From our first listen during the press call, Gabriela: The Musical already feels like a production worth looking forward to. Its powerful, distinctly Filipino music, emotionally charged arrangements, and powerhouse cast offer an early glimpse of a story that promises to be as moving as it is meaningful.

But beyond the music and performances, what makes Barefoot Theatre Collaborative’s upcoming production particularly intriguing is its intention to tell the story of Gabriela Silang from a perspective that history has not always given her: her own.

A new Filipino original musical, Gabriela: The Musical reimagines the story of the 18th-century revolutionary through myth, magic, and mystery. Rather than focusing solely on her life after Diego Silang’s death, it portrays Gabriela as a co-author of the revolution from the beginning and the woman who fought to hold it together as it began to fracture.

Best remembered as Diego’s wife and the woman who continued his fight after his assassination, Gabriela is often reduced to a symbol of courage and resistance. Yet, as the cast and creative team shared with us, there is so much more to the woman behind the historical figure.

For Gab Pangilinan, who takes on the titular role, portraying Gabriela has meant looking beyond the familiar accounts and discovering the person behind the revolutionary.

“People know so little about her. Like sabi nga ng iba, she’s almost like footnote na asawa siya ni Diego Silang, matapang siyang babae because first female leader siya, at least that we know of,” Gab shares. “Hindi lang siya asawa ni Diego, hindi lang siya leader. Before she became a leader, before she became the woman that everyone knows her to be, there were so many things that she had to overcome. There were so many circumstances na kinailangan niyang i-conquer, but more than that, ang dami niyang internal battles that she had to fight and she had to win against.”

One of the production’s more interesting revelations also challenges how Gabriela and Diego’s story is commonly remembered. As Myke Salomon, who plays Diego and also serves as the musical director, points out, Gabriela did not simply take up the fight after her husband’s death.

“Akala ng karamihan, lumaban si Gabriela after nung death ni Diego. Hindi. She fought alongside Diego, and everyone else,” Myke explains.

Gab adds that discovering the dynamic between the two revolutionaries has given her an even deeper appreciation of their relationship. “Yung pagtingin ni Diego kay Gabriela, equal. Equal. And that says a lot about a man and a woman during that time in the 1760s, di ba? Ang laking bagay nun.”

It is this shift in perspective that director Mikko Angeles hopes audiences will appreciate. Rather than presenting the production as a straightforward historical narrative, the creative team revisited historical accounts and archives to explore Gabriela’s story through a different lens, without changing the historical facts.

“Isa sa mga iniwasan namin is this show being a historical narrative per se. Mas maraming impormasyon tungkol kay Diego Silang, pero si Gabriela Silang laging secondary. So in terms of process, and after revisiting all of these historical facts, tina-try naming intindihin yung perspective at tinatry ibahin yung lente without really revising the history,” Mikko shares.

The production brings together different versions of Gabriela’s story, creating an interpretation intended for a new generation. It also draws from Filipino cultural roots, traditions, rituals, and beliefs, including the supernatural, which become part of Gabriela’s journey and her understanding of the destiny that awaits her.

That commitment to telling her story also comes from years of preparation. Playwright and lyricist Pat Valera reveals that Gabriela is the first historical figure he has written about, prompting more than seven years of research before he felt confident enough to make the creative decisions necessary to bring her story to the stage.

“Si Gabriela ang aking first historical figure, that was the first challenge for me. Ayoko maging mayabang na I’m just going to write without any foundational research, so I’ve been researching for more than seven years. Yes, that long, to really give me the confidence to put my artistic decision, our artistic decisions, on how we will tell this figure that lived and contributed a lot to our society,” Pat shares.

The story also goes beyond Gabriela and Diego’s relationship, with characters whose motivations and decisions have lasting consequences. CJ Navato, who plays Miguel Vicos, takes on the role of the man responsible for betraying and killing Diego. But rather than portraying him as a straightforward villain, CJ sees a character whose convictions make his actions all the more complicated.

“Kung hindi alam ng mga tao, he’s the assassin, he killed his own best friend, Diego Silang, but little did people know, he’s a man of faith. He did this out of his love for the Catholic Church, the Catholic faith,” CJ explains. “So isipin mo kung ano yung pinaninindigan niya, pinaniniwalaan niya para magawa niya yun sa kaibigan niya, para traydorin ang isang movement. That’s something to look into. And may mga ganon pa rin ngayon eh.”

For CJ, Miguel is also a catalyst in Gabriela’s transformation, making his character an important part of understanding what ultimately drives her to continue the fight. It is a reminder that history is shaped not only by those who lead revolutions but also by the choices, betrayals, and personal struggles that change the course of people’s lives.

Meanwhile, for Myke, wearing two hats as Diego and the musical director has brought a different kind of challenge to the process. Having previously composed original music for Bar Boys, he now finds himself performing the very songs he helped create.

“Akala ko alam ko na yung mga songs, pero at the same time, merong alienation between the creation and the performance. Na ang weird palang kantahin ng sarili mong kanta in a musical,” he admits. “Pero buti na lang I’m with a cast of brilliant people and we get to craft the whole show together. So hindi lang ito ‘my creation,’ it’s our creation.”

For Gab, meanwhile, the responsibility of portraying a woman of Gabriela’s stature has not come without its challenges. She admits that the prospect initially brought fear and anxiety, knowing what Gabriela represents to generations of Filipinos. But it is precisely Gabriela’s ability to move forward despite her fears that has become her greatest inspiration.

“Everything about it is challenging. Honestly. And leading up to the beginning of the rehearsals, alam ng marami ‘to, na I was filled with fear and anxiety because I am aware of the responsibility and I am aware of the woman that Gabriela represents,” she shares. “She led the revolution, I’m just playing her! It didn’t actually happen to me! Pero I think a lot of what she did was she just went for it despite the fact na may fear.”

She adds that the experience has also changed how she sees her own capacity to overcome challenges. “And feeling ko, dahil sa kanya, dahil kay Gabriela Silang, feeling ko kaya ko rin gawin yun. And I think that’s what she represents and I think that’s what she has done for so many women through the years. That she represents strength, she represents love, and she represents a leader that we hope to have.”

And perhaps that is where Gabriela: The Musical finds its greatest relevance. While rooted in an important chapter of Philippine history, its themes of courage, love, conviction, and female leadership continue to resonate today.

Our first impressions from the listening party already suggested that the music would be one of the production’s biggest draws. But after hearing from the people bringing this story to life, there is even more reason to look forward to what happens when the music, performances, and storytelling finally come together on stage.

History may have introduced us to Gabriela Silang. This November, Gabriela: The Musical invites audiences to get to know the woman behind the name, the battles she fought, and the convictions that made her a revolutionary. Through music, myth, magic, and mystery, her story takes on a new dimension, one that places her not in the shadow of history, but at the heart of it.

Gabriela: The Musical runs from November 13 to December 6, 2026, at Hyundai Hall, Areté, in Quezon City.

About the Author

Apple Gamboa is the Life Editor of SubSelfie.com.

She is also the head for Corporate Communications for The Bistro Group.