MANILA -- "Walang Aray" brings back its painless comedy and commentary back to the PETA stage.

First staged earlier this year as PETA’s return from the pandemic, this musical inside a theater within a theater continues to delight and dazzle.

The laughs start when the lights go out and one is transported to Teatro Zorillo where the master of ceremonies gives out theater do’s and don’ts while a pair of mimes ham it up in front. These ha-has were just an appetizer for the hilarity to come.

The musical tells the story of Julia (Shaira Opsimar) and her not-so-secret beau Tenyong (Gio Gahol). Julia is doted on by her momsy Juana, pressuring her to get married to a scion of a wealthy family. In this case, Miguel (Jarred Jaicten), the son of Don Tadeo (Norbs Portales), who seems to have a romantic agenda of his own.

Egging the two lovers on are Julia’s maid Monica (Kiki Baento) and Tenyong’s aide Lucas (Carlon Josol Matobato). Tenyong leaves to join the Katipunan after the death of his father and mother at the hands of the Spanish friars led by Padre Alfaro (Johnnie Moran). While Tenyong is away, Juana goes all in to arrange Julia’s eventual marriage to Miguel.

Will Julia get married to Miguel? Will she wait for Tenyong? Will this version of Romeo and Juliet have a painless ending?

“Walang Aray” never takes itself too seriously and the laughs come one after the other with punchlines seemingly coming out of nowhere. A big part of the musical’s appeal is the language. It is unapologetically Taglish and spoofs the way Tagalog, English, Spanish, and the occasional beki and Gen Z slang have mishmashed in the 2020s. I thought the language was a character in the play giving, and even taking away, certain characters’ depth.

Take Opsimar’s Julia, her stature in society denoted by her constant colegiala Taglish, though betrayed by her social-climbing carabao English later on. Opsimar is a triple threat who can sing, dance, and most importantly for "Walang Aray," ham it up with the best of them to get the giggles up and coming.

Though not getting as much stage time as Julia, Gahol’s Tenyong matches Julia’s musicality with a boyish charm that never really goes away even during the play’s brief serious parts. When the pair is on stage, it’s guaranteed to get reactions of “kilig” from the audience.

Neomi Gonzales' Juana and Norbs Portales’ Don Tadeo are an epitome of over-the-top fashion and are just so cute when they start their romantic arc. Jaicten certainly got admiring hoots from certain members of the audience especially during his "BORTA" solo (though slightly foreshadowing) gym sequence.

For such a small venue, "Walang Aray" is a spectacle. Props to director Ian Segarra for the zippy pacing using every little part of the stage to get a laugh. There’s a whooshing door sound effect, old-time silent movie subtitles on the wings above the stage, Monty Python-esque tributes, and fourth wall breaking gags. I particularly loved the sequences that seamlessly moved from backstage to the front with one showstopper at the start of Act 1 that seemingly blew up the meager PETA stage into a venue deserving of a diva such as Julia.

Even the aides Monica and Lucas are given their share of the spotlight with their own bickering and chemistry. Of note is the "Alcohol" number of Lucas where Matobato unleashes his goofy side in a number that could be best described as choreographed poetry.

This is a jukebox musical without the jukebox. The music, especially in act 1, feels familiar with bits of ballad, boy band, rap, and even spoken word pieces, as if they were a part of a Today’s OPM hits playlist. They’re instantly hummable and memorable with me hoping that they would someday release a cast recording.

Based on Severino Reyes’ “Walang Sugat” and given the modern treatment by Rody Vera, "Walang Aray" is an entertaining love story first, and social commentary second. If anything, the political aspects of "Walang Aray" were only constrained to the parts where the Spanish friars, given a scary, slimy, and sleazy persona by Johnnie Moran’s Padre Alfaro, took center stage. As with satirical works like Floy Quintos’ “The Reconciliation Dinner,” this is a living play with many opportunities to update the script to take jabs at the current issues of the day. In this case, lines devoted to confidential funds and a certain VIP clogging up traffic are fair game.

In a way, it was interesting how un-painful serious scenes were in the play that even became funny as heck. Perhaps that’s another aspect of “Walang Aray” where in the real world, deadly life-and-death issues become painless social media memes that are just simply laughed off.

In my opinion, this is a great first play to bring someone who’s never been to a theater. It’s just so accessible and lets itself be understood, especially by audiences of today. The language, the music, and even sequences that could have been inspired by a TikTok dance trend. Since the sarswela was the expression of pop-culture in its heyday, Vera has done an admirable job of bringing “Walang Sugat” and the sarswela into the 2020s and beyond.

"Walang Aray" is really on its way to becoming the next great Filipino musical that deserves to be seen and enjoyed. Here’s hoping for another run… or two… or three…

"Walang Aray" runs until October 22 at the PETA Center, Quezon City.