‘Joseph the Dreamer’ runs November 6 to 22 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, in Makati City. Tickets are available at https://ticket2me.net/event/23061.
A story drawn from the Bible may seem like it speaks primarily to people of faith, but its themes can reach far beyond religion. Freddie Santos’ Joseph the Dreamer, adapted from Cam Floria’s musical cantata Dreamer: What Really Happened to Joseph, is one such story, based on the account of Joseph in the Old Testament Book of Genesis.
As someone who isn’t particularly religious myself, Joseph’s story is still one I recognize, albeit only vaguely, having grown up in a predominantly Catholic country. It follows Joseph, Jacob’s favored son, whose brothers grow jealous of him and sell him into slavery. Despite the betrayal and hardships he endures, Joseph eventually rises to power in Egypt, where he comes face-to-face with those who wronged him. Even outside its biblical context, the story centers on the power of choice and its inseparable connection to the possibility of change, a theme that this year’s production hopes to bring to the forefront.
Joseph the Dreamer has continued to reach audiences across generations since its inaugural show in 1989. Returning to the stage this year from November 6 to 22 at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City, the musical revisits Joseph’s story with the possibility of seeing its characters in a new light. For director Bernice Aspillaga, working on the production has also been an opportunity to discover perspectives she hadn’t considered before. “Sometimes the people you work with will open your eyes to things you never thought possible,” she said.
True to this, this year’s cast, which brings together both new and returning performers, has helped shape those discoveries. One that particularly stood out to Aspillaga was veteran actor Nonie Buencamino’s interpretation of Jacob, Joseph’s father. “Sir Nonie’s portrayal of Jacob has been such a revelation for me. I honestly never imagined that the character could be approached that way,” she said.
Nonie Buencamino as Jacob and Neo Rivera as Joseph perform ‘Like Father, Like Son.’
For Buencamino, playing Jacob meant acknowledging the character’s wrongdoings without simply reducing him to a villain. “I learned especially that Jacob was really bad. He did really bad things. He deceived his brother; he deceived his father to get what he wanted…When I looked at the meaning of ‘Jacob,’ deceiver pala yung meaning nun, so, ‘manipulator,’” he said. Yet, he’s also quick to add, “He has some guilt that he wants to make himself better…It becomes more meaningful when there is redemption.”
Buencamino eventually came to see Jacob as more of a “flawed father.” He explained, “He already thought that he was making up for his mistakes when the story started, and then realizes how flawed he is. He’s not a fair father; he’s judgmental towards his sons, he favors one boy, and he was the one who caused all of this, and he blamed himself for it. For me, he starts realizing his mistakes, and then by the end of the story, it ends with him also realizing his mistakes even more with the way he treated his children.” For the longest time, we are taught that there is good and bad and right and wrong, but human beings are far more nuanced than these binaries allow.
Omar Uddin, whose theater credits include Bar Boys, Spring Awakening, and most recently, The Notebook, is another new face in this production. He plays Potiphar, a character whose role, like those of the others in the story, helps bring the musical’s central theme into fuller view. Uddin sees each character as an important part of Joseph’s transformation, a reminder that people are not fixed in who they are. However, he emphasizes that change comes through the journey itself, shaped by the experiences we face and the people whose paths cross ours. That perhaps is human nature, and the inescapable truth of life. As he said, “What I discovered, not just with Potiphar, but also with the different characters in the show, all connects with Joseph’s story, and every character is so important, because without them, we don’t see Joseph go through like the smallest hole of the needle.”
Uddin’s onstage partner, Dippy Arceo, who alternates with Jannah Baniasia as Mrs. Potiphar, shares a similar perspective. For her, the story challenges predeterminism by reminding us that we still have agency over our choices and actions. Reflecting on the generational trauma within Joseph’s family, she explained, “You would think that Jacob, who is evil, has to be evil his entire life. And because he’s evil to his sons, and his sons are evil, you would think that would affect Joseph. But he has a decision in the end to choose not to be.”
While all eleven of Joseph’s brothers conspired against him, the eldest, Reuben (Boo Gabunada), along with Judah (Rapah Manalo) and Benjamin (Gab Tiongson), played significant roles in carrying out the plan, which are also played by new cast members. Manalo takes Judah’s character with an aligned perspective as the theme they’re going for. “For Judah kasi, he exists in a space between doing something wrong and becoming someone different. So for Judah’s character in Joseph’s story, sa take ko, I want people to be reminded that one decision can reveal the worst in us, but it doesn’t necessarily reveal everything we’re capable of becoming,” he said. Gabunada adds, “This story can change people’s perspective on how to relate with other people, and what we need right now in the world is more of that.”
Amid the new faces, the role of Joseph will be shared by returning cast members Neo Rivera and Jordan Andrews. Andrews, who played the character just last year, echoed Gabunada’s sentiments and reflected on how Joseph the Dreamer remains relevant to the challenges we continue to face today. “We’ve all stayed strong, we’ve kept going, we’ve persevered. There’s so many things, especially over the last few years, and this story is just something that you can constantly relate to. Joseph has a really cool coat..you will go home with the coat of hoping again, go home with a coat of integrity, a coat of maybe forgiving someone that hurt you,” he said.
The cast of ‘Joseph the Dreamer ‘gathered for the media conference at Mirror Studio, Makati City, on October 22.
To make these themes of choice and change resonate even more with audiences, the production pairs its message with powerful vocals and dance sequences that bring the story’s emotions to life and make its lessons more memorable. Uddin described it as a “dance-heavy show,” with Jim Ferrer serving as dance captain. Ensemble member Kathleen Francisco also highlighted songs featured in the musical, including He Opens a Window and Lead Me, which are part of the production’s musical arrangements under Jay Pangilinan’s direction.
The production team emphasized that Joseph the Dreamer is a story for everyone. This November, as the musical returns to the stage, the choice of what to take away from it is yours.
