unSAULicited

🎟️ Not a drill: Les Miz is coming back, and it’s going full spectacle. 🌧️ Cue the overture, clear your January calendar, and warm up those vocal cords—because the people are singing again. After storming stages across the UK, Europe, and Australia, LES MISÉRABLES: WORLD TOUR SPECTACULAR is making its next major stop right here in Manila , opening January 20, 2026 , at The Theatre at Solaire for a strictly limited run. And by all accounts, this version is not just a return—it’s a revolution . “This powerfully perfect production lifts the roof off!” — Daily Record, Scotland To those who cried in secret to “On My Own,” screamed “Do You Hear The People Sing?” in the car, or held someone’s hand tighter during “Bring Him Home”—this is your moment. Forty years since it first broke ground in London’s West End, Les Miz arrives in Manila in an epic new form : reimagined sets, updated lighting, high-definition projections, a full international cast, and a live ensemble of musician...

 Power Mac Center Spotlight Black Box Theater 📅 July 26, 2025 – 3:00 PM Matinee There are shows that perform for applause—and then there are those that ache for connection. Side Show —as staged by The Sandbox Collective—is very clearly the latter, and the former, and something weirder in between. It doesn’t simply ask us to look. It dares us to feel . From the moment I stepped inside the black box at Power Mac Center Spotlight, I was no longer just an audience member. I was a spectator at a spectacle , yes—but also a willing conspirator in a world where the lines blur between freak and family, audience and advocate. This wasn’t just musical theater—it was vaudeville reimagined, with sharp intimacy, queer tenderness, and just enough velvet grime. 🎭 CAST SEEN Marynor Madamesila and Tanya Manalang’s twinship is a marvel—two distinct heartbeats moving in impossible sync. Tanya, with her measured gravity, grounds Violet’s longing with elegance. Marynor, meanwhile, sings Daisy’s b...

In theater, timing is everything. And sometimes, a pause is not an end—it’s an overture to something new. After 11 years of visionary stewardship, Toff De Venecia , co-founder and Managing Artistic Director of The Sandbox Collective , announces his formal hiatus from the company to pursue postgraduate studies abroad. As he prepares to take flight into deeper studies on innovation and public value, his final directorial offering— Side Show: The Musical —becomes both curtain call and love letter. In his stead, the spotlight now turns to Sab Jose —an award-winning actress, grief educator, and longtime Marketing & PR Director of Sandbox—who formally assumes the role of Artistic Director. A theater woman through and through, Jose brings with her not only deep institutional memory, but a fresh creative pulse that promises to reimagine and realign the company’s trajectory. Legacy and Lift-off Toff’s name has long been synonymous with cultural advocacy, both in the theater and beyond ...

A lyrical convergence of Brazil and the Baroque Amid shifting rains and rhythms, the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc., in collaboration with Standard Insurance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil through the Guimarães Rosa Institute (IGR) and the Embassy of Brazil in Manila, proudly presents Brazilian Guitar and Cello —an evening where music transcends geography and becomes language, memory, and motion. Set for Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 7:30 PM , the performance will take place at the Bayanihan Hall, Creative Arts Centre of the British School Manila, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig . At its core, the concert is a curatorial tapestry—bridging classical form and folkloric warmth, European precision and South American soul—led by an ensemble of exceptional international and Filipino artists. Featured Artists: 🎸 Fabio Zanon , guitar – A master of tone and touch, with accolades from the Francisco Tárrega and GFA competitions, and a career shaped by the discipline of...

Ballet Philippines, Repertory Philippines, and the Manila Symphony Orchestra unite for a rare theatrical fusion Picture this. A flute flutters like a bird. A clarinet sneaks like a cat. A bassoon grumbles like a grandfather. And somewhere downstage left, a little girl with a red hood steps softly through the forest—unknowing, unafraid, and about to meet a wolf. This is not just a performance. It’s a symphonic fable , a balletic adventure , a theatrical first . And for one magical Sunday night— August 3 at 7 PM , to be exact— students can witness it all for half the price. Yes. 50% off. For one night only. Three pillars of Philippine culture. One stage. For the first time in Philippine performing arts history, three of our most storied institutions— Ballet Philippines , Repertory Philippines , and the Manila Symphony Orchestra —share the stage in a fully integrated theatrical showcase. 🎼 Peter and the Wolf , composed by Sergei Prokofiev , is a musical fairy tale that turns t...

On the last night of the festival, a woman sits in a chair. Her name is Mary Girard—or what’s left of her. Around her swirl memories, phantoms, furies. Her mind, fragmented. Her voice, unraveling. Her body, still. But the moment? Alive. This August, BOGT Philippines makes history as it debuts 13th of September at the 18th Mondial du Théâtre in Monaco—the Philippines’ first-ever entry in the prestigious quadrennial festival since its founding in 1957. It’s not just an arrival. It’s a reckoning. One of the final performances of the entire global festival, staged in the gilded halls of the Princess Grace Theater , belongs to us. And at its center: Andoy Ranay —actor, director, provocateur—playing a woman once deemed mad, now rising in defiance. The madness reimagined 13th of September is not a retelling. It’s a resurrection. Adapted by Eljay Castro Deldoc from Lanie Robertson’s The Insanity of Mary Girard , this reimagined staging stretches the one-act original into a searing...

West End star leads Rockwell’s debut production at the Proscenium Theater It begins with a name. And for anyone who’s ever belted “Run to You” in front of a bedroom mirror or mouthed “I Will Always Love You” behind the wheel— that name holds weight. Whitney. The Bodyguard . Rachel Marron. A story of fame, fear, and fierce devotion. And this September 2025, that story takes the stage in Manila—with a voice that’s distinctly, proudly Filipino. Christine Allado stars in The Bodyguard The Musical , opening Rockwell’s very first theatrical production at the Proscenium Theater in Makati. Known across the West End for her commanding performances in Hamilton , The Prince of Egypt , and In the Heights , Allado now steps into a role made famous by Whitney Houston—with the added electricity of coming home. This isn’t just a role. It’s a reclamation. A homecoming like no other Allado’s casting feels as cinematic as it does symbolic. A Filipina performer whose career has included duets with...

Breathe in. You will be found. And in this version of the story, it is you —the Filipino theatergoer—who is about to be found. GMG Productions has officially unveiled the full international tour cast for Dear Evan Hansen 's Manila season , with previews beginning September 4 and a newly announced final extension to October 5, 2025 , at The Theatre at Solaire . A musical about loneliness, digital lives, grief, and the ache of wanting to belong, Dear Evan Hansen hit Broadway with a punch that still reverberates across generations. Now, with its long-awaited arrival in Manila, the story breathes anew—in all its tenderness, its trembling silences, and its terrifying honesty. MEET EVAN (AND HIS PEOPLE) Taking on the title role is Ellis Kirk , returning to the role of Evan Hansen after a celebrated run in London’s West End. This time, he brings the blue polo and arm cast to Manila, tracing Evan’s delicate unraveling with a performance that's already been called “devastating and l...

In a theatre landscape already teeming with spectacle, Kaliwaan dares to whisper instead of roar. This August, Stages Production Specialists, Inc., in partnership with MusicArtes, Inc., invites audiences into the raw, unguarded interior of relationships with Kaliwaan , a Filipino translation of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal , adapted by Palanca Hall of Fame playwright Guelan Varela-Luarca and directed by acclaimed filmmaker and theatre veteran Loy Arcenas. The result is an intimate act of theatrical excavation—one that pierces slowly, with elegance and precision. Running from August 22 to 31 at The Mirror Theater Studio in Makati, this ten-show limited engagement peels back the layers of a love triangle left to simmer in its own silences. Told in reverse chronology, Kaliwaan navigates the emotional aftermath of a seven-year affair between a woman and her husband’s best friend, exposing the fault lines that run beneath memory, longing, and the human compulsion to withhold. The cast is sm...

There’s something undeniably seductive about a first time. That breathless moment before the lights go down. That silence so full of possibility, you can almost hear it sing. This September, the city gets a brand-new theater—and a debut show with vocal cords powerful enough to pierce steel hearts. Welcome to The Proscenium Theater at Rockwell. Yes, Rockwell , that elegant slice of Makati best known for its curated lifestyle and quiet magnetism, is finally stepping into the spotlight. And for its grand reveal, it isn’t dipping its toes into the shallow end—it’s going full-on diva. Enter: The Bodyguard The Musical , staged by 9 Works Theatrical. A production so glittering, so deliciously nostalgic, it dares to open a theater with a whisper that becomes a wail: “And I…” WHITNEY, WEST END, AND WOW. If the title sends shivers down your spine, good. The Bodyguard is no stranger to drama. Inspired by the 1992 box-office behemoth starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the musical b...

If you've ever wished for a moment where Philippine performing arts could truly take your breath away— this is it . This August 2025 , history will unfold at The Theatre at Solaire , as Repertory Philippines (REP) , Ballet Philippines (BP) , and the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) come together for a rare and radiant twin bill of beloved tales: Peter and the Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood . More than just a show, this is a cultural milestone . A first-of-its-kind collaboration that brings together musical theater, classical ballet , and live symphonic music in one unforgettable experience for the whole family. 🐺 Peter and the Wolf: A Musical Theater Experience for Families Kicking off the twin bill is Peter and the Wolf , the iconic symphonic tale for children by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev . This story comes to life through live orchestration by the Manila Symphony Orchestra , one of the oldest and most respected orchestras in Asia. In this production, each chara...

What happens when a musical about loneliness, connection, and the blurry lines between truth and survival resonates so much with its audience that it refuses to say goodbye? You extend the run. One last time. And that’s exactly what’s happening with the Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen in Manila . Originally slated to close at the end of September, the international touring production will now run until October 5, 2025 , at The Theatre at Solaire . If you haven’t seen it yet, now is your final, final chance. And if you’ve already seen it? Maybe it's time to go again, this time with the friend you know needs it most. Why Dear Evan Hansen Hits Harder in 2025 Manila Let’s talk about what it’s like to sit inside The Theatre at Solaire and feel an entire room fall quiet during “You Will Be Found.” You look around and realize—everyone’s holding their breath. Because Evan’s story is ours. Or at least, it feels like it. In an age of filtered in...

If music is the universal language, then DUYOG 2025 might be its most powerful translation this year. Taking place on July 12, 2025, at the GSIS Theater in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex in Pasay City , DUYOG: The 1st International Youth Orchestra Festival 2025 Celebration Concert is more than a showcase—it's a global youth movement set to symphonic rhythm. The term duyog comes from Visayan, meaning to accompany , but this isn’t just about musical accompaniment. It’s about cultural solidarity , youth collaboration , and the transformative power of orchestral music . The festival, held earlier in Bohol from July 5–10, brings its grand finale to Manila with an awe-inspiring concert. What Is DUYOG 2025? Organized by the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation and spearheaded by violinist and conductor Jeffrey Solares , DUYOG 2025 is the culminating concert of the first-ever Bohol International Youth Orchestra Festival . This international event is a collabo...