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‘Bagets The Musical’ scores six Gawad Buhay citations

Pauline Songco · Sep 10, 2026, 2:55 AM

YANI Lopez as Rose and Milo Cruz as Tonton in ‘Bagets The Musical.’ — Photograph courtesy of Newport World Resorts

Bagets The Musical has earned six citations in the first round of the 17th Gawad Buhay Awards, recognizing the cast's performances in the hit stage adaptation of the 1984 coming-of-age film.

Noel Comia Jr., Milo Cruz, KD Estrada and Sam Shoaf were all cited for Male Lead Performance in a Musical for their portrayals of Gilbert, Tonton, Arnel and Topee, respectively. Yani Lopez received a citation for Female Featured Performance in a Musical as Rose, while Gie Onida was recognized for Male Featured Performance in a Musical for his role as Erpats.

The citations determine which productions and artists will advance to the final nominations for the 2027 Gawad Buhay Awards. The selections were made by an independent jury composed of theater practitioners, journalists, reviewers and academics.

Presented by Newport World Resorts in association with VIVA Communications, Bagets The Musical ran from January to March 2026. Its recognition comes as the partnership prepares to stage its next production, Bongga Ka, 'Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical, beginning September 18 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.