unSAULicited

Photo from GMG Productions In December, Manila fills up quickly. Malls glow brighter. Calendars tighten. Holiday plans stack up fast. And in the middle of it all, families start asking a quieter question. Where can we go that feels special without being exhausting? This year, the answer might just be tucked inside The Space at Solaire . For a limited time, Santa Claus is making a special appearance at Brickman® Wonders of the World , turning one of Manila’s most immersive exhibitions into a holiday experience built around imagination, creativity, and togetherness. From December 15 to January 4 , Santa will be welcoming families daily from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM , inviting children to experience Christmas in a world made entirely of LEGO® bricks  A Different Kind of Holiday Attraction Brickman® Wonders of the World does not feel like a seasonal pop-up. It feels considered. Photo from GMG Productions Inside, families walk through more than 45 large-scale LEGO® recreations of iconic ...

Some theatre news arrives like weather. You do not simply read it. You feel the shift. A kind of tightening in the air, the quiet before something immense rolls in. When the full cast list for LES MISÉRABLES THE WORLD TOUR SPECTACULAR dropped, Manila felt that soft, electric stillness that precedes a wave. The kind of moment that stops anyone who has ever let “Bring Him Home” tear through them. From January 20 to March 1, 2026, The Theatre at Solaire becomes the home of a world tour already breaking records across continents. A strictly limited Manila season. A staging built on a scale the city has not yet witnessed. A Cast Assembled Like a Monument The principal cast reads like a curated gallery of global and Filipino excellence. Gerónimo Rauch as Jean Valjean Rauch has carried Valjean on both the West End and Spanish stages. His résumé spans The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera , Robert Kincaid in The Bridges of Madison County , Rob Jeremy Cole in The Physician , Joe Gillis...

Anyone searching for a unique February 2026 event in Manila will find something remarkable at MiraNila Heritage House . On February 5, 2026 , the historic 1929 home in Cubao opens its gates for Cinema Paradiso Al Fresco , a one-night blend of live music, heritage tours, and an outdoor film screening that feels crafted for those who want culture presented with intimacy and intention. Stepping into MiraNila already feels like entering a preserved chapter of Manila’s past. Guests begin the evening with a guided heritage house tour , moving through rooms that hold nearly a century of stories. This gentle immersion sets up the mood for the night, grounding visitors before the music and film unfold on the front lawn. The concert itself features two celebrated international artists. Violinist Alessio Benvenuti , widely recognized for his national and international impact, performs alongside pianist Mariel Ilusorio , an artist whose work has reached audiences across four continents. Their pro...

The holiday season arrived decisively in Rockwell on the opening night of A Christmas Carol , as the Proscenium Theater welcomed a full house ready to be swept into a story that continues to endure for a reason. From the first notes of the score to the final bows, the production established itself not merely as a seasonal offering, but as a theatrical experience shaped by care, scale, and emotional precision. There was an unmistakable sense in the room that this was not just another stop on the holiday calendar. It felt like the moment Christmas truly began. The timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge unfolds through confident performances from a polished ensemble that blends theater veterans, powerhouse vocalists, and a dynamic young cast. Together, they bring a balance of intimacy and spectacle that allows the narrative to feel both familiar and newly alive. Even those who know the story beat for beat will find moments that land with renewed impact. Tiny Tim’s entrance, portrayed by Enzo ...

There are announcements that feel like business. And then there are announcements that feel like an inside joke finally made official. Philippine Educational Theater Association is officially bringing Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank back not to the screen, not to a streaming platform, but to the stage. And somehow, that makes perfect sense. Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh t! It’s Live Sa Cheter!* is opening from June 19 to August 16, 2026 at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City, marking the franchise’s most self-aware leap yet. After two films and one series that lovingly dissected the Philippine film industry, the septic tank now turns its gaze toward live theater making itself. And if you have ever been part of a production meeting, a tech week meltdown, or a post-show debrief that started calm and ended existential, you already know why this works. A Meta Comedy That Knows Exactly What It Is This fourth installment is described as chaotic, hilarious, and deeply meta. Which is re...

There is a particular kind of urgency that comes with Christmas in the city. Not the loud, chaotic rush, but the quiet pressure that builds before you realize it has fully settled in. The kind you feel when you are driving along EDSA and suddenly notice Rockwell glowing again. Buildings outlined in light, deliberate and unmistakable, as if the city itself is reminding you that time is running short. Christmas is no longer approaching. It is already pressing in. For decades, Rockwell has owned this seasonal signal. Long before dates on a calendar demand it, the holidays announce themselves through atmosphere and scale. When Power Plant Mall begins to shimmer in its signature elegance, you know Christmas has crossed an invisible threshold. This year, that feeling does not stop at the mall. Rockwell carries the tradition forward into its cultural spaces, reaching the Proscenium Theater through 9 Works Theatrical ’s staging of A Christmas Carol . It is an intentional choice to open the...

As Far Eastern University prepares for its Centennial in 2028, it continues to affirm its commitment to knowledge creation, cultural documentation, and creative scholarship through publishing. Under FEU Publications, the University is set to release four new book titles that reflect the richness of Filipino life and values. Centered on food traditions, institutional history, and the creative legacies of women, the books highlight how memory, leadership, and craft shape both personal identity and collective heritage. Together, the titles underscore FEU’s role not only as an educational institution but also as a steward of culture. Documenting the Filipino Holiday Table NOCHE BUENA: 100 Stories Shared at the Philippine Holiday Table marks the first release in FEU’s 100-book series. Designed as a mini coffee-table book, the volume gathers one hundred first-hand accounts of Christmas celebrations and food traditions from chefs, restaurant owners, food producers, and writers across th...

There are seasons when the theater calendar feels like an exhale. Then there are nights when news drops like a warm pulse against the quiet, reshaping the hours that follow. The Sandbox Collective does exactly that. As the company approaches its twelfth year and readies its 2026 season, it sets the stage for an early Spring in Makati. The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell becomes the cradle of a revival that feels urgent, present, and deeply resonant. The full cast of Spring Awakening has been unveiled, and with it comes the promise of a production built for this moment. This is a revival that steps into the room with conviction. A right-now Spring. A bruising and beautiful reckoning. Where Silence is Rewarded and Curiosity is Punished With book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, and based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play, Spring Awakening remains one of the most unflinching examinations of youth ever staged. It is a work of aching contradictions. Tender bu...

There are nights in the city when music feels like history breathing again. On January 22, 2026, the Manila Symphony Orchestra will mark one hundred years since its founding with a grand centennial concert at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. The program, at once a look back and a leap forward, gathers a century of Filipino artistry, global collaboration, and devotion to sound. Exactly one hundred years ago, in 1926, the MSO first performed Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 . The piece returns to the stage in this milestone concert under the baton of Singaporean guest conductor Darrel Ang, reminding audiences how Beethoven’s themes of freedom and triumph still resound in the Filipino spirit. It is followed by the Emperor Concerto , with rising young Chinese pianist Muyu Liu at the keyboard, his performance bridging the global reach of the orchestra’s present with the vision of its founders. The second half shifts from Europe to home. National Artist for Music Ry...

The holiday season in Manila just found its newest family destination. This December, The Space at Solaire transforms into a playground of imagination as Brickman® Wonders of the World lands in the Philippines for the very first time. Presented by GMG Productions , the globally acclaimed LEGO® exhibition invites guests to travel across continents without ever leaving the city, one brick at a time. From the Taj Mahal to the Arc de Triomphe , the exhibit reimagines over forty-five of the world’s most awe-inspiring landmarks entirely out of LEGO® bricks. Some pieces even tower up to 3.6 meters high, each crafted with precision and creativity by The Brickman himself, Ryan McNaught —the only LEGO Certified Professional in the Southern Hemisphere and a familiar face as the official judge of LEGO® Masters Australia . His team of master builders spent thousands of hours constructing these masterpieces, with some models made from more than 164,000 individual bricks. Beyond being a visual ...

As the November breeze turns crisp and Makati’s city lights shimmer with early Christmas hues, 9 Works Theatrical unwraps a holiday gift for theater lovers: the much-awaited full cast announcement of “A Christmas Carol The Musical.” Set to fill The Proscenium Theater at Rockwell with song, spirit, and sparkle from November 29 to December 21, 2025 , this timeless tale promises a radiant mix of nostalgia, artistry, and star power. ✨ The return of a classic Forget “Bah, humbug!” The stage will glow with hope and humanity once again. At the heart of the production is Arnel Carrion , taking on the mantle of Ebenezer Scrooge . A fixture of Philippine musical theater since the 1990s, Carrion, fresh from Liwanag sa Dilim The Musical , brings both gravitas and warmth to the miser whose redemption defines the season. Adding youthful radiance to the story, Enzo Dognidon and Jethro Ting alternate as Tiny Tim , the ever-hopeful symbol of light amid darkness. 🌙 Ghosts of Christmas past, pr...

There is a certain scent that fills the air when an artist comes home. The scent of travel worn away by salt and smoke, of stage lights replaced by the slow warmth of creation. Today, November 7 , Nicole Laurel Asensio returns to local shores with Let Our Love , her newest single under Warner Music Philippines . It arrives quietly, like a whisper at the end of a long day. Yet beneath its calm surface, there is fire. Teaming once again with producer and multi-instrumentalist Gabe Dandan , Nicole draws from a place of ease and freedom. Together they weave something sensual and soulful, a track that breathes like a living thing. “It was the first time I asked Gabe to strike the match and ignite the creative process,” Nicole recalls. “No references, no notes, no plans. Just trust.” And that trust became spark, then song. What followed was a dance between impulse and intention, a creative current that moved with its own rhythm. Painting in Sound From the first bars, Let Our Love fe...