“What can you expect? A dystopian fantastical adventure,” is how the musical Liwanag Sa Dilim was described by its writer, director and 9Works Theatrical’s artistic director Robbie Guevara.

Once the curtains go up, that is exactly where this new original Filipino musical, featuring the songs of singer-songwriter Rico Blanco, takes you on. From the get-go, it’s a one-two punch of characters and stories that only barely gives you more than a few seconds to catch up before handing you something new to process.

As the show goes on, the puzzle pieces fall into place. Most of them, at least. The takeaway at the center of it — the sheer audacity it takes to set familiar music to a larger than life off-the-beaten-path story is just the kind of musical theater we need more of.

By the time preview night rolled around, they really put on a show. Buoyed by a high energy cast, led by Anthony Rosaldo as the central character Elesi, with Nicole Omillo and CJ Navato as his worthy cohorts. It was easy to latch on to this rollercoaster ride of a story. Their only ask — suspend disbelief. Full stop. And just roll with it. From that point on, it’s easy to just buy into whatever it throws your way.

About thirty minutes in, the Gen-X influences of the show’s writers started to appear. A little bit Back To The Future, a little bit Jumper, and a whole of lot of Philippine history and literature. If you were to break it down, imagine a board with clippings and notes, and a piece of red string running through it tying all the story points together. Tight in some, and maybe a little forced in others. Given that this was a story that they had birthed in 2020, got shelved by a pandemic, and reawakened for a new generation of theatergoers, Liwanag Sa Dilim hit all the right notes. Bringing in a Gen Z consultant, as Guevara put it, was quite apropos, as it gave the show a firm foothold in the here and now. Sneaking in words like “slay” and “Delulu ang P*&%” while in traditional dress was startling, refreshing and actually worked.