‘Bagets: The Musical’ is looking for ‘triple threat’ actors
MANILA, Philippines — The team behind “Bagets: The Musical” is on the lookout for triple threat performers — those who can sing, dance and act — to take on the iconic roles originally played by William Martinez (Tonton), J.C. Bonnin (Toffee), Herbert Bautista (Gilbert), Raymond Lauchengco (Arnel) and Aga Muhlach (Adie) in the 1984 coming-of-age film.
The original “Bagets” followed the lives of five teenage boys as they navigated adolescence, while dealing with family and friendship issues, as well as matters of the heart. Directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes, written by Jake Tordesillas and produced by VIVA Films, the movie became a pop culture classic that defined a generation.
Now, more than four decades later, VIVA Communications Inc., The Philippine STAR and Newport World Resorts have joined forces to bring the beloved story to the stage, with the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) on board as line producer.
“Bagets: The Musical” is set to open on Jan. 23, 2026 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. It will be directed by PETA’s Maribel Legarda (“Rak of Aegis”) and written by PETA’s artistic director and award-winning screenwriter J-mee Katanyag (“Lilet Matias, Attorney-at-Law,” “Maria Clara at Ibarra”).
Crucial casting
With preparations in full swing, The STAR asked the creative team about the qualities they’re looking for in potential cast members during a presscon Wednesday at the VIVA office.
Legarda began, “I’m sure you’ve heard of triple threats. In the ideal world, they can sing, dance and act. And they can do everything equally or maybe stronger at some. I hope we have that.”
The director is also looking forward to including fresh talents in the show. “We also want it to be like it was before, which was a platform to find new young talents that would be interesting. We want it coupled with the mothers. ‘Cause we are really planning to make the mothers another set of characters here, the ermats.”
Legarda likewise stressed that casting is very crucial for her. “Putting together the right group of people — that’s already 90 percent of your work. At the end of the day, that’s what people will see. (The ones who could) bring the best of the storytelling.”
Asked if Muhlach’s children and VIVA artists, Andres and Atasha, will also be invited to participate in the show, Viva Entertainment executive Baby Gil said that it’s an open call casting and everybody is invited to audition.
Nevertheless, Legarda and Katanyag acknowledged that the casting would be “challenging” and “daunting,” especially when it comes to the five lead characters.
“It’s based on the characterization,” stated Katanyag. “Like the role of Aga as Adie, who’s a boy-next-door, cute type, baby-faced, that’s what we’re looking for na character. Not necessarily (like) Aga Muhlach, but the role that he portrays. Or J.C. Bonnin (brother-in-law of Muhlach) as Toffee na nagka-karate.
“It’s a bonus if we could find an Aga Muhlach, why not? But the role that they represent and the characterization from the film, that’s what we are searching for in actors.”
Auditions will start late July to early August.
Back to the ‘80s
The groundbreaking production “promises a vibrant celebration of Filipino youth, nostalgia and artistry, poised to captivate audiences old and new.”
Philstar Media Group EVP Lucien Dy Tioco believes the show will resonate across age groups.
“The target market for the musical is both the old and younger generations. The titas of Manila for sure and their husbands,” he said.
“We’re hoping that the younger generation would take great interest because I see a lot of Gen Z that are buying a lot of vinyl… There’s a huge interest in that genre of the ‘80s by the young and the curiosity for analogue,” Dy Tioco further pointed out.
As for how faithful the show will be to the original, Katanyag shared that they will keep the beloved parts but there will definitely be differences between onscreen and theater staging.
“We will show the relationships ng pag-coming-of-age ng mga boys, mga bagets as they navigate with their ermats and erpats. We will keep the heart and the core of the film,” she said.
Legarda added, “What do we call it? ‘80s on steroids.’ We’re looking back at the ‘80s so there should have been an added element. But we wanna keep that ‘80s flavor of colors and pads but more on ‘steroids.’
Trio of partners
In an earlier interview, Philstar Daily Inc. president and CEO Miguel G. Belmonte and Viva Communications Inc. COO Vincent del Rosario explained that one of the reasons why “Bagets” was chosen as the material for the groundbreaking tie-up is because it was a big part of their teenage years.
Del Rosario told this paper, “There were previous offers to turn ‘Bagets’ into a musical, inuupuan namin because the materials and the concept that were pitched to us parang not OK.
“But when we heard the initial latag (proposal from The STAR), we said, maybe this is it. I think we’re bringing in the right creative people to help develop the materials,” he said, adding that it’s the perfect time to mount a musical version of the film.
Del Rosario was also thrilled when he learned that Belmonte was “on board” in the project. The two worked on a minor project prior to “Bagets: The Musical.”
“Now, we’ve formalized the arrangement. And the signing of documents is just the beginning. The next 12 months, the team will be busy developing the material for the project. Hopefully, this is just a start ng marami pang ibang pwedeng pagsamahan ng Philippine STAR.”
As for Belmonte, it was a “no-brainer” for The STAR to team up with VIVA.
“First of all, (VIVA is a) very competent entertainment conglomerate and Vince has mentioned we already partnered before in the past, in smaller projects but very successful also. Our partnership has good luck attached to it. May match talaga.”
On what this partnership means to the media and entertainment industry, Belmonte said, “The industry is undergoing a lot of change. All of us are continuing, trying to reinvent ourselves or innovating, especially in the part of Philippine Star because our business is very traditional.
“This is one of the areas where we are looking to innovate and tap, hopefully, another revenue stream for us. We are just very lucky that VIVA is willing to partner with us,” Belmonte said.
Having established itself as a hub for musical theater in the country, Newport World Resorts lends its stage — and support — as the third partner of the show.
Newport World Resorts executive chairman Kevin Tan said in a statement:
“We see great value in collaboration, especially when it champions Filipino creativity on a larger stage.
“This partnership strengthens our vision of positioning the Philippines as the Broadway of Asia by staging more original productions and engaging more partners in the world of theater. Together, we are helping build a thriving and sustainable performing arts industry.”
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