Daily TribuneStarting off REP’s 88th Season is the hit romcom musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which received 13 Gawad Buhay Citations for 3rd Quarter in 2024 and two 2024 Aliw Awards nominations
ILYYPNC is back by popular demand with its powerhouse cast
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF REP PHILIPPINES
UK-based Filipino actors James Bradwell and Martin Sarreal will be part of the 2025 Manila staging of ‘ART.’
Building on its legacy as one of the Philippines’ foremost theater companies, Repertory Philippines (REP) offers enriching live theater experiences and champions Filipino artists and creatives in 2025.
“We are incredibly grateful for everyone’s support of REP’s 87th Season last year, given that it was our first full season since 2019 and our inaugural year at the REP Eastwood Theater. To show our appreciation, we’re determined to make our 88th Season a landmark year, with a full lineup of theater experiences that we hope will contribute to a dynamic and thriving arts scene in the Philippines. Exciting discussions are currently in progress to wrap up the 88th Season, but in the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing you at the theater!,” Mindy Perez-Rubio, president and chief executive officer at REP, said.
Starting off REP’s 88th Season is the hit romcom musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which received 13 Gawad Buhay Citations for 3rd Quarter in 2024 and two 2024 Aliw Awards nominations. It’s back by popular demand after its successful run featuring the same cast of four playing over 40 characters who will explore the highs and lows of modern love. With book and lyrics by award-winning Joe DiPietro and music by renowned composer Jimmy Brooks, the revue will once again be helmed by the “First Lady of Philippine Musical Theater” Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo for its rerun. Make sure to catch Gian Magdangal, Gabby Padilla, Krystal Kane and Marvin Ong at their most hilarious during the show’s limited run from 20 February to 9 March.
REP’s Bridge Project is coming back in 2025 to further contribute to the local theater landscape. The renowned Bristol Old Vic Theatre in the United Kingdom, the longest running working theatre in the English-speaking world, is eagerly collaborating with REP on this initiative. The Bridge program serves as a skills exchange and knowledge sharing program between Manila-based artists and established theater professionals from the United Kingdom and the United States through integrated productions, workshops, and masterclasses happening in June and July at the Meridian International College (MINT).
Scheduled along with the Bridge Project is the Manila staging of ART, the Tony Award-winning play by French playwright and actor Yasmina Reza. The comedy explores the meaning of art and friendship among three long-time friends: Serge, Marc, and Yvan. Conflict ensues when one of them buys a large, expensive, completely white painting. The cast includes UK-based Filipino actors James Bradwell and Martin Sarreal, who were recently part of the hit Netflix series Bridgerton.
ART will be directed by Victor Lirio, who also initiated the Bridge Project in 2020 and directed the REP’s 2024 showcase of Betrayal by Nobel Prize-winning British playwright Harold Pinter.
REP Theater for Young Audiences (RTYA) is taking everyone down the rabbit hole this August for a production of a classic, Alice in Wonderland with music and lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Freidman. Based on Lewis Carroll’s beloved story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, kids and families will surely enjoy this new RTYA offering as it features otherworldly characters such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts. Running until November, it will be co-directed by Joy Virata and Cara Barredo.
