When Atasha Muhlach was introduced as the new Annie Batungbakal during a press conference at the Viva office, it would have been easy to assume the coveted role naturally fell into the lap of a young star born into one of Philippine entertainment’s most famous families.

But according to both the production team and Atasha herself, Annie Batungbakal was anything but a gift.

The daughter of Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzalez, Atasha, 24, has steadily built a career as a host, actress, and performer, appearing in projects such as Da Pers Family and Bad Genius: The Series. Long before that, however, she made her theater debut at age nine as Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

Now, she returns to the same stage as the lead of Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical.

Inspired by the iconic Hotdog hit and set during the Manila Sound era, the musical follows Annie Batungbakal, a young dispatch clerk at House of Pasion who dreams of becoming a fashion designer and finding acceptance among Manila’s fashionable crowd.

To win the role, Atasha went through months of preparation.

“The preparation took months. It was months in the making of dancing, singing, and acting,” she recalled. “And, of course, I had to do a lot of research because I wasn’t born during the 1970s, so there was a lot for me to learn in order to understand the character.”

She spent her days attending workshops and rehearsals, determined to be fully prepared.

“Every day, I was doing workshops. I was singing, dancing and acting. And I put a lot of pressure on myself to memorize all of the songs, to make sure that I really gave 100 percent for this audition.”

The audition itself was demanding. Candidates had to prepare two songs, one from the 1970s and one Hotdog number, along with a dance routine. Director Chris Millado also asked performers to learn choreography on the spot.

“I got nervous because Sam Concepcion was there,” Atasha admitted. “He’s such a great performer. He’s so talented. So naturally, I felt nervous and under pressure.”

She was called back the following day for another round.

“The musical director played the song for the first time. We had to go into our own corners and memorize it. We were given a limited amount of time and then had to perform it individually in front of everyone.”

According to PETA Plus producer Gold Lim, Atasha emerged from a pool of around 300 auditionees.

“After auditioning at least 300 people, we saw Atasha as the Annie that we wanted,” Lim said. “In fact, we already saw it during the auditions. Then, during the callbacks, it only reinforced our feeling that Atasha was exactly who we needed for the role.”

Lim said it was Atasha’s dedication that ultimately sealed the deal.

“She had the charm and the fire. Annie is someone who is deeply passionate about her craft, and we saw that in Atasha, especially in how thoroughly she prepared for her auditions.”

The role also comes with the challenge of portraying a character closely associated with National Artist Nora Aunor.

“I look up to her. She’s an iconic artist and a legend in the industry,” Atasha said. “There’s a lot of pressure there, but what I can promise is that I will give it my best. I will give it my best shot with the resources provided and the material given. I will study it every day, and I am willing to make the necessary sacrifices for this project.”

Produced by Newport World Resorts in association with Viva Communications and The Philippine STAR, and staged by PETA Plus under the direction of Chris Millado, Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical also stars Sam Concepcion, KD Estrada, Jeff Moses and Anthony Rosaldo.

The musical opens this September at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.