PHILIPPINES THEATER REVIEWS

Life is like an unwavering deadline and growing up is a ticking bomb....

To call JERSEY BOYS a 'jukebox musical' is downright myopic, as underneath the musical's cotton-candy pop hits lies a piercing story of ambition, love, drugs, sex, greed, failures, triumphs, and yes, family values. However, it would take more than a fanatic mind to look beyond those monster hits to ...

If you're into something different, catchy, and exciting, the performance of the BLUE MAN GROUP, which closes its limited engagement at The Theatre at Solaire (Solaire Resort and Casino, Paranaque City) on Sunday, September 25, will ideally fit your definition of 'total entertainment.' Founded in 19...

In its fourth year, theater company Red Turnip Theater, via Nina Raine's comedy-drama "Tribes," has proven time and again its top-notch quality....

Live theater in the Philippines has entered a new dawn. The Globe Iconic Store in the busy Bonifacio High Street is now home of a humongous open-air theatre--complete with video boards--aimed to reach out to new theater audiences in the metro, which telco company Globe calls 'accidental theater.' Fo...

If you're expecting to find your corner of the sky, you will not. Just because this is a Stephen Schwartz musical does not mean there will be someone painting with all the colors of the wind, nor will there be any gravity-defying witches, nor a hunchback. Yes, this is a Bible story, but do not exp...

To think globally and act locally in the current age of globalization might seem a little bit of a cliche; 'but it's far less common for [global] companies to really get it right because it's not just about [having] a local language website,' says The Economist. 'It means being where your customer i...

LES MISERABLES stirred a musical maelstrom in Manila last Wednesday (March 16), and is poised to win audinces over via a memorable theatrical experience. At the heart of its seamless and dynamic storytelling beats a conscience that rouses, provokes, mangles, and transforms souls: a singular man's s...

Family is a serious matter for Filipinos; it's something personal, sensitive, and private. To have it as a central theme for a play is seldom traversed, and if so, it's done with prudence. In the current restaging of Victorio Concepcion's LA FAMILIA PERATEDES, a play in Tagalog based on Federico Gar...

Nick Payne's CONSTELLATIONS has its flaws, but the humble ambition of this play, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre's Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in London in 2012, delivers beyond what you expect. It's simply quantum mechanics--full of philosophical consequences and interpretations. It will ...

If reading the book and watching the movie 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is not enough, watching Off-Broadway's 50 SHADES! The Musical Parody will surely cap off your personal urges....

Yesterday, select members of the press, including BroadwayWorld.com, were invited to a 'vocals only' rehearsal of Cameron Mackintosh's reimagined production of popular musical LES MISERABLES (LES MIS), which is embarking on its first Asian Tour (Manila: March 11 to April 17 at The Theatre at Solaire...

Earlier today, select members of the press, including BroadwayWorld.com, were invited to a 'vocals only' rehearsal of Cameron Mackintosh's reimagined production of popular musical LES MISERABLES (LES MIS), which is embarking on its first Asian Tour (Manila: March 11 to April 17 at The Theatre at Sol...

In a time when the Philippines is proving its economic and cultural prowess on the global stage, theater seems to be a good medium to mirror not only the varied tastes of its society but also to develop the level of maturity of art appreciation among its people....

Discovering just how the commercial and critical reception of the stage or film adaptation of any bestselling book would pan out (regardless of whether it was first adapted into a film before it became a stage musical or vice versa) will most likely never be boiled down to an exact science....

Theatergoers have until this weekend to catch Repertory Philippines' take on the 1991 Tony Award-winning musical THE SECRET GARDEN, which features book and lyrics by Tony winner Marsha Norman ('The Color Purple,' 'The Bridges of Madison County') and music by Lucy Simon ('Doctor Zhivago'), at Onstage...

Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group (ATEG) brings the first international production of the book-to-stage adaptation of Robert James Waller's THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY to Manila. The production premiered on November 20, and will run until December 6, at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium (4/F RCBC ...

Another theatrical gem is in the making as Triumphant People's Evangelistic Theater Society (Trumpets) opens its curtains to THE HORSE AND HIS BOY, a stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis's children's classic book....

If one can taste a performance, COOKIN' NANTA is a delectable treat. As Korea's longest-running non-verbal musical, COOKIN' NANTA gives Manila a spectacular show to enjoy, which keeps the audience laughing and amazed at the same time....

THE NORMAL HEART, a Tony Award-winning play based on real-life events and people, beats again for Manila for the second time this year....

LA SOIREE, a variety show that won the 2015 Laurence Olivier Award under the category of Best Entertainment and Family, greets Manila with decadent charm and sophistication....

To think globally and act locally in the current age of globalization might seem a little bit of a cliche; 'but it's far less common for [global] companies to really get it right because it's not just about [having] a local language website,' says The Economist. 'It means being where your customer i...

You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is theatrical proof of how this age-old formula can work wonders. With syrupy and infectious melodies, stunning choreography and visually-stunning sets, this monumentally theatrical homage to the most beloved classics in the Naci...

The latest international touring production of the film-to-stage adaptation of SINGIN' IN RAIN, produced by Stage Entertainment and Chichester Festival Theatre, opened at the Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino (ASEANA Avenue, Paranaque, Manila) last August 20 and will run through September 13....

Tony Manero--of Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group's (ATEG) 2015 Asian touring production of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (SNF), which is based on John Badham's '70s landmark film of the same name--would have succumbed to the evil oblivion of his own fever had it not been for one simple--yet pivotal--p...