With the success of the free online streaming of the hit Eraserheads musical Ang Huling El Bimbo, people are now on the lookout for other local theater shows they can stream online. Luckily, there are quite a few available on YouTube! These world-class shows will make you laugh, cry, and see the world in a new light. It will also introduce you to amazing Filipino theater artists. So what are you waiting for? Get ready to stream these Filipino musicals.
Fathers & Sons
A play set in the ’70s, Nick Joaquin’s Fathers & Sons tells the story of Zacarias Monzon, a once-powerful carretela king of old Manila. Directed by the late Tony Mabesa, the play explores the tense relations between the patriarch and his family in the middle of changing times.
Ang Bagong Christo
Written in 1907, this play by Aurelio Tolentino is a retelling of the story of Jesus Christ. Jesus Gatbiaya is a labor leader whose teachings empower other laborers to fight for their rights. This story will open the viewers’ eyes to the oppression of Filipino laborers and how, really, not much has changed since the early 1900s.
Kundiman Party
First staged in 2018, The Kundiman Party center on Maestra Adela Dolores, a retired opera diva and former protégé of Imelda Marcos. Now, her living room is transformed into the headquarters of the so-called Kundiman Party, which is made up of a trio of aspiring singers who join protest rallies. As they learn from her, Adela’s students bring her into the 21st century.
Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKo7jeeSZc8
This one-act play tells the story of two sisters, Mely and Viva. After the responsible Mely lands a job as a labandera for a superhero group called the Fuwerza Filipinas, her younger, wilder sister Viva is recruited by a secret Filipino government agency to take down the Fuwerzas. While this tragicomedy will have you in stitches, the play shines a light on the dynamics of domestic help, sibling rivalry, and shattered dreams.
Lysistrata ng Bakwit
Taking inspiration from the 2017 Battle of Marawi, Lysistrata ng Bakwit is set in an imaginary war-torn Philippine province. Lysistrata bands the women of her community together to hold a sex strike, withholding sex from their partners in protest of their wars.
Rated PG
Rated: PG tells the story of Joselle, an industrious mother who is about to make a difficult decision: take an overseas job and leave her youngest child behind, or stay in the Philippines and struggle to make ends meet? This play explores parenting issues, asking the hard questions about corporal punishment and positive discipline.
Orosman At Zafira
A Komedya by the king of Filipino poets Francisco Balagtas, Orosman at Zafira tells the story of three rivaling kingdoms and the two lovers who find themselves caught in the middle of the hate and war. Dulaang UP’s retelling of the classic adds choreography, martial arts, and music, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
Ang Nawalang Kapatid
Written by Floy Quintos, Ang Nawalang Kapatid is a musical adaptation of the Indian epic The Mahabharata. The musical retells the battle of royal families the Pandavas and Kauravas and the rivalry of five brothers. Like many epics, the story is complicated and convoluted, but the energetic choreography by Dexter M. Santos will keep you captivated.
What other Filipino musicals or plays do you want to be available online? Tell us below!
