15 June 2026 — The Theatre Group Asia (TGA) is delighted to announce the casting of Filipino-Kiwi performer Laurence Mossman as Middle Noah in the Philippine production of the celebrated Broadway musical The Notebook. As Middle Noah, Mossman is set to play opposite previously announced Middle Allie, Asia’s Phoenix, Morissette.
Currently based in London, Mossman brings an impressive international résumé to the production. He was most recently seen as Thuy in the International and Australian Tour of Miss Saigon, where his performance earned praise for its vocal power and emotional depth. His theatre credits also include Charlie Price in Kinky Boots, Young Ebenezer in A Christmas Carol, multiple roles in Fun Home opposite Lea Salonga, and Sky in Mamma Mia!. His screen credits include the television series Dolce Amore and the acclaimed Filipino film Die Beautiful. He is also a graduate of the University of Otago with First-Class Honours in Music.
In The Notebook, The Musical, Middle Noah embodies the enduring passion and devotion that define one of the most beloved love stories of a generation. Mossman’s combination of vocal excellence, emotional honesty, and commanding stage presence makes him a compelling choice for the role.
“We are thrilled to welcome Laurence to the company,” said TGA Overall Artistic and Creative Director Clint Ramos. “His artistry, warmth, charm, and remarkable ability to connect with audiences through his musicality make him the perfect fit for the role of Middle Noah at this pivotal stage of the character’s journey.”
“It is an incredible honor to join TGA’s production of The Notebook, The Musical,” said Mossman. “This story has touched audiences around the world because of its honesty, heart, and humanity. I’m excited to bring Middle Noah’s journey to life alongside this extraordinary cast and creative team.”
Based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks and the beloved film adaptation, The Notebook, The Musical tells the unforgettable story of Allie and Noah, whose enduring love transcends time, memory, and circumstance.
Watch Laurence Mossman’s Performance of “Leave The Light On from The Notebook: The Musical.
For more information, visit TGA’s website www.theatregroupasia.com, Instagram @theatregroupasia, or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theatregroupasia.
Theatre Group Asia proudly announces acclaimed iconic Filipino performer Celeste Legaspi will take on the role of Older Allie in its highly anticipated production of The Notebook, The Musical. A defining figure in Philippine performing arts, Legaspi brings with her not only a storied career, but a lifetime of shaping the very landscape of Filipino music, theater, and cultural advocacy. Born into a family of artists as the daughter of National Artist for Visual Arts Cesar Legaspi, Legaspi’s creative foundation was established early. She began singing in kindergarten and rose to prominence in 1969 as part of The Ambivalent Crowd before transitioning into a solo career that would redefine the possibilities of Original Pilipino Music.
Her splendid recording career boasts legendary successful albums such as Ako si Celeste and Bagong Plaka, Lumang Kanta that achieved gold and double platinum status, while songs like “Saranggola ni Pepe,” “Tuliro,” “Mamang Sorbetero,” and “Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal?” became enduring Filipino classics. These works not only solidified her place in OPM history but helped popularize Filipino songwriting on an international scale.
Parallel to her music career, Legaspi cultivated an extraordinary presence in theater. She appeared in early productions such as Showboat and Oliver! before gaining widespread acclaim through performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, where she collaborated with literary giant Rolando Tinio. Her repertoire would come to include seminal works like Manila, Manila, Doon Po Sa Amin, Jesus Christ Superstar, Katy!, Paglipas ng Dilim, North Diversion Road, and Ang Larawan, each contributing to the development of a distinctly Filipino theatrical tradition.
In 1988, alongside longtime collaborator Girlie Rodis, Legaspi co-founded Musical Theater Philippines, a company that became instrumental in producing original Filipino musicals. Through this platform, she helped bring to life works such as KenKoy Loves Rosing, Alikabok, Sino Ka Ba Jose Rizal, Fire Water Woman, and Saranggola ni Pepe, championing narratives rooted in Filipino identity and history.
Her contributions extended into film and television, where she worked with acclaimed directors including Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, and appeared in projects ranging from Santiago and Mamang Sorbetero to contemporary series such as Can’t Buy Me Love. In recent years, she has taken on roles that explore aging and memory, including a critically recognized performance as an elderly woman living with dementia, earning a Best Actress nomination and further demonstrating her range and relevance.
Offstage, Legaspi’s impact is equally profound. She served as founding president of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), advocating for the rights and recognition of Filipino musicians, and helped establish PHILSTAGE, the country’s alliance of professional performing arts companies. She continues to serve the industry as Vice President of the Performers’ Rights Society of the Philippines, reinforcing her commitment to protecting and uplifting artists.
Her lifetime of achievement has been recognized through numerous accolades: Aliw Awards for Entertainer of the Year and Best Actress, multiple Tinig Awards, the TOWNS Award, the Natatanging Gawad Buhay Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Ryan Cayabyab Award.
TGA Creative and Overall Artistic Director Clint Ramos remarks, “It is our honor to have a Philippine icon play the role of Older Allie. This is a dream casting for us. Ms. Celeste Legaspi is a titan in the musical theater industry and Philippine music in general. She brings gravitas and wisdom to the role; and we can’t wait for the Philippine audience to see another side of this legendary artist. We are so excited to see the evolution of Allie’s character from her younger version with the vulnerable innocence of Sheena Belarmino, her blossoming through the strength and prowess of Morissette, and onto her full unravelling into the masterful insight of Ms. Celeste Legaspi.
In stepping into The Notebook, The Musical, Legaspi embraces both the artistic challenge and emotional depth of the role. She reflects: “The characters in Notebook are interesting. How it shows their growth and learnings. To be able to portray that is a challenge. And as I study the music of older Allie I learn that the music is modern and exacting; at the same time I will need to get to the heart of her. A great challenge. And I love challenges. Accepting challenges has been my motivation through all my years.”
Her portrayal of Older Allie is shaped by personal experience as well. “My family suffered when my mother got sick with Alzheimer’s for 10 years. It was one of the most difficult times in our lives. Although remembering that is painful, it will be my responsibility to honor my mother by bringing understanding and compassion to my role.”
As a pioneer who has witnessed the evolution of Philippine theater firsthand, she reflects on its journey, “I still remember the times when we were more numerous on stage than the audience. A painful but learning time. We, the thespians, would always be even more driven to deliver our best. I have watched many young actors these recent past years and the talent is amazing! It just emphasizes that the Filipino has no equal in creativity and talent in many fields.”
Her advice remains grounded in excellence and responsibility, “My advice would be to always seek for excellence. In whatever role, big or small. The unique feature of theater is that it’s live… every minute is exciting and unpredictable. Thus it is all our responsibility to deliver only our very best, keeping audiences interested and mesmerized. That we can control and realize!” And at the heart of the story she now helps tell through The Notebook, The Musical, she describes, “What I see is the family. How its strength helps us all; how love as it goes through the ages can remain even stronger and more textured. When we say ‘love story’ it does not remain the same. It transforms and changes. That is the strength of true love.”
With Celeste Legaspi bringing her unparalleled legacy, emotional insight, and lifelong dedication to the craft, TGA’s production promises to be a landmark theatrical event, one that honors both a beloved story and the enduring brilliance of Filipino artistry.
Together with Morissette as Middle Allie and Sheena Belarmino, the casting reflects TGA’s commitment to assembling a multi-generational ensemble capable of capturing the sweeping emotional scope of The Notebook: The Musical. Featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a Tony Award-nominated book by Bekah Brunstetter, the musical is celebrated for its intimate storytelling and its portrayal of love as it evolves through youth, adulthood, and old age.
Watch Celeste Legaspi’s performance of “I Know” from The Notebook: The Musical.
Theatre Group Asia (TGA) proudly announces its 2026-27 season theatrical lineup featuring three globally celebrated works, all of which, is set to be staged in Philippines for the first time.
TGA Creative and Overall Artistic Director Clint Ramos shares, “TGA’s 2026-27 honors three unforgettable, powerful stories that stir, challenge, and transform. This season places the human capacity to influence through love, survival, and creation on center stage. While each production proudly spotlights artists and narratives, the season ultimately celebrates something even greater: the power every person holds to shape hearts, defy limits, and leave a lasting mark.”
Opening the season in September 2026 is The Notebook: The Musical, which makes its international premiere in Manila. Featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a script by Bekah Brunstetter, the musical debuted in 2022 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater under the direction of Michael Greif and Schele Williams. The production is touted for its emotional restraint and lyrical storytelling, offering a more intimate and reflective take on Nicholas Sparks’ iconic novel. While the story is best known through the 2004 film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, the stage version expands the narrative by portraying Allie and Noah across multiple stages of their lives, allowing audiences to witness how love matures, fractures, and ultimately endures. As a contemporary romance written with modern musical sensibilities, The Notebook: The Musical holds cultural significance for its tender exploration of memory, aging, and devotion, redefining the epic love story for a new generation.
In February 2027, TGA presents the Philippine premiere of Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba, a Filipino-language staging of Federico García Lorca’s final and most powerful play. Written shortly before Lorca’s death, the work premiered posthumously in Buenos Aires in 1945 under the direction of Margarita Xirgu and was immediately recognized as a cornerstone of modern drama. The play follows the tyrannical Bernarda Alba, who enforces an eight-year mourning period on her daughters after her husband’s death, ruling her household through fear, tradition, and repression. Beneath the suffocating silence, desire and rebellion grow until the family is driven toward tragedy. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish-language plays of the twentieth century and adapted countless times for stage and film, Bernarda Alba remains a searing critique of authoritarian control, patriarchy, and social conformity. In its Filipino incarnation in Chay Yew’s adapted version and transposed by Guelan Varela-Luarca, the play resonates with renewed urgency, underscoring the universal human struggle for freedom, dignity, and life itself.
Concluding the season in June 2027 is Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1984 under Lapine’s direction and was initially met with awe for its intellectual ambition and emotional depth, even as it challenged conventional musical theatre audiences. Inspired by Georges Seurat’s painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the work explores the obsessive drive of an artist consumed by creation and the personal costs that accompany artistic brilliance. A parallel narrative set a century later reflects on legacy, innovation, and the enduring question of what it means to make meaningful art. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985 and now widely regarded as one of the greatest musicals ever written, Sunday in the Park with George stands as a profound meditation on creativity, sacrifice, and the power of art to transcend time.
Together, these three productions form Theatre Group Asia’s boldest season yet. TGA’s Season 2026-27 is made possible with the support of Ayala Land, BPI, and Philippine Airlines. For more information, visit TGA’s website www.theatregroupasia.com, Instagram @theatregroupasia, or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theatregroupasia.
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