'Yemaya' turns the American dream into a deeply familiar story

How far would you go for a dream? Would you leave home? Trust strangers? Cross an ocean?

Those questions anchor 9 Works Theatrical's "Yemaya," an intimate production that takes audiences on a journey through grief and hopes of a better life.

It’s also an unexpected choice for the company.

Known for staging popular Broadway musicals, 9 Works instead takes a chance on a lesser-known work adapted from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes’ "Yemaya’s Belly." There are no familiar songs for audiences to hum on the way home or a title that instantly sells itself. What the production offers instead is something quieter, asking viewers to lean in and discover its world one scene at a time.

I walked into the theater knowing almost nothing about the play. Looking back, that may have been the best way to experience it. Like Mulo, I was discovering the world one step at a time.

Director Ed Lacson Jr. immediately establishes that world through thoughtful, restrained staging. Real sand blankets the Black Box floor, transforming the space into a shoreline where memories, dreams, and reality seem to exist together. Suspended props descend only when needed, keeping transitions fluid without interrupting the story’s rhythm.

Performing the play entirely in Filipino also proves to be one of the production’s strongest decisions. Rather than feeling like a translated work, Eljay Castro Deldoc’s adaptation sounds natural and lived-in. It draws the audience closer to the characters, making a story set far from the Philippines feel surprisingly familiar.

At the center is Mulo, played by Tommy Alejandrino. Born Jesus, he chooses to call himself Mulo after losing his mother. It’s a small detail, but one that quietly reveals how deeply grief has shaped him. Long before he dreams of America, he is already trying to distance himself from the life he once knew.

Alejandrino gives Mulo the innocence of someone who still believes the world can be fixed if only he reaches the right place. He never overplays the character’s optimism or heartbreak. Instead, both exist at the same time, making Mulo’s choices understandable even when they become increasingly reckless.

One of the play’s most memorable moments begins with something as ordinary as a bottle of Coca-Cola. It’s what sparks Mulo’s fascination with America. The detail is almost amusing at first, but it also says something about how aspirations are formed. They often begin with stories, symbols, and promises rather than lived experience.

If Mulo embodies hope, Maya provides perspective.

Sheena Buencamino brings warmth and quiet strength to the role, never allowing Maya to become merely the sensible counterpart to Mulo’s idealism. She understands the sea in ways Mulo does not. While he sees possibility, she recognizes both its beauty and its danger. Their scenes together give the production much of its emotional weight, grounding the story whenever it drifts further into magical realism.

The rest of the ensemble deserves equal praise. With only six actors portraying multiple characters, the production could have easily become confusing. Instead, every transition feels seamless, allowing the story to move effortlessly between reality, memory, and myth.

As Mulo’s journey unfolds, "Yemaya" slowly reveals itself to be about more than reaching America.

One line, in particular, lingers long after the curtain falls: a reminder not to be too confident about something you don’t fully understand.

It lands as advice for Mulo, whose dream of America is built more on imagination than experience. But it also speaks to anyone who has ever believed that simply reaching another place would somehow make everything better.

The play never mocks that longing.cIf anything, it understands why people cling to it. Mulo isn’t chasing America because he’s reckless. He’s chasing the possibility of a different life after losing the one he knew.

Watching Mulo chase that vision, it was hard not to think of the many versions of it that Filipinos grow up with. For some, it’s Metro Manila, where opportunities seem greater than back home in the province. For others, it’s Canada, or perhaps Dubai. The destination changes, but the desire to build a better life often remains the same.

What makes "Yemaya" effective is that it never insists on that comparison. It simply leaves enough room for audiences to arrive at it on their own. That’s also what makes the production linger. It trusts viewers enough not to spell everything out.

In choosing to stage "Yemaya," 9 Works Theatrical took a chance on a title unfamiliar to many theatergoers. It could have mounted another crowd-pleasing musical or a recognizable Broadway hit. Instead, it placed its faith in a quieter, more intimate story and a cast capable of carrying it with sincerity.

It’s a gamble that pays off. Beautifully directed by Ed Lacson Jr. and anchored by heartfelt performances from its cast members, "Yemaya" proves that audiences don’t always need a familiar title to connect with a story.

"Yemaya" runs until July 5 at The Proscenium Theater Black Box in Rockwell, Makati City. Tickets are priced from P2,200 to P2,900. —JCB, GMA News