In an ideal world, 2025 would have been filled with more theater—mostly from the NYC birthday trip that my sister and I had planned to take. But life often did not work out in my favor in 2025. Now that the year is nearly over, though, I’m just grateful to have seen the few shows I did. I was laid off from my job near the start of the year and have been unemployed since. So I couldn’t just buy tickets to musicals like I have had in past years. But, thanks to the generosity of family, my 2025 still featured the most enchanting form of storytelling.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Cadillac Palace Theatre – Chicago | Broadway national tour
To be honest, I didn’t particularly want to see the Moulin Rouge! national tour. I had already seen the show several times on Broadway and the national tour, and, at the time, the tour cast didn’t feature anyone whom I wanted to see. On top of that, it’s not a cheap ticket. But, ultimately, I’m glad I went. Immersing myself in the story and its setting was a much-needed escape for me during a tough time. It reminded me of how magical live theatre can be.
Jukebox musicals aren’t for everyone, and some people find Moulin Rouge! to be cheesy. I’ve really enjoyed it every time I’ve seen it, though. It’s truly a spectacle of a show filled with theatrics, energy, and fun. “Crazy/Rolling” continues to be my favorite number, and Sonya Tayeh’s choreography hits every time. What made it even better was getting to introduce the show to my friend, whom my sister and I went to the show with.
Beauty and the Beast
Cadillac Palace Theatre – Chicago | Broadway national tour
Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney animated films and princess movies, but I’ve never seen the stage adaptation. So, when the new version of the stage musical was announced to have a run in Chicago, I knew I wanted to go. Knowing the tour would be an expensive ticket, I had made peace with potentially not seeing it. Then, the tour announced its cast, and, suddenly, it became a must-see.
One of the ensemble members is fellow Filipino Julian DeGuzman. I loved him in the Newsies live proshot, and he was great in the Hello, Dolly! national tour. Beauty and the Beast would be the first time I’d get to see him perform in seven years, so I was determined to see the show. Fortunately, I won the ticket lottery for one of the first performances of the Chicago run, making it cheaper to watch.
The view was okay, as I got tickets in the far right orchestra. But, even though I couldn’t see the whole stage and missed some parts of the performance, the show was still great and full of Disney magic. It features some songs that the movie doesn’t, which were nice to hear live. And it was wonderful seeing and catching up a bit with Julian (who was terrific!) at the stage door afterwards, too.
Wicked
Overture Center for the Arts – Madison, Wisconsin | Broadway national tour
I will happily see Wicked the stage musical over and over again for the rest of my life. But I had no plans to see the Wicked national tour this year. That changed once the new tour cast was announced and Zoe Jensen was cast as G(a)linda Upland. Zoe is the first Filipina Glinda, so I couldn’t miss out on seeing her in the show! I’d seen her once before during her first Broadway run in Six, but I hadn’t seen her since. I was supposed to see her originate a role in The Heart of Rock and Roll, but the show unfortunately closed before I could watch the show. So, the Wicked tour felt like redemption. But also somehow even better, because seeing a Filipina as Glinda is so important and such a breakthrough.
I’ve been fortunate enough to watch Wicked a couple of times, and it’s been such a treat every time. The tour didn’t have a Chicago run, so it gave me the chance to visit a new city and go to a new theater, the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin. That made the experience all the more thrillifying. It was also the first time I’d seen the stage version since Wicked: Part One came out, so it was nice to revisit the story and watch it in preparation for Wicked: For Good. Zoe’s Glinda was easily a standout, and she truly makes Glinda her own in a way that no other Glinda I’ve seen has done.
Parade
CIBC Theatre – Chicago | Broadway national tour
Thank you to my tita and tito for the Broadway in Chicago gift certificate that allowed me and my sister to get terrific seats to see Parade. It’s honestly not a show we’d typically go for—we’re open to seeing a variety of genres, but we definitely favor musicals that are dance-heavy. But we had heard great things about Parade when it was on Broadway—it was a Tony winner for a reason! And it was also a learning opportunity for us. We probably would’ve never known about Leo Frank, his trial, and his lynching if not for the show. We weren’t really familiar with anyone in the tour cast either, and experiencing new talent is always exciting.
Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer were both tremendous in the lead roles. Chernin, in particular, had such a commanding presence. The staging was intriguing as well, and I felt they used the limited space creatively and effectively. The subject matter is heavy, but it’s a worthwhile, important story that should be told. It’s also just another example of how musical stage adaptations can be effective methods of storytelling.
