MANILA — A beloved love story is getting a distinctly Filipino stage treatment as Theatre Group Asia prepares to bring The Notebook: The Musical to Manila for its international premiere this September.
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel, the musical will open Theatre Group Asia’s 2026–2027 season at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati, with performances scheduled from September 3 to 20, 2026.
The production features a multi-generational Filipino cast and reimagines the story of Allie and Noah through three different stages of their lives, giving audiences a perspective that goes beyond the familiar 2004 movie.
A Filipino take on a global love story
The musical features music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a book by Bekah Brunstetter, based on Sparks’ novel.
The stage adaptation first premiered at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2022 before moving to Broadway, where it received three Tony Award nominations. Manila’s staging now brings the work to an international audience through a production led by Filipino theatre artists.
Theatre Group Asia says its mission is to present world-class theatre while placing the Filipino experience at its heart, making The Notebook a natural fit for its 2026–27 season.
Three Allies, three Noahs
One of the production’s most distinctive choices is its multi-generational casting.
Rather than telling the story primarily through conventional flashbacks, the Manila production places younger, middle-aged and older versions of Allie and Noah within the same theatrical world.
The three Allies are played by Sheena Belarmino, Morissette and Celeste Legaspi, while Benedix Ramos, Laurence Mossman and Rody Vera portray the three stages of Noah’s life.
That approach allows the audience to see the characters’ lives unfolding alongside one another rather than simply jumping backward and forward through time.
Celeste Legaspi and Rody Vera bring the older couple to life
Veteran performers Celeste Legaspi and Rody Vera play Older Allie and Older Noah.
During rehearsals, Tatler Asia observed the pair remaining visible for much of the performance rather than appearing only when the story reaches the older couple’s timeline. The stage itself transforms between the home and the nursing-home environment, creating what the production describes as a shared, almost timeless space.
For Legaspi, that unusual staging has an advantage: being able to see and hear the younger versions of the characters helps her understand Allie’s emotional journey and remain connected to the character throughout the show.
Vera has also spoken about the emotional effect of seeing the different versions of Noah juxtaposed on stage.
Morissette steps into Middle Allie
Filipina singer Morissette takes on the role of Middle Allie, placing one of the country’s most recognisable vocal performers inside the production’s central love story.
Rehearsal footage released by Theatre Group Asia has also shown Morissette performing alongside Sheena Belarmino, who plays Younger Allie.
The casting creates an interesting vocal and dramatic progression across Allie’s three ages, with the performers working together to make the character feel like one person at different points in her life.
The rehearsal room is where the real work happens
Tatler Asia’s visit to the rehearsal room revealed a production already operating with remarkable discipline.
During a full Act 1 run-through, actors watched quietly from the floor and surrounding chairs when they weren’t performing, while stage managers rarely needed to intervene because the cast was already hitting cues consistently.
The work isn’t only about memorising lines and choreography.
Legaspi explained that the three actresses playing Allie have been working to create shared character details, including developing a consistent laugh that can connect the character across different ages.
That kind of continuity becomes especially important in a production where three actors simultaneously embody different versions of the same person.
Carla Guevara-Laforteza takes on two roles
Another demanding part of the production belongs to Carla Guevara-Laforteza, who plays Allie’s mother while also taking on the role of the nurse caring for Older Allie.
Rather than treating the two characters as variations of the same personality, Guevara-Laforteza has deliberately developed different physical and vocal choices for each.
The result is another example of how the Manila production is leaning into theatrical transformation rather than simply reproducing the film.
The music may be one of the show’s biggest draws
Michaelson’s score adds another emotional layer to the story.
Tatler Asia describes the music as intimate and confessional, with intricate harmonies demanding considerable precision from the cast. Some of the most striking moments come when the instrumentation drops away and performers are left singing a cappella.
That puts considerable pressure on the singers—particularly in a production featuring several performers known for their vocal abilities.
More than another version of the movie
For audiences who know The Notebook primarily through the Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams film, the musical offers a different structure.
The stage production focuses on memory, ageing, devotion and the passage of time, using the three versions of Allie and Noah to show how their relationship changes throughout their lives.
The Manila production also builds its own staging rather than simply copying the Broadway version, giving TGA room to create a production specifically for Filipino audiences.
When and where to watch
The Notebook: The Musical runs from September 3 to September 20, 2026, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
The production has 18 performances across 12 dates, with Thursday and Friday evening performances and weekend matinees and evening shows.
For Filipino theatre fans, the production represents more than another adaptation of a famous romance.
It is a showcase for a multi-generational Filipino cast—and a chance for Manila to host the musical’s international premiere.
And with three Allies, three Noahs and a story built around memory and lasting love, the most emotional part of The Notebook may not be the love story audiences already know—but seeing it unfold simultaneously across an entire lifetime.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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