I attended PH's first-ever musical theatre rave, and it was one of my best nights ever
As someone whose social battery gets drained easily, attending rave parties would be the last thing you'll ever see me do.
In my free time, I prefer staying in, rotting in bed while scrolling through social media or watching my favorite series or films. I didn’t know how much fun I’d been missing out until I attended a rave—and it’s musical-themed.
GMG Productions’ StageDoor hosted a two-day musical theater rave over the weekend, the first of its kind in the Philippines. In case you didn’t know, StageDoor is a newly launched initiative that aims to widen the musical theater market by producing fan-centered immersive events like parties and sing-alongs.
I was given a chance to attend its encore event last Oct. 27, where I witnessed a mix of theater fans, solo adventurers, and groups of friends coming together to celebrate.
My interest in theater started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when my sister persuaded (or forced) me to watch a bootleg of Hamilton on YouTube, often disguised as “slime tutorial” or “ham-slime tutorial” back when it still wasn't on Disney+. The scenes she introduced to me were the stages of Helpless and Satisfied which showed two POVs of Eliza and Angelica Schuyler when they met Alexander Hamilton, which got me hooked to watch the whole play.
After Hamilton, she also introduced to me the musical film In The Heights which also included cast from the former, namely Anthony Ramos (John Laurens, Philip Hamilton/Usnavi), Christopher Jackson (George Washington/Mr. Softee Truck), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton/Piragua Guy).
We then watched other musical films like Tick, Tick...Boom!, SIX, and most recently, Chicago (remember the “Oh yes, they both reached for the gun” audio on your TikTok FYP? Yup, that’s the one). It was my sister who was responsible for getting me into this vibrant world of theater.
As a first-time rave goer, I had mixed feelings about attending the party; I was excited to finally join the sing-alongs with a crowd—not just with my sister, but I also felt nervous because I usually feel overwhelmed when I’m in a large crowd.
The dance floor opened with childhood favorite hits from High School Musical and Camp Rock, until it slowly shifted to tracks from Broadway shows like The Lion King, Moulin Rouge! and Wicked and musical films like Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls, Dear Evan Hansen, Frozen, Rent, and The Greatest Showman.
Aside from the rave, the event also highlighted the talents of some of the musical theater fans through lip sync battles and costume contests.
Two cast members from Going Home to Christmas attended the party and gave the audience a sneak peek of their upcoming play, which will open on Nov. 29 at RCBC Plaza, Makati City.
The crowd went wild for hits from Hamilton and SIX. Everyone sang their hearts out to My Shot, Helpless, Ex-Wives, All You Wanna Do, and Satisfied, channeling the energy and emotion of the characters through their singing and rapping.
There are also a few songs that were played from Filipino musicals, like Ang Huling El Bimbo and Mula Sa Buwan.
@philstarlife Here’s what went down on PH’s first-ever musical theatre rave last weekend! #PhilStarLife #StageDoorbyGMG ♬ original sound - philstarlife
The rave wasn't just for millennials and Gen Zs—even older folks were dancing to Dancing Queen and Footloose. A highlight of the night was when everyone was singing Seasons of Love from Rent. It was an incredibly emotional experience to share that moment with many other theater enthusiasts.
During the night, my sister and I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear while singing along. Last year, I checked off one of my theater bucket list items: watching Hamilton live at Solaire. Little did I know that another dream would come true this year—jamming with fellow theater enthusiasts.
It's the same joy I feel at K-pop concerts, singing at the top of my lungs and connecting with other fans. But this experience was unique. It was the first time I could fully embrace my love for musicals in a crowd of like-minded people, without any reservations.
For nearly five hours, I also realized that raves are not for the weak. I was almost dragging myself outside the venue with my sore legs and backache.
Despite the body pain and headache the next morning, I was glad to be part of the first-ever musical theater rave in the Philippines. I attended a rave for the first time and it’s musical-themed—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Disclaimer: The tickets were sponsored by GMG Productions