This acclaimed musical is a moving tale of redemption that underscores the transcendent power of hope and love. It is known for its popular songs like "If I Loved You", "June is Bustin' Out All Over", and "You'll Never Walk Alone".

This 2022 production of REP marks the company's comeback after two-year hiatus since the theatres closed due to the pandemic. It is headlined by Gian Magdangal, one of the Philippine musical theatre's sought-after leading men, and OPM royalty Karylle, who has carved her name on the Philippine theatre scene as well after her performances in Rama Hari, Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko, and some productions made by Trumpets Theatre and Atlantis Productions. Through Carousel, the two actors will be performing for REP for the first time. Joining the two leads are REP stalwarts Loy Martinez and Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante.

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"It is with great pride that Repertory Philippines is making its return to live theatre with a production that is both renowned and beloved. We are all thrilled with how Toff has executed his bold, brave vision of Carousel for the current generation of theatregoers," says Mindy Perez Rubio, REP president and CEO. "Together with a superb cast, including our wonderful female lead Karylle, whom we are also working with for the first time, I think CAROUSEL will prove to be a fitting and triumphant return to the stage for Repertory Philippines."

Supposedly, Carousel was the crown jewel of the REP's 2020 lineup with De Venecia at the helm. For De Venecia, the pause was a welcome opportunity for introspection that has further helped with the eminent theatre company’s transition to more progressive, dynamic, and culturally relevant narratives, with the guidance of artistic director Liesl Batucan-Del Rosario.

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“I am in a liminal state—navigating the romanticism of the best musical of the 20th century and the landmines in the text, reading it from a contemporary 21st-century perspective. We had a radical proposition during the 2020 staging, and possibly even a more radical proposition now which we're excited to explore further in rehearsals,” the director says.

"What did our colleagues go through and experience in their own individual lives in the last two and a half years, and also communally with their families, friends, and the entire community that's just coming together again after being separated for so long...A lot of that will find its way into the show we're preparing for in November."

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"While this R&H musical is closest to an opera which necessitates its own grandiosity as told through elaborate mise-en-scène, or even how the music is orchestrated or how the songs are sung, we push against this idea and explore new ways forward in this post-modern contemporary Carousel that the team is working on," De Venecia elaborates. "It's an alchemy of limitations that gives rise to contemporary possibilities."

Catch "Carousel" starting November 26 until December 18 at the CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.

Tickets will be available through the CCP Box Office, TicketWorld, and SM Tickets.

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