Joe: A Filipino Rock’sical tells a story of a group of artists who are pooled together to create a show about Rizal. It is a creative journey that tries to get to the core of the country’s foremost hero with the characters ending up seeing the essence of Rizal within themselves.
Joe was launched last July 15th at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. It is the 11th season offering of the Philippine Stagers Foundation. Here are some reviews posted about the preview performance:
What’s most unforgettable throughout the play was the character of Turing played by Gabby Bautista. He was brilliant and he exuded the discipline and behavior of an adult actor at his age. I really loved his performance and he is one character in Joe: A Filipino Rock’sical you should never miss. I will definitely recommend the play to all students in search of answers about Rizal or simply wanting to enjoy a well-prepared theatrical performance. It is definitely prescriptive to better understand Rizal in our lives at present.
http://elyvalendez.blogspot.com
“Joe” is set to capture the hearts of those who would dare to watch it as it hits stages all over the country starting July 14.
Seeing the play itself was an eye opener even for a history enthusiast like me about the other side of Rizal. With the past and present weaved together with each character plays an important role in making a tribute show for the National Hero.
http://philippines.broadwayworld.com
On the whole, while the musical provides pithy facts about Rizal in an entertaining manner, it is less about Rizal than those who take him on.
What it does drive home is that Rizal, for better or worse, belongs to all of us — and perhaps we do tend to indulge ourselves a little in our ownership of him.
Also see this featured at:
DALEBACAR.COM 
Leave a Reply