A promotional poster for TGA's Philippine staging of "Into the Woods." Handout

Heads up, theater fans: two iconic musicals will be staged in the Philippines starting this year.  

"Into the Woods" and "A Chorus Line" will be staged in the country by Theatre Group Asia (TGA), the producing team behind the wordless play "Request sa Radyo" headlined by Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon.

In a statement, TGA said the Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" will be staged in August this year, while the international smash hit "A Chorus Line" is slated for March 2026. 

"It's a stellar lineup of both Philippine-based artists and internationally acclaimed talents of Filipino heritage abroad," TGA's Joanna Echauz said of the upcoming musicals' cast and crew.

"Into the Woods," based on a book by James Lapine, is a dark comedy that intertwines several fairy tale characters' exploits.

TGA's Clint Ramos described the musical as "a very complex piece."

"It explores the themes of power, disenfranchisement, broken dreams, hope, resilience, and determination to move forward. We want to lean into the idea of creating a version of Into the Woods that considers the Filipino condition," said Ramos, who did costume design for "Into the Woods" in 2017 and serves as co-producer and overall creative and artistic director in the Philippine production. 

"Our unique lens influences how different our version will be. Hopefully, our context will give more meaning to the already rich work that is this Sondheim musical. We are so lucky and grateful that we got the blessing from the Sondheim estate," he added. 

Michael Bennett's "A Chorus Line," on the other hand, depicts the trials and tribulations of the unsung heroes of musical theater. 

"To me, 'A Chorus Line' is an immense exploration into the craft of putting up shows and making art. It also delves into what happens when we explore individual human lives within this monolith, this unit, this chorus. It mirrors what we are trying to do," Ramos noted. 

"We are trying to tease out the different ways of how to be Filipino and 'A Chorus Line' exemplifies that excellently. When you see a chorus, you see one unit. But upon closer inspection, we get to see individual human beings and their respective complexities. The material speaks to the time that we are in, and how we easily write people off. 'A Chorus Line' is a gift that way," he shared. 

Both "Into the Woods" and " A Chorus Line" will be staged at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati.