Newport World Resorts to stage ‘& Juliet’, ‘Kailangan Kita’ and ‘Alikabok’ in 2027

The narrative of Kailangan Kita follows Roger Kundirana, a once-popular singer-songwriter who has given up on music and wants his only daughter, Himig, to do the same. To him, a life in music means no money, no future, and a family left picking up the pieces. The plot shifts when Roger meets Arlene, Himig’s music teacher, who becomes his new muse and awakens the possibility of creating and dreaming again. All the while, they live with the uneasy possibility of The Big One, the massive earthquake the city has long been warned could come at any time. As Roger begins rebuilding a life he thought he had left behind, another arrival threatens to shake the fragile ground beneath him and Himig, forcing them to confront what they have been trying to protect and what they may ultimately have to let go.

Following this, FHTC will present Alikabok in August 2027. Produced in association with Culturtain Musicat Productions, the new production is a reworking of the original 1997 staging, featuring music by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab. The story draws inspiration from Juan Luna’s painting La Bulaqueña.

Read more: OPM icons Pop Fernandez, Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Gary Valenciano speak on the current state of the Philippine music industry

Alikabok follows the fictional tale of Visitacion “Bising” Vallejo, a beautiful young heiress from the 1800s. She falls in love on the eve of the revolution, and like so many women of the time, joins the Katipunan to fight for her country. The narrative is told through the eyes of her Filipino-American descendant, Asia, as she discovers Bising's letters throughout the ancestral Vallejo home. Piece by piece, Asia slowly puts together the legacy of her family, her home and her country. But time is running out, as her mother Anna wants to sever her last tie to the Philippines by selling the Vallejo home, leaving Asia to desperately race to complete Bising’s story before it’s lost forever. Casting, creative team, performance dates and ticketing details for Alikabok will be announced soon.

FHTC’s 2027 season will also include the Manila premiere of & Juliet. Created by the Emmy-winning writer from Schitt’s Creek, this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told by asking what would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo. The story whisks audiences away on a fabulous journey as she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love on her terms. The staging in Manila marks the first Asian homegrown production of the musical, and FHTC has already opened the casting call for bold, fierce, and unapologetic triple-threat performers.

The coming-of-age jukebox production features a book by David West Read and bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems with music and lyrics by Max Martin and Friends. The featured songs include Since U Been Gone, Roar, Baby One More Time, Larger Than Life, That’s The Way It Is and Can’t Stop the Feeling!—all from a songwriter and producer behind more number-one hits than any other artist this century. The musical originally began in London’s West End before moving over to Broadway in 2022, where it received nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical for the 2022-2023 season. & Juliet is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

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