'Bagets the Musical' to hold open casting starting July
Your big break could be just around the corner. The musical adaptation of the 1984 coming-of-age comedy film Bagets is having an open casting call this July.
Director Maribel Legarda announced that they're looking for musical performers: Actors can audition for the iconic roles of the five friends, originally portrayed by Aga Muhlach, William Martinez, J.C. Bonnin, Herbert Bautista, and Raymond Lauchengco.
"Generally, kapag musicals, I'm sure you've heard of this term, 'triple threats.' In the ideal world, they can sing, dance, and act. And they can do everything equally or maybe stronger at some, pero sana meron silang ganun," Legarda said during a press conference held on Wednesday.
"At the same time, I'm really excited to cast young people. I think we would also want it to be like it was before, which was a platform to be able to find new young talents," she added.
Legarda stressed the importance of a detailed casting process, aiming for a diverse ensemble that includes a "mixture of sizes, of personalities, [and] energies" to ensure an interesting stage presence.
"Of course, you're also looking to mix that with seniors para bumalanse. Hindi naman pwedeng lahat bago. You need to balance it out with seniors and those who are more experienced," she said.
With this in mind, will the original cast members of the play be offered a part in the upcoming adaptation? Writer Jmee Katanyag said, "why not?"
"But nothing finalized yet. Pero yes, wishful thinking din po kami na may mag-reprise, no? Or at least they become part of the musical even as guests," Katanyag said.
How faithful will the musical be to the original?
The original story of Bagets follows the lives of five high school boys navigating adolescence, friendship, love, family issues, and personal growth. While the musical will be a modern reimagining of the story, Katanyag said that they will retain the most iconic parts.
"The barkada, the heartbreaks, the 80s music and dance, and we also want to highlight din na 'yung film, hindi lang siya coming-of-age ng mga kabataan, coming-of-age din siya ng mga tao, other characters sa paligid ng bagets."
She continued, "Like the ermats na during that time, pinagsasabay ang pagiging career woman, pagiging ina. 'Yung mga erpats na either missing in action, busy, or quiet. And the boys, the bagets na navigating how to grow up to be a man at kung paano ba sila mag-grow up, maging tao sa panahon na ngayon."
Katanyag hopes that when the current generation watches the musical, they will realize that although times have changed, the struggles of the past and present remain the same.
"Aside from nostalgia, it's also an invitation to reflect on who we are, who we were, and what we could be as we grow up, whether growing up as boys, as mothers or as people or Filipinos," she highlighted.
Auditions for Bagets the Musical will take place in late July to early August.
The show is set to premiere at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay on Jan. 23, 2026. It will run until March, with four shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
The musical is a joint project of PhilSTAR NEXT of the PhilSTAR Media Group, Viva Communications Inc., and Newport World Resorts, with PETA serving as line producer.
