A new musical called Felix Starro will make its debut in September 2019. It will be the first-ever off-Broadway musical created by Filipino Americans, according to Playbill.
The musical version of Felix Starro is written by Filipino American Jessica Hagedorn. According to Balitang America News, the musical is inspired by Lysley Tenorio’s short story of the same title. Felix Starro tells the story of a young, undocumented Filipino immigrant boy name Felix, whose father is a famous faith healer in San Francisco. His family’s faith healing business, however, is a scam, and Felix is forced to go along with this lie. He soon develops a plan to leave his family business and start a new life in America.
The musical is produced by Ma-Yi Theater Company in New York. Ma-Yi Theater Company is known for bringing more Asian playwrights and actors onto the stage. In February of 2019, the company produced Suicide Forest, written and starred by Kristen Haruna Lee. Based on the legendary Japanese myth, Suicide Forest is a bilingual play that tells a tale of female submissiveness in the Japenese patriarchal society. The play shows how the protagonist breaks her silence and overcomes this challenge.
Felix Starro the musical will be directed by Ralph B. Peña from Ma-Yi Theater Company. The orchestra will be conducted by Paulo K Tiról, and choreography by Brandon Bieber, according to Playbill. The opening night for Felix Starro is set to be on September 3. Previews will begin on August 23.
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