Friday, June 5, 2026

Review of VIRGIN LABFEST XXI SET C "BALAT KALABAW": Idiosyncratic Identities

May 30, 2026



1. ELEHIYA 

Playwright: Dustin Celestino 

Director: Ron Capinding 

A narrator calling himself Lalaki (Yan Yuzon) talked to the audience about the enigma of father-son relationships and its implications. Security guard Gardo (Dennis Marasigan), his son Ed (John Sanchez) talk about the episodes of violence they got involved in. Businessman Nick (Carlos Siguion-Reyna) and his son Kulas (Rafa Siguion-Reyna) talk to their therapist about their favorite NBA basketball team and its controversial trades.  

Celestino wrote this play about broken manhood with eloquent yet very powerful lines, infused with a heady dose of testosterone. It was perfection how director Capinding staged this with so much dramatic vitality despite being composed of lengthy monologues. Each actor gave the best performances I had seen them give on a stage. In particular, Yuzon bared the playwright's very soul with such raw vulnerability as he dug deep within himself to reflect upon his own father.


2. BETAMAX 

Playwright: Faith Ferrer Lacanlale

Director: Sheenly Gener

Brenda (Jam Binay) lived with her elder sister Brianna (Jorrybell) and younger brother Bryan (Sean Innocencio) in the city. One day, her explosive temper got Brenda injured in a vehicular accident. Since then, she began to feel paranoid as she saw and smelled certain men in their neighborhood turning into literal pigs. When she got home, Brenda got even more alarmed when she saw Bryan also growing pig ears and a curly tail.  

This play had the misfortune of playing right after the elegant "Elehiya," which was certainly a tough act to follow. In stark contrast, this play went for all-out visual slapstick comedy -- complete with cute piggy ears, tail and snout -- admittedly cute the way Innocencio "transformed" into one. However, we recognize that this extreme physical comedy was a technique to visually represent the girls' psychological torture that was not funny at all. 


3. SHE'S ELECTRIC 

Playwright: Ron Evangelista

Director: JP Habac

Robert (Joshua Cabiladas) was in a relationship with Rose (Glaiza de Castro), a beautiful model whom he met at a tech convention four months ago. One night, he invited his close friends -- Andrew (Aldo Vencilao), Stacy (Yesh Burce) and Borgs (Ybes Bagadiong) -- over for dinner so they can finally meet Rose for the first time. After the initial pleasantries, Robert surprised his friends with a major revelatory announcement about his Rose.

The script even mentioned the film that likely inspired it -- "Her" (Spike Jonze, 2013), so the twist was not exactly difficult to figure out. With the rapidly escalating ubiquity of technology nowadays, the scenario presented by this play is not anymore so far-fetched. Movie star De Castro's Rose was a riveting vision in scarlet. Cabiladas' Robert was delightfully giddy about his perfect girlfriend, yet very protective when her value was being questioned. 


Thursday, June 4, 2026

Review of VIRGIN LABFEST XXI: SET B "KAPIT TUKO": Drastic Decisions

June 4, 2026



1. HARAM 

Playwright: Alab Usman

Director: Mark Daniel Dalacat

In 2015, Adam (Jude Hinumdum) was Muslim, but his parents did not know he was gay. He had a Christian boyfriend Jan (Rey Correjado), who did not know he was Muslim. In 2012, a gay Muslim Iraqi man named Taib (Eshei Mesina) was being driven by his Ommi (Joann Yap Co) to the border so he can cross over to Lebanon to escape persecution. In 2017, Muslim crossdresser Thania (Phil Noble) taught younger Muslim gays his makeup craft.

The Adam story was a good start, but it ended abruptly just when things got interesting. The Taib story had good tension and human drama, but this foreign-based story felt out of place in between the two Filipino stories. The Thania story was so low-key, it was not a strong anchor episode. The whole trilogy felt static, never lifting off at all. Honestly, it could have been more interesting if Usman had just concentrated on Adam's story, developing it further in terms of its inherent conflicts, and resolving it with proper conviction. 


2. BALOS 

Playwright: Nik Azcuna

Director: Cholo Ledesma 

Childhood friends Ishmael (Vincent Pajara) and Jeanie (Heart Puyong) were now physicians in a hospital in Marawi City. On May 17, 2017, a 16 year-old boy shot in the abdomen was brought in by his comrades, all members of a notorious terrorist group. Jeanie wanted to call the authorities, but Ishmael wanted to do the emergency surgery. Under pressure, hospital director Dr. Abdul (Bong Cabrera) had to come up with a compassionate compromise.

Writer Azcuna has come up with a medical drama complicated by issues of politics, and made more challenging by issues of religion. Aside from the dilemma between Jeanie and Ishmael and Dr. Abdul's Solomonic decision, there was also a dilemma within Ishmael himself, being a Muslim man who did not agree with the violence resorted to by radical Muslim rebels. Director Ledesma and the passionate performances of Pajara, Puyong and Cabrera made this a topnotch theater experience, riveting to the end. 


3. LUALHATI 

Playwright:  Gab Mactal

Director: Mara Paulina Marasigan

It was the final day of the wake of a senior nun. A surprise visitor was Jacinta (Angel Aquino), who left the convent 20 years ago and now taught Philosophy. Her old friend Lualhati (Banaue Miclat) was now the Mother Superior. The two long-estranged friends looked back on their youth together as postulants, as they "saw" young Lualhati (Sarah Monay) and young Jacinta (Iana Bernardez) sharing secrets in the same garden where they are now.

The emotional reconnection between the two women was sensitively written by young transgender playwright Mactal, filled with beautiful quotes from St. Thomas Aquinas and verses from the Bible, notably the Book of Ruth. Aquino's jaded and bitter Jacinta contrasted well with Miclat's peaceful and content Lualhati, as they revisited their callow youth, until they reached that cathartic moment that had them both in genuine tears.

Having real-life mother-daughter movie actresses Aquino and Bernardez playing the same character at different ages was insightful casting. Jackie Lou Blanco will be playing Lualhati in some shows, with Bea Garcia-Choy playing her younger self. It should be interesting to see if there will be adjustments in the script given the age difference between Blanco and Aquino, as well as between Garcia-Choy and Bernardez? 


Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Review of VIRGIN LABFEST XXI: SET A "TENGANG KAWALI": Scorched by Scams

June 3, 2026



1. PASSWORD123, PILIPINAS321 

Playwright: Anthony Kim Vergara

Director: Norbs Portales 

Bert (Noel Rayos) heads the Black Team, in charge of an underground company that executes online systems penetration and ransomware for a price. His team includes Gado (Miguel delos Reyes), Jae (Nicole Manlulo) and their newest recruit Nix (Earvin Estioco). One day, Bert was presenting their operations to Andre (Gio Gahol), the son and heir of their CEO. That same day, a major customer Mr. Garcia (Gie Onida) was there to close a big deal. 

It was not that easy to get into this play at first, especially as the script was very heavy with information technology jargon, writer Vergara is in IT after all. However, it did not take long for us to pick up that we were watching people who were experts in illegal operations, like hacking, scamming, and even election cheating -- very disturbing stuff. At that point, we get totally engrossed as the plot escalated into a very tense standoff situation, as skillfully executed with nail-biting suspense by Portales and the ensemble led by Rayos, Gahol and Onida. 


2. PATAYIN ANG MGA SUROT 

Playwright: Floyd Scott Tiogangco 

Director: Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan 

Reformed drug addict Daddy (Lian Silverio) was just released from jail. His wife Mommy (Donna Cariaga) were very thankful for the anti-drug operations of the former president, for knocking sense into him so he was able to change his ways. While waiting for their teenage son Billy to come home so they can celebrate his 18th birthday, the couple talked how happy they were that the UniTeam won, while their bed was infested with bedbugs. 

This play may have a predictable plot, as you can somehow see how it will all wind up from the get-go. However, it took a very unconventional route towards that ending. We get to see how people living with drugs from below the poverty line still idolize the government waging a war against them. With her sensitive treatment of the material, Nuevo-Tadioan made us care for this poor clueless couple, allowing Silverio and Cariaga to delight us with their sweet, silly antics for most of the play. We thought we were a cute naughty comedy, until it was not.


3. HUMAN RIGHTS STORY OF THE YEAR 

Playwright: Elijah Felice Rosales

Director: Nelsito Gomez

Ish (Justine Peña) won an international award for an article she wrote about the widows of the victims of EJKs during the previous presidency. She threw a despedida party for her friends before she left for a one-year all-expense-paid fellowship in New York City that came with the award. Her former colleague Doy (CJ Navato) engaged her in a tough discussion about how he felt about her winning article and how she treated one of the women interviewed.

Like it was in the first play, playwright Rosales is also a newspaper journalist, so he had inside knowledge about the topic in his play -- ethics in mass media. This was a pure two-hander, only two characters engaged in a very serious conversation. At first, we saw Ish and Doy as good friends, until their bitter exchange of accusations soon expose their flaws. As Peña and Navato both argue their points with passion and intensity, we realize we can never really get the complete story in the news we read. 


Sunday, May 24, 2026

POC: Review of MASTER CLASS (2026): Delving into a Diva's Divinity

May 24, 2026



Opera diva Maria Callas was christened Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulou to Greek parents in Brooklyn, New York. She moved to Athens as a teenager, trained in opera and made her debut at the Greek National Opera in 1941. One year later, she landed her first major starring role in Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca." From then on and throughout the 1950s, Callas had an acclaimed international career in dramatic bel canto opera. 

Due to progressive vocal and health issues, Callas retired from the operatic stage in 1965, drawing on a curtain on a career which was as much controversial as it was celebrated.  From October 1971 to March 1972, Callas accepted an invitation to give a series of master classes at the Juilliard School in New York open to students and spectators. It was on these classes that this 1995 play "Master Class" by Terrence Mc Nally was based on. 

The Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium is transformed into a classroom at the Julliard School. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Maria Callas, dressed in her stylish all-black pants suit and large Christian Dior handbag, confidently enters from the back of the room. She immediately starts talking to us in the audience as if we are the students of her class. She makes us feel intimidated with her rules she has set, but then reassures us she is more bark than bite. 

Lauchengco-Yulo became Maria Callas in all her diva glory. Most of the show were lengthy monologues about her life -- her slim pretty blonde sister, her teacher Mme. de Hildalgo, her first husband Battista, her rival divas, and her Aristotle. She delivered flawlessly throughout the two hours of the show, never once faltering in her pronunciation, accent, nor character. The whole show, in itself, is a veritable master class in transformative stage performance.

In the first act, Alexandra Bernas played Sophie de Palma, whose look did not impress Callas at all on first meeting. She did not even allow poor Sophie to sing beyond her first line of her planned piece "Ah, non credea minarti" from Bellini's "La Somnambula," interrupting her at every word. This part was admittedly difficult to sit through for casual viewers, as there were so many names dropped and cultural references of her time, now way beyond our ken. 

In the second act, Arman Ferrer plays tenor Tony Candolino, who wore a tight outfit to show off his "bella figura," as Callas called it. Like Sophie before, Callas interrupted him on his first line, being unaware of the song's intention. But unlike Sophie, Tony fought for his opportunity to sing, impressing her, with his passionate rendition of "Recondita armonia" from Puccini's "Tosca." The audience erupted in spontaneous applause in violation of Callas's first rule.

Angeli Benipayo played Sharon Graham. Her character was comic relief at first, right when she entered wearing an emerald green princess gown, with a sparkly tiara and flashy necklace. However, when she finally got to sing "Vieni! t'affretta" from Lady Macbeth's Letter scene in Verdi's "Macbeth," we realize Benipayo's vocal virtuosity as she navigated those difficult notes. Sharon's exit line was shocking, as it was thought-provoking.

Louie Angelo Oca played Jewish pianist Emmanuel, Manny for short. He was an excellent pianist for sure, but his nerves as a neophyte actor was quite obvious with his self-conscious delivery of lines. However, in one scene, he impressed us with this rich baritone, when he got to sing duet line with Sharon. Director Jaime del Mundo cameoed the surly Stagehand, who could not care less about who the diva ordering him around actually was. 

Joey Mendoza designed a stylish minimalstic set. It had that wooden wall with a wavy weave-like pattern as backdrop, which created an ethereal illusion when played upon by D Cortezano's red lighting. This was instrumental in heightening the dramatic effect of those scenes where Callas was transported back to her glory days as she hears herself sing instead of her student. Amidst the applause she garnered, she also relived the difficulties she faced.



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Terrence McNally's "MASTER CLASS" runs from May 15 to 30, 2026 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza in Makati City. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me or onsite. Ticket prices: Orchestra Center Premium P4000, Orchestra Center P3800, Orchestra Side P2960, Orchestra Side Zone 2 P2800, Loge Center P3080, Loge Side/Back P2800, Balcony P1840. 


Sunday, May 3, 2026

GMG: Review of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in MANILA (2026): Gospel with Glitter and Groove

May 3, 2026



Because his teachings and miracles had earned him hordes of followers among the Jews, Jesus (Joshua Bess) has gained the ire of the Pharisees. Their leaders, Caiaphas (Grant Hodges) and Annas (Kodiak Thompson), bribed one of Jesus's apostles, Judas Iscariot (Javon King), to deliver him to them for the price of thirty pieces of silver. Jesus faced trial before Pontius Pilate (Ethan Hardy Benson), which led him to his death by crucifixion.

This timeless story, which formed the basis of Catholicism and all Christian religions, has been recorded in the Holy Bible, then told and retold over the centuries. In 1970, it became the subject of a sung-through rock opera, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. After its success as a concept album, it debuted on the Broadway stage in 1971, West End in 1972, then transitioned into film under director Norman Jewison in 1973.

In 2016, a revival of this musical was produced by the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre under the direction of Timothy Sheader, which later went on to win the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. In 2025, this same production was announced to go on an international tour, to kick off in Manila in May 2026. After Manila, it will be going to Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, and London in June (with Matty Juniosa just announced to play Annas!)

I have seen the film more than once and am familiar with the songs, but this is the first time I have seen it played live on a stage. This was not a 'traditional" interpretation, not your grandma's passion play. Except for the Sanhedrin with their capes, priestly breastplates, staffs (that doubled as microphones on the other end) and bare torsos, characters wore modern active wear outfits of polyester, denim or leather, no biblical robes here. 

There were massive scaffoldings at the back where the live band, led by musical director Harry Haden Brown, were situated on its various levels. On the foreground was a huge cross lying on the floor, acting mainly as a runway on which actors walked, but later doubled as the table of the Last Supper -- a perfectly-executed ingenious staging idea which may look better when seen from the loge or balcony. 


Javon King (Judas), Joshua Bess (Jesus) and Gab Pangilinan (Mary Magdalene)

Joshua Bess and Javon King made an electric Jesus - Judas tandem, the controversial friendship around which an intense and tragic personal conflict revolved around. Both of them had total control of their powerful wails. The main highlight of Bess' Jesus was "Gethsemane," innovated by having him play guitar while singing the initial verses, before power-belting the rest of the song with raw painful emotions. King's Judas had several showstoppers -- the opening song "Heaven on Their Minds," "Damned for All Time/Blood Money" when he stained his hands with silver glitter, "Judas' Death" with its heat-wrenching reprise of "I Don't Know How to Love Him," and of course, the anthemic title song.

For the Manila shows, the role of Mary Magdalene (still thought to engage in an unsavory "profession" in this 1970 iteration of the story) was played by local theater star Gab Pangilinan. For fans of her previous performances, from "Side Show" to "Ang Huling El Bimbo" to "The Last Five Years," there was no doubt that she would nail this role. She imbued all of Mary Magdalene's songs with her clear and calming mezzo-soprano -- "Everything's Alright," "Could We Start Again Please," and her signature hit "I Don't Know How to Love Him." 

The striking vocal contrast between deep bass-baritone Grant Hodges (as Caiaphas) and rock countertenor Kodiak Thompson (as Annas) was a wonder to hear performed live. Ethan Hardy Benson and his strong rock vocals gave grit to Pontius Pilate's difficult dilemma in "Trial by Pilate." This song peaked in that awesomely-staged scourging scene where Pilate counted down each lacerating lash of the whip one by one, all the way to 39. Erich W. Schleck's King Herod and his wacky, gold-plated, high-heeled, drag-flavored, campy fun song and dance number was a welcome comedic respite halfway in the heavy second half. 

When Jesus called shaven-headed Will Silver as "Simon," some viewers (like me) may be mistaken to think that he was playing Simon Peter. However, he was actually singing as Simon the Zealot, inciting Jesus to lead the Jews to rise against Rome. By the Last Supper scene that opened Act 2, it would be clear that Simon Peter really was someone else. This was when Thomas McFerran walked in playing his guitar, leading the apostles to sing about all their "trials and tribulations, sinking in a gentle pool of wine."

I watched the matinee on the second day of its run. Even so early in its run, Sheader's show flowed efficiently, with no transition delays nor sound glitches. The whole show finished in two hours, including a 20-minute intermission in between. The interactions of the actors and musicians were so fluid, especially during scenes of complex vocal harmonies and choreography, such as "The Temple" and "Superstar." The unexpected final scene potently left a quiet question about Jesus's redemptive mission and Judas' key role in its fruition. 


Ethan Hardy Benson (Pilate) with King, Bess and Pangilinan 


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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR runs at the Theater at Solaire from May 2 to 31, 2026, with shows from Tuesday to Friday at 8 pm, Saturday 3 pm and 8 pm, and Sunday 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Tickets available at TicketWorld. Ticket prices range from P7,400, P5,600, P4,900, P3,700, P3,400 and P2000 for weekend shows, with lower prices P6,800, P5,000, P4,000, P3,400, P3,100, P2000 for Tuesday to Thursday shows.

The arrival of Luke Street, the actor initially announced to play Jesus, has been delayed due to unavoidable family circumstances. He will be taking over the role of Jesus later this week. The actor whom I saw perform as Jesus, Joshua Bess, is Street's understudy, who certainly proved himself stellar enough in the title role. Bess is also named as understudy for Pilate. 

Aside from Bess, Schleck, Silver and McFerran, the Ensemble includes Ashley Chafer, Filippo Coffano, Kalei Cotecson, Joshua Dormor, Savannah Fisher, Elizabeth Fullalove, Icis Hammond, Jake McPhee, Jessica Meegan, Caroline Perry, Sandy Redd, and Jordan Michael Todd, with Swings Lydia Ruth Dawson, Brittany Dowd, Cameron Kuhn and Darren Robinson. 

The creative team working under director Timothy Sheader include choreographer Drew McOnie, costume designer Tom Scott, musical supervisor Tom Deering, lighting designer Lee Curran, and sound designer Nick Lidster. 




Saturday, May 2, 2026

AE: Review of SANTA JUANA NG MGA KATAYAN: Martyr of the Meat Market

May 2, 2026


Pedro Sakmal (Lee Gosuico) did not exactly like the dark and dirty nature of his business. However, since he was the big boss of the biggest slaughterhouse in town, his decisions influenced all the developments of all the people who did business with him -- the workers, the meat packers, the ranchers. He was lecherous and ruthless, qualities which his close associate Soro (Melvin Calubiran) would push further.

Juana (Tini Quadra) belonged to a religious charity organization calling themselves "Itim na Salakot," led by Paulo Sarmiento (Philippe Reyes). Of all the members, Juana was the one who actively preached to the poor about God. However, she observed that they were very much affected by their hunger and financial woes to pay any attention to religion. She decided to go talk to the root of their problem -- Sakmal himself. 

The original play upon which this latest production of Ateneo Entablado was based is "Saint Joan of the Stockyards" by German playwright Bertolt Brecht, known for his exploration of politics in theater plays that provoke critical thinking about social injustice. The lead character was inspired by St. Joan of Arc, but transposed the battles of the tragic divine-led peasant teenager from Siege of Orleans to the trading floor of the Livestock Exchange. 

The Meat Packers


This Filipino version was translated by no less than prolific Ateneo-based playwright Guelan Varela Luarca, whose name on the marquee alone guaranteed a thought-provoking time at the theater. We are more used to Luarca's emotional treatment of intimate interpersonal relationships, his translation still managed to make us connect to this complex Brechtian play, even as it was loaded heavily with the jargon of business economics. 

The name of antagonist Pedro Sakmal was derived from the original Pierpoint Mauler. Meat packers now carry typical Filipino surnames Garcia (Elle Quinto), Dela Cruz (Kyle Tano), Reyes (Mik Cadag), Cruz (Ron Abustan). The mission "Itim na Salakot" led by Paulo Sarmiento was originally "The Black Straw Hats" led by Paul Snyder. Oppressed housewife Gng. Kinulangan (Sam Saquilayan) was originally called Mrs. Luckerniddle. 

This play boasted of an all-student cast, who gave their all to bring this demanding, wordy, and lengthy (3 hours long!) script to life. Gosuico, the actor playing Sakmal, was so young, he still needed to wear a false beer belly to look more sleazy. Aside from all the chaotic shouting, there were those Brechtian singing interludes. The most recognizable song sung was one by Aegis, for which guitarist-singer Martha (Jam Asombrado) invited the audience to sing along.

The production team was headed by co-directors Delphine Buencamino and Issa Manalo-Lopez. The interior of the Fine Arts Black Box of the Old Communication Building was converted by set designer Wika Nadera and lighting designer Aldrie Valmonte into a grim, dreary, bloodstained butcher factory, complete with pig carcasses hanging on the wall. The class-and occupation- coded costumes were designed by Tata Tuviera. 

Pedro Sakmal (Gosuico) and Juana (Quadra)


This play was originally written by Bertolt Brecht almost 100 years ago, and yet the socio-economic drama it presents remains timely up to our present day. Brecht wrote plays like this with the hope that his audience will be encouraged to effect change in injustice and exploitation going on in our world. We remain optimistic that the yawning gap separating the rich from the poor may someday became narrower as a result of proactive action. 


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SANTA JUANA NG MGA KATAYAN by Ateneo Entablado runs weekends from April 19 to May 3, 2026. Show times at 7:30 pm, with 2:00 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.  



Saturday, April 18, 2026

Review of THE MOON AND THE BAKUNAWA: Connecting with the Caregiver

April 18, 2026



Tongyong (a nickname given by his Chinoy father) spent his boyhood in Bacolod with his Mamay. One of their bonding activities was to bang noisily on pots and pans during nights with a lunar eclipse, done in the belief that this would drive away the legendary dragon-like creature called the "bakunawa" which eats the moon. Tongyong never imagined that this monster would be a metaphor for a dreaded disease which will eat up his mother's luster. 

In 1991, the family migrated to Perth in Australia. Tongyong used his real name Benny professionally as a theater practitioner in Sydney. Everything changed when it was noted that his Mamay began behaving strangely, and saying the most unusual things. She was diagnosed with vascular dementia. She was only 67 years old. Because his sisters both had their own families, Tongyong was obligated to stay and care for his ailing mother. 

When I watched, Mamay was played by Divina Cavestany, who once performed alongside the legendary Rolando Tinio and Ella Luansing in Teatro Pilipino, the CCP resident company from 1976 to 1986. Cavestany was a force of nature as her Mamay slowly deteriorated in front of our eyes onstage. Her transitions to worse stages of dementia were subtle and nuanced, never histrionic until its final fulminance. (Arlene Abuid-Paderanga alternates as Mamay.)

Divina Cavestany and Phil Panganiban 

Tongyong was played by Phil Panganiban. Chan reminds that the dementia patient herself is "blissfully" unaware of her illness, so it is the caregiver who goes through a gamut of difficulties while attending to their every need and keeping them safe from harm. Panganiban's Tongyong had a notably colorful personality (he worked in theater, after all) so he tended to be hyperdramatic, very open with his feelings. (Remus Villanueva alternates as Tongyong.)

Veteran director Roobak Valle heads the creative team, with production designer Julio Garcia built the homey wooden frame outline of Mamay's house, as well as the seven moons above it. Roman Cruz's lights and TJ Ramos's sound effects and music gave the show an atmosphere of suspense and foreboding. Sheik Completado was the video designer/ technical director responsible for the haunting "bakunawa' visual effects in the background. 

This play was written by Ben Nitoy Chan, Jr. He shared that he was his own story, about the eight years when he was the sole caregiver of his mother as she went through dementia. His deeply emotional script felt lived in, not a mere product of imagination and research. You will feel that that the writer had gone through this challenging mission of filial piety himself, so audience members who live with elderly folks will identify closely and connect. 

Post-show Talkback Session with the actors, writer Nitoy Chan, and director Roobak Valle




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THE MOON AND THE BAKUNAWA runs for two weekends April 18-19, and 25-26, 2026, with shows at 3 PM and 7 PM. Venue is at the Jayne Offemaria-Abuid Auditorium located at the 12th Floor of the AIMS Tower, in the campus of the Asian Institute of Maritime Studies, Libertad St. near Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. Tickets available at Ticket2Me, priced at P2,000 (VVIP), P1,500 (VIP), and P1,000 (Balcony).