A Christmas Carol runs at The Proscenium Theater at Rockwell until Dec. 21, 2025.
Veteran multi-platform actor-performer and writer-editor Franco Laurel loves to say “fun fact.”
Laurel reprises the role of The Ghost of Christmas Past (Photo by Totel V. de Jesus)
In an interview with TheDiarist.ph, he said that among these “fun facts” was playing dad in the Filipino adaptation of the Koreanovela hit What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, a co-production by ABS-CBN and Viu Philippines that aired on free TV in 2024.
“I played Robert Castillo, the father of Brandon (Paulo Avelino) and Cyrus (Jake Cuenca), and husband of Carlotta (Janice de Belen),” he said, beaming with pride. The series has been streaming on iWantTFC. In the original K-drama, his character is Chairman Lee, played by Kim Byeong-Ok.
“I’ve been doing soap operas since 2018 kaya nawala ako sa theater (I was out of theater),” he said, smiling.
“For FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, I played vice president Albert Hernandez. I was also part of KathNiel’s (Kathlyn Bernardo-Daniel Padilla) Too Good to Be True and for this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival, I also have a role in Love You So Bad, which stars Bianca de Vera, Dustin Yu, Will Astley,” he said, and ticked off other titles.
Kids love Laurel as the Ghost of Christmas Past. (Photo from 9 Works Theatrical)
The last theatrical production he was in was 9 Works Theatrical’s second staging of A Christmas Carol, in December 2017. He played the Ghost of Christmas Past.
The musical adaptation was by Alan Menken (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors) of the same-titled 1843 novella by Charles Dickens, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and book by Mike Ockrent and Ahrens.
Now, as he reprised his role, another “fun fact” he shared was how he faced two major challenges in this third staging of A Christmas Carol, running at Rockwell Proscenium Theater until Dec. 21.
One is having lots of costume changes. Aside from playing the Ghost of Christmas Past, he’s also in other minor roles as part of the ensemble. “Actually, the title of the show is Quick Change the Musical!” he said, in good humor.
He can do different roles “in a snap,”—though he’s not the only one, because everybody in the cast does that. “Magbilang ka five minutes, lalabas kami (we’ll be back onstage) as a different character,” he said.
Director Robbie Guevara pointed out, “It’s actually quick change, back on stage, dance. Quick change, back on stage, different dance or different genre dance. Nothing would be the same as the previous dance.”
Laurel added, “But what I like about this show is, we’re always on our toes. From the time we open until curtain call, we’re literally on the move, including the kids, and that’s something to look forward to. It shows how talented each and every one in the cast is, because it’s never easy, how quick we change our character, and it is on point. We’d like to commend everyone for giving their best, their A-game for this production.”
‘What I like about this show is, we’re always on our toes. From the time we open until curtain call, we’re literally on the move, including the kids, and that’s something to look forward to’
Watching the musical on opening week, we enjoyed how playing multiple characters seemed a breeze for them. The result is a relaxing, wholesome musical experience for the whole family.
9 Works Theatrical’s initial staging of A Christmas Carol was in 2016, co-produced with Globe Live, at the now-closed Globe Amphitheater, the open-air cavernous theater along Bonifacio High Street in BGC, Taguig City. They restaged it the following year in the same venue. The cast was led by veteran actor Miguel Faustmann as Ebenezer Scrooge.
“I acted with Miguel in 2017, and it’s been an honor. Now, going back to theater, it’s like riding a bike, since I did it before. I still wanted to retain what I created eight years ago, but add something new like in terms of nuances, PJ Rebulida’s choreography, and a little bit more here and there. There’s been new discoveries,” he said.
Laurel as the Ghost of Christmas Past, with Arnel Carrion as Ebenezer Scrooge (Photo from 9 Works Theatrical)
“We have a new Scrooge, Arnel Carrion. The way he reacts to my lines, it gives me something new to do. This cast is pretty new, so it helps me to have different takes,” he added.
With daughters Sofia, Lucia and Mariella (Photo by Totel V. de Jesus)
The second challenge is being onstage with his three daughters, Mariella, Sofia, and Lucia. He admitted, during rehearsals, he sometimes forgot to shift his role from stage dad to co-actor and vice versa.
“Eight years ago, I actually played with Mariella, who was part of the cast back then as Scrooge’s mother. Now, Lucia, who is only eight years old, and Sofia, who is only 11 years old, are with us on stage. For these two, it’s their first time to act in professional theater,” the beaming father said.
Mariella is in her 30s and already an accomplished theater actress, teacher, director, and singer-performer on TV. She is actually head of sales and marketing partnerships for Sandbox Collective, the sister company of 9 Works Theatrical.
In Dickens’ novella, Scrooge’s mother is unnamed, and she died after giving birth to Scrooge’s younger sister Fan.
In this recent iteration, Mariella Laurel plays Mrs. Mops, the ungrateful housekeeper of Mr. Scrooge who appears when the Ghost of Christmas Future (played by Carmelle Ros) shows Mr. Scrooge a glimpse of what will happen after he dies.
Sofia Laurel (alternating with Bianca Estacio) plays Grace Smythe, daughter of a poor family who owes Mr. Scrooge a big amount of money they can never repay. Lucia Laurel (alternating with Ani Cinco)is Fan, who appears in one of Mr. Scrooge’s journeys to his past when he was a school boy. Fan is shown fetching the young Ebenezer from boarding school to spend Christmas at home.
“Fun fact, Lucia was born on Nov. 27, 2017, during our production week when I was doing A Christmas Carol, so it’s a full circle moment for my family, since she and Sofia are part of the show. Now, we celebrated Lucia’s eight birthday during our prod week. Same as before,” Laurel said, laughing.
Veteran theater actress and performer Ayen Munji-Laurel prefers to be behind the scenes, the family chronicler as husband Franco and daughters perform in ‘A Christmas Carol.’ (Photo by Totel V. de Jesus)
“I feel so blessed,” he said, when asked how it feels being on stage acting with more than half of his family. His wife, the acclaimed actress and performer Ayen Munji-Laurel, chose to be behind the scene. But at home, Laurel said he let Ayen train Sofia and Lucia.
“I can help the kids in terms of blocking, a bit of choreography and that’s all. Ayen, being a theater major from the University of the Philippines, can teach them a lot. So, I asked her, ‘Ayen, honey, ikaw na bahala,’ and she’d bring out more from them, the best in them. And I don’t meddle.”
Speaking of meddling, he said there were times he couldn’t step away from being their father. “I see them rehearsing and watch them onstage, sometimes I can’t help but be a dad. I’d tell them, ‘Sofia, you’re next!’ Kasi, sometimes they don’t do it, di ba? So, I’d tell her, ‘You’re going to come in already.’ I can’t help it but, you know, there’s so much energy when you’re in a situation like that.
“Pag ako lang, I just think of myself, what I’m going to be doing. But there, even during the show, I’d find myself asking, ‘Where’s Lucia, where’s Sofia? Kasi, si Mariella, kaya na yan. I’d be pacified if they know what they’re doing na,” he added, laughing.
“Well, we can’t blame them because they grew up watching us parents perform. And now seeing them thrive in a field that they love is amazing for us.”
He emphasized he and Ayen never forced the kids to go into theater. “Eh sila yung may gusto, and so to see them get into character, to discover their talents or just see them during rehearsals, it’s like ‘Wow!’ Nakaka-proud lang for a dad,” he said.
“Not making buhat bangko, but Sofia and Lucia are very smart. They are very observant and when they are given directions, they take it in. Sinalang sila for the second time, on point na. They’re thinking of their characters and adding their own value.”
Franco said how Sofia and Lucia got the roles was a funny story. When they watched the recent staging of Side Show, they were sitting in front of Guevara. During intermission, Guevara asked him if he’s free to do A Christmas Carol again.
“I told Robbie, I have to check my sked first because I was doing a teleserye. I went to the restroom. When I came back, he told me, ‘OK na, cast na yung dalawa.’ I told Robbie, ‘OK, give me a week to think about it and if I can fix my schedule.’ That was some time in August this year.
“One time, during dinner, when Sofia and Lucia were saying grace, they inserted their request to do A Christmas Carol with me and Mariella. So, how can I say ‘no’ to that? They asked God,” Laurel said. “We started rehearsing September.”
‘One time, during dinner, when Sofia and Lucia were saying grace, they inserted their request to do “A Christmas Carol” with me and Mariella. So, how can I say “no” to that? They asked God’
Laurel may have focused on teleseryes and films the past decade, but in his younger years, he did a lot of acting for theater. We’re not surprised that he is among the Quintoshian actors, a term for those who were trained and directed by the late playwright and director Floy Quintos. Among his first roles was a Fil-Am character named Fred Tinawid in And St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos in 2005.
“I also played Pepe Rizal in Dulaang UP’s Isang Panaginip na Fili in 2008, with a restaging in 2010. Both were directed by Floy,” he said. Quintos wrote And St. Louis Loves Dems Filipinos, which was directed by Alexander Cortez. Laurel added aside from directing, Quintos also wrote Fili.
His first role in musical theater was Bharata, the younger brother of Rama in 1999’s staging of Rama at Sita. In 2004, Laurel won an Aliw Award for Best Actor when he played Ugly in Trumpets’ Honk, the Ugly Duckling.
In 2006, he played the titular role of Joseph in Trumpets’ most-staged original musical, Joseph the Dreamer. In between the years he was playing Pepe for Quintos, he was Anthony in Repertory Philippines’ 2009 staging of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, co-directed by Michael Williams and Baby Barredo. Incidentally, Guevara was his co-actor, playing Beadle.
In 2011, Laurel played the role of Brother Antonius in Peque Gallaga’s Fire in the Soul, a musical, with libretto by Vicente Garcia Groyon and music by Von de Guzman, about the 1945 massacre of La Sallian brothers and students.
Finally, fun facts on being a Laurel, we couldn’t help but ask how he is related to the other Laurel celebrities in theater, cinema, the performing arts, and even Philippine history.
“Yanah is my youngest sister. My mother’s name is Fely. My father’s name is Francis, he’s a businessman. (The late actor-singer) Cocoy Laurel was my uncle. Denise, the one you always see on television, is my cousin. (The late theater icon) Celia Diaz-Laurel was my grand aunt. She’s the wife of my Lolo Doy (former Vice President Salvador Laurel). Speaker Jose B. Laurel Jr. is one of my grand uncles. And so is the late Senator Sotero Laurel. My grandfather is Jose Sotero Laurel III, former Philippine Ambassador to Japan. President Jose P. Laurel is my great grandfather.”
True enough, in Franco’s case, the ghosts of his Christmases past are something to be proud of. And with the way he’s living his life, for sure, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will look at him with the same reverence and admiration.
