Stripped Bare: LAST DANCE, HUBO’T HUBAD at Poblacion’s Halxyon Club

Manila, Philippines—Poblacion, Makati’s nightlife scene gets a taste of what immersive theater is with JAPS Collectives and World Theater Productions Guam/Manila’s world premiere of “Last Dance, Hubo’t Hubad.” Written and directed by “Miss Saigon” alum Jojo Urquico, this queer play takes audiences at the Halxyon Club into a space where vulnerability is as explicit as its five-person ensemble's performances.

In the play, the Halxyon Club, renowned for its nightly drag-themed performances, zooms into the small dressing room of male revue dancers, where they reveal their real identities, sacrifices, and quiet search for dignity amid their trade.

Multi-Aliw Award nominee Gerald Magallanes plays Ace, the dressing room’s resident ball of energy—the friend who keeps his colleagues laughing when things get burdensome.

Halxyon Club’s real-life DJ Paolo Domingo plays Jay, a wide-eyed idealist longing to break out as a professional dancer. His arc captures the raw tension between chasing artistic passions and surviving the cruel realities of Manila’s nightlife.

Model-pageant performer John Segui breathes life into Dodong, the boys' emotional anchor and protective big brother. Naturally caring and quick with a smile, he uses his charm and humor to mask the emotional baggage he carries offstage.

Improv actor Kriszan Manipon plays Mark, who has repeatedly sacrificed his own wants and desires for those he loves.  He now faces the bittersweet question every live-act performer eventually confronts: How much longer can you keep dancing when the body and soul grow weary?

Lastly, visual storyteller Robbie Padilla plays Rafa, the quietest, most grounded, and intensely perceptive in the bunch. Rafa observes every minute detail, but reveals very little.

For writer-director Urquico, “Last Dance” marks a profound shift from performing in musical theater roles to bringing his own voice and vision to life, starting with an intimate, immersive, and deeply personal Filipino queer story.

While “Last Dance” comes with a strict 18+ content advisory for its mature themes, sensual dances, and partial and full nudity, the production uses male sensuality as a doorway rather than a publicity stunt. Beneath the allure of the male revue bar setting lies a human drama about survival, self-worth, and “bro-codes” formed among marginalized artists.

More than just an evening of titillating entertainment, the production extends its ticket sales to PRIDE PH, supporting its LGBTQIA+ advocacy and community programs.

Its artistic and production team includes Alex Garcia, production manager; Prince Beating, stage manager; Christian Magallanes, assistant stage manager; and Martin del Rosario, lighting, graphic, and sound designer.