2024: A full theatrical calendar
THE THEATER, dance, and music scene last year was vibrant and jampacked, and it seems that 2024 will be no different. Here are some shows that will keep calendars full this year.
FATE JAN. 12
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) starts off the year with an evening of classical mastery. For Fate, its 5th concert in its 39th season which started last year, the PPO will perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4 Op. 36 in F minor and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 15 in D minor under the baton of Grzegorz Nowak. American pianist Jerome Rose will be the guest soloist for this symphonic journey. The concert will take place at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
KUMPRONTASYON JAN. 18 - 21
PETA Plus will start the year with Kumprontasyon, a revival of one-act plays that previously ran as a thesis by director Melvin Lee in September. The three plays, which challenge the audience to confront the country’s unresolved historical past, will be shown this month at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City.
Kumprontasyon includes Lakambini by Allan Palileo, featuring performances by Sherry Lara and Teroy Guzman, The Impossible Dream by Guelan Luarca, featuring performances by Romnick Sarmenta and Ron Capinding, and A Color for Tomorrow by Joshua Lim So, featuring performances by Missy Maramara, Adrienne Vergara, Gillian Vicencio, Eric Dela Cruz, and Carlon Matobato.
PRINSIPE BAHAGHARI JAN. 19 - 28
Mulat Theater’s Prinsipe Bahaghari, Vladimeir Gonzales’ Filipino puppet adaptation of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, will be returning to the stage this month. Directed by Aina Ramolete, the puppet play revolves around the journey of the Rainbow Prince who is in search of a companion who would help him in caring for his flower, the Gumamela, in his home planet.
This adaptation has puppets made from rattan and uses Filipino culture and language to make the play accessible to children. The January run will be staged at the PowerMac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater of Circuit Makati.
JOY AND DALOY JAN. 27
The Daloy Dance Company and Joy Alpuerto Ritter are bringing Joy and Daloy to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) stage in a one-night-only show. The twin-bill production will feature the dances ItikLandia and BABAE, showcasing a mix of creative choreography, explorations of compelling themes, and fusions of traditional Filipino elements with contemporary expressions.
The show aims to help foster a deeper appreciation for contemporary dance. It will take place at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) at the CCP Complex in Pasay City.
HERO Z JANUARY TO MAY
The Philippine Stagers Foundation is currently touring a historical fiction musical with zombies nationwide. Hero Z, written and directed by the multi-awarded film and theater director Vince Tañada, features music by composer Pipo Cifra. It stars Johnrey Rivas, Vean Olmedo, Adelle Ibarrientos, Gerald Magallanes, Oj Arci, Jp Lopez, Chin Ortega, Rotsen Etolle, Bea Martin, and Fidel Redado.
The musical looks at the struggles of four friends whose lives are juxtaposed with those of heroes Bonifacio, Rizal, Kudarat, and Mabini, as they fight modern ills of a dystopic place and time. The musical will be staged in various venues across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
PIANO RAPTURE FEB. 9
Celebrity pianist Krystian Zimerman will take center stage in the PPO’s 6th concert for its 39th season, Piano Rapture, on Feb. 9.
Grzegrz Nowak will conduct the orchestra as they perform Stanislaw Moniuszko’s The Fairy Tale Overture, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 4, op. 58, G major, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony no. 2 op. 27. The concert will take place at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
RAMA, HARI FEBRUARY
Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ ballet Rama, Hari, which ran at The Metropolitan Theater and at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater last September, will have a rerun in February. The modern rock opera-ballet is a collaboration of five National Artists and an adaptation of the epic Sanskrit poem “Ramayana.”
The production features popular singers and incorporates traditional theater, song, and dance devices found and shared among Asian nations. Returning cast members have yet to be announced.
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE FEBRUARY - MARCH
The Sandbox Collective’s 10th anniversary season begins with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, an award-winning Broadway musical about an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents who vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime.
The musical will be under the direction of Missy Maramara, with SPIT’s Dingdong Rosales as assistant director and Rony Fortich as musical director. It will run from February to March at the PowerMac Center Spotlight Theater, Circuit Makati.
DON PASQUALE MARCH 8
Don Pasquale, the PPO’s penultimate concert of the season, will focus on the magic of opera. It will be a semi-staged opera performance of Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale as the orchestra plays under the guidance of Grzergorz Nowak. The performance will take place at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
BETRAYAL MARCH 1 - 17
An acclaimed play by British theater icon and Nobel Prize winner in Literature Harold Pinter will be making its Manila premiere this March. Repertory Philippines will be mounting the production at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of RCBC Plaza in Makati.
The cast features London-based Filipino actors James Bradwell, James Cooney, and Vanessa White, with Jef Flores and Regina De Vera as covers. The production employs a reversechronological structure to examine the consequences of an extramarital affair on three complex individuals. The production will be directed by Manila-born and New York and London-based actor and theater director Victor Lirio.
PINGKIAN: ISANG MUSIKAL MARCH 1 - 24
Tanghalang Pilipino’s final production of its 37th season is the debut of Pingkian: Isang Musikal, an exploration of the life of Emilio Jacinto as the Philippine revolution ends and leads up to the start of the Philippine-American war.
The musical will star Vic Robinson as Emilio Jacinto and Gab Pangilinan as his wife, Catalina de Jesus. It will be directed by Jenny Jamora, with a book by Juan Ekis and music by Ejay Yatco, who also serves as musical director.
MISS SAIGON MARCH 23 - MAY 5
GMG Productions will bring the touring production of Miss Saigon to the Theatre at Solaire from March 23 to May 5. The new production is directed by Laurence Connor, featuring a musical staging by Bob Avian with extra choreography by Geoffrey Garratt. The musical by ClaudeMichel Schönberg features lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil. The cast has yet to be announced.
FETE FRANCAISE APRIL 19
The PPO’s 39th season shall culminate with its eighth concert, Fete Francaise, on April 19. The orchestra will perform a commissioned Filipino work, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, op. 28, and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis & Chloé, Suites 1 & 2.
Violinist Diomedes Saraza will be the guest performer and Grzegorz Nowak will conduct the orchestra. The concert will take place at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
ONE MORE CHANCE THE MUSICAL APRIL
PETA has announced that it will be staging One More Chance the Musical, featuring the music of Ben&Ben, this April at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. The story, based on a 2007 Star Cinema film of the same name, follows two college sweethearts who face the challenges of adult life and their tumultuous romantic journey, including struggles, conflicts, and an eventual breakup.
The announcement was made by Ben&Ben at the closing night curtain call of PETA’s production of Walang Aray in October. The stage adaptation of the film will serve as the theater company’s season ender.
KUNG PAANO NANALO SA KARERA SI ROSANG TABA APRIL
Dulaang UP’s Kung Paano Nanalo sa Karera si Rosang Taba, based on a short story by Dean Francis Alfar, is returning this April.
Adapted by Rody Vera and Maynard Manansala, directed by Jose Estrella, and starring Kiki Baento in the titular role, the play was initially staged at the University Theater Main Stage of UP Diliman in March and April of 2023. More details on the rerun have yet to be announced.
I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE JUNE 7 TO 30
Repertory Philippines will be bringing another Off-Broadway musical to RCBC Plaza’s Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium this year. Written by Joe Di Pietro (book and lyrics) and Jimmy Roberts (music), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a series of vignettes on love and relationships involving a wide cast of characters, ranging from big-city singles and awkward wallflowers to suburban settlers and sassy seniors. They will all be played by a cast of four.
The show will be directed by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, with Cara Barredo as assistant director. Also in the creative team are Ejay Yatco (musical direction) and Joey Mendoza (set design).
PATINTERO SA AYALA AVENUE JUNE
Written and directed by Rafael Jimenez, a new original Filipino play entitled Patintero sa Ayala Avenue will be staged by CAST PH — best known for their staged readings — in June at a venue that has yet to be announced.
The story centers on a 16-year-old boy who is kicked out of school and has a night on the town in Makati’s Poblacion to find out what happens to the lights on Ayala Avenue after Christmas. The show will star Zoë de Ocampo.
VIRGIN LABFEST JUNE
CCP’s annual theater festival Virgin Labfest (VLF), which is usually held around June, selected 12 one-act plays for its 19th edition this year. The 12 untried, untested, and unstaged plays were selected from 145 submissions received early last year.
The selection committee was composed of festival directors Tess Jamias and Marco Viaña, together with VLF founders Writers Bloc Inc.’s Rody Vera and director-playwright Herbie Go. —