Julia Christine Botin

UK-based Pinoy theater star Joaquin Pedro Valdes joins PH staging of 'Into the Woods'

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ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738562885039JOAQUIN PEDRO VALDES 1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Joaquin Pedro Valdes is part of the Philippine staging of &quot;Into the Woods.&quot; Handout </div>The star-studded cast of the Philippine staging of Stephen Sondheim&#x27;s &quot;Into the Woods&quot; is slowly being revealed. The newest addition is London-based Filipino theater star Joaquin Pedro Valdes, who will play the role of Cinderella&#x27;s Prince/Wolf in the musical slated this August at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati.&quot;Performing in the Philippines again and on this incredible scale, alongside this fantastic cast, is truly special. Being back home and on stage is a full-circle moment,&quot; Valdes said in a statement. &quot;Philippine theater is where it all started for me, and to return to it after all these years is inexplicably profound. While my life in London has deeply shaped me into the actor I am today, it has always been a dream to bring all that experience back home if only to say, &#x27;thank you,&#x27;&quot; he added. &quot;Into the Woods,&quot; based on a book by James Lapine, is a dark comedy that intertwines several fairy tale characters&#x27; exploits.On portraying Cinderella&#x27;s Prince/Wolf, Valdes said: &quot;It&#x27;s such a well-written character. I&#x27;m excited to visit this modern classic with a distinctly Filipino lens alongside Filipino theater makers I&#x27;ve loved and respected for a long time.&quot; He went on: &quot;I have been in love with this show all my life. This was my introduction to Sondheim. I remember when I was a young boy in Manila, watching a filmed performance of the 1986 Broadway cast on Betamax! That started a fire in me for musical theater, and it continues to keep me going.&quot;Valdes is currently part of the London premiere of &quot;The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical&quot; at The Other Palace, playing Luke Castellan and Ares. His other theater credits include &quot;The Baker&#x27;s Wife,&quot; &quot;Pacific Overtures,&quot; and &quot;Death Note the Musical&quot; in the West End. Aside from Valdes, other cast members of the Philippine staging of &quot;Into the Woods&quot; by Theatre Group Asia are Tony Award winner Lea Salonga (The Witch), comedienne Eugene Domingo (Jack&#x27;s mother), and Filipino-American Broadway star Arielle Jacobs (Cinderella). <div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/events/2025/1/27/eugene-domingo-joins-lea-salonga-arielle-jacobs-in-ph-staging-of-into-the-woods-musical-1531">Eugene Domingo joins Lea Salonga, Arielle Jacobs in PH staging of &#x27;Into the Woods&#x27; musical</a></div>

The star-studded cast of the Philippine staging of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" is slowly being revealed.

The star-studded cast of the Philippine staging of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" is slowly being revealed.