Jude Cartalaba

For Carla Guevara Laforteza, starring in the Manila premiere of 'Come from Away, isn't just another role; it's a poignant reliving of a personal experience. The production brings Carla back to her own harrowing September 11, 2001, in New York City.

'Delia D,' the latest original Filipino musical presented by Newport World Resorts, had its gala night earlier this month. True to its promise, the Dexter Santos-helmed stage production delivered the daring and dazzling dream of a drag queen, Just Delia (Phi Palmos), whom TV stalwarts have renamed Delia D in the course of the two-act show.

In 2023, TV-film actor Khalil Ramos contemplated whether to continue acting or quit after the pandemic. He felt the “shift” in the movie industry, especially in the local scene. For him, it was a dry season.

It isn't much about deconstructing Dr. Jose Rizal’s deemed subversive novels, but how laudable 9 Works Theatrical’s bold decision to retell mainly Rizal’s 'Noli Me Tangere’s' enduring characters’ origins, probable untold stories, and everything in between.

Jun Robles Lana's 'Anino sa Likod ng Buwan,' directed by Gawad Buhay awardee Tuxqs Rutaquio, is perhaps one of the most-awaited original Filipino straight play revivals that would come as strikingly sexy and risky but timely production to open this year.

Mental health a few years back wasn't something very alarming, but due to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide, it has become more and more a growing concern. In 2025, the staging of the 2008 American rock musical 'Next to Normal' (with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt) is indeed a timely move by The Sandbox Collective.

Sexy, seemingly sharp Diana Goodman is one challenging character in 'Next to Normal,' which centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects of managing her illness on her family.

The 32-year-old Kapuso actor Martin del Rosario is making his professional debut onstage via 'Anino sa Likod ng Buwan,' a Bulwagang Gantimpala Playwriting Competition grand prize-winning piece by writer-filmmaker Jun Robles Lana.

In the film 'Isang Himala,' directed by Pepe Diokno, actress Neomi Gonzales plays Chayong, the closest friend to faith healer Elsa. Portraying Chayong isn’t Gonzales' first time, though. She played the same role in a new 'Himala: Isang Musikal' production by The Sandbox Collective and 9 Works Theatrical in 2018.

The 1982 film 'Himala,' directed by National Artist Ismael Bernal, follows the story of a barrio Cupang lass, Elsa, played by a young Nora Aunor, who allegedly saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 'Himala,' retitled 'Isang Himala,' is back on the big screen as a musical film, an official entry to the 50th-anniversary of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

TV film actress Iza Calzado is Sugar in the Philippine premiere of the play 'Tiny Beautiful Things,' produced by The Sandbox Collective, celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Henry VIII's ex-wives take the stage in the international smash hit musical 'Six,' written by Tony Award winners Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.

JM Cabling and PJ Rebullida, dancers and choreographers, learn, unlearn, and relearn from each other. They currently work together in a production of the Tony Award-winning musical 'Once On This Island,' book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty, co-produced by 9 Works Theatrical and Ticket2Me.

The Sandbox Collective's production of 'Little Shop of Horrors,' Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s 'bloodthirsty' musical comedy set in the ‘60s is directed by Toff De Venecia. In this production, De Venecia teams up with scenographer Mio Infante and the puppet designer Kayla Teodoro.

Although the summer season in the Philippines has officially ended this year, we’re still thrilled to join the rest of the global theater community in rounding out our top picks of must-see shows running this month and the next few months.

Independent record label Kadasig presents the first public reading of HOOK UP, a new musical written and directed by award-winning songwriter Jude Gitamondoc. Performances will be on June 28, 2024, at Hillary 1 & 2 of Quest Hotel, with doors opening at 1 and 3:30 p.m., and shows starting at 1:30 and 4:00 p.m., respectively.

RENT, the late Jonathan Larson's masterpiece, was a cultural sensation in 1996, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer for Drama. But does it still resonate with today’s younger audiences?