Delia D.: A Bold Leap for Queer Representation in Philippine Musical Theater

Delia D.: A Bold Leap for Queer Representation in Philippine Musical Theater

Delia D.: A Musical Featuring the Songs of Jonathan Manalo is the 11th theatrical production under Newport World Resorts’ production outfit, Full House Theater Company.

Associate Director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo shares that audiences can expect a blend of camp, comedy, and drama. “The show is all about perseverance, family bonds, and the pursuit of one’s passion. Anyone who’s ever pursued a dream will see themselves in Delia.”

The synopsis reads, “At the heart of the story is Delia, a dazzling drag performer known for her lip-syncs and spot-on impersonations. But she dreams of more: to become a world-famous singer like the icons she idolizes. There’s just one problem—Delia can’t sing. Despite this, she secures a callback for Idols of the Galaxy, the biggest televised singing competition. As she dives into the high-stakes contest, she navigates cutthroat rivals, unexpected friendships, and a swoon-worthy competitor whose golden voice sparks both romance and rivalry.”

This hybrid musical showcases the discography of songwriter and music producer Jonathan Manalo (Tara Tena, Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw)—whose career spans 24 years and has amassed over 8 billion streams—while introducing six new songs crafted specifically for the production.

Like any Full House Theater Company production, the show promises to be a visual spectacle. At the helm is director Dexter M. Santos, who explains, “It’s always exciting when you’re creating an original Filipino musical, but this time, it’s not only limited to the worlds of the musical. We also have numbers that will be showcased na parang TV performances. Sometimes there are also parang reality competitions—if you’re familiar with The Voice or American Idol, we will have numbers like that. We will also have concert scenes and TV guestings, aside from the whole idea of the fantasy world.”

 

For Phi Palmos, who plays the titular role, Delia D. represents a major step forward in queer representation.

“Ang title ay, pwede kasi siya maging Tara Tena the Musical. Pwede rin siyang maging Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw the Musical. But the title of the show is Delia D. Kumbaga, ang ka-level niya ay, Sweeney Todd. Evita. Ganun diba. Annie. Titular role. Tapos I’m playing Delia D.”

Palmos sees the role as a significant opportunity—not just for himself, but for the LGBTQIA+ community. “I am an advocate and a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and my advocacy has always been pushing for nuanced, sensitive, and truthful representation in media.”

He hopes the production will help inspire young queer individuals. “Gusto ko na kapag may nakapanood na maliit na batang bakla, kapag nag-show na kami, hindi na niya aasamin na, ‘I want to be Kim in Miss Saigon’, kasi hindi na niya kailangan mag-pretend na maging babae o maging girlfriend ng GI. Ang gugstuhin na niya, ‘Ang dream role ko ay Delia D.’ Kasi ayun o, from the start, nandoon siya, front and center.”

Looking back on his own experiences, Palmos recalls the absence of such representation in his youth. “When I was growing up, hindi ko naisip na magiging aktor ako o makikita ko iyung sarili ko sa entablado o sa TV o sa movies because there really was no representation of myself, na hala, kapag nakakatawa, aanuhin nila ng tubig, o kaya sasampalin nila, sasabunutan, o kaya aanuhin ng cake. Eh nung lumalaki ako, mahal ako ng family ko, katulad ni Delia D. na mahal ng family. So bakit siya pagtatawanan.”

“Ang dami ng queer roles pero ang konti ng queer lead roles,” he adds. “So para sa akin, I’d like to say thank you to Newport World Resorts for being so brave in producing this show, and for sir Jonathan for saying yes, and for sir Dexter for choosing me to play Delia D.”

An emotional Palmos continues, “It’s such a big thing. Ganito po ang epekto for a queer person given this big opportunity to represent because magbabago lang ang pagtingin natin sa mga kapwa nating LGBTQIA+ community kapag mas marami tayong nakikitang facets ng kanilang buhay, na hindi lang sila parlorista, hindi lang sila drag queen. Anak sila. Kaibigan sila. They are citizens of the world. Hindi sila nakakahon sa kung ano lang ang nakikita natin, at stereotype na sanay tayo, and I hope that Delia D. would still further humanize those stereotypes because we just don’t break the stereotypes, we humanize the stereotypes. That’s the only way that we can understand them fully.”

He reflects further, emphasizing the true essence of representation. “Usually we talk about representation as if it’s just a buzz word. Tapos minsan akala natin basta may nakita lang, ay ayun, representation na siya. Hindi kasi ganun eh. Para sa akin kasi, true representation is you have to see a manifestation of that dream, of whatever it is you’d like to manifest. Minsan hindi enough iyung maisip mo lang na posible. Kailangan makita mo siya. Kailangan may gumawa para maisip mo na posible at kaya mong gawin iyun. So this is that kind of representation because someone is doing it.”

“I’m just the first person who’s going to play Delia D, and I want to see after 5 or 10 years, there’s going to be another generation of a Delia D. Iyun iyung gusto kong makita. Iyun iyung gusto kong maiwan and I want the audience to remember na, what’s good as well with the show is that, paglabas ni Delia on stage, hindi na siya confused. She knows herself, and how often do we get that kind of story, na hindi na siya confused. She is herself, her true self, and ang sarap sarap mapanood.” 

He ends by saying, “We’re all human at the end of the day. My experience is no different than your experience. It’s just a different shape. It’s just a different nuance. Doon lang tayo nagkakaiba, but love, hate, respect, all of those emotions, wala iyun gender. Lahat tayo pantay pantay pagdating sa mga emosyon kasi iyun lang siya.”

Delia will also have a drag family in the show, called D’ Divalettes. Bomba Ding, a real-life drag performer who plays one of them, believes this production is long overdue. “For such a long time, LGBTQ people and drag performers are just like the comic relief in shows, movies, television. Lagi sila na lang iyung best friend ng bida. Lagi sila na lang iyung ninanakawan or whatsoever. Lagi sila iyung nababangga ng bus, something like that. Drag queens, LGBT people are so talented, and we’re here, we’re queer, and we’re here to slay, and I think super powerful na si Delia D ay isang drag performer, at siya ang bida ng musical na ito. I think it’s about time for LGBTQ people to be represented, to be given this spotlight on stage.”

Delia D.: A Musical Featuring the Songs of Jonathan Manalo opens on April 25 and runs until June 8 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Tickets are now available at TicketWorld, HelixPay, and the Newport World Resorts Box Office with the following prices: PHP 3,500 (SVIP), PHP 3,000 (VIP), PHP 2,500 (GOLD), PHP 1,800 (SILVER), and PHP 1,000 (BRONZE).