The duo of Lara Maigue and Gian Magdangal heads to the second installment of the series "The Greatest Duets: Special Screening" following a successful concert in 2023.

What sets this concert apart is its venue - a theater where the audience can experience live renditions of popular movie songs in the ultimate cinematic setting.

"The Greatest Duets: Special Screening" will happen at Cinema II, Cineplex 18, Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City on Aug. 30. 

"We're one of the first artists to perform at Gateway II. So I'm excited. It's a nice venue. It's a one-night-only show because Gian is flying to Singapore the next day," said Lara during an interview at Five Private Dining in Greenhills, San Juan, recently. "I'll be flying there also. I have a concert, and Gian has a musical."

"Unlike the first one, we started with the Greatest Duets Goes Broadway in November 2023. This time, we're doing movie musicals and songs from the movies in a movie theater," she said. "It's so convenient at Gateway II because when you go down, there are many restaurants for our audience to have a nice dinner, and then they can go up to watch the show."

Gian cited the seating arrangement of the theater. "You can see the seats in the theater; it's inclined. So everybody can see. Any part is a good view. And as we perform, makikita rin namin lahat ng audience."

Music fans can expect songs from movie musicals (Moulin Rouge, West Side Story, Les Miserables), as well as popular soundtrack tunes from movies (Evergreen, Despicable Me, Dirty Dancing).

With a deluge of songs that could be included in the repertoire, both of them chose tunes that were close to their hearts and were apt for their respective vocal capabilities.

Since our core talaga is musicals or musicals that became movies. Like in our last concert, we performed songs from successful films as well. People love The Phantom of the Opera, and the movie was a hit. So we will have that kind as well.

"Pinili rin namin kung ano yung bagay sa amin," said Gian on choosing the songs for the concert. "Many singers are not doing duets anymore so I thought of doing a repertoire of duets."

Asked if there were solo spots during the show, Lara said it would be a surprise. 

"We're lucky that Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid will be special guests. They are the greatest duet in the country, and we are privileged to have them. They are so generous to say yes to us.

"There will be surprises. We will do something different for this concert, unlike last year, purely duets talaga," she said.

Gian added: "We'll keep some of those songs and perform them at the Gateway. I'm sure they will like it kasi marami pa rin naman ang hindi nakapanood. Those who will watch this year mabubusog pa rin sila sa setlist namin."

Lara said she is a big fan of "The Phantom of the Opera."

"Who isn't in love with The Phantom of the Opera?' Gian and I posted a scene of our performance on the 'Phantom,' and now it's more than 100K views already. It's so powerful, and people like it. So it's exciting how we will do it in a movie theater," she added.

For Gian, his favorite musical song is "A Million Dreams" from "The Greatest Showman."

Gian said: "It means a lot to me. It's a duet in the movie, but how we will do it will be different from the movie. It's a very inspiring song."

Lara stressed the importance of recognizing the differences between singing pop songs and musical numbers.

"There's a big difference, but in a way, it is the same technique. It's complicated. Pero iba rin naman ang beauty ng pop. Kami ni Gian galing kami sa music-teacher parents. His mom is a piano teacher, while my parents are both teachers at the UP College of Music," she said.

Gian cited a difference in the storytelling of Broadway and pop songs.

"There are pop songs ilang araw mo lang pag-aaralan pero Broadway songs ilang weeks mo rin pag-aaralan," he said.

The A-Team (Alcasid Total Entertainment and Artist Management, Inc.), founded by Ogie Alcasid, is the producer of the concert. 

Ogie said he's excited for this show to be on a bigger stage. "I'm sure they will bring the house down. This is a big project, but you know, you have to do things that scare you. It's fuel to the soul and adds fire to your life. My support for my talents is unwavering."

"When we created A-Team, it was not about making money but an advocacy. We wanted to be a team with a vision of creating concerts. But this is a difficult industry, and there are so many things happening that are beyond our control. So, we are doing it our way by filling in the spots in the industry," Ogie said. "We want to mount something beautiful and exciting for the audience. And hopefully for them to feel what we envision."

Ogie also believes that the concert scene in the country is very much alive following the pandemic. 

Lara is renowned for her exceptional soprano voice and has received numerous accolades, nominations, and wins from both the Awit Awards and the Aliw Foundation.

She had been traveling abroad for shows and concerts, wowing audiences worldwide. As an internet sensation, Lara has viral videos that have reached 30 million views. Currently, she is also a part of ASAP Natin 'To.

Gian is also a renowned international performer with a residency at both Disneyland Hong Kong and Universal Studios in Japan.

But one cannot discount his accolades in the Philippines with performances in musicals like West Side Story, Newsies, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Rent, and Carousel, as well as local productions like Katy and Ang Huling El Bimbo.

Gian will also be the lone Filipino cast member in the "Dear Evan Hansen" production in Singapore. On TV, he was a cast member in such shows as "Viral Scandal," "The Iron Heart," and "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano."