Rappler Talk Entertainment: Ricky Lee on taking ‘Himala’ from screen to stage

MANILA, Philippines – By now, who doesn’t know of Himala?

Even those who have yet to see the 1982 film written by Ricky Lee and directed by Ishmael Bernal will know the immortal lines that made actress Nora Aunor a film icon: “Walang himala! Ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao, nasa puso nating lahat!”

This year, the story is reaching a new generation of viewers in a completely new way, with Himala: Isang Musikal, which brings the story of Elsa and the town of Cupang from the screen to the stage.

Lee wrote the book and lyrics for Himala’s stage adaptation in 2003, and the music was written by Vincent de Jesus. It was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP in the same year. In 2018, The Sandbox Collective and 9 Works Theatrical took on the play, with a production directed by Ed Lacson Jr. It’s having its second run from September 20 to October 20 at the PowerMac Spotlight Theater in Makati.

Ahead of the opening of Himala: Isang Musikal, we talk to Lee about what it was like to breathe new life into a well-known but still enduring story, and why he thinks a film he wrote in the Martial Law era is still relevant today.

Listen to the conversation by bookmarking this page or heading to fb.com/rapplerdotcom. – Rappler.com