Piolo Pascual’s first-ever foray into a stage musical in last year’s Ibarra, The Musical (produced by Tanghalang Una Obra) is well-appreciated by at least one award-giving body (other than the Aliw Awards), composed mostly of seasoned theater viewers: the Philippine Live Entertainment Arts and Festivals, better known as the LEAF Awards, which is all set to present its awards on 8 February at the Metropolitan Theater.
 The group is headed by award-winning literary and performing arts veteran Frank G. Rivera and live performances director and videographer CJ Andaluz of Pixel Media Arts. 

Pascual, who topbilled Ibarra, The Musical, a retelling of Jose Rizal’s novel Noli Me Tangere, is a finalist in the Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Musical category, along with another movie/TV actor first-timer in a theater production: Khalil Ramos, who played the lead in the musical Tick, Tick… Boom!, produced by 9 Works Theatrical.

The show’s other lead actor, Jef Flores, is also a finalist in the category. Flores first gave life to the character of desperate Jonathan in the 2011 staging of the musical, also by 9 Works Theatrical.

Another prominent contender in the category is Gian Magdangal for Repertory Philippines’ Carousel. Magdangal portrayed Billy Bigelow, a thief and wife-beater, in the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. 

Gio Gahol, still better known as a stage actor though he was nominated for best actor in several film awards in 2020 (including the prestigious Gawad Urian) also earned the LEAF jury nod for his performance as the revolutionary Tenyong in PETA’s Walang Aray, an adaptation of Severino Reyes’ classic sarswela Walang Sugat.

There are other finalists in the musical category, aside from nominees in the straight play that include JC Santos and Bart Guingona for the two-character play Red. 

Cedrick Juan, the stage actor who bested Pascual and three other seasoned thespians including Christopher de Leon in the recent Metro Manila Film Festival, is not a finalist in any LEAF acting categories. Juan is not nominated anywhere because he did not take on a theater job in 2023. The last time he acted onstage was in 2022, in the musical Mula sa Buwan, an adaptation of the play Cyrano de Bergerac.

For much of 2023, Juan was busy shooting Gomburza, where he even had to be privately tutored in Spanish and Latin, which Fr. Burgos spoke as the most erudite among the three martyred priests. Juan did have a chance to appear in a Cinemalaya entry last year, Huling Palabas, in a supporting role.

Leading ladies

Showbiz idols also dominate the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Musical category. ABS-CBN star Alexa Ilacad easily earned the nod for playing Julia, a sarswela actor, in Walang Aray. 

She teamed up with her onscreen sweetheart KD Estrada who, unfortunately, did not earn enough votes from the jury to make it as a finalist. 

Viva Films’ comedy star Kim Molina is a finalist for her remarkable performance as superheroine Zsazsa Zaturnnah. She played the role without any alternate in all the shows of the musical at the Ateneo’s Arete theater. Molina began her career on stage and was eventually recruited for movies. 

Karylle Tatlonghari of ABS-CBN’s noontime fare It’s Showtime was easily favored by the jury for her performance in Carousel where she was paired with Magdangal, playing the martyr wife Julie. 

Carla Guevarra-Laforteza, who has appeared in many TV series, is also in the list for her performance as a heartless witch in Repertory Philippines’ Snow White and the Prince.
There are three other finalists in the category. There’s also a category for outstanding actress in a straight play, and the finalists are mostly veteran stage personalities.

Teaser

This report is meant only to be a teaser to encourage the public to watch the awards ceremonies, billed as Tertulya at Parangal. Those going to the ceremonies have to be in a gala Filipiniana outfit or they would not be admitted at the Metropolitan Theater, not even at the lobby, even if they happen to be an awardee, according to LEAF Awards’ Frank Rivera.

This is only the second time LEAF will give out awards. The inaugural edition of the awards was in 8 February 2020 at RCBC Plaza in Makati City. 

No awards ceremonies were held in 2021 and 2022 since the companies did their productions online
— pre-taped, not live — because of the pandemic.