How Celeste Legaspi and Rody Vera find the heart of 'The Notebook, The Musical'
When a story is as widely beloved as The Notebook, bringing it to life on stage demands a piece of the actor’s soul. For the international premiere of the musical adaptation in the Philippines, theater veterans Celeste Legaspi and Rody Vera step into the shoes of older Allie and Noah in The Notebook, The Musical, anchoring a sweeping romance with profound, real-world vulnerability.
For OPM icon and theater royalty Legaspi, playing Allie Hamilton is an experience that strikes a deeply personal chord. Allie’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease is very familiar, having lost her own mother to the very same condition.
"I am expecting that it will be one of the most memorable moments for me on stage," Legaspi shared in an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe.
Though no stranger to portraying characters navigating the fog of cognitive decline, this particular musical score broke through her defenses almost immediately. Under the guidance of her voice teacher Emmylou "Mrs. C" Cayabyab—wife of National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab—Legaspi found herself overwhelmed before the music could even settle.
"My character has only one song. But I think it is one of the most beautiful songs in the musical. As I was studying it... I was already crying, the first three seconds," she said, talking about the song I Know.
In the musical, Allie experiences a heightened moment of lucidity where she recognizes her lifelong love, Noah. For Legaspi, this song meant confronting her own grief. "I know that once the patient enters into Alzheimer’s, you've lost them. You've lost them," she reflected.
Yet, the script’s fragile truth resonated with a specific memory of her mother. Legaspi recalled a time when her mother unexpectedly called out her brother's name, only to immediately return to her illness.
"It's so painful for me kasi that moment actually was very brief. Very, very brief. For a moment that I had my mother back," she said.
Despite that, Legaspi believes the production will resonate well with local audiences. "The Notebook is a beautiful love story. It's so Filipino, actually," she said, noting our innate nature as romantics who love deeply and fiercely.
Meanwhile, Vera, an acclaimed playwright, director, and actor, brings the quiet, unwavering strength of the caregiver. For him, the role of older Noah speaks to the quiet heroism found in long-term devotion.
"The Notebook reminds us that love is not only found in grand gestures but in the choices we make every day to remember, to stay, and to care with patience and loyalty," Vera reflected.
He credits TGA for the opportunity to be part of the production, marking his second collaboration with the theater company, after playing the role as The Narrator in Into The Woods.
"I love the working process and ethics," Vera told L!fe. "Kasi pag trabaho, trabaho, pag saya, saya; the space is safe. I'm really looking forward to doing that. So when they asked me to do this, I didn't say no. I’m just looking forward to getting to work."
The Notebook, The Musical will run from Sept. 3 to 20, 2026 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.