SELECTED PRESS
REVIEW: "A sweeping consideration of the immigrant experience that is comical, pithy and often so poignant that tears result. …Director Shapiro delivers a taut, sharply realized staging — and considering all the moving parts of this supremely ambitious production, that is no mean logistical feat." — F. Kathleen Foley in Stage Raw, May 17, 2023
REVIEW: “There is much to like in this new work from the catchy, Broadway pop songs that take flight and invite you on a journey to a collective story of merging two worlds, vividly exploring how we assimilate to new surroundings while holding on to what makes us unique. …On This Side of the World transcends any one race and speaks to every immigrant story and to those who feel “othered” in our society. It’s a celebration of the human spirit willing to begin again wherever it lands.” — Alisa Hayashida in South Pasadenan, May 17, 2023
FEATURE. "‘On This Side of the World’ turns a one-way ticket to the U.S. into a unifying trip, one captivating song at a time." Steven Vargas in the Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2023.
T.V. FEATURE. "'On This Side of the World' arrives in LA with a suitcase full of songs." Tara Lynn Wagner on Spectrum News 1, May 19, 2023.
T.V. FEATURE. "New Musical: On This Side of the World." CBS News Los Angeles, May 16, 2023. .
PODCAST INTERVIEW. "Ep 425: Paulo K. Tirol & Noam Shapiro On Creating Filipino American Musical." Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast, May 7, 2023.
FEATURE. "Filipino composer-lyricist’s musical opens to standing ovation in LA: ‘These are our stories!’" Elizabeth Lolarga in The Diarist.Ph, May 11, 2023.
FEATURE. "‘On This Side of the World’ musical tells Filipino immigrant stories." May Ruiz in Hey SoCal, April 26, 2023.
PRESS RELEASE. "Amber Iman, Zachary Noah Piser, Vincent Rodriguez III and More Announced for 32nd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS." BroadwayWorld.com, October 15, 2020.
PRESS RELEASE. "NAMT Festival of New Musicals Announces 2020 Lineup." Playbill.com, September 10, 2020.
PRESS RELEASE."National Alliance for Musical Theatre Announces Lineup for 32nd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS." BroadwayWorld.com, September 10, 2020.
PRESS RELEASE. "NAMT Announces 2020 Festival Lineup." AmericanTheatre.org, September 10, 2020.
Concert staging by Prospect Theater Company, February 2020
PHOTO RELEASE. "Photo Flash: In Rehearsal For Prospect Theater Company's On This Side of the World in Concert." Photos by Lia Chang in BroadwayWorld.com, February 2, 2020.
FEATURE. "Paulo Tiról musical is a ‘vibrant mosaic’ of the balikbayan experience." The FilAm, a magazine for Filipino-Americans in New York, January 20, 2020.
FEATURE. "Jersey City composer’s ‘On This Side of the World’ explores life through a Filipino frame."David Menzies, nj.com, January 30, 2020.
PRESS RELEASE. “Prospect Annouces February Concert Of ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD.” BroadwayWorld.com, January 8, 2020
REVIEW: “BEST BET! On This Side of the World may play best with immigrant audiences, but the themes of separation, love, and perseverance are relatable even to those who have never set foot outside of their home country. Tiról’s song cycle underscores how each experience is wholly unique, so that each song begins to feel like a love letter to an individual American dream. Audiences won’t be able to stop cheering (when they’re not weeping) for this ambitious underdog of a show.”— Maria Paz Alegre in Theatre is Easy, May 12, 2019
REVIEW: “On This Side of the World is at once delightfully simple and unspeakably complex in what it accomplishes and aspires to. If taste and justice prevail, it should well prove itself to be a seminal work in the ever-developing story of the American musical.”
— Matthew Blank in OnStage Blog, May 18, 2019
REVIEW: “On This Side of the World explores the transgenerational Filipino immigrant experience in the United States through song — and what songs they are! Through the talents of Composer/Lyricist Paulo K Tiról, each of the show’s 17 numbers is an award-worthy performance in itself. That said, the sum of the show’s parts is no less than extraordinary... On This Side of the World may be Tiról’s love letter to the Filipino community, but the show’s universal themes will be related to and appreciated by all. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll want to sing along." — Jed Ryan in Lavender After Dark, May 7, 2019
REVIEW: “On This Side of the World, now playing at Access Theatre, has a cast that would make any production green with envy. From song to song they deliver both a technical high gloss and a go for broke sincerity. They perform with the conviction of actors who know that what they’re undertaking is important and, indeed, it is. What is offered by this hour and a half long song cycle is a rare ground floor view of the lives of the Filipino community.
— Wesley Doucette in BroadwayWorld, May 24, 2019
FEATURE. “Paulo Tirol’s ‘On This Side of the World’: From a school project to a full musical experience." Momar Visaya in Asian Journal, May 10, 2019.
FEATURE. "New Musical Captures Filipino Experience in the US." Walter Ang in Inquirer.Net, April 26, 2019.