Viva is bringing its classic 1980s coming-of-age film Bagets to a new generation of audiences—this time, as a full-fledged stage musical.
The announcement was made during a contract signing held last Wednesday at the Viva Offices in Ortigas, where Viva Communications, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), and The Philippine STAR formally sealed their collaboration for the stage production of “Bagets.”
The original 1984 film, directed by the late Maryo J. Delos Reyes, launched the careers of William Martinez, Herbert Bautista, JC Bonnin, Raymond Lauchengco and Aga Muhlach.
Slated to premiere in the first quarter of 2026 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, the musical adapts the beloved 1984 coming-of-age film that captured the hearts of a generation with its vibrant depiction of 1980s Manila and timeless themes of friendship and self-discovery.
“We have always been wanting to get into productions for a long time,” said Viva corporate public relations head Baby K. Gil. “And so when we got a partner in Philippine STAR, there was no stopping us anymore and then we decided we should have PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association).”
Directed by PETA stalwart Maribel Legarda and written by award-winning playwright and PETA Artistic Director J-mee Katanyag, the musical promises a fresh take on the beloved story.
“‘Bagets: The Musical’ is not just about revisiting the past,” said Katanyag. “It’s about making sense of the present and imagining the future. It’s about reminding the young people that, despite the odds, they can shape their future and redefine what it means to be ‘Bagets.’”
Auditions for “Bagets: The Musical” will be held from late July to early August 2025. Legarda said it will be open to beginners and stage veterans alike.
“Kapag musical, I’m sure you’ve heard this term – triple threats. In the ideal world, they can sing, dance and act and they can do everything equally or maybe stronger in some pero sana meron silang ganon. Triple threats. At the same time I’m really excited to cast for the young people,” said Legarda.
“We wanted that coupled with the mothers, kasi we’re really planning to make the mothers another set of characters here. Yung parang ganon. Ermats are gonna be — since you ba all Filipinos have mother complexes — so the casting for the ermats was also very important for us,” she added.
“Casting kasi for me is very important. You put together the right group of people, that’s already 90% of your work because importante end of the day that is what people will see. So a mixture of that, yung talagang can bring the best of the storytelling and yun nga, sana triple threat sila.”
The creative team has not ruled out including members of the original cast in the stage version.
“Medyo napag-uusapan. Why not? Kung pwede rin i-reprise ‘yung ibang roles ‘di ba? Lalo na may mga original cast tayo na into theater din. So it could be the mothers, though nothing finalized yet. Pero yes, wishful thinking din po kami na may mag-reprise or at least may become part of the show,” Katanyag said.
