Celebrating their union of sorts for 21 years, Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz reunite amidst One More Chance Musical announcement
This April 2024, Popoy and Basha’s love story will reach a new stage—quite literally, this time. Last October 22, the Philippine Educational Theater Association or PETA announced their adaptation of the 2007 film, One More Chance.
RELATED: Bea Alonzo Makes a Deep Dive on Her Love for Art
The stage production of the Cathy Garcia-Sampana movie will be a musical, featuring the songs of Ben&Ben. “Star Cinema’s cult classic meets the music of the massively popular and award-winning Filipino nine-piece band!” PETA wrote in its post. The band teased the Walang Aray audience during its curtain call with two songs, “Kathang Isip” and “Araw-Araw.”
One more run
Bea Alonzo, who played the role of Basha, took to Instagram her excitement about the announcement. “I woke up [to wonderful] news that PETA is doing [One More Chance] the musical next year with the music of Ben&Ben!” the actress said in her caption. Coincidentally, she and John Lloyd Cruz are celebrating 21 years as a love team. The actor played her opposite, Popoy, in the film.
In the said intimate get-together, actress Dimples Romana and ABS-CBN Corporation CEO Carlo Katigbak also joined the dinner. Romana was part of the project as well, playing one of Basha’s best friends, Krizzy.
Vanessa Valdez, one of the film’s writers, left a comment on the post of the Love Before Sunrise star. “It wouldn’t be the story it is were it not for you and [John Lloyd].” She worked on the screenplay together with ABS-CBN Films’ current creative director, Carmi Raymundo.
One More Chance has become one of the country’s widely known romantic dramas since its release. It depicts the growing pains of college sweethearts Popoy and Basha, whose five-year relationship ran its course during a point in their lives. Over the years, it has become a cult classic to the Filipino audience for its relatable scenes and tugging dialogues. The project marked their fifth year as a love team.
In 2015, the pairing reprised their roles for the sequel A Second Chance. This time, Popoy and Basha were going through the ups and downs as a married couple.
A lasting love story
In 2002, John Lloyd and Bea first worked together in the soap opera Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. Cruz was originally pegged as the partner of Rica Peralejo, Alonzo’s sister in the series. However, their undeniable chemistry changed the trajectory of their arcs, making them the lovers in the story.
Since then, they have starred in several projects together while simultaneously building a lasting off-screen friendship. While fans and the audience witnessed them take on romantic relationships together, the two have remained friends.
Apart from One More Chance, they also starred in romantic dramas such as Miss You Like Crazy and The Mistress in 2011 and 2012, respectively, with the latter being in celebration of their decade-long partnership.
One of the best things about their tandem was they were not just limited to working with one another, especially with the romance genre. When asked about the longevity of their chemistry, the actor answered with a laugh, “Siguro nakita nila ‘yung mismong ‘di namin nakita ni Bea. ‘Yun ‘yung naging special about it.”
Meanwhile, the actress remarked, “I think it will forever remain a mystery. We never had to resort to gimmicks, we never had to pretend to be a couple para tangkilikin ng tao. Siya pa rin ‘yung pinakapaborito kong ka-eksena. He knows me. He makes me feel nervous because he is such a wonderful actor.”
Photos: BEA ALONZO (via Instagram)
