Lea Salonga will return to the Philippine stage as the titular character in Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) Filipino-language production of ‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’.
The production adapts Federico García Lorca’s classic play ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’. Award-winning playwright Guelan Varela Luarca translated the play into Filipino. Internationally acclaimed director Chay Yew will direct the production.
‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’ will open in February 2027 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Makati City.
What is ‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’ about?
Lorca’s classic drama follows Bernarda Alba after the death of her second husband. She declares an eight-year period of mourning for her family.
Bernarda also demands strict obedience from her five daughters. She controls almost every part of their lives.
Silence, discipline, tradition and appearances shape the Alba household. However, the daughters cannot hide their desires, jealousies, frustrations and dreams forever.
The arrival of a potential suitor creates even more tension inside the family. Each woman must confront what she wants and what she will sacrifice to achieve it.
Bernarda stands at the centre of the family conflict. She protects her family but also controls them through fear and strict rules.
She sees herself as the person responsible for maintaining the family’s reputation. Her methods, however, turn the family home into a place of fear and confinement.
Salonga on playing a fierce matriarch
Salonga last appeared on the Philippine stage earlier this year in ‘Les Miserables: The World Tour Spectacular’.
The Tony Award-winning actress said she had never encountered ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ before taking on the role.
Salonga believes that unfamiliarity could help her approach the character without preconceived ideas about the play.
After reading Chay Yew’s English translation and Guelan Varela Luarca’s Filipino translation, Salonga described the production as an important work to explore.
She also said the story fits Filipino culture and feels relevant to current events around the world.
Salonga described Bernarda as a mother who rules her family through fear rather than love.
She believes this type of parenting still exists for cultural and family reasons. Playing Bernarda could therefore help her understand the character’s motivations and her relationship with her children.
The role also presents a major contrast with Salonga’s own experience as a mother.
The actress has publicly supported her son, Nic Chien, who is a trans man. Her relationship with her son differs greatly from Bernarda’s approach to motherhood.
Salonga said she looks forward to exploring Bernarda’s history and motivations. She described the process as both fascinating and fun.
Play done entirely in Filipino
This will be TGA’s first-ever production performed entirely in Filipino.
“To borrow a line from Into the Woods, I’m ‘excited and scared’,” said Salonga, who played the role of The Witch in TGA’s staging of the Sondheim classic last year.
“My Tagalog, strangely enough, tends to lean towards the ‘matatas’ side,” she shared.
“I once wrote a post on Threads in Pilipino from start to finish, trying not to incorporate either English or Spanish. A few folks might’ve been surprised.”
She went on to add: “As for preparations, I’ve enlisted Guelan’s help in navigating the script, and am ready to ask questions about why he chose certain words over others in his translation.
“His use of the language isn’t just beautiful but adds so many layers of subtext and meaning.”
Giving ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ a Filipino spirit
‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’ will be Yew’s Philippine directorial debut, but it is not his first time staging the Lorca drama.
The Singaporean playwright and director first adapted the material more than 25 years ago with the National Asian American Theatre Company in New York.
During that production, Yew worked with several Filipino artists whom he said saw familiar cultural dynamics within the story.
“When we first did the play, there were a lot of Filipinos involved, and they all kept saying that it was the most Filipino experience,” said Yew.
“The more I did it, the more I realized it had to come to the Philippines.”
The decision to stage the play entirely in Filipino was also intended by Yew, leading him to reconnect with Luarca, whom he met at Hunter College and collaborated with for an adaptation of ‘The Oresteia’, a trilogy of Greek tragedies by Aeschylus.
“When the opportunity came with Bernarda Alba, I didn’t want to do it in English,” he explained.
“I told Clint (Ramos, TGA co-founder) I wanted to give this play a Filipino spirit.
“It’s a play they should hold on very dear to…the only person who I knew who has the capacity of its poetry and politics is Guelan.”
Role of Bernarda a ‘huge challenge’ for Salonga: Yew
Yew also acknowledged that playing Bernarda will be a “huge challenge” for Salonga “because I think this role is very antithetical to what she has done.”
“Yet, I do recognize the fortitude, the strength, and the dynamic quality that she has as an actor to play the role. I recognize in Lea those qualities.”
“She is a mother. She is a force of nature. And the question right now is, how far can we explore Bernarda with a wonderful actor like Lea?” he added.
Tickets for ‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’ will be available exclusively through TicketWorld. Pre-sales for BPI cardholders and TGA subscribers will be held on October 19-21 and October 22, respectively. Public ticket sales will open on October 23 at 10 am.
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