MUSICAL PLAYS

The musical play is a popular and generally lighter

form of musical drama than the opera. The themes are usually
more contemporary, and the musical melodies more
manageable by the average singer. The acting is less intense
and dramatic. The choreography and dance sequences provide
visual breaks from the ongoing plots. 

BROADWAY MUSICAL
The first major Broadway
musical was Showboat, which
featured the popular mode of
transport in the American frontier.
The first major Broadway
musical was Showboat, which
featured the popular mode of
transport in the American frontier.
The first major Broadway musical was Showboat,
which featured the popular mode of transport in the
American frontier.
Broadway musicals are family
entertainment with themes and texts which
are generally light and easy to understand.
These may include the problems of
everyday life, such as love and romance,
social acceptance, jealousy and intrigue,
and adventure. The singing is usually
Broadway musicals are family entertainment with
themes and texts which are generally light and easy to
understand. These may include the problems of everyday
life, such as love and romance, social acceptance,
jealousy and intrigue, and adventure. The singing is
usually amplified, unlike the operatic quality of classically
trained voices.
A number of other musicals were adaptations of
classical operas. Among these were Miss Saigon based on
Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and Aida from Verdi’s opera
with the same title. While with the advent of technology,
modern productions like The Phantom of the Opera, Les
Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, and Lion King have
enthralled audiences with amazing set designs, elaborate
costumes, and computer-generated visual and sound effects.

Lea Salonga on Broadway

One Filipino artist who attained international status
on both London’s West End and Broadway is Lea Salonga.
She is best known for her portrayal of Kim in the
musical Miss Saigon, a role for which she won the
prestigious Tony Award for theater in the USA and the
Laurence Olivier Award in London.
Lea also garnered the Drama Desk and Outer
Critics Circle Awards for the same role in the USA. Salonga
is the first Filipina to have won various international awards
for a single role.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

The Phantom of the Opera is a Broadway musical by Andrew
Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe, with lyrics by Charles
Hart and music by Lloyd Webber. It is based on the novel
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.

The story focuses on a beautiful singer Christine

Daaé as she is seduced by a mysterious disfigured musical
genius known as The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom
lives beneath the Paris Opera House and terrorizes those who
work there. He demands that Christine be the star of the
theater’s productions. When the young singer rejects the
Phantom’s advances and her lover Raoul intervenes, the
Phantom sets no limits in his pursuit of revenge and of
Christine’s love.
The Phantom of the Opera is one of the longest-
running Broadway musicals of all time.
LES MISERABLES
Les Misérables, known as “Les Mis,” Is a
musical composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-
Michel Schönberg with libretto by Alain Boublil. It is
based on the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
It is perhaps the most famous of all French musicals
and one of the most famous musicals performed
worldwide. Les Mis tells the story of paroled convict
Jean Valjean who, failing attempts to find work as an honest
man, breaks his chains and conceals his identity in order to
live his life again.

PHILIPPINE MUSICAL PLAYS

In the Philippines, the musical play is a more recent
development than its
Broadway and West End counterparts, relying mostly on
adaptations from novels,
literary works, or biographical sketches of famous artists.
Below are some examples
of musical Plays.
Musical play is a theatre production with many
songs and dances that provide a story. In the Philippines,
the musical play is a more recent development than its
Broadway and West End counterparts, relying mostly on
adaptations from novels, literary works, or biographical
sketches of famous artists. Below are some examples of
musical Plays.

1. Andres Bonifacio: Ang Dakilang Anak-Pawis is a five-

act work commissioned by Alfonso Puyat in 1979, Depicting
the life of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio. Music is by
Jerry Dadap.

2. Atang-Dulang May Musika, written by Floy Quintos,

directed by Alexander Cortes, and with music by Von de
Guzman, was performed at UP Diliman in 2008 as part of the
Zarzuela Festival organized by the UP College of Arts and
Letters. It is a musical based on the life of the first superstar
of the Philippines, Atang de la Rama.

3. Katy! Is about the life of bodabil star Katy de la Cruz. It

was initially presented by Actors Studio East Production in
1988. The music and musical arrangements were by Nonong
Buencamino, based on the book and lyrics of Tony Perez.
The play commissioned Ryan Cayabyab for the music, Jose
Javier Reyes for the lyrics, and starred Mitch Valdes in the
title role.

4. Florante at Laura was presented by Tanghalang Pilipino

at the CCP Little Theater (Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino)
from July 7 to 24, 1988 in celebration of the 200th birth
anniversary of the Author Francisco Balagtas-Baltazar. It was
selected as the official Philippine entry to the first ASEAN
theater Festival in August 1988.

5. Daragang Magayon, a production for poetry and mixed

media, portrays the myth surrounding the origin of Bicol’s
famed Mt. Mayon. It is based on a poem by Merlinda C.
Bobis, and was first presented at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines’ Loading Dock on March 1 and 2,1991.
6. Noli Me Tangere was staged at the CCP Little Theater
from February 1 to 4, 1996 as a production of Tanghalang
Pilipino. The creative team included Ryan Cayabyab as
composer and musical director, National Artist Bienvenido
Lumbera as librettist, Edna Vida as choreographer, National
Artist Salvador Bernal as set and costume designer, and
Nonon Padilla as stage director.

7. El Filibusterismo was staged at the CCP Main Theater

from August 8 to 10, 1997 as a production of Tanghalang
Pilipino. The creative team was composed of Ryan Cayabyab
for music, Jovy Miroy for the libretto, Edna Vida for the
cheorography, National Artist Salvador Bernal for the set and
costume design, and Nonon Padilla for stage direction.

8. Magsimula Ka by Gines Tan was staged at the CCP Main

Theater from April 7 to 24, 1988. As the winner of the CCP
Playwriting Contest in 1983, it become one of the longest-
running musicals at the CCP. Magsimula Ka is the story of
young dreamers whose ambitions begin to fade amidst life’s
realities. They are part of a graduating class filled with hope
but end up compromising their idealism for their own
survival. The play responds to the young peoples’ lingering
question of whether there is hope for them in this cruel world.
A major factor in realizing this hope is to start and uphold
one’s talent or ambition despite all odds.

ATANG DELA RAMA

She was a singer, bodabil performer, and the first
Filipina film actress. She was born in Tondo, Manila on
January 11, 1902 and died on July 11, 1991. By the age of 7,
she was already performing in a number of Spanish zarzuelas
includingMascota, Sueño de un Vals, and Marina. Later, at
the age of 15, she became popular with the song Nabasag
ang Banga in the Filipino zarzuela Dalagang Bukid.