M3L04: Dramas by Filipino Playwrights

A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino

Nick Joaquin's masterwork set in pre-war Intramuros focusing on sisters Candida and Paula, considered the most important Filipino play in English.

The World is an Apple

Alberto S. Florentino's social realism play about Mario, an impoverished worker driven back to crime after stealing an apple for his sick daughter.

Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas

Aurelio Tolentino's 1903 allegorical play protesting American colonization that was infamously labeled a "seditious drama."

Walang Sugat

Severino Reyes's classic zarzuela blending 1896 Revolution romance between Tenyong and Julia with sharp anti-friar and anti-colonial critique.

Macli-ing Dulag

Malou Jacob's PETA historical drama chronicling the martyrdom of the Kalinga chieftain against the Chico River Dam project during Martial Law.

Katy! The Musical

A biographical musical by Ryan Cayabyab and Jose Javier Reyes about Katy de la Cruz, the legendary "Queen of Philippine Bodabil."

Noli Me Tangere / El Filibusterismo, The Musical

Acclaimed theatrical adaptations of Rizal's novels with music by Ryan Cayabyab and libretto by Bienvenido Lumbera, staged at the CCP.

Magsimula Ka

Gines Tan's hit musical exploring recent college graduates as they struggle to balance artistic idealism with societal expectations and parental pressure.

Rak of Aegis

A PETA jukebox musical written by Liza Magtoto using the hit songs of Aegis to tell a comedic yet gritty story of a flooded barangay's resilience.

Ang Huling El Bimbo

A modern jukebox musical built around the songs of Eraserheads that traces the complex friendship and tragedy of three university friends across two decades.