‘Die Beautiful The Musical’ Coming to the Stage in 2025
IdeaFirst Live!, the live performance arm of film studio The IdeaFirst Company, is set to stage Anino sa Likod ng Buwan, a stage adaptation of the 2015 film of the same name, this March at the PETA Theater Center. The production will star Ross Pesigan, Elora Españo, and Martin del Rosario.
During the question-and-answer portion of the play’s press preview held last February 8, Jun Robles Lana, who serves as co-Artistic Director of IdeaFirst Live alongside Elmer Gatchalian, revealed that the company’s next project in 2025 will be Die Beautiful The Musical. “This, and some of the movies na nagawa namin would be interesting na makita sa stage,” says Lana.
Lana elaborated, explaining the reasoning behind the company’s first live production: “We chose to begin our live production with Anino sa Likod ng Buwan because we just want to be very clear about who we are and what we stand for as a company. If we go into musicals, the kind of materials that we will do would be something like Die Beautiful. That’s who we are as a company and as entertainers. But definitely, isa sa mga gusto naming gawin is gumawa pa ng mga original materials for the stage, hindi lang dahil iyung nagawa naming pelikula naging successful, gagawan namin ng stage adaptation. Right now, may mga dine-develop na rin kami na original materials.”
Jun Robles Lana is a Filipino film director, screenwriter, and producer, known for his work in both independent and mainstream cinema. His latest film, And the Breadwinner Is, was part of the 2024 MMFF lineup, where he served as both director and co-writer.
Die Beautiful, a film that was part of the 2016 MMFF line-up, was also directed by Lana and co-written by him and Rody Vera. The film centers on the life of Trisha (played by Paolo Ballesteros), a transgender woman and beauty queen, who is determined to live her life authentically despite the challenges she faces. After her death, her family, friends, and loved ones come together for her wake, and through flashbacks, the audience learns about her struggles, triumphs, and the complexities of her identity.
Lana says that Vera will be writing the stage adaptation. No word yet on the cast and other members of the creative team.
Comments