Lola Basyang was the pseudonym of short story writer Severino Reyes who wrote classic tales for children first published in Liwayway Magazine in 1922. This legendary storyteller and her stories had been adapted in comics in 1949, as a film in 1958, as a ballet in 2008 and as a TV series in 2015. For the stage, she was adapted by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) in 2005 as part of their continued advocacy to educational theater.
This current 2026 revival run of PETA's "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang" was launched last September for a limited run, but has since been extended into this month (last show today). Like its previous incarnations in the past 20 years, this is targeted for school children as their introduction to the theater as an art. When I watched this afternoon, the theater was full of excited youngsters, mostly from Grades 5 to 10. There is said to be a planned longer run in February 2027, when the show will likely be open to the public.
The Colorful Set
This present version of the show is still directed by Phil Noble, but with a new cast and creative team -- choreographer Gio Gahol, set designer Julio Garcia, costume designer Carlo Pagunaling, musical director/arranger Kabaitan Bautista, composer Noel Cabangon, and lights designer Satya Edilo -- who have updated the staging style to cater to the distinct personality of Gen Alpha kids. Two of the three tales from the original 2005 staging, as originally adapted for the stage by renowned children's book author, Christine Bellen.
The first story was "Ang Prinsipeng Mahaba ang Ilong," with Yhuan Gatbonton in the title role. This was about how the prince with the long nose get teased by two guys named Bungal and Duling (Leo Lapitan and Thor Ganchero). The prince's long nose would later prove instrumental in rescuing the two rogues when they fell into a ditch. There was also a love story angle about the prince and a girl he met in the forest named Gracia (Belle Mendoza).
The second story was "Ang Binibining Tumalo sa Hari," with Nyla Festejo as the title character named Sharay, a daughter of a palace servant. When Datu Abdul (Roi Calilong) found out from his spy Lamucot (Mico Esquivel) that his son Prince Pido (Leo Lapitan) was in love with Sharay, he challenged her with three tasks to prove her worth. The tasks all seemed impossible to achieve, but Sharay eventually figured out how to get around them.
The third story "Ang Bantay ng Huling Buwan" was a new one written by J-mee Katanyag to unite the stories, and to bring folklore into the digital age. Here, a power outage gave Lola Basyang (Kiki Baento) a chance to tell her restless grandchild, online content creator Uriel (JC Sunto) the first two stories. A lunar eclipse that night led to the story about how six out of the seven original moons of Earth were eaten up by a monster called the Bakunawa.
The Cast gamely poses for photos
The cast and crew really tailored the show for kids of the present generation, from the brightly colorful sets and costumes to the energetic acting style and comic timing. They were successful in getting the kids to enthusiastically react and interact to what was going on onstage. Throughout the play, the kids were told to do various tasks, and they were all very excited to follow and deliver. Three lucky kids were even called onstage to help in a scene.
In between each story, Lola Basyang and Uriel talk to the audience about the valuable life lessons which they hope the kids have learned from each lively story. A person's worth should not be judged solely by how he looks like. Keep your wits about you when you are facing oppression, and you can overcome the odds. Critical thinking is required to navigate the online jungle full of bashing and fake news. Theater more than just fun and games after all.
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The production will also be available for school and community touring, in either excerpt or full-length show. For school bookings and touring information, contact King Joshua Nalupa via email kingjoshuanalupa@petatheater.com.
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