9Works: Review of YEMAYA: Aspiring for America

June 20, 2026

Jesus (Benedix Ramos) was a young boy who lived in a remote rural farming village called Magdalena. He spent his days playing dominoes with his cheerful friend Tico (Herbie Go) who owned a stall selling coconuts, and street-smart Uncle Jelin (Anthony Falcon) who went to the big city for his business. One day, Jesus tagged along with Jelin to the city and was awed by the bright neon lights and ice-cold Coke in the grocery of Lila (Sheenly Gener).

Jesus also saw the fancy El Castillo Hotel, where the President of America stayed when he came to visit their island. He promised himself that when he grew up he would make his way to someday go to America and meet the President for himself. However, his boyhood turned from idyllic to tragic when a big fire razed Magdalena down. Jesus returned to the city, took on the name Mulo to work in Lila's store. It was there that he met Maya (Ness Roque). 

The original play was entitled "Yemaya's Belly," written in 2003, the first play by Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes. Prolific local playwright Eljay Castro Deldoc had the idea to translate the play from its original language of English into Filipino. This adaptation, now simply called "Yemaya," fit right in with the Latin / Caribbean-flavor of the play in terms of shared atmosphere and culture that was steeped in magic realism. 

After a 7-year hiatus, Ed Lacson Jr. returns to Manila to direct the play and design the set of "Yemaya." His set design was definitely one of this play's stellar aspects. The stage was a giant rectangular sandbox with a walkway of wooden planks on all sides. The props and set pieces -- from neon signs to a rowboat -- were suspended on the ceiling, to be brought down as required. Generous stage smoke completed the eerie illusion when needed, like in that heart-pounding scene of Jesus and Maya walking to the boat at midnight.

I've seen Benedix Ramos in emotionally-tough roles in "Next to Normal" and "Dagitab" before, and he did not disappoint here as Jesus. His alternate is indie movie actor Tommy Alejandrino, who has also been receiving rave reviews about his performance in this same role. This is the first play that I have seen Ness Roque, but she had been with Sipat Lawin since 2009. With a strong, confident stage presence, she made for a spunky and spirited Maya. Her alternate, Sheena Belarmino, is the current ingenue du jour, so she should also be very good. 

Bituin Escalante played a dual role here At first we see her as Jesus's kind mother with whom he was very close. Later we would see her as a flirty and mysterious street singer named Yemaya, who wore a royal blue satin gown adorned with feathers. In Act 2, we would see her  embody the legendary Yemaya, goddess of the ocean in the Yoruba religion of West Africa. She gets to intone a couple of songs with a mystical spirit only her voice could imbue.

Herbie Go's Tico was a generally happy and friendly older guy, who was devoted to his wife. He also played the hotel manager who was directing him to the lowermost penthouse room in Jesus's surreal fantasy. Sheenly Gener's Lila was a practical store owner, and her interactions with Jesus were quite lively and engrossing. Anthony Falcon's Jelin was too thin as written, even if you think he will have more to do, but unfortunately, this character was quite underused. 

It is very surprising to learn that this project is 9 Works Theatrical's first straight play (and in Filipino to boot) in its 17 year history. Their past output had been all been Broadway or West End musicals, with one notable OPM jukebox musical, "Eto Na! Musikal nAPO!" in 2019.  This project has a sad story, dark mood, heavy subject matter, confusing meld of reality and fantasy, plus a rather lengthy run time of 2 hours 40 minutes with 15 minute intermission. While undoubtedly well-made, it may not exactly be an easy watch for all audiences. 

Falcon, Escalante, Ramos, Roque, Gener at their curtain call (Go hidden)

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"Yemaya" runs from June 13 to July 5, 2026 at the Black Box Theater, on the 6th floor of the Procenium, Rockwell, Makati. Ticket are priced at P2900 (VIP), P2600 (Premium) and P2,300 (Regular), on Ticket2Me or on site. Act 2 has some mature elements that make it rated PG.