The year isn’t over yet, and there are still so many theater productions to catch, but the 2024 theater season already looks big, busy, and exciting.
At the closing show of the Philippine Education Theater Association (PETA)’s “Walang Aray” last Sunday, Oct. 22, the cast revealed the company’s offering for 2024: “One More Chance the Musical.” As if this isn’t big enough of a surprise, they also brought on stage the Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben, whose songs will be featured in the musical.
The iconic Star Cinema film, backed by the widely popular mix of hugot and kilig songs by Ben&Ben, will definitely be something we have to prepare our hearts (and tissues) for.
PETA’s “One More Chance the Musical” is slated to open in April 2024.
One of the earlier announced jukebox musicals, “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya ni Edgar Musical” will also be running this 2024. Auditions are currently underway. Details on the plot of the Parokya ni Edgar musical have yet to be revealed.
Tanghalang Pilipino, meanwhile, will be producing an original Filipino musical based on the life of revolutionary hero Emilio Jacinto, as well as the journey of the nation from war to freedom.
“Pingkian: Isang Musikal” is directed by Jenny Jamora, written by Juan Ekis, with music by Ejay Yatco, and will be headlined by Vic Robinson as Emilio Jacinto and Gab Pangilinan as Jacinto’s wife Catalina de Jesus.
The musical will run through March 2024.
Meanwhile, 9 Works Theatrical, which recently brought back the Jonathan Larson autobiographical musical “Tick, Tick… Boom!” to the local stage, is set to produce another Larson work next year: “Rent.”
They had also previously staged “Rent” in 2010 and 2011. “Rent” is a rock musical that tells the story of a group of young artists amid their life struggles in the Lower East Side of New York. It is loosely based on the opera “La Boheme.”
Rounding up the list of locally produced musicals will be The Sandbox Collective’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” There are no details yet, as so far it has only teased on the souvenir programme of the recent Sandbox Fest 2023. This won’t be the first time the musical will be staged in the country—Repertory Philippines has done productions of the musical at least four times in its history; The Sandbox Collective’s artistic director Toff de Venecia also directed Ateneo Blue Repertory’s production of the musical in 2011.
“Little Shop of Horrors” is a horror comedy rock musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. It follows a flower shop worker who discovers a mysterious plant that turns out to be one that thrives on human blood and flesh.
On the international tour front, GMG Productions, currently presenting the international tour of “Hamilton,” has announced that “Miss Saigon” will also be making its way to the Philippines come March 2024.
“Filipinos have a deep connection with ‘Miss Saigon’ because it has been the stage where countless Filipino artists have had their moment to shine,” says GMG Productions CEO Carlos Candal.
“Miss Saigon” retells the classic opera “Madame Butterfly,” moving the love story to 1970s Vietnam. Tickets will go on sale on Nov. 6.