Play ‘Lolo’s Last War’ in the works for December off-off Broadway

Filipino playwright Dennis Posadas will honor some 250,000 Filipinos who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, with his new play “Lolo’s Last War,” in a one-night off-off-Broadway performance in New York City in early December 2022.

“The play is somewhat inspired by Tuesdays with Morrie, but with a different story, character motivations, and a World War II backstory,” says Posadas.

He says he has met a few guerillas still alive with the strength of character that “so few in the current generation have today.”

“A lot of that is distilled into the play, the common experiences of many guerillas during that time, and the hardships that they faced,” he says.

Posadas’s previous play,”Admiral Montojo,” was also performed off-off-Broadway December 2018. Comparing his previous 2018 play to this new one, he says “Lolo’s Last War” has fewer characters and is more intimate.

“It focuses on the inner and outer conflicts of a dying old war veteran as he tries to find out what happened to his old flame during the War, and at the same time try to influence his grandson to pursue a path of public service before he passes away.”

There are some war flashbacks, but the war is more of a backstory for the current conflicts that the dying old man has to face, Posadas explains. Generational gaps, differences in thinking and outlook, are explored in the play.

“It’s a bittersweet tribute to an entire generation who had to sacrifice a part of their life during their time. I hope future generations will never forget their experience,” Posadas says.