Mark your calendars! The beloved musicals are slated for an August 2025 and March 2026 premiere.
Following the success of Request sa Radyo, Theatre Group Asia (TGA) is set to electrify the Philippine theater scene once again with two iconic musicals, Into The Woods and A Chorus Line.
Based on Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1986 hit musical, Into the Woods is a dark comedy that sees the exploits of several fairy tale characters tied together by a childless baker and his wife who set off on a journey to break a witch’s curse preventing the couple from having a child. What ensues is a magical visual and audio spectacle that dramatically portrays the impact and consequences of specific choices and actions.
The musical’s producer and overall artistic director, Clint Ramos, describes the staging in the Philippines as one that also “considers the Filipino condition.”
He elaborated: “Into the Woods is a very complex piece. It explores the themes of power, disenfranchisement, broken dreams, hope, resilience, and determination to move forward. We want to lean into the idea of creating a version of Into the Woods that considers the Filipino condition. Our unique lens influences how different our version will be. Hopefully, our context will give more meaning to the already rich work that is this Sondheim musical. We are so lucky and grateful that we got the blessing from the Sondheim estate.”
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Meanwhile, A Chorus Line is hailed as a musical masterpiece that revolutionized Broadway. It follows the fast-paced and grueling audition process of 17 theater performers valiantly pursuing one of the eight spots in a show. Creator Michael Bennett celebrates the searing stories of ambition, shattered hopes, and the real cost of following one’s dreams.
This is a poignant tale that the producing team knows all too well themselves. Ramos shared, “To me, A Chorus Line is an immense exploration into the craft of putting up shows and making art. It also delves into what happens when we explore individual human lives within this monolith, this unit, this chorus. It mirrors what we are trying to do.”
“We are trying to tease out the different ways of how to be Filipino and A Chorus Line exemplifies that excellently,” he continued. “When you see a chorus, you see one unit. But upon closer inspection, we get to see individual human beings and their respective complexities. The material speaks to the time that we are in, and how we easily write people off. A Chorus Line is a gift that way.”
Besides A Chorus Line’s gripping story, executive director Christopher Mohnani added that the audience can look forward to astounding dance performances during the show. “Internationally, we, Filipinos, are known to be great singers. Samsung Performing Arts Theater (S-PAT) is excited to host a piece of musical theater that puts a spotlight on our dancing talent, utilizing movement as a vehicle to unravel a story. S-PAT will offer a platform to some of the world’s best choreographers and dancers. They are living examples of the very values A Chorus Line glorifies: intense love for the arts, profound passion, and razor-sharp focus in working to produce excellent work.”
The staging of the beloved Stephen Sondheim musical Into The Woods is slated for August 2025 while the international smash hit A Chorus Line is in March 2026.
It follows the groundbreaking success of Request sa Radyo, which was staged by TGA last October, featuring premier actresses Lea Salonga and Dolly De Leon. “We all had such a great time during Request sa Radyo and saw a particular space we can inhabit within the vibrant and diverse Philippine theater ecosystem,” Ramos said.
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By bringing Into the Woods and A Chorus Line to the Philippines, Ramos and the rest of TGA aims to “foster more creative dialogues between global theater artists of Filipino heritage based abroad and talented local artists in the Philippines.”
“It is about learning from both ends and presenting world-class theater by Filipinos for Filipinos,” he added.
For more information about Into The Woods and A Chorus Line, visit www.theatregroupasia.com.
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