9 Works Theatrical took a bold risk for its first production of 2026. After 17 years since their debut production, the company adapted their first straight (non-musical) play, Yemaya.

This unfamiliar but Pulitzer Prize-winning play was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, best known for her Tony Award-winning In The Heights. In the US, she’s widely celebrated for her mythical and theatrical storytelling that celebrates her Puerto Rican and Jewish heritage. Originally called Yemaya’s Belly, this was her 2003 debut play, which follows a young Cuban boy named Jesus/Molo who embarks on an epic journey in search of a new world.

Because the material is obscure, meaning it isn’t as widely produced and staged as other popular plays, there isn’t much we know or hear about Yemaya, which makes me wonder why 9 Works chose this for their first 2026 production, especially after last year’s The Bodyguard received mixed reviews.

But after catching the press preview on June 12th, I finally understand why they were drawn to this material.

There’s more to Yemaya than meets the eye. The promotional posters give off an island vibe, reminiscent of 9 Works’ Once On This Island. Its proximity to their next prod, On Your Feet!, a Gloria Estefan jukebox musical with Cuban roots, might make you think Yemaya is a light, festive story.

But it’s much deeper and much more gut-wrenching than I expected. I suggest you don’t do a deep dive into the story before watching, so that it can pull you in the way it did with me.

Leading this production in his highly anticipated comeback is Ed Lacson Jr., the director and set designer who takes us on this fantasy-ridden and coming-of-age tale that feels like a page-turner, an unexpected book that you can’t seem to put down. Seeing how Ed, with the help of the creative and technical team, transformed the small stage into something straight out of a storybook and fever dream shows us why he is one of the best in Philippine theater design and direction.

The set props dangling from the ceiling—being levered up and down as the scenes unfold—remind me so much of the pabitin, a classic Filipino party game. I wonder if that’s an allusion to our Filipino culture. Though the play tackles Cuban culture, we share the same themes of close-knit families, colonialism, ambition, poverty, grief, and loss.

The adaptation was translated into Filipino by Eljay Castro Deldoc, making the material more relatable to the Pinoy audience, while keeping Hudes’ signature lyrical prose.

I’m already familiar with the works of Benedix Ramos and Sheena Belarmino, who are playing the leads, Jesus/Molo and Maya, so I’m glad I caught their alternates Tommy Alejandrino and Ness Roque on preview night.

Tommy embodies Jesus/Molo’s child-like wonder and naivety so well, as he dreams of a new life in America after his first taste of Coca-Cola. The rest of the cast is so attuned to their characters and performances—Ness as the feisty Maya, Anthony Falcon as Jesus’ father figure and uncle Jelin, Herbie Go as the quirky Tico, Sheenly Gener as the maternal Lila, and the legendary Bituin Escalante as the titular Yemaya/Inay. They all draw you into this intimate play wrapped in magical idealism, with undertones of immigration and economic struggles.

 

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Though it’s not a musical per se, we are treated to Bituin’s singing in some parts of the script. Movement director JM Cabling’s choreography of the domino games (which I’m sure will go through more polishing in the coming weeks) is a standout scene.

There is one particular Coca-Cola scene in Act 1 that did it for me, the one that pained me and at the same time lured me into the essence of this story. The boat scenes in Act 2 flow—figuratively and literally—with the tides of this visual storytelling. It’s when I realize this may be one of the best productions I’ve seen from 9 Works.

At the end of Act 2, you’re left hoping there are more pages to the story, because you want more for the characters that you’ve started to root for. Instead, it slaps you back to reality—layers of archipelagic identity that we share with our Cuban brothers and sisters. You may never see a bottle of Coke and a can of Spam the same way again.

Yemaya runs until July 5, 2026, at The Black Box at The Proscenium Theater, Rockwell Makati. Tickets are available on Ticket2Me.net and through 9 Works Theatrical.

Cast: Tommy Alejandrino and Benedix Ramos alternate as Jesus/Mulo; Sheena Belarmino and Ness Roque alternate as Maya; Bituin Escalante as Yemaya; Herbie Go as Tico; Sheenly Gener as Lila; Anthony Falcon as Jelin; and Wenah Nagales as cover for Yemaya/Inay

Artistic Team: Ed Lacson Jr. as director and set designer; Eljay Castro Deldoc as Filipino translator; Teresa Barrozo as music and sound designer; Wika Nadera as assistant set designer and art director; JM Cabling as movement director; Ericson Navarro as costume and prop designer; Jethro Nibaten as lighting designer; Sheik Completado as technical director; Elliza Aurelio as hair and makeup designer; and Lee Morale as photographer

*Featured photo (Tommy Alejandrino as Jesus/Mulo) by Myra Ho courtesy of 9WT