Arts & Culture (02/25/26)

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Rock opera ballet Tales of the Manuvu returns

ALICE REYES Dance Philippines (ARDP), in collaboration with the University of the Philippines (UP), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will be restaging Tales of the Manuvu this month and next. Premiered in 1977, this production is the first Filipino rock opera ballet, weaving indigenous mythology with rock and pop music. There will be performances at the University Theater, UP Diliman, on Feb. 27 and 28, followed by a limited run at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati, on March 28 and 29. It was born from the creative synergy of legendary Filipino artists: National Artist Alice Reyes’ direction and choreography; National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera’s libretto; and OPM icon Dero Pedero’s score, with additional music by the rock band Afterbirth. Admission to the UP performances are free, though registration is required via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tales-of-the-manuvu-tickets-198241577896. The Proscenium shows have different price ranges: P2,500 to P5,000 for the March 28 fundraising gala; and P1,800 to P3,000 for the regular performance on March 29.

Roderick Hall Memorial Lecture features Marie Silva Vallejo

THE AUTHOR of Beyond Dauntless: The Continuing Fight, Marie Silva Vallejo, will be shedding new light on her World War II-set story in a lecture this March. The book follows the courageous service of the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments, US Army, and the clandestine 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, whose covert submarine insertions, intelligence work, and coordination with Filipino guerrilla fighters fortified resistance efforts across the islands and proved instrumental in enabling the Allied forces’ decisive return and ultimate victory in the Philippines. The lecture will take place on March 7, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Ayala Museum. Regular tickets cost P300, while the prices for seniors/PWD and students are P210 and P150, respectively.

Silverlens holds Villa, Aguinaldo, and Sabado exhibits

ONGOING at Silverlens are two new exhibitions: the late Carlos Villa’s Lying + Flying, and Raised by Mountains, a two-man exhibition by Leonardo Aguinaldo and John Frank Sabado. Lying + Flying features 1980s-era body prints on large, unstretched canvas paintings that make the artist’s body both subject and instrument. Through it, years after his death, Villa still stands in the room. In Raised by Mountains, the artists examine what it is like being raised in the mountains through portraits. For Sabado, the subjects are people who have shaped his sense of communality from childhood. For Aguinaldo, the figures are situated in a changing world and the way they would like to be seen in it. Both artists situate their practice around cultural migrations within the Cordillera Region and its neighbors, both finding origins in the Baguio Arts Guild. The two exhibits run until March 28 at the Silverlens Gallery, 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati City.

FEU Theater Guild’s BANGAW opens in March

AS PART of its 92nd Season, the FEU Theater Guild shall present BANGAW, a reimagination of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, beginning March 5. Written by Gold Villar-Lim, with music by Vince Lim, and directed by PETA Senior Artist-Teacher and FTG Artistic Director Dudz Teraña, the production explores the meaning of survival through a distinctly Filipino lens. It will run at the FEU Center for the Arts Studio from March 5 to April 25, with performances at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices are P100 for FEU students, P200 for students from outside FEU, P500 for regular guests, and P700 for VIP guests.

Material Instincts opens at The M

THE EXHIBITION Material Instincts, ongoing at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, aims to expand the conversation on contemporary painting through a focused exploration of materiality and process. Curated by Bambina Olivares, the exhibition brings together the works of Olivia d’Aboville, Marionne Contreras, Monica Delgado, and Michelle Pérez. United by their distinct approaches to abstraction, the four Filipino artists examine the meaning and possibilities of painting through their deft manipulation of chosen media, ranging from textile to yarn and cloth to paint. It is on view until April 30 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, BGC, Taguig.

Gab Pangilinan is Mary Magdalene in touring show

THE OLIVIER Award-winning production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s celebrated musical Jesus Christ Superstar, which will visit Manila at The Theatre at Solaire from May 2 to 31 for its international tour, has announced that its cast will include Manila-based Filipina actress and singer Gab Pangilinan in the role of Mary Magdalene. She will be joining the principal cast members from previous UK, North America, and Australian tours of the production, including Luke Street (Jesus), Javon King (Judas), Ethan Hardy Benson (Pilate), Grant Hodges (Caiaphas), and Kodiak Thompson (Annas).