Theater in the mall: 'Pinocchio' brings live performance closer to kids
An Italian village, a wooden puppet and a full musical take over Ayala Malls Feliz this October.
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An Italian village, a wooden puppet and a full musical take over Ayala Malls Feliz this October.
Brie Mosquito as Pinocchio
Sweet Buchanan
Imagine a kid's very first taste of live theater happening right during a trip to the mall instead of inside a traditional venue. Ephesus Teatron Group Inc. is staging Pinocchio from 9 to 11 October at the second-floor Activity Center in Ayala Malls Feliz, Pasig City. They are building a full Italian village right inside the space to create its own self-contained performance area.
Here is the fun part: because the stage sits below the mall’s upper balconies, shoppers upstairs can simply lean over and watch the show unfold below. If you want to sit inside the performance area to catch the complete musical, tickets are available for purchase. That means you could literally be strolling around the mall, glance over a balcony, and suddenly spot Pinocchio performing on stage.
While malls hosting shows is nothing new, what makes this setup so interesting is how Ephesus uses the venue to make live theater way more accessible.
Ayala Malls Feliz is already a familiar haunt for families in eastern Metro Manila and nearby spots. Instead of planning a whole separate trip to a classic theater, families can drop in on a full musical while hanging out at the mall. It doubles as a painless introduction for kids who have never experienced live theater before.
So, why Pinocchio? This musical is based on the Prince Street Players' version, featuring adaptation and lyrics by Jim Eiler and music by Eiler and Jeanne Bargy, licensed through Music Theatre International.
The classic storyline is relatable: Geppetto crafts Pinocchio, a wooden puppet dreaming of becoming a real boy, who has to learn tough life lessons about honesty, responsibility, and good choices first.
He lies, gets distracted, follows the wrong crowd, and breaks his promises—struggles every growing kid understands. Pinocchio skips the complicated messages and boring classroom lectures, serving up these lessons wrapped in songs, movement, colorful costumes, comedy, and fantasy.
It is also way more than just a children's show. The production gives young Filipino performers a real stage to tackle a full musical. Brie Mosquito stars as Pinocchio, with Red Nuestro as Geppetto and Sweet Samaniego Buchanan as the Blue Fairy.
Buchanan also pulls double duty as director, alongside musical arranger Pipo Cifra. The cast features up-and-coming talent, understudies, and ensemble members playing characters like Candlewick, the Fox, the Cat, fairies, toys, and townspeople.
For these emerging artists, performing for a live crowd is an essential step. Classrooms teach singing, dancing, and acting, while a real show builds teamwork, discipline, and true stage presence.
Bringing theater straight to the audience might just be the coolest aspect of Pinocchio at Ayala Malls Feliz. The show seamlessly integrates a little magic right into the middle of your everyday mall routine. You can buy tickets to watch the full performance up close, or simply look down from the balcony to catch a scene or a song.
For a kid seeing live theater for the very first time, that single peek could spark a lifelong passion—making it a pretty awesome place for Pinocchio to start his next big adventure.
Catch Pinocchio from 9 to 11 October at the Activity Center, 2nd floor of Ayala Malls Feliz, located at Amang Rodriguez corner J.P. Rizal, Barangay Dela Paz, Pasig City. For inquiries and reservations, give Ephesus Teatron Group Inc. a call at 0945-991-1840.
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