The celebration of the National Arts Month this February is off to a great start, what with the arrival of Nijel de Mesa’s Palanca Award-winning, long-running play Subtext, which has metamorphosed into a feel-good, heart-pulling musical.

Performances of Subtext: The Musical are slated on 1, 8 and 15 February at 7 p.m., at the Sikat Studios Main Hall at 305 Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

Director Nijel de Mesa’s roots are in theater. One of his earliest works that gained him acclaim was the play that won the 1st Prize in this Don Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature. The original play became a movie with Paolo Contis, Ciara Sotto, Elly Callan, Hannah Arguelles, Boboy Garovillo and Ms. Nova Villa as its marquee names.

This incarnation for public consumption this buwan ng mga sining (arts month) features brand new original songs written by director de Mesa himself — with musical arrangements by Jopper Ril.

The musical highlights three relationships: A yuppy power couple; two teens and their first brushes with young love, sweet love; and an elderly husband and wife and their feels about happily ever after.

The play with its breath of fresh air kind of script and last song syndrome ditties that make your earworms come alive, showcases the kilig (thrill) and anxiety, saccharine and mess, conflicts and resolve of the three sets of lovers and their romances.

Yuppie kind of love

No one seems to use the word “yuppie” anymore, but it is short for young urban professionals, successful in their respective careers, striking a work-life-love balance. Quality time together is precious and few for them.

In this portion of Subtext, we witness Cherry Morena and Jiro Custodio on a dinner date, with their emotions and truths thrown at each other’s faces.

This first part of the musical reminded me so much of the movie Marriage Story that starred Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Morena and Custodio gave their all, emotions and vulnerability at that, as they peeled off every wound and scar and made small issues larger than life. It was like seeing your best friends fight and watch not only their romantic cookie crumble, but their relationship blow to smithereens.

Vocal-wise, there was fragility, rawness and an undeniable ache that two actors infused in the songs given to them, with their duet “Talo” as the most painful to hear — the emotional truth that the duo gave the anthem, every note and line perfection!

And I believe that the obvious nerves added texture and nuance to their respective characters.

The only thing I found wanting in this part was the blocking and choreography of the couple’s confrontation. If the heated arguments were choreographed well, its verisimilitude would have been more impactful, potent and powerful.

Young love

The saying, “sugar and spice and all that is nice,” came alive in the second short play that had Ced Recalde and Shane Santos as the young lovers exchanging text messages. Here, text messaging is the medium not only for getting to know each other, but for courting.

Recalde was at his most charming, and Santos was at her most irritatingly sweet and lovable as a teen miss who is “kikay”-meets-bratty all the way.

Despite the two actors acting on separate sets, their chemistry was dynamic and fresh. What seemed like miscues and mistakes added more fun and tickle.

These two songs, “Okay Lang Kung Mabaho Ka” and “Ewan Ko” were an aural delight and scream P-pop songs that will be surefire hits.

Ever after

The third part of the musical play made me remember the characters of Noah and Allie, the main characters in Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook.

In this play, Karl Tiuseco and Gaye Angeles Piccio were obviously of the Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams age, but their portrayal of a couple in a four-decade relationship, and how the discovery of a letter shook the very core of their couplehood was heart-shattering and wrenching.

The aria performed by Piccio, laced with bewilderment and hurt, was delivered with attitude and without fault, equaled by Tiuseco’s out-and-out emotional commitment to the lyrics of the song and the letter he read for his beloved — the tissue, or the hanky, please!

Because words are never easy to express especially when we want to say it to someone we love, Subtext The Musical shows us what is love — that it is not a need or want, but a whole range of feels, and that foibles and shortcomings can never measure to a love that is committed and true.

Subtext The Musical is produced under the One Acts Theater division of NDMstudios.

For tickets, text or call Ms. Junna Marie at 09062266750.