The poster of “Into the Woods” for its 2025-2026 staging. Image: Courtesy of Theatre Group Asia
One of the key individuals who brought together the cast of the 2025-2026 staging of “Into the Woods” was the late theater director and producer Bobby Garcia, which is made up of artists based in the Philippines and “internationally acclaimed talents of Filipino heritage.”
Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” is coming to the Philippines in August 2025, while Michael Bennett’s “A Chorus Line” will be staged in March 2026, as announced by the Garcia-owned Theatre Group Asia in a release. The company is also home to the producers of “Request Sa Radyo,” a silent play starring Dolly de Leon and Lea Salonga.
While the cast of “Into the Woods” is yet to be announced, co-producers John and Joanna Echauz said Garcia played a big role in bringing the cast together.
“It’s a stellar lineup of both Philippine-based artists and internationally acclaimed talents of Filipino heritage based abroad just like Clint [Ramos],” they said, referring to Clint Ramos, who served as the costume designer of “Request sa Radyo.”
“Bobby was very instrumental in bringing together these great Filipino talents. The ensemble boasts a stunning assembly of Filipino performers, musicians, choreographers, and production stalwarts. It truly is a Filipino dream team,” they further added.
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Based on the book by American playwright and writer James Lapine, the musical brings the storylines of fairytales by the Brothers Grimm such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk,” to name just a few. This has been adopted into a movie musical in 2014, starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, and James Corden.
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It tells the story of fairytale characters who are determined to get their own versions of a happily ever after, which according to Ramos, will be portrayed with a “Filipino” twist in its upcoming staging in the country.
“‘Into the Woods’ explores the themes of power, disenfranchisement, broken dreams, hope, resilience, and determination to move forward. We want to lean into the idea of creating a version of ‘Into the Woods’ that considers the Filipino condition. Our unique lens influences how different our version will be,” Ramos said of its upcoming staging.
“Hopefully, our context will give more meaning to the already rich work that is this Sondheim musical. We are so lucky and grateful that we got the blessing from the Sondheim estate,” he added.
Garcia’s death was confirmed by his family in December 2024, although the cause was not announced. He was 55 years old.
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