Pinocchio at Ayala Malls Feliz: Ephesus Teatron
I went into the Pinocchio press con at Ayala Malls Feliz on August 22 already knowing the story, or at least the version of it most of us carry around in our heads. There is Geppetto, a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy, a nose that refuses to cooperate with lies, and one bad decision after another until Pinocchio finally learns what becoming "real" is supposed to mean.
What I did not expect was to leave thinking less about the puppet and more about the young company Ephesus Teatron Group is putting around her. Brie Mosquito plays Pinocchio when the musical runs October 9 to 11 at the Activity Center of Ayala Malls Feliz in Pasig, and what stood out to me was how present she remained throughout the afternoon. She performed, stayed for the conversation and answered for herself when the microphone reached her while the adults around her listened.
Later, Brie stood as the discussion continued. Nobody made a grand point out of giving a young performer room to speak. They simply gave her the mic. I liked that, especially for a company that says developing emerging artists is part of what it does. It is easy to make that promise. It carries more weight when you can see it happening without anyone stopping to announce that it is happening.
A young Pinocchio surrounded by a much bigger company
Brie leads the production with Red Nuestro as Geppetto. Director Sweet Samaniego Buchanan also appears as the Blue Fairy, with Sheila Gamo as Angelina, Bhen Espina as Antonio and Nazer Salcedo as the Coachman. Pipo Cifra serves as musical arranger.
The company gets much bigger from there. Althea Ruedas and Sofia Gabrielle Magno take on Candlewick, Jay Paulo Danganan plays Signore Volpone, while Paulo Esteva and Ed Vincent Bonoan play Signore Gatto. Vinz Cantillo, Sofia Yzabel Mallares, Erika Mae Salas and Joahnah Marie Sevilla are among the other performers covering characters and ensemble tracks. Michelle Ann Lacorte understudies Angelina, while Jethro Leone Ting understudies Pinocchio, with an even larger ensemble appearing as fairies, toys, townspeople and other characters.
Seeing the group together made the size of the cast make more sense. There is youth everywhere in this production, and during the musical numbers that translated into a stage that kept moving. Performers crossed, regrouped, took focus and gave it back without turning the ensemble into a wall of bodies waiting behind whoever happened to be singing.
Brie remained easy to follow as Pinocchio, but the company around her did not feel anonymous. That is probably the part I am most interested in seeing developed further in October. A large young cast can give a family musical tremendous energy. It can also become busy very quickly if everybody is simply being given something to do. From what we saw, the movement seemed more interested in changing the picture than merely filling it.
This may not be the Pinocchio in your head
There is another useful thing to know before seeing the show. If somebody says Pinocchio, a lot of us probably picture Disney before Carlo Collodi. This production comes from a different stage adaptation.
The musical is based on Collodi's book, with adaptation and lyrics by Jim Eiler and music by Eiler and Jeanne Bargy. Those are the credited writers for the stage musical being presented by Ephesus Teatron.
The familiar bones of Pinocchio are still there. Geppetto longs for a son, Pinocchio wants to become a real boy, and along the way the puppet lies, follows people he probably should not trust and discovers that becoming "real" has more to do with character than simply being transformed into flesh and blood.
The story has been adapted so many times that almost everyone arrives with some version of it already in mind. I think that familiarity can help this production. Ephesus Teatron does not have to spend all its energy teaching us who Pinocchio is. The more interesting question is what this particular group of performers wants to do with a character we already think we know.
Pinocchio has always wanted the wrong people to like him
Ephesus Teatron is emphasizing honesty, responsibility, courage and compassion, all things that have been part of Pinocchio for generations. The company is also drawing connections to things young people deal with now, including misinformation, peer pressure, seeking approval and presenting versions of ourselves that other people will accept.
I can see why they are going there. Pinocchio has always had a problem with wanting the wrong people to like him. He trusts people he should question, makes terrible decisions because somebody makes them sound exciting, and then has to deal with what happens afterward. Social media did not invent any of that. It simply gave all of us more ways to do it in public.
That is why I hope the musical trusts the story enough not to explain the connection too much. Children already know what peer pressure feels like, and adults certainly do. You do not need a lecture to recognize the urge to make a bad decision because somebody else made it look fun, easy or popular. Collodi got there long before the algorithm did.
Ayala Malls Feliz makes more sense when you think about who the show is for
The other interesting decision is where Ephesus Teatron is staging the musical. Pinocchio will run at the Activity Center on the second floor of Ayala Malls Feliz, outside the usual theater setting. The company sees the Pasig venue as a way to bring live theater closer to families in eastern Metro Manila and nearby Rizal.
Spending the afternoon in the actual space made that idea easier to understand. Whenever we talk about growing the Philippine theater audience, the conversation often begins with people who are already halfway there. They know the venues, know what productions are coming, and already consider spending an afternoon or evening watching a musical an option.
There is a much larger audience outside that circle. There are families who have never planned a day around a stage production, children who have never sat inside a conventional theater, and people who might be interested if seeing a musical did not first feel like entering an unfamiliar world.
Put Pinocchio inside a mall and that relationship changes. The audience does not always have to find theater. Theater can meet people somewhere they already are.
For a familiar family story with a cast filled with young performers, I can see why that matters. The Activity Center will still have to work as a performance space, of course, and that is part of what makes the October run interesting to me. I want to see how much of a theatrical world the production can create in a place people normally associate with something entirely different.
The conversation told me almost as much as the performances
The musical numbers gave us the clearest look at what the company is like in performance. I found myself paying just as much attention once everybody sat down and started talking. The microphone moved around the company, and the younger performers were part of the conversation. The adults did not have to explain the experience for them.
That small distinction matters when a production puts this much emphasis on young artists. The difference between participation and presentation was visible in the room.
Ephesus Teatron describes developing emerging performers as part of its mission, and the makeup of this Pinocchio company certainly reflects that. What gave the statement more weight for me was seeing the younger performers already being treated as part of the work rather than simply being introduced as theater's future. They were already there doing it.
Now I want to see what happens in October
I went to Ayala Malls Feliz knowing the basics: Pinocchio, October, family musical, young cast. I left with better questions. Can Brie Mosquito carry the title role through the full production? Can a company this young keep all that energy focused rather than simply busy? What does Sweet Buchanan build around them once all the elements of the musical are in place? How will the Activity Center change when it becomes the actual performance space? And can a story we have heard most of our lives still catch us somewhere we are not expecting?
Those are the questions I want answered in October. I already know what happens to Pinocchio's nose. What has my attention now is Brie Mosquito and the young company around her. Let's see what they do with the stage.
Pinocchio by Ephesus Teatron Group Inc. runs October 9, 10 and 11, 2026 at the Activity Center, 2nd Floor, Ayala Malls Feliz, Amang Rodriguez Avenue corner J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay Dela Paz, Pasig City. For ticket reservations and inquiries, contact Ephesus Teatron Group Inc. at 0945-991-1840.