Dannyka Manangan

Ricky Lee, Dolly de Leon, Ruffa Gutierrez, and more celebrities attend 'Into The Woods' star-studded gala night

Article (news)

Gary Ann Lastrilla

Push Team

<p>The much-anticipated gala night of<em> Into The Woods</em> lit up the Samsung Performing Arts Theater on Wednesday, August 6, as theater icons and well-known personalities gathered to celebrate the musical’s Manila staging.</p><p>Produced by Theater Group Asia, the production is set for a 24-show run from August 7 to 31, with an ensemble led by Olivier and Tony Award-winning Lea Salonga in her Philippine musical comeback after six years, playing the role of The Witch. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/8/4/lea-salonga-on-working-with-eugene-domingo-in-into-the-woods-she-s-an-incredible-actor-0947"><strong>READ: Lea Salonga on working with Eugene Domingo in Into The Woods: ‘She’s an incredible actor’</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Fil-Am Broadway star Arielle Jacobs plays Cinderella, while comedy veteran Eugene Domingo takes on the role of Jack’s Mother. International stage and television actor Josh Dela Cruz, known for his role in <em>Blues&#x27; Clues</em>, appears as both Prince Charming and The Wolf.   </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/6/27/josh-dela-cruz-of-blues-clues-joins-ph-production-of-into-the-woods-1238"><strong>READ: Josh Dela Cruz of &#x27;Blue&#x27;s Clues&#x27; joins PH production of &#x27;Into The Woods</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Other cast members include Kapamilya singer Nyoy Volante and Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante as The Baker and The Baker’s Wife, Lea&#x27;s child Nic Chien as Jack, <em>Miss Saigon </em>actress Joreen Bautista as Rapunzel, singer-actor Mark Bautista as Rapunzel’s Prince, Teetin Villanueva as Little Red Riding Hood, Tex Ordoñez-De Leon, Sarah Facuri, and Kakki Teodoro as Cinderella’s Stepmother and Stepsisters, Carla Guevara Laforteza as Granny/The Giant, Jamie Wilson as Cinderella’s Father/The Steward, and Palanca-winning playwright Rody Vera as The Narrator. The show is directed by Chari Arespacochaga.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/2/10/lea-salonga-s-child-nic-chien-joins-cast-of-into-the-woods-as-jack-1612"><strong>READ: Lea Salonga’s child Nic Chien joins cast of ‘Into The Woods’ as Jack</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/events/2025/3/3/more-cast-members-announced-for-ph-staging-of-into-the-woods-musical-1350"><strong>READ: More cast members announced for PH staging of &#x27;Into the Woods&#x27; musical</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>The red carpet event was just as dazzling as the performance, with a star-studded lineup of supporters in attendance. Spotted among the crowd were National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, multi-awarded actress Dolly de Leon, Ruffa Gutierrez, and her daughter Lorin Bektas, Candy Pangilinan, Iza Calzado, Pops Fernandez, Yael Yuzon, Tim Yap, Christian Bautista, Ysabel Ortega, Aya Fernandez, Markki Stroem, Kirk Bondad, Jason Dy, Gabbi Garcia, and Khalil Ramos. Singer Morissette Amon, actor Marvin Agustin, and society figures Philip and Small Laude, Tessa Prieto, Hayden Kho, Pinky Tobiano, and Dominique Cojuangco-Hearn also came to witness the special night.</p><div><br/></div><div>[[PHOTO ALBUM]]</div><div><em>Press photos courtesy of the Into the Woods production</em></div><div><br/></div><p><em>Into the Woods</em> is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. It premiered on Broadway in 1987, winning three Tony Awards including Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. The production blends multiple Brothers Grimm fairy tales namely <em>Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, </em>and <em>Little Red Riding Hood </em>into a single storyline that follows the characters after their initial quests. The original cast included Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, and Chip Zien. In 2014, a film adaptation directed by Rob Marshall was released by Walt Disney Pictures, starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, and Chris Pine.</p>

<p>Theater Group Asia's staging of 'Into the Woods' boasts of a powerhouse cast.</p>