FROM voluminous hairstyles reminiscent of Budji Layug’s iconic 1970s looks, to shimmering disco makeup and Pitoy Moreno-inspired couture and extravagant costumes, Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical brings the bold fashion and beauty of 1970s Manila to life onstage.
As the production holds its final performances — the last show at the Newport Performing Arts Theater will be on Oct. 31 — the colorful costumes, elaborate hairstyles, and glittering looks created by costume designer Hershee Tantiado and hair and makeup designer Johann Dela Fuente take one last turn in the spotlight.
Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical was adapted from two movies — Bongga Ka, ’Day! (1979) and Annie Batungbakal (1980), both based on Hotdog’s Manila Sound music — by PETA Plus, the creative agency of the Philippine Educational Theater Association, and produced by Viva Communications, Inc. and Philstar Next (the Philstar Media Group’s entertainment arm).
The original films revolve around the titular Annie Batungbakal, a humble saleslady who transforms into a disco queen every night to escape her humdrum existence. The stage version tweaks her character to be an employee in a struggling high fashion boutique called House of Pasion.
“What makes the 1970s so interesting is how much was happening in fashion at the time. You had the more traditional elegance of Filipino couture, but you also had all these Western influences coming in, especially with disco, music, and pop culture,” Ms. Tantiado said.
For the show, Mr. Dela Fuente researched the beauty trends of the period through archival photographs of Coco Banana nightlife and everyday scenes in Quiapo and Avenida. “I wasn’t born in the ’70s, so I wanted to ensure our world felt rooted in actual Metro Manila history rather than just generic Western ’70s tropes,” he explained.
REINVENTING FILIPINO COUTURE
Drawing inspiration from Filipino designers such as Pitoy Moreno and Salvacion Lim Higgins, Ms. Tantiado created the refined fashion of the show’s House of Pasion, where the character of Aurora Pasion, alternatively played by Jackie Lou Blanco and Ring Antonio, wears structured blazer dresses and tailored ensembles.
“For House of Pasion, we wanted it to feel like an established fashion house, with a rigidness and elegance to it. We also wanted it to look a little dated, as though it was still holding on to the fashion sensibilities of an earlier decade,” Ms. Tantiado explained.
In contrast, the lead character of Annie Batungbakal, played by Atasha Muhlach, embraces unconventional fashion through repurposed neckties, discarded fabrics, and patchwork Filipiniana. “While some characters can afford to be extravagant, Annie has to invent her own extravagance,” Ms. Tantiado shared.
One standout costume is a dress made entirely from metallic zippers for the Asian Fantasy sequence. “From the audience, it looks like a fringed outfit, very much in keeping with the disco aesthetic of the ’70s. But if you look closely, the whole dress is actually made from metallic zippers,” she revealed.
BIG HAIR, BOLD MAKEUP, AND WIGS
For Mr. Dela Fuente, recreating the decade meant translating feathered hairstyles, voluminous blowouts, and dramatic makeup into looks that would register onstage.
At House of Pasion, simple ponytails and understated makeup reflect the workplace setting. Over at the Coco Banana nightclub, there are glamorous hairstyles, jewel-toned eyeshadow, sharp eyeliner, exaggerated lashes, and glossy lips. “This is pure fantasy and sweat-resistant glamour. We dialed up the volume with blowouts, bangs, textures, high ponytails,” is how Mr. Dela Fuente described the nightclub’s beauty direction.
Annie alone wears four wigs throughout the musical, including a half-ponytail with a Swarovski-encrusted butterfly clip, a Farrah Fawcett-inspired blowout embellished with orange crystals, and a sleek, center-parted hairstyle inspired by Cher. “Based on the costume design by Hershee Tantiado, I decided on a butterfly design for her hair accessory because just like a butterfly, she evolves,” Mr. Dela Fuente explained.
The elaborate transformations also required extensive preparation. Mr. Dela Fuente personally styled more than 25 wigs, with some performers completing full wig and costume changes in just 10 to 20 seconds. “Wigs are crucial not just for Annie, but for the whole cast because of all the quick character changes needed for the show,” he shared.
DISCO AS RUNWAY
The musical’s Coco Banana scenes bring together both designers’ visions through flamboyant costumes, elaborate hairstyles, and glamorous makeup.
“Coco Banana was probably one of the most fun parts to design because we could really go all out,” Ms. Tantiado shared. “We imagined it as a place where dressing up was almost a performance in itself. Almost like everyone was attending their own little fashion show.”
The nightclub’s fashionable crowd wears sequins, metallic fabrics, and flowing silhouettes, including characters Romer Pasion’s Studio 54-inspired menswear and Burn Rivera’s folk-rock fashion.
For Mr. Dela Fuente, the hairstyles and makeup complete each character’s transformation. “I believe hair and makeup design is distinct from costume design. It’s my job to coordinate with the costume department and add the magical finishing touches that complete the characters’ looks,” he shared.
“I think that’s what made the production so enjoyable to design. We could explore so many different styles from the same decade, from flamboyant disco menswear to bohemian and folk-rock fashion, while still having room for fantasy and theatrical exaggeration,” Ms. Tantiado reflected.
For Mr. Dela Fuente, the audience’s appreciation of the transformations has been equally rewarding.
“Thank you to the actors who trust me and say they love their looks, and to the audience members who say, ‘Really? That’s a wig? I thought it was their real hair!’ — that’s how I know I’ve done a wonderful job.”
ONE LAST LOOK
From the refined couture of House of Pasion to the glittering glamour of Coco Banana, audiences can experience the fashion, beauty, and music — it features Hotdog’s timeless hits — of Bongga Ka, ’Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical one last time.
The show closes on Oct. 31 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Tickets for the last few remaining shows are available online and at all TicketWorld outlets and at the Newport World Resorts Box Office, with prices ranging from P1,300 to P4,500.
Audience members can get a special discount of 15% off through the Discover More To Love website www.tourism.gov.ph using promo code BKDXDOT, or 15% off tickets through the Department of Trade and Industry’s Malikhaing Pinoy platform at www.malikhaingpinoy.ph/calendar/ using promo code MPXBKD.