'The Notebook' director hails Pinoy cast as best ensemble he's worked with

Sheena Belarmino (Young Allie), Morissette (Middle Allie), Celeste Legaspi (Older Allie), Rody Vera (Older Noah), Laurence Mossman (Middle Noah) and Benedix Ramos (Young Noah). Handout

MANILA — Filipino-American director Nicholas Polonio has worked alongside several big names in American theater, but as he prepares to direct Theatre Group Asia's “The Notebook The Musical,” he believes he has assembled the finest cast of his career.

"It is literally the greatest collection of talent that I have ever gotten the privilege to work with," Polonio said of the production's all-Filipino ensemble in a media interview Tuesday.

"So many different types of actors and singers as well. I'm so excited to see how the cast will be able to build up and support each other."

Polonio, who is making his Philippine directing debut, said putting together the cast involved months of research from New York, where he immersed himself in Manila's theater scene through recordings, online discussions and conversations with Filipino artists.

"I tried to get as much about the Manila theater scene as possible," he said. "I tracked through years of Reddit posts, Facebook groups, and all of your writing was actually quite informative."

He also met virtually with actors, reviewed audition tapes and sought recommendations from Filipino friends working in New York before finalizing the cast with Theatre Group Asia.

The resulting lineup features Philippine musical icon Celeste Legaspi as Older Allie, veteran actor and playwright Rody Vera as Older Noah, power belter Morissette as Middle Allie, London-based Laurence Mossman as Middle Noah, and rising theater stars Sheena Belarmino and Benedix Ramos as the younger versions of Allie and Noah.

For Polonio, the casting process went beyond finding strong singers.

"To me, the actors are the most important collaborators," he said, adding that he prefers creating rehearsal rooms where performers help shape their characters rather than simply execute a director's instructions. He described Legaspi and Vera as the emotional anchors of the musical, noting that the story is ultimately told through the older versions of Allie and Noah as they look back on a lifetime together.

"The musical is a story about this older couple," he said. "They are the leads of the show to me in so many ways."

He praised the pair for bringing emotional honesty to their performances, saying they transition naturally between spoken scenes and songs.

"There's such a deeply rooted heart and openness to both of them," he said, adding that Legaspi in particular impressed him with her nuanced approach to portraying Older Allie as she navigates dementia while remaining recognizably herself.

Filipino-American director Nicholas Polonio. Handout

Polonio also singled out Morissette, saying he had known of the singer long before joining the production.

"Her voice is incredible," he said. "I almost feel like these songs were written for her."

Beyond her vocal ability, however, he said it was Morissette's sense of humor that made her ideal for Middle Allie, whose journey centers on discovering her own identity while choosing between two different futures.

He described Mossman as the perfect complement to Morissette, praising the London-based performer for bringing "history and presence and stillness" to Middle Noah while making the character's steadfast devotion feel completely believable.

As for the younger couple, Polonio said Benedix Ramos and Sheena Belarmino already possessed the chemistry needed to portray Noah and Allie's whirlwind teenage romance.

"They're just so good together," he said. "They have this playfulness ... that summer romance that you had in high school."

Their natural chemistry, he added, gives the musical the youthful energy needed to launch the audience into the decades-spanning love story.

With rehearsals scheduled to begin this Sunday, Polonio said he is eager to discover how the production would evolve once the company came together in person.

"I'm excited to find out what this musical is by beginning to work with them," he said.