Finally, unlike last year, I was on the early side of watching a "musical". Delia D. Is the newest jukebox musical with songs by Jonathan Manalo, running until early June 2025.
As someone who dislikes this particular genre, and with no idea of who Jonathan Manalo was before a quick google and the experience of last year, I had phenomenally low expectations.
But I was pleasantly surprised.
I have to say that I was very entertained from start to finish. Costumes and dancing was on point. The dialogue up to date and engaging - though some points could have been taken further. The cast sang and acted well, despite the thinness of the plot: The first act was a tension-less afternoon show while the second, more emotional act requires a massive suspension of disbelief (which I will not go into because spoilers) but was done with a believable depth of feeling. However, the show seems to have handicapped itself by muting the mics of the cast. The spectacle outshown the soul.
Still, I believe this is the most enjoyable watch of this type of musical (as a Filipino from X generation, I am not ashamed to say I like this more than Mama Mia) and I see the potential in this.
Watch this this year, and maybe 20 years into the future.
