‘Dalaga na si Maxie Oliveros’: A Fierce Fusion of Drag and Musical Theater
J+ Productions’ Dalaga na si Maxie: A Drag Musical Extravaganza, a sequel to the 2013 stage musical Maxie the Musical, is not your usual musical. Nor is it your typical drag revue. It’s a boundary-breaking hybrid that fuses live singing, lip sync, video projection, and theater, performed cohesively by drag artists and musical theater actors.
The show’s director Melvin Lee, who first conceptualized the piece only in February of this year, says his aim was to merge these performance worlds into something more layered. “It’s not just a drag show. Nag-mix na ang musical and drag performance,” he explains.
He wanted to go deeper than surface-level spectacle. “Lagyan natin ng kaluluwa at persona at pagsilipin natin ang tunay na buhay ng mga drag queens.
“Ang gusto siguro din namin, ako personally as a director, when you look at drag now, you don’t just look at the facade of it and the fabulosity of it. I want the audience to see the human side of drag performers. Let us go beyond the facade. The fabulosity. There is a person behind it. And every performance that they do is their expression and their statement to whatever context they are in.”
He emphasizes that even lip sync, which can often be dismissed as performative,can be deeply personal:
“Iyung gusto ko makita, may truth. Kahit pa nagli-lip sync iyan, dala-dala nila iyung personal nilang landscape whenever they do a lip sync number.”
In keeping with the form of musical theater, the production includes three original songs by musical director and arranger JJ Pimpinio.
Set in 2018, during the height of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, the story centers on Maxie as she grapples with the trauma of witnessing her father’s death at the hands of a police officer. She suffers from sound triggers and has yet to fully recover from the experience. Over the course of the 80-minute, no-intermission performance, audiences witness her journey as she turns 18 and gradually finds a safe space within the drag community.
“In her journey in the drag community,” Lee says, “she will find a new kind of family and a support system.”
At yesterday’s press conference, the cast—featuring Zymba Ding, Gabriel Villaruel, Winter Sheason Nicole, MRS TAN, Corazon, Gerhard Krystoppher, and Jem Manicad—offered a preview of what’s to come, with performances ranging from lip syncing and live singing to dance and comedy.
You can watch those performances below:
These performances capture what Lee asked of his cast during the audition process: to show the pieces they regularly perform at drag bars. From there, he curated selections that would honor their strengths and showcase the diversity of drag styles.
“Iyun din ang isang objective ko,” he explains, “para makita ng general public na when you say drag, hindi lang isang mukha iyan. Iba’t ibang klase iyan. Iba’t ibang kakayanan nila, and what they offer to the table is very different because it’s acknowledging their strengths as a creator, as an artist. Drag is an expression.”
HOW IT STARTED
Originally, J+ Productions had considered a restaging of Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, the 2013 musical. But Lee felt that story’s context was now dated.
“Sabi ko, luma na iyun kasi 2013 iyung context nun. Nag-iba na ang context ng LGBTQ,” he recalls. “So sabi ko, gawin na lang nating take-off point Ang Pagdadalaga. Tapos ngayon, gawin nating, dalaga na siya. Tapos, dahil hitik na hitik din naman ang drag culture nowadays, why not situate her na pumasok siya sa mundo ng drag?”
This evolved into a contemporary take on Maxie’s journey, one that reflects today’s queer realities.
Stepping into Maxie’s shoes is newcomer Jamila Rivera, a student from Naga who traveled just to audition. Lee shares that a total of 70 people auditioned, giving him a rich mix of drag performers and actors to work with.
He also points out the surprising background of some cast members, like Jem Manicad (who plays Mama Tars), whose experience was primarily in TV commercials and acting, but not in drag.
As for the rest of the cast, Lee says he cast performers without knowing their affiliations or drag houses:
“Kasi nung nag-audition sila, I’m not aware kung saan sila galing eh. Clean slate. Alam lang namin iyung requirement. Alam namin iyung ipapagawa sa kanila.”
MORE THAN A PERFORMANCE
Staging the production in June was intentional. “Pride month is always a special time,” says J+ Productions’ COO and marketing director Precious Cruz-Bautista. “But for us, it’s more than just a celebration. It’s a powerful tribute to courage, love, and authenticity, and it’s a hopeful reminder of the future that we believe in—a future where everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, is seen, valued, and free to live with dignity and equal rights.”
She adds, “Pride began as a protest. Today, it is a celebration and a call to action, and we are so proud to be part of that movement.”
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A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit Pantay, a youth-led organization advocating for equality and human rights. “As our beneficiary,” she notes, “a portion of our proceeds will support their vital work in pushing for gender-transformative legislation and creating safe, inclusive spaces for all.”
“This project is a true passion project for our team,” Cruz-Bautista continues. “It’s our way of creating a safe, welcoming space for the LGBTQIA community and shining a spotlight on the incredible impact of the drag community, which has always been bold, brave, and beautifully unapologetic; a community whose impact continues to shape culture and spark conversations that truly matter.”
Gabriel Villaruel, who plays Lili Lorena, believes that Dalaga na si Maxie opens space for new stories and fresh perspectives:
“Itong Dalaga na si Maxie gives a new spotlight to new stories ng mga queer and trans people dito sa Pilipinas. We hope that this musical gives light and hope sa mga pinagdadaanan ngayon ng mga LGBTQ’s.”
MRS TAN, who plays Kriska B and Rainbow Bright, says she’s grateful the company cast real drag artists for a drag musical production because it allows them to tell their story truthfully.
Gerhard Krystoppher, who plays Pretzels, also reflects on the show’s importance:
“I think for all of us, lalo na sa mga naabutan iyung original film, the 2005 version of Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, it really is such an honor to be part of the continuation of the story of such an icon in the LGBTQIA+ community, especially dito sa Pilipinas.”
He adds, “Beyond the drag, beyond the SOGIE na meron tayo, I think it’s very important na at the very least, allies or kasama ang gaganap sa mga roles na ito dahil hindi lang po ito gawa-gawa lang, hindi lang po ito sulat-sulat lang, hango po ito sa mga totoong tao at totoong karanasan. And I believe kami po lahat, at some point in our lives, ay naiintindihan at danas ang mga pinagdadaanan ng mga characters.”
Rounding out the ensemble are Ado Villanueva, Air Paz, Gerald Magallanes, Honey Bravo, Jay Cortez, Marit Samson, Misha Fabian, and Robert Macaraeg.
This production is directed by Melvin Lee, written by Julia Enriquez and Mikaundre Santos, with musical direction, arrangement, and additional original songs by JJ Pimpinio.
Also in the creative team are Meann Espinosa (assistant director), J-mee Katanyag (script consultant), Gio Gahol (choreographer), Charles See (set designer), Tata Tuviera (costume designer), Jana Jimenez (video projection designer), David Esguerra (lights designer), Loren Rivera (technical director), Happy Constantino and Arvy Dimaculangan (sound designers), and Ghie Bernardo (sound engineer).
The show will be running from June 13 to 22, 2025 at Illumination Studio, Makati City. Tickets are P2,500, which can be bought via Ticket2Me.
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