Theater fans, rejoice! Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga will headline Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba, opening in February 2027 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati. Based on Federico García Lorca’s classic play, the production features Chay Yew’s adaptation, translated into Filipino by Guelan Varela-Luarca.

Salonga plays Bernarda Alba, a strict and controlling matriarch whose five daughters struggle to navigate life under her authority. Set within a household ruled by tradition and expectations, the story explores family relationships, power, and women’s desire for independence.

Joining Salonga are eight actresses from Philippine theater, film, and television. Some are seasoned stage veterans, while others are part of a new generation of performers making their mark. Here’s who’s joining the cast and the characters they’ll bring to life.

Sheila Francisco as María Josefa

A familiar face in Philippine theater, Sheila Francisco takes on María Josefa, Bernarda’s elderly mother, who isn’t afraid to say what everyone else is thinking.

Francisco won a Gawad Buhay Award for her performance in Bar Boys: A New Musical and previously played Tiya Dely in Ang Huling El Bimbo. She also made history as the first Filipina to perform at London’s National Theatre in South Pacific.

For Francisco, María Josefa stands out because she’s the only one who can openly express what the other women are feeling. She also believes the story will resonate with Filipinos, especially those familiar with strong matriarchs in their families.

Maita Ponce as Angustias

Playing Bernarda’s eldest daughter, Angustias, is Maita Ponce, whose theater career spans both local and international productions.

Her credits include Orosman at Zafira, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Avenue Q. She also spent six years performing in Cirque du Soleil’s X: The Land of Fantasy in China and received a 2025 Manila Society of Theater Reviewers Award for Si Faust! After Goethe.

Ponce hopes to explore the complexities of Angustias beyond her reputation as the bitter eldest sister. She also finds the play’s themes especially relevant to Filipino society, where women can hold authority within families while still enforcing patriarchal expectations.

Toni Go-Yadao as Magdalena

Toni Go-Yadao steps into the role of Magdalena, Bernarda’s second daughter, who supports her sisters while trying to find her own place within the family.

A senior member of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Actors Company, Go-Yadao has earned recognition for her performances in Balete and Kisapmata. She also serves as co-festival director of Virgin Labfest XXI and received a 2024 Asian Cultural Council fellowship.

Through Magdalena, Go-Yadao hopes to explore how women find their voices while navigating family expectations and complicated relationships with their sisters.

Maronne Cruz as Amelia

Known for playing strong, outspoken characters, Maronne Cruz is taking on a different challenge as Amelia, Bernarda’s more reserved daughter.

Cruz has appeared in stage productions including Waitress, The Band’s Visit, Hair, and Ang Huling El Bimbo. She’s also a voice actress, lending her talent to Filipino-language versions of shows and films such as KPop Demon Hunters.

Amelia gives Cruz the opportunity to explore a quieter character whose emotions aren’t always expressed openly. The production also marks her first time performing in a Filipino classic.

Mikaela Regis as Martirio

Mikaela Regis plays Martirio, a daughter whose complicated emotions and personal struggles make her one of the story’s more challenging characters.

Regis has appeared in A Chorus Line, Shrek The Musical, Mula sa Buwan, and Bar Boys. Beyond acting, she’s also a writer who received a Gawad Buhay nomination for Best Original Script for Unica Hijas.

Rather than portraying Martirio as simply difficult or antagonistic, Regis wants audiences to understand the experiences that shape her behavior. “I want to understand Martirio without judging her and portray her as a human being who is struggling, rather than simply as a villain,” she shares.

Gabby Padilla as Adela

Gabby Padilla takes on Adela, Bernarda’s youngest daughter and perhaps the most determined to break free from her mother’s control.

Moviegoers may recognize Padilla from Gitling, Billie and Emma, and Kono Basho, the latter earning her Best Actress at the 2024 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. She’s also appeared onstage in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Tiny Beautiful Things.

Padilla first encountered Bernarda Alba while watching senior theater students rehearse the play. Now playing Adela herself, she’s particularly drawn to the character’s courage to question the future laid out for her. For Padilla, Adela understands something her sisters may have already forgotten: that she has a choice to live differently.

Frances Makil-Ignacio as Poncia

Veteran actress Frances Makil-Ignacio plays Poncia, Bernarda’s longtime servant and confidante who knows the family’s secrets and understands its complicated relationships.

Makil-Ignacio has built an extensive career in theater and television, including her role as Mama Josie in GMA’s Mundo Mo’y Akin. Interestingly, she’s also no stranger to Bernarda Alba, having performed in a previous staging of the play.

She describes Poncia as “one of the most human” characters in the story, making her particularly interested in exploring the servant’s relationships with Bernarda and her daughters.

Jam Binay as Blanca

Completing the ensemble is Jam Binay as Blanca, the household’s second servant, who witnesses the family’s conflicts from a different perspective.

Binay’s theater credits include Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, and Bar Boys: A New Musical. She also holds degrees in Theatre Arts and Communication from Ateneo de Manila University.

For Binay, one of the play’s most interesting themes is how patriarchal expectations can continue to shape women’s lives even when there are no men present in the household. Through Blanca, she hopes to explore how these expectations influence the relationships between the Alba sisters and the people around them.

When and where can you watch Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba?

Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba opens in February 2027 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati.

The production is part of Theatre Group Asia’s 2026–2027 Season of Power, following the company’s previous productions including Request sa Radyo, Into the Woods, A Chorus Line, and The Notebook: The Musical.

Want to see Lea Salonga and this powerhouse ensemble onstage? According to TGA’s announcement, only 15% of tickets remain as of the release. Tickets are available exclusively through TicketWorld.

Presented by Ayala Land and Theatre Group Asia, Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba is the second offering of TGA’s 2026–2027 Season of Power, with additional support from BPI and Philippine Airlines.

For more updates, visit Theatre Group Asia’s official website or follow @theatregroupasia on Instagram.

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