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The Boy from Bantay

 
Paul Fisher Cockburn Review by Paul Fisher Cockburn 4 Published: 4 Aug 2025 theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-16 Aug 2025

Why did a young boy, born in the Philippines and subsequently brought up in Hawaii, fall in love with music composed by long-dead European white men? The answer – and indeed the consequences – are at the heart of Jeremy Rafal’s sparkling solo show, The Boy from Bantay. That said, for those in a hurry, he essentially answers the question in the first 10 minutes – because he first heard – and fell in love with – some of the most beautiful works of western culture thanks to their somewhat unexpected inclusion in, of all things, 1950s Warner Brothers cartoons.

Rafal is an engaging, full-hearted performer

However, it’s definitely worth staying for the rest of the show. In some respects, Rafal’s subsequent musical biography isn’t particularly surprising. Through a mixture of sharply defined characterisations – of family members, friends and music teachers – plus extracts of the music he’s come to love, he succinctly summarises his school days, his continuing piano lessons in Hawaii, and his growing determination to become a classical pianist.

Under the direction of Josh Boerman, Rafal successfully carries us along, but the fact remains that the potentially big emotional hit – that this plan didn’t ultimately work out – hardly comes as a surprise. After all, Rafal is not some globally famous soloist performing with an internationally acclaimed orchestra at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival; instead, he’s performing a self-penned one-man show in a relatively small, very hot room on the Fringe. Though it’s almost overlooked that he eventually did earn his doctorate in piano performance.

A central on-stage metaphor throughout the show is the continuing tick of a metronome, used most frequently during the unending practice sessions that form the foundations of his art; a constant reminder, as he puts it, that time moves on with or without you. This line is potentially pushed a little too far on occasions, but equally we see Rafal’s character arc as he learns to not just live with this imposition, but to face it full on – along with the grief he had previously preferred to push away.

Rafal is an engaging, full-hearted performer, and his story is one of incident and colour, told with passion, humour and skill. As a theatrical package, he and the show are pretty irresistible.

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The Blurb:

From his childhood in the Philippines – a technicolour blur of cartoons and classical music – Jeremy always knew he wanted to be a concert pianist. The Boy from Bantay takes us on his heartwarming journey of growth and self-discovery. This appearance is produced by Bantay Productions and Leviathan Lab with support from Pace University and the Sands College of Performing Arts.