​Celeste Legaspi to join 'The Notebook: The Musical' as the older Allie

Celeste Legaspi is joining “The Notebook, The Musical!"

In an announcement, Theatre Group Asia (TGA) said the revered 76-year-old OPM singer is cast as older Allie.

Reflecting on the role, Celeste said she is ready for both the artistic challenge and the emotional depth of playing the older Allie,

“The characters in ‘The Notebook’ are interesting, how it shows their growth and learnings,” Celeste said in a press release. “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,” she added.

In "The Notebook," the older Allie has Alzheimers, which isn't all too foreign for Celeste.

According to the "Mamang Sorbeto" singer, her family’s experience with the disease influenced her decision to accept the role.

“My family suffered when my mother got sick with Alzheimer’s for 10 years,” she said. “It was one of the most difficult times in our lives.”

“It will be my responsibility to honor my mother by bringing understanding and compassion to my role,” she added.

The veteran performer is the daughter of National Artist for Visual Arts Cesar Legaspi and began her career in 1969 as part of The Ambivalent Crowd before becoming a solo artist.

“The Notebook: The Musical,” which will make its international premiere in Manila in September after debuting at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2022.

The production features music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a script by Bekah Brunstetter.

Based on Nicholas Sparks’ iconic novel, and best known to many through the 2004 film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, the stage version expands the story by portraying Allie and Noah across multiple stages of their lives, exploring how love matures, fractures, and endures through memory, aging, and devotion.

TGA is the theater company behind 2024's "Request sa Radyo," and 2025's "Into the Woods." — Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA News