Pokwang broke down on stage during a preview performance of “Tulog Na: The Musical” this week, ahead of the show’s full run this August.
The moment came during a post-show Q&A, when an audience member asked how acting in theater compares to acting on TV and film, given that this production marks her stage debut. Pokwang explained that theater leaves no room for retakes. Every line has to land the first time, and one mistake can throw off the entire cast.
But it was a scene involving a sick child character named Rex, who prays to die so he no longer burdens his mother, that got to her. Pokwang shared that hearing those lines brought her back to her own son, who passed from brain tumor years ago. “Kasi pinagdasal ko [noon], ‘Lord, dugtungan mo yung buhay ng anak ko,'” she recalled, her voice breaking.
And she was left wondering if that was the same thing her son had once prayed for. “Baka ‘yun din pala ang idinadasal ng anak ko, na kunin mo na ako para wala nang gastos.”
True to form as a comedian, she didn’t miss a beat, turning back to comedy almost immediately to cut through the heaviness before continuing to answer the question.
“Tulog Na” weaves through several stories of loss and grief, each one landing with its own weight. The show sits with a hard truth throughout, that death rarely comes on anyone’s schedule, and no amount of preparation ever really makes people ready for it. Still, underneath the grief runs a gentler push toward living fully while there’s time left to do so, a message that hits differently depending on who’s watching.
The staging kept things simple and let the story do the work, with clean transitions between scenes that never pulled focus from the performances. The cast brought range to material that could have easily tipped into melodrama, balancing the heavier moments with sharp comic timing that gave the audience room to breathe. The young actors in the ensemble stood out in particular, holding their own against subject matter that would challenge performers twice their age.
“Tulog Na: The Musical” runs August 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23 at 7:30 PM, with additional 3 PM shows on August 15, 16, 22, and 23, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati. The production is staged by Studio A Productions.
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