Best Plays and Musicals of 2025

In every theater yearender since 2017 (skipping, of course, the cursed hiatus that was the pandemic), it turns out that I almost always say that it's a busy season for producers, performance makers, and theater-goers. And that's because it always is, especially in 2025, when we called it a "Philippine theater renaissance." The new 780-seater Proscenium Theater opened its doors in Makati, the Ateneo-based Areté partnered with small-but-bold productions, community-driven theater groups encouraged new works, and producers found a following in new audiences. That's not to say, of course, that it was a perfect year. Some productions proved that expensive tickets do not always guarantee the best shows and that being a theater veteran does not always mean a flawless staging.

But as we close yet another busy theater season, I look back at the 10 plays and musicals that stayed with me the longest, as the best works of art should. This selection comes from the 49 productions I watched in Metro Manila, including one-act plays, cold readings, and shows in various formats. It is far from exhaustive, as there were many more performances than one person could ever see.

10 Best Plays and Musicals of the Year
2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2023 | 2024

Si Faust (After Goethe), billed as a rock opera by creators Nelsito Gomez (director) and Basti Artadi, is a masterclass in intertextuality. It alludes to the "deal with the devil" motif we're familiar with, builds on German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's two-part play, and puts together Filipino rock band Wolfgang's greatest hits into its own universe of a Filipino sung-through musical that's easily one of the best productions of 2025—turned out to be my number one, actually. A profound commentary on modern aspiration, this piece about dissatisfaction satisfies all the senses: the trance-like tone of the projections, the chorus' choreography that portrays mayhem, the hypnotic atmosphere translated with the moving backdrop, and a cast that renders the chaos of this complex world. Its only flaw? A tragically short run.

Si Faust ran in November at the Doreen Blackbox Theater, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City.

Theater Review: Si Faust Forged a New World from an Old Text

Reruns (and, at times, revisions and/or restagings) can make or break an already good material. 3 Upuan, written and directed by Guelan Varela-Luarca, was written so tightly—with just enough wiggle room for it to continuously grow and develop—that every run is always a different and fulfilling experience. I unfortunately missed its first-ever staging in September 2024, but lucky to have seen it in two different iterations in 2025, both held at Areté: a February run with JC Santos, Jojit Lorenzo, and Martha Comia at the classroom-style Joselito and Olivia Campos Interactive Teaching Laboratory, and an October run with Cris Pasturan, Paolo O'Hara, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith at the Ateneo Art Gallery.

A non-linear play with an intimate setting of only three chairs, 3 Upuan explores how three siblings individually and collectively process grief. The oldest, Kuya Jers, deals through pragmatism; the youngest, Jai, expresses openly; and the middle child, Jack, uses humor as a defense mechanism while he drops closer and closer to rock bottom. While these are already well-fleshed out characters, the six actors added their distinct takes: Lorenzo seems to be a cerebral professor from La Salle, while O'Hara is an approachable professor from UP (both comparisons my personal observation); Comia gives a spiritual rendition through the journey of grief, while Curtis-Smith (in a surprisingly breakthrough performance) captures our attention in her vulnerability; and Santos plays with the irony, while Pasturan brings us with him into the depths of sadness.

3 Upuan had three runs in 2025: February and October at Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City; and August at Archivo 1984, Makati City.

A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, a popular play by Nick Joaquin, may be a piece most of us are already too familiar with—it was even adapted as a musical film, Ang Larawan, but the translation by Jerry Respeto and adaptation by Guelan Varela-Luarca found a new footing at Areté. (Yes, the Ateneo venue is proving to be worthy of the commute to Katipunan.) It is still about a story of the two sisters' survival, but it is—more importantly—a thought-provoking piece of our own survival as Filipinos.

What's most striking about this staging is the use of the ensemble in the tradition of Greek chorus and Japanese butoh, invoking the spirit of collective consciousness while lamenting the slow and painful loss not only of the Marasigans’ home but everything it represents.

Quomodo Desolata Es? Isang Dalamhati ran in August at Hyundai Hall, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City.

Pingkian was already in my 2024 list, but its 2025 rerun deserves the number four spot in this one. It's still the same powerful historical musical with clever writing (Juan Ekis), music (Ejay Yatco), and choreography (Jomelle Era). But the new iteration outdid itself as several elements are made sharper, including the lamp as an objective correlative for Pingkian's (Vic Robinson) journey through time, dreams, and delirium. Previous dialogues were also made into songs and a whole ensemble’s choreography, such as the chess match between Jacinto and Rizal, highlighting that crossroad in the narrative. And finally, the arrangement and the vocals feel fuller and bolder in this run that should already get an annual staging.

Pingkian ran from September to October at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Pasay City.

Kisapmata is an exercise in thinking outside the box, literally. While it came after two related works—The House on Zapote Street (the 1961 non-fiction crime report) and Kisapmata (the 1981 psychological horror film)—that emphasize the four walls of a house for its setting, the production presents a bare stage—save for a doorway on a back wall that leads to more grass-stricken nothingness. Because in this version of Kisapmata, directed and written by Guelan Varela-Luarca, the real prison exists within the mind and not in the physical boundaries. The house that Tanghalang Pilipino built doesn't need walls and doors, as the recurring line "Ang batas ay pagmamahal, ang pagmamahal ay batas" is more than enough to keep Dely (Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan), Mila (Toni Go-Yadao), and her son-in-law Noel (Marco Viaña) inside. 

Kisapmata ran in March at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater), Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Pasay City.

Theater Review: Kisapmata Demands (and Deserves) Your Full Attention

Walang Aray's 2025 restaging is pretty much the same as in the previous year, except there's an obvious confidence and better command from its cast. Not to mention that the newcomers to the production, especially Lance Reblando, are worthy of a standing ovation on the PETA stage. A proud transwoman, Reblando renders the role of Julia with natural humor, the right blend of kilig, and vocal prowess that hits the notes. 

Walang Aray ran from August to October at PETA Theater Center, Quezon City.

GMG is known for bringing international touring casts to our shores, but instead of actors coming from away, the theater company assembled what fans and critics dubbed the "Avengers" of local music theater. If there's a musical that should boast about its roster of theater veterans, it's Come From Away, especially with Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Sheila Francisco, Gian Magdangal, Topper Fabregas, Carla Guevara Laforteza, and many more. Plus, the show's technical elements (minimalist set design by Kayla Teodoro, lights by Harry Tabner, and movement by Delphine Buencamino) transport the audience to where they need to be, whether it's inside the plane or in the sleepy town of Gander. 

Come From Away ran in June at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati.

Discomfort sits at the center of Nobody Is Home, a collaboration between local theater company PETA and Germany-based Mecklenburg State Theatre. It doesn't rely on the usual drama of overseas work; instead looks at the friction between German workers and OFWs as well as the festering conflict between a busy daughter and a senior parent. It extends this tone of uncomfortable silence by using interactive segments to involve the audience directly in the ethical and emotional dilemmas of global caregiving. For a society that heavily values close-family ties and 'utang na loob' (often to a fault), it reveals what we really feel about taking care of the elderly.

Nobody Is Home ran in August at PETA Theater Center, Quezon City.

To appreciate We Aren't Kids Anymore is to appreciate its form—branded as a song cycle right out of the gate. Watching it can be likened to listening to an album, but that description itself does not justify the power in Barefoot Theatre Collaborative's staging. And so I say that watching We Aren't Kids Anymore is like reading a poetry collection.

We Aren’t Kids Anymore ran in May at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater, Circuit Makati.

Theater Review: We Aren't Kids Anymore Reads Like a Poetry Collection

While critics may have dismissed the amateur energy of the ensemble, Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical works precisely because it embraces the "cringe," as what the youth would say. It leans into its P-Pop form, complete with meta-commentary, sudden dance breaks, and hosts who break the fourth wall with playful awkwardness. And in true P-Pop fashion, the songs are easily the theater season's earworm, thanks to the collaboration of Nica del Rosario (of "Rosas" fame) and Matthew Chang. But even in the scene without lyrics, specifically the cry of Oryang, there is genius in the wailing-turned-musical arrangement. The show’s secret weapon, however, is Heart Puyong, who provides one funny beat after another, ensuring the production never loses its infectious, irreverent pulse.

Gregoria Lakambini: A Pinay Pop Musical ran from November to December at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater), Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Pasay City.

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