About Lazir Isang Musikal

Lazir – Isang Pinoy na Musikal, written by Buch Dacanay explores the perspective of Rizal as a human being, not as a superhero, not as a monument that stands in Rizal Park, not as a Filipino who has made an impact on our country as we perceive him every day to be but as a man. A man with feelings, emotions, problems, mental health, and love crossing with the world of loss.

Buch Dacanay explores many things for this project, including writing and composing the musical numbers completely with an attached album all by himself, and using stories never explored very much in Rizal stories. One is showing the underappreciated relationship of Jose and Leonor Rivera, his first love who he had met 1863 and died while giving birth to the second child of her husband; over the overused storyline of Josephine Bracken’s love for Rizal.

As it takes a closer look at Rizal being perceived as normal and as Filipino as anyone else in the Philippines at his time, it helps reconnect younger viewers to the Jose Rizal they’ve not appreciated, and helps relate to him with the same problems he faces in every day life allowing us to forget for a moment that he is a Bayani and somone who has made a huge impact in the Philippines with his literature! We see him as he sees in himself, as a man with dreams so far to reach, a dream to travel, the struggle of fulfilling one dream to let go of another, to hold on to long-lost love; and of course there is the mental health twist where Jose’s struggles through his depression as a lonely Filipino overseas, travelling the world.

The songs written for Lazir mix the genres of Acoustic Spanish music, Jazz, and contemporary rock and roll (but with less electric guitars). Taking a wide range of inspiration such as Lin Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights”, Pat Valera and William Elvin Manzano’s “Mula Sa Buwan”, and “Teatro Porvenir” written by Buch’s own father Tim Dacanay.

People always perceive Rizal as this oh-so perfect man who never did anything wrong, always got ‘Sobrasaliente’ (Excellent) on his grades, and made a huge difference for Filipinos between 1800-1900 while we never get to connect with the human version of his.

It’s time Jose’s story is told again, in a new perspective. To give justice to him not only as a hero but as a man. For at a time today where superheroes are overrated, the young audience need to connect with a kind of hero whom they can put in their shoes.

See website at https://buchdacanay.wixsite.com/lazirisangmusikal

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