Is Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) choice to replace the traditional shadowy woods with a Filipino bahay na bato set as disappointing as some feared? It is not.
Many came expecting something closer to the Grimm Brothers’ aesthetic or the original Broadway production, but expectations often get in the way. Instead of a European fairytale forest, the audience is met with capiz shell windows, carved wooden arches and patterned Vigan tiles climbing from the floor to the stair risers.
“Filipinizing” the visuals actually pays off as it roots the production in heritage while celebrating its all-Filipino creative team and cast. Nothing feels forced. This staging reimagines Into the Woods through a Filipino lens with minimalist restraint.
The stage, with minimal props, resembles a grand provincial home. The forest itself is just out of sight, brought to life instead through the actors’ performances, falling timbers and rocks, sound design, drifting leaves, puppetry and the power of suggestion.
Artistic director Clint Ramos and director Chari Arespacochaga let movement, Sondheim’s music and lyrics, lighting and sound carry the audience “into the woods.”
The bahay na bato shifts meaning with lighting, blocking and how the actors use the space. The tiled stairs serve as the set’s backbone, dictating staging patterns, creating levels and offering natural sightlines for choreography. Characters rise or fall on these steps to assert control or retreat into vulnerability or intimacy. And the wide, shallow steps allow running, gliding and perching without breaking the visual flow.
Costumes delightfully feature Filipino motifs: Cinderella (Arielle Jacobs) wears terno sleeves; Red Ridinghood (Teetin Villanueva) has a dress inscribed with baybayin script; Salonga’s Witch first appears as a bruha, then transforms in a vegetable-green gown by Rajo Laurel, styled like a striking Santacruzan queen. There is also Rody Vera’s ermitanyo-looking Mysterious Man.
The all-Pinoy cast is a mix of native English speakers and Tagalog speakers whose uneven American accents are noticeable and affect consistency but do not ruin the show.
The story follows a childless Baker and his Wife, played by real-life married couple Nyoy and Mikkie Volante, who must retrieve four magical items for the Witch. Other fairytale characters soon arrive with their own wishes and troubles.
There is a narrator, also played by Vera, dressed in jeans and a zipped jacket, who looks more like a Virgin Labfest reader at Cultural Center of the Philippines than a guide to a fairytale world.
Volante’s Baker begins as a likable, neurotic everyman but grows abrasive, loud and verbally sharp toward his wife. He delivers most of his lines at an almost shouting volume, with little variation in tone, pitch or nuance, making the character grating and difficult to root for.
Jacobs’ Cinderella, meanwhile, is a comic highlight, with clumsy entrances, physical humor and tenderness in emotional moments. Her singing is a pleasure. Eugene Domingo’s Jack’s Mother, on the other hand, turns riotous once wealthy, sporting a gaudy costume and designer bag that hilariously evoke “new money.”
Nic Chien’s Jack is equally wonderful, capturing youthful innocence with a clear, confident voice and nuanced acting. Salonga, of course, commands with her crystalline tone and authority. She delivers a performance marked by precise theatricality and a distinctive gait, and an impressively unrecognizable voice as the Witch.
But the real standout is Josh dela Cruz (known from Blue’s Clues & You) as Cinderella’s Prince (he also plays the Wolf). He is the most relaxed onstage — effortless and clearly enjoying himself as a narcissistic prince. His animated expressions and impeccable comic timing draw consistent laughs, and even his silent entrances spark laughter from the audience. His Agony duet with Mark Bautista as Rapunzel’s Prince and his scenes with the Baker’s Wife are among the show’s funniest moments.
Overall, the mix of universal themes, Filipino design, and a Western score gives this production broader appeal. This version proves why Into the Woods endures. Whether set in a bahay na bato or a forest, Sondheim’s score — performed by a skilled Filipino cast — remains its anchor.
Prior to this, I was not a fan of Into the Woods — too mainstream for my taste — but this production won me over. It delivers the joy of live performance through acting, music, and Filipino touches. One of the strongest local productions this year.
Into the Woods runs Thursdays to Sundays this August at the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre, Circuit Makati. All shows are sold-out.