Bar Boys: The Musical is Up For a Revival This Year—And There Will Be Changes

The Barefoot Theatre Collaborative—the folks who brought us Mula Sa Buwan and We Aren't Kids Anymore—announced the return of their original Filipino musical that explores dreams, ambition, and friendship. It's the company's second offering of the season. 

If the gist sounds familiar, that's because Bar Boys: The Musical is an adaptation of the 2017 indie flick of the same name. The movie was written, co-produced, and directed by Kip Oebanda for the 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Rocco Nacino, Carlo Aquino, Enzo Pineda, and Kean Cipriano played the four leads, bringing the all-too-relatable, soul-searching tale to life for the first time. The 2017 film has earned nominations from award-giving bodies like the FAMAS, PMPC Star Awards for Movies, and the Gawad Urian.

For its 2025 restaging, Bar Boys: The Musical welcomes back its OG stage cast Benedix Ramos, Alex Diaz, Jerom Canlas, and Omar Uddin who will reprise their roles Erik, Chris, Torran, and Josh respectively. Veteran theater actress Sheila Francisco will also return as the stern yet motherly mentor, Justice Hernandez. Other cast members have yet to be announced but word on the street is they're going to be named in the next couple of weeks. 

As of now, the most notable change is the venue for Bar Boys: The Musical. When the production opens in October, it will be getting a bigger stage: the Hyundai Hall at Arete in Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. It's a more spacious playground compared to the production's original home, the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater. 

This new home base gives the creative team—Director Mikko Angeles, Musical Director Myke Salomon, Choreographer Jomelle Era, Stage Designer Ohm David, and Lighting Designers Meliton Roxas Jr. and Jethro Nibaten—ample room to experiment and bring the boys’ story to life with even greater impact.