PHILIPPINES THEATER REVIEWS

Following a triumphant engagement in Manila, the barricades have been raised at Marina Bay—but this time, they come with a view of the future....

What began as 40 hours of taped sessions with Broadway’s “gypsies” has evolved into a 50-year legacy that redefined the American musical....

The season opens not with a whisper, but with a heartbeat. With its 2026 curtain-raiser, The Sandbox Collective delivers a charged staging of 'Spring Awakening'—the Tony Award–winning phenomenon that once jolted Broadway and now electrifies Makati City...

Dramanila Theater Production stages the world premiere of 'Garet: Pinoys in Chicago,' written by Rey E. Dela Cruz. The play explores diaspora themes familiar to the nearly 15 million Filipino migrants worldwide, yet serves as a poignant eye-opener for local audiences attending its run at the NCCA....

Since its 1980 debut in Paris, Les Misérables has transcended the medium of musical theatre to become a global cultural force....

Rockwell’s Proscenium Theater has officially made its mark on the local arts scene with a bold statement of ambition. Kicking off its inaugural season with not one, but two major musicals, the venue quickly establishes itself as a cultural landmark for Filipino theater....

Newport Performing Arts Theater has been transformed into a fantastical swamp teeming with color, laughter, and heart....

In 'Kiss of the Spiderwoman,' which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, movie musical veteran Bill Condon reimagines it, with additional songs from the pre-Broadway production....

Repertory Philippines’ latest Theater for Young Audiences (RTYA) production, 'Alice in Wonderland,' is a lively and polished retelling of Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic—one that balances spectacle with sincerity....

Rockwell’s Proscenium Theater makes its grand debut, heralding not just a new stage but a hub for immersive, unforgettable theatrical experiences in the heart of Metro Manila....

Presented by GMG Productions, this landmark staging of the Tony Award-winning phenomenon, 'Dear Evan Hansen,' introduces the show to local audiences and marks the Asia premiere of the acclaimed UK touring production....

Once upon a time, Stephen Sondheim's (music and lyrics) and James Lapine's (book) 1986 musical 'Into the Woods' was written to appeal like a mashup of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales—thus, the show's commercial allure. But we all knew Sondheim's creative mind was more complex than that; he dared ...

Since their official debut in 2021, BINI has become a defining force in Filipino pop music, earning them the well-deserved title of the “Nation’s Girl Group.” Formed through ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy in 2019, the eight member group composed of Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoan...

'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 D...

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...

Despite technical challenges, the cast and crew recently pulled through the Cebu premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical 'In The Heights' at the Saint Theresa’s College of Cebu Auditorium....

NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED. While Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'Evita' begins with Argentinians mourning the death of their beloved Eva Peron, the Ozians of the fictional Land of Oz in Stephen Schwartz’s 'Wicked' rejoice for the supposed death of their perceived nemesis, The Wicked Witch of the West,” ...

Musical theatre became a transformative part of my life when I first encountered 'Miss Saigon' as a young adult in 1989....

'The Half-Life of Marie Curie,' a one-act play by Lauren Gunderson, humanizes historical figures, two-time Nobel Peace Prize winner Marie Curie, and a lesser-known electromechanical engineer Hertha Ayrton...

It was supposed to be a solo concert, but it became more of a theater family affair. 'Miss Saigon' alum Carla Guevara Laforteza has celebrated her 30 years in the biz with her first-ever solo concert....

How can Newport World Resorts top its biggest original Pinoy musical hit, ''Ang Huling El Bimbo'? Work around the music catalog of another beloved OPM band, Parokya ni Edgar....

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?...

After its phenomenally successful run in Australia in collaboration with Opera Australia, GMG Productions, in association with GWB Entertainment, presented this new and stunning production in Manila, 24 years after a six-month commercially successful run in the Philippine capital....