Periscope up for the arts and culture
Published Nov 8, 2025 02:34 pm
The full cast presentation of 'A Christmas Carol.'
Three media events I attended over two days helped bring home just how active and fertile a cultural scene we have going on. My only hope is that all these presentations get the much-needed support from the public, so they thrive, and so that producers are encouraged to invest and sustain this flurry of culturally-related activity.
Not in terms of my attending, but in terms of when their runs commence:
A closer look at some of the cast members includes Franco Laurel, Lorenz Martinez, Carmelle Ros, and Boo Gabunada.
First up, we have "A Christmas Carol, the Musical," to look forward to at the Proscenium Theater. A 9 Works/Rockwell Land production. This should be a family and crowd favorite, and it kicks off this Nov. 29 up to Dec. 21. Robbie Guevara directs, and it’s inspired by the Charles Dickens novel, with the music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.
And yes, if the name Menken rings a bell, he’s an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner, one of only 21 recipients, and would be best known for the music of "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "Pocahontas," "Hercules," and "Enchanted," among others. Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed by Arnel Carrion. And it should be fun, as we meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Most of the cast have multiple roles, so expect a lot of action and organized mayhem.
Dancing an excerpt from 'Alice in Wonderland.'
Second, Ballet Philippines has its Christmas ballet with "Alice in Wonderland," which runs for one glorious, not-to-be-missed weekend. That’s five performances, a Gala on Dec. 5, at 8 pm, then performances at 2 pm and 7 pm on Dec. 6 and 7 at the Theatre at Solaire. Choreographed by BP Artistic Director Mikhail Martynyuk, it’s an original adaptation, and the music comes from Claude Debussy’s works.
The company with Misha Martynyuk.
The production promises playful theatricality, challenging choreography, colorful set designs, and imaginative costume design. You’ll have all the favorite characters of Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the March Hare, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and so on. It’s a timeless, beloved story of Lewis Carroll, and it’ll be interesting to see it interpreted in Dance.
Chris Mohnani, Karla Puno-Garcia, and Hans Lopez-Vito.
Third but not least, was the media event introducing us to Emmy winner for Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming, Karla Puno-Garcia. A proud Filipina-American artist, she will be directing "A Chorus Line," which opens in March 2026 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater at Circuit Makati. She’s also known for being the first Filipina cast member and dance captain in Hamilton.
It was TGA Artistic and Creative Director Clint Ramos who called Karla to ask if she was interested in directing. As she recounted, she immediately said yes, as the musical means so much to her, since she spent so many years in the chorus line of numerous Broadway shows. I’m especially excited to watch this come March, as I vividly recall watching this with my late mother on Broadway, back in 1977. Anne Reinking played Cassie in the show I watched.
Karla Puno-Garcia, Emmy-winning choreographer, is directing "A Chorus Line."
So that’s a ‘sighting’ of what’s up ahead in the weeks and months to come. One can book tickets for these three shows and pick up the prime seats. If you’re a lover of the arts, these are certainly interesting times. Plus, I’m always on the lookout for the productions from the smaller, independent outfits and production companies. These less-publicized ones create little gems as well!