ‘Bagets’

The original movie Bagets follows the friend group from their first day as seniors in high school up to their graduation in 1984. This particular setting remains true in the musical adaptation.

However, according to the production team, some elements from the original film were tweaked in the new script in order to resonate with today’s “value system.”

They did not specify which parts were modified in the musical. However, in the film, minors Adie and Topee were paired up with two older women — something frowned upon in today’s society, after over 40 years since the movie’s release.

“You’re not just talking to people who are stuck in the ‘80s. They were in the ‘80s but they’re now in the present, with the current discourse on what’s politically correct,” the director said. “‘Yung job namin (our job) is actually to balanse (balance) what is in the past that is good, and what should be tweaked for the current.”

Apart from the boys’ school and personal problems, the original movie also touched upon their family dynamic.

“Siguro makakarelate din po yung kabataan at iba pa — hindi lang po kabataan — sa aspeto ng when your family is not your home, you look for other homes. At yung mga bagets, yung naging tahanan nila is yung barkada nila,” Noel said.

(I think the youth and other generations — not just the young ones — will relate in the aspect of when your family is not your home, you look for other homes. And to the boys, that home turned out to be their friend group.)

The musical deep-dives into the boys’ relationship with their mothers, who were portrayed as either busy, overprotective, or emotionally absent in the film.

“This particular stage adaptation focuses on the boys’ relationships with their mothers,” said Carla Guevara Laforteza, who will play as Adie’s mom. “Our mothers and our children in the audience will be able to understand why the mothers are acting that way, and why the kids are acting that way. It’s really more of a miscommunication, misunderstanding.”

Joining Carla in the casts’ mother lineup are Neomi Gonzales (Ana, Topee’s mom), Mayen Cadd (Ditas, Arnel’s mom), Ring Antonio (Luz, Gilbert’s mom), Natasha Cabrera and Kakai Bautista (alternating as Delia, Tonton’s mom).

Refinements aside, the musical still carries the core of Bagets: finding home in the comfort of grand and mundane moments shared with friends , and at the same time, growing up and figuring out what it means to be a man.

“I think the biggest thing that we want to do, really, is as much as possible [be] able to portray that barkada feeling — the essence of what an ensemble really is,” Andres said.

“Yung mga bagets dati, yung way nila of entertainment is yung isa’t isa — magkasama sila, [kung] anong trip ng barkada nandoon. Sana ma-inspire din namin yung mga kabataan [ngayon] to go out, get [off their] phones, [and] be with [their] friends,” Jeff said.

(Young people used to entertain themselves by being with each other — doing whatever the group cares to do. I hope we inspire today’s youth to go out, get off their phones, and be with their friends.) – Rappler.com

Bagets The Musical will run from January to March 2026 at Newport Performing Arts Theater. Tickets are available on Newport World Resorts Box Office and Ticketworld.

Deanne Reese Imperial is a Rappler intern studying journalism at the University of Santo Tomas.