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February 7, 2025 | 12:31pm
Theatre Group Asia's 'Into the Woods' has cast London-based Filipino actor Joaquin Pedro Valdes in the dual role of Prince Charming and the Wolf.
Theatre Group Asia / Released
MANILA, Philippines — Theatre Group Asia's "Into the Woods" has cast London-based Filipino actor Joaquin Pedro Valdes in the dual role of Prince Charming and the Wolf.
He joins an already stacked cast that includes Lea Salonga as the Witch, Arielle Jacobs as Cinderella, and Eugene Domingo as Jacks's Mother (from "Jack and the Beanstalk").
Valdes began his stage career in the Philippines as a young child before moving to the United Kingdom in 2017 to be an understudy for a tour of "Miss Saigon."
"Being back home and on stage is a full-circle moment. Philippine theater is where it all started for me, and to return to it after all these years is inexplicably profound," Valdes said in a statement.
"While my life in London has deeply shaped me into the actor I am today, it has always been a dream to bring all that experience back home if only to say, 'thank you,'" he added.
The actor described the role of Prince Charming/ Wolf as a well-written character and expressed his excitement to visit the "modern classic" with a Filipino lens alongside Filipino thespians.
Related: Eugene Domingo joins Lea Salonga in 'Into the Woods,' 1st stage production in 7 years
He recalled "Into the Woods" being his introduction to Stephen Sondheim, "I remember when I was a young boy in Manila, watching a filmed performance of the 1986 Broadway cast on Betamax! That started a fire in me for musical theater, and it continues to keep me going."
"Into the Woods" features 18 main characters from popular fairy tales — fronted by a baker, his wife, and an aging witch — come together in one musical.
The original Broadway production was nominated for 10 Tonys, including Best Musical, winning three: Best Score for Sondheim, Best Book (Musical), and Best Lead Actress (Musical) for Joanna Gleason.
After "Miss Saigon," Valdes joined the casts of "The King and I," "Heathers: The Musical," "The Lion King," "Death Note: The Musical," and "Pacific Overtures," another Sondheim piece.
Valdes currently plays the dual role of Luke and Ares in "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical" off London's West End, which is scheduled to run until the end of August, around the time Theatre Group Asia's "Into the Woods" will begin playing at Makati's Samsung Performing Arts Theater.
RELATED: Filipino-American Broadway star Arielle Jacobs joining Lea Salonga in 'Into the Woods'
