Rivalry: The Ateneo-La Salle Musical

The Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is a huge part of Filipino pop culture. A musical about it would’ve been able to break so many barriers. Die-hard Ateneo and La Salle fans - whether they are from either school or not is not a question, because this rivalry is practically a national affair - would’ve flocked to shows in full blue or green regalia, seeking for yet another avenue to cheer for and prove the superiority of their favorite teams. Nostalgic alumni would’ve watched this show for a trip down memory lane. Heck, Ateneans and La Sallites who have never stepped into a theater on their own accord would’ve gone to this show anyway, if only for the sheer novelty of seeing their school selves depicted on stage.

Yes, it would’ve been able to break so many barriers — had it dared to do so.

For a phenomenon that merited a feature in the sports section in the New York Times and its own page on Wikipedia, the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is one that is ripe for parodic interpretation. Ateneo and La Salle produces such iconic stereotypes that practically beg to be spoofed. It’s a shame that Rivalry did not capitalize on such rich fodder for humor.

Rivalry: The Ateneo-La Salle Musical focuses on two families, the Ateneo Valencias and the La Salle Basilios. It is NCAA season, 1968. Paco Valencia is the star of the Ateneo senior basketball team. Tommy Basilio, his cousin, is the star of the La Salle senior basketball team. Because of their academic allegiances, Paco and Tommy never got along. Despite their animosity, Quito, Paco’s younger brother and an Atenean, is very close to his cousin, Tommy. When Quito confesses his secret crush on Reena San Jose, a beautiful but bookish Maryknoller. Quito, a shy nerd, asks his suave cousin Tommy to help him by charming Reena and introducing him to her, paving the way for their love to blossom. Tommy promises to help him, giving his word as a La Sallian, and — well, not to be biased, but we all know how that will end.

The musical also touched on a long-standing personal feud between the fathers of Paco and Tommy, Anton Valencia and Demi Basilio, and made socio-political commentary about the sheltered lives of these students in relation to harsh realities of poverty and hunger. 

While not exactly packaged as a comedy or a comedic musical, the subject of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry lends itself all too easily to humor. I just wish that the show took that humor anyway. True, Ateneo-La Salle is serious business, but not so serious as to seriously be taken seriously.

I entered the theater expecting a conyotic West Side Story — conyotic, I use without malice and as a term of most endearment. Instead, I found myself watching a collegiate-level High School Musical instead.

I make the comparison to High School Musical because the show was just too clean. I felt that the show was too heavily sanitized, out of fear of offending sensitive school spirits. For a musical about Ateneo and La Salle, there was a severe lack of school-centric humor. Hecklers are all part of the fun in an Ateneo-La Salle game, and this musical did not have any sort of moment that depicted the playful animosity between the green and the blue. I had hopes that audiences would come flocking to Rivalry in blue or green to cheer for Paco or Tommy, and to laugh heartily at the jokes and ooh mockingly at the taunts. However, there were no jokes to laugh heartily at and no taunts to ooh mockingly at. The occasional shoulder bump and ”Ateneans stink!” caused a chuckle to ripple across the audience, but there were no wild guffaws or sides in stitches.

Connected to the lack of school-centric humor is the lack of school-centric nuances in the characters. Had the characters not been perpetually in blue or green, I would not have known who played for what team. Where was that infamous Ahreneo accent? Where was the La Sallian — este, La Sallite who code-switches between English, Tagalog, and Spanish? The iconic Ateneo and La Salle stereotypes is great comedic material, but the show did not utilize this and decided to privilege propriety. The humorous depiction of the quirks associated with each university would’ve made the characters feel less static and more realistic and relatable. The choice between Paco and Tommy would’ve actually existed, had the show made the distinction between the two of them.

The show had notable points, of course. The music of the Rivalry was really good, reminiscent of They’re Playing Our Song and possibly Hairspray, though I found Give Me A Boy From La Salle, a song from the musical and my favorite, to be decidedly Legally Blonde The Musical. The songs were catchy and memorable, if not sometimes too long or dragging because yes, I get what you mean, you said that two verses ago. The set design was nicely minimalistic, and the use of moving panels filled up an otherwise bare stage and created a dynamic background. The lighting was lovely; the liberal use of stark blue and green light made for a very appealing and dramatic visual effect. Despite the lack of characterization, the performers were able to deliver vocally and the actors selected played their roles well. 

I’m writing this based on my experience during Rivalry’s press night. Based on my experience in my high school’s drama club, the press night is a lot like our faculty run, where we present our play, receive their commentary. Rivalry has a lot of potential and a lot of talented names involved in its production; I am hoping that their more experienced eyes were able to pick up on the weak points of the points for further improvement, a bit of editing, and the addition of a joke or two - or three, or ten, or a lot - for a more cohesive storyline and a more enjoyable theater experience.

What Rivalry lacks in humor and nuances, it makes up for in the musicality of its songs and the novelty of its subject matter. Still, the wanting for humor is still there. Is it worth seeing anyway? The answer is, yes. After all, it’s Ateneo-La Salle.

Rivalry: The Ateneo-La Salle Musical runs from January 27 2012 until March 11 2012 at the Meralco Theater. Show times are at 03:00PM and 08:00PM.