”WAKA has something there that you should latch on to, and relate to, and maybe even heal from. ”

‘We Aren’t Kids Anymore’ Cast – Gab Pangilinan, Luigi Quesada, Myke Salomon, Maronne Cruz, and Gio Gahol

What happens when five actors bare their souls through the words and music of one man sharing the story of growing up?

We Aren’t Kids Anymore by Drew Gasparini, featuring a poem by Keith White, with orchestrations and vocal arrangements by Justin Goldner and Drew Gasparini, isn’t your typical musical. There’s no central character or linear story. Instead, it’s a deeply personal song cycle—a series of musical moments that lay bare the beautiful, brutal, and messy truths of growing up.

This vulnerability is what makes WAKA (as the cast and creative team affectionately call it) so affecting. “What we’re trying our best to do is shed some of our walls,” shares actor Gio Gahol, “so the people who will watch it will see humans.”

Got to sit down and talk to the cast and team behind ‘We Aren’t Kids Anymore’

Each of the five performers represents a different aspect or era of Gasparini’s life—a kind of musical filtered through five distinct voices. It’s not about playing characters; it’s about playing yourself. “There’s no clear character to play,” says director Rem Zamora. “I always tell the actors—you just have to play yourself. They’re bringing so much of their personal selves into it. I guess the balancing act there is how to get all personal beauty and chaos, everything then staging it into something that we can show. Something so beautiful.”

Gab Pangilinan describes the process as “being comfortable with the uncomfortable,” while Luigi Quesada calls the show “self-healing”—a kind of conversation with your therapist, friends, or a drunk session. “Growing older can get lonely,” he says. “No one really tells you that part.”

For Maronne Cruz, the raw honesty of the piece is what makes it hit so hard. “The show is us saying, ‘This is our beating heart. I know yours is beating the same.’” That’s why she believes it’s a piece that will “heal in silence”—a shared but quiet moment of release between performer and audience.

Musical director and performer Myke Salomon calls it “emotional storytelling,” where the songs carry meaning even without choreography or characters. “Even without the music, the words scratch at something real. The music then adds another layer. It brings you to another dimension, another meaning. To a very universal language.”

Female and Male Covers, Katrine Sunga and Angelo Lantaco

Covers Katrine Sunga and Angelo Lantaco echo the show’s emotional core with reflections on growth and change. For Katrine, We Aren’t Kids Anymore is a reminder of what drives us forward. “Everyone should watch We Aren’t Kids Anymore to recall what propels you in life right now,” she shares. “To understand yourself more and to remember why you keep on pushing through.” Angelo adds that the show captures a universal truth: that change is the only constant. “Everyone should watch,” he says, “because everyone goes through changes. This song cycle of a musical really talks—and it takes you into a beautiful journey of what change is supposed to feel like, or not supposed to feel like.”

That language is enhanced by the collaborative work of musical director Farley Asuncion and movement director Jomelle Era, who leans into natural gestures and emotion over stylized choreography. “We’re not choreographing. We’re just being true,” Era explains. “No fake energy. That’s necessary for WAKA. Everyone goes through sh*t. So watch it, and let’s go through sh*t together.”

Because even if the stories aren’t exactly yours, they’ll remind you of who you used to be—and who you’re still becoming.

Opening May 2 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati, We Aren’t Kids Anymore runs for a limited time only. Tickets are available in two tiers: Gold (PHP 3,200) and Silver (PHP 2,700). Experience the musical that might just help you make sense of growing up.

🎟 Get your tickets now at bit.ly/waka2025tickets

#WeArentKidsAnymore #WAKA2025 #KidsNoMore

About the Author

Apple Gamboa is the Life Editor of SubSelfie.com.

She is also the Senior Executive for Corporate Communications for Canon Philippines.

She was previously a Media Relations Manager for Ogilvy Philippines and an interview and field producer for GMA News programs Quick Response Team and News to Go. She was also a producer of lifestyle TV shows and documentaries. Travelling and music are her passion, and taking risks is her reality medicine. Journalism 2010, UST. Read more of her articles here.