Nar Cabico to play Ada in Zsazsa Zaturnnah anniversary production
The musical is scheduled for April 2027, two decades after Cabico first joined the production as a teenage stagehand.
Actor and singer Nar Cabico will play Ada in “Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Parteeeh!”, a production marking the musical’s 20th anniversary. Scheduled for April 2027, the staging brings him into the lead role after earlier work backstage and in the supporting cast.
Cabico’s involvement began at 15 during an early run of “Zsazsa Zaturnnah Ze Muzikal” at the PETA Theater. His stagehand tasks ranged from washing dishes and readying props to clearing confetti. He also helped prepare the stone used for Ada’s transformation. Two years later, he took the role of Didi, Ada’s close friend.
Ada is a gay salon owner who becomes the superheroine Zsazsa Zaturnnah by swallowing a mysterious stone. The character’s encounters with zombies, aliens and other threats form a comic fantasy that also addresses love, identity and acceptance.
Cabico said seeing the show in 2006 helped him believe that love and acceptance were possible for the LGBTQIA+ community. Having moved from Manila to the United States in 2020 to start a family, he said he now felt a personal connection to the departure described in Ada’s song “Ayoko Nang Mabuhay Nang Ganito.”
Vincent A. De Jesus, the composer, lyricist and musical director, welcomed the casting, saying Cabico’s years with the show gave him a close understanding of its central character. More production details are expected in the coming months.
