Siddharta the Musical, a play about the life of Buddha, will be presented by an all Cebuano-cast in Cebu this month.
Unlike previous years which only featured the journey of the Buddha until he came back to his hometown of Kapilavastu after his enlightenment journey, this year’s play will show his life until his death.
“Even if you’ve seen the musical before, you are still in for a surprise because we expanded the show. Before, the story ended when Buddha came back to Kapilavastu but that’s only half. This time, we talk about the whole life of Buddha so we’re expecting the show to be around two and a half hours long,” said Erwin Go, president of the Cebu Chapter of the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA).
The musical is presented by BLIA and the Fo Guang Shan Foundation. It is based on the book The Biography of the Sakyamuni Buddha by Venerable Master Hsing Yun who founded the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order in Taiwan in 1967.
Proceeds of the musical will go to the Fo Guang Shan Philippines Educational Fund which helps the youth in the field of performing arts.
This year’s all-Cebuano cast is composed of 40 members with Benjie Layos as Siddharta together with alternate Junrey Alayacyac.
“It’s a humbling experience knowing that it’s the life of a great teacher. I’m privileged to work with Cebuano talents. Through Siddharta the Musical, our talents are given an opportunity not just to perform in Cebu but in Manila and other parts of the world,” said the director Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson.
When the musical went on tour in 2007, it has been shown in locations like Manila, Iloilo, Bacolod, Taiwan and Los Angeles and San Francisco in the United States.
It will be shown next month in the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. After the Manila run, the organizers are planning to showcase it in mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia.
Tickets can be acquired by giving a minimum donation of P500 to the BLIA or the Chu Un Temple.
In Cebu, it will be shown on June 20 at 7 p.m. and on June 21 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at SM City Cebu Cinema 1.