On the second day of Magpasikat 2023 as part of It’s Showtime’s 14th-anniversary celebration, Karylle, Amy Perez, Lassy, and MC staged an enchanting and touching musical in tune with the Filipino spirit of family togetherness.

The heart of the presentation lies in the reality of many children left home alone while their parents or guardians work, and the important reminder to treasure family time.

It was truly a star-studded musical spectacle featuring song and dance routines from BGYO, BINI, Iza Calzado, Diana Zubiri, Sunshine Dizon, and a special participation of Isip Bata’s Argus, and David Licauco who was revealed at the end as the voice behind the animated character “Lulu.”

After their performance, Karylle, Amy, Lassy, and MC sat with ent.abs-cbn.com to talk about how they weaved the whole act and managed to overcome a few rehearsal challenges.

Team KALM shared that they did intense troubleshooting a day to a few hours before their performance. For one, the studio’s floor type was not compatible for Amy’s tap dance. They thought of elevating the stage to help create louder tapping sounds, but doing so would create a domino effect and they didn’t have enough time to revise the whole choreography.

Thankfully, Rey Cantong of Six Part Invention, the show’s resident band, came up with a solution. “Ang gagawin, sagutan na lang. Magta-tap ako, quiet, para maririnig ng lahat, walang guide ng music. Tapos sasagot si Taylor Sheesh, ‘yun ang mas nag-work.”

But even pre-airing, the floor was too slippery that Amy feared she might fall. “So, the whole time na nagre-rehearse kaninang umaga, ‘yung mga daliri ko sa paa nakakakapit siya sa loob ng tap shoes tapos hindi ko magawa ‘yung buong routine,” she revealed. “Talagang kahit sino’ng kumausap sa akin, suplada na talaga ako, halimaw sa banga na ako. Kasi nga iniisip ko, hindi ko magawa ‘yung buong steps kasi sobrang dulas ng floor.”

They found a solution by coating the floor with hair spray and soda for a more rigid surface. “Walang problemang hindi masosolusyunan sa opisina ni Tiyang Amy Perez,” quipped Karylle.

Add to that some typical challenges of a live musical performance, such as the costume quick change. Amy was worried about Karylle’s surprise ‘sang’gre’ suit peeking through her nurse’s costume in the first part of her act.

“Magpasikat” first-timers MC and Lassy dealt with the fear of making a mistake during the live show, such as mishaps in microphones and voice-overs.

Thankfully, they’ve got Karylle on the team, as her theatrical expertise proved to be a big help. Amy expressed, “Proud na proud ako kay Karylle. Dito ko nakita sa Magpasikat, second time na namin together, talagang napaka-professional niya. Talagang kailangan to the T ‘yung mga dapat gawin, mga rehearsals, ganyan.”

Karylle reacted, “That’s what rehearsals are for. Kahit sa theater, magkamali na ang lahat sa rehearsals. Kaya the more runs, the better. Para [nakikita] lahat ng pagkakamali.”

Karylle’s group revealed that they initially conceptualized a performance hinged on the “Mini Miss U” dance craze sang in different languages. However, that might go over budget. After another series of brainstorming, sticking to Karylle’s theme of a family-friendly musical, they found the perfect concept.

“Sabi ko nga, thank you kasi pumayag kayo na family-friendly. Some people might find it corny or something, or paano magiging exciting kung family-friendly, pambagets lang ‘yan. Pero akalain mo, na-appreciate siya ng lahat,” gushed Karylle, who is utterly grateful for their successful act.

MC seconded, “Kasi na-touch natin ‘yung realidad na marami talagang mga bata na naiiwan ng mga magulang, mga kapatid kasi kailangan magtrabaho.”

Team KALM’s motivation for their Magpasikat 2023 performance was to make a compelling act that the audience can resonate with. “Sa buhay, akala mo masaya, akala mo masyado namang malungkot. Pero bawat isa talaga may pinagdadaanan. And it takes that special connection. I think,’yun naman ang meron tayo sa madlang people,” mused Karylle.

“What if solid Showtimer ‘yung kailangan makanood nito, so this is for you. Sana nakatulong ‘to sa pinagdadaanan mo sa life,” she smiled.

If they were to rate their musical show, of course, they’d give it a “perfect 10.”

Catch the next teams’ presentations for this year’s Magpasikat in celebration of It’s Showtime’s “1-4 Ever” anniversary.