Nicholas Polonio, the Filipino-American director who leads Theatre Group Asia's Manila staging of 'The Notebook: The Musical.'
Filipino-American director Nicholas Polonio, who is working at the helm of the Philippine premiere of “The Notebook,” got to watch the hit musical, “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4,” and could not stop raving about what he saw.
Thanks to the English subtitles, it was easy for Polonio to easily understand the musical that topbilled Eugene Domingo. ”I was trying to learn the Filipino theater scene and ‘Septic Tank’ was awesome,” Polonio told ABS-CBN News.
“Great. I had the time of my life when I watched it. ‘Septic Tank’ was like trying to get a sense of every single theater company here. It was fantastic. I was laughing and laughing.”
REVIEW: ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4’ is Eugene Domingo unleashed
Now six weeks in Manila, the New York-based Polonio cannot be proud enough when he was chosen by Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) artistic director Clint Ramos to work at the helm of “The Notebook” musical. Polonio watched the original Broadway production of “The Notebook” musical in previews back in 2024.
“I was like really blown away by two things about it,” shared Polonio, who is in his second time in the Philippines. “One, it's the characters in it. Not only do they like two lead characters, like Noah and Alli that are so massive to the story, but split out over these different parts of their lives.
“So it's sort of this fractured storytelling in a way, but also the ensemble characters, even the characters who only appear in one scene or two scenes are written just so thoroughly with so much depth that the world as a whole takes on so much, and it becomes so much more than just about one story. But these, like many, many versions of love stories that build a life together.
“I think that's normally on musicals, like the book of it is the thing that is often make or break. Like scores are up in, but beautiful or quite effective. A script to me, as a director that's like mostly excited by acting and performances and stuff.”
“The Notebook, The Musical” is based on Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 bestselling novel, which later became a hit 2004 film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The stage adaptation features a book by Bekah Brunstetter, with music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson.
After its world premiere in Chicago in 2022, the musical opened on Broadway in 2024 and earned three Tony Award nominations, including Best Book of a Musical.
FILIPINO TALENT
Polonio is working with an entirely Filipino cast members of “The Notebook, The Musical.” At the center of the story are six performers who portray Allie and Noah at different stages of their lives. Philippine theater icon Celeste Legaspi takes on the role of Older Allie opposite theater actor Rody Vera as Older Noah.
Acclaimed singer and performer Morissette stars as Middle Allie, with Lawrence Mossman as Middle Noah. Completing the central trio are Sheena Belarmino as Young Allie and Benedix Ramos as Young Noah.
Polonio with the cast of 'The Notebook: The Musical'
Rounding out the principal cast are Carla Guevara Laforteza as Mother, Floyd Tena as Father, Shaun Ocrisma as Fin, Jillian Itaas as Georgie, Felicity Kyle Napuli as Sarah, Markki Stroem as Lon, Kathleen Francisco as Nurse Joanna, and Omar Uddin as Johnny.
“Every single artist on the team is Filipino,” beamed Polonio. “In the local and international context, not only the actors we have on stage, and the covers, but also the crew, all the designers, the music team and it is a reflection of Filipino talent, imagination and artistry in a truly global and local context simultaneously.
READ: 'The Notebook' director hails Pinoy cast as best ensemble he's worked with
“Every single creative choice that was made on this stage is designed by Filipino imagination and artistry. I think it is just incredibly exciting to kind of paint this entire world with the ways that we see it. I'm uniquely excited to see how you guys think that the Filipino imagination imagines its exotic location as North Carolina.”
At just 28, Polonio has built the kind of résumé many theater artists spend decades chasing. He loves authors William Shakespeare, Eugene O’Neill and Lorraine Hansberry.
“Shakespeare has written stories with characters that hundreds and hundreds of actors can play overtime and make brand new,” Polonio said. “It will be impossible for two people to play ‘Hamlet’ the same way. In ‘Henry 1V,’ you have Hotspur, Falstaff. Every single person who tries to do the characters, the words will bring out unique things in it. There’s a big cliff-hanger, great war scene and good love story. That’s hard to copy.”
Before Theatre Group Asia (TGA) chose him to direct the international premiere of “The Notebook, The Musical,” Polonio had served as associate director on the Tony Award-winning “Slave Play” and worked on productions at Shakespeare's Globe, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Center “Encores!” and, most recently, “La Cage aux Folles,” starring Billy Porter and Wayne Brady.
Those credits convinced Tony Award winner Clint Ramos, TGA's overall artistic and creative director, to entrust Polonio with one of the company's biggest productions.
“The Notebook,’ which is an adaptation of not only a movie and a novel, has so many different legacies to try to consider both fields,” informed Polonio. “Refreshingly original in so many ways, even for great fans of the novel and of the movie, but also for someone who's their first time encountering the story feels like everything that you need and remarkably thorough.
“I was really blown away by how the writers were able to put it together, and for a director, it felt like, such an amazing platform for so many different versions of what it could be.”
'SOMETHING BRAND NEW'
Filipino audiences can expect “something brand new,” with the staging of “The Notebook, The Musical” in Manila, starting September 3 until 20 at Samsung Performing Arts Theater.
“What's quite exciting and unique also to me is that this will be the first production of the show, besides the Broadway production. The touring production is a remount of the touring Broadway production and it was just so exciting to get to design, create, cast and imagine a production that is essentially the second version of the show that the world has ever seen.
“You can expect a lot not only this version of the story, but also the novel and the movie, and we have so many surprises and great things that I think will both delight folks who are really familiar with the material, but also come across as quite exciting to know even if this is their first time witnessing ‘The Notebook’.”
READ: Morissette 'excited' for 'The Notebook' musical, features in 'My Days' music video
Opening TGA’s 2026–2027 season, “The Notebook: The Musical” marks a significant milestone for Philippine theater as the international premiere of the Broadway musical. The Manila staging brings together a stellar Filipino-led cast and creative team, placing Filipino artistry at the center of a story that has captivated audiences around the world.
“The Notebook, The Musical” is a sweeping story of enduring love, memory and the emotion that presents time. “At its core, the musical follows Alli, Noah, two young lovers from different worlds tested by circumstance, distance and the passage of years,” said TGA co-founder and artistic head Christopher Mohnani.
“Told across three stages of their lives, the story involves tenderness and emotional depth of death, reminding us that true love is not only about passion, but about choosing each other again and again. It is a celebration of commitment, sacrifice and a quiet bravery found in loving someone faithfully through every season of life.”
The musical follows Allie and Noah, whose extraordinary love story unfolds across multiple stages of their lives. Through memory, time, separation, and the choices that shape a lifetime, The Notebook: The Musical explores what it means to love someone deeply, to grow alongside them, and to hold on to the stories that make us who we are.
The production also features a talented company of covers who bring versatility across multiple roles. Justine Narciso covers Young Allie and Sarah, while Albert Silos covers Young Noah and Fin.
Katrine Sunga covers Middle Allie, Nurse Joanna, Concierge and Georgie, while Edward Benosa covers Middle Noah, Lon, Nurse Tyler, Johnny. Gimbey del a Cruz covers Older Allie, Mother and Nurse Lori, while Jamie Wilson covers Older Noah, father and son.