“THEATRE IS EASY 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. Guided by the skillful direction of Noam Shapiro, the 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.”

“In an era where the topic of immigration is unavoidably loaded with bias and political ideology, On This Side of the World stays grounded in the humanity of its stories and the poignancy of its messages. Noam Shapiro beautifully helms a six-person company of Asian Americans who all run the emotional gamut required by these stories while handling some deceptively difficult music seemingly with ease. 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.”

“Directed by Noam Shapiro, New York City-based theatre collective Three Hares’ On This Side of the World explores the transgenerational Filipino immigrant experience in the United States through song — and what songs they are! 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 by and be appreciate by all.”

“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. Director Noam Shapiro kept all elements humming through the performance, gainfully leaning in the tonal direction necessitated by the work.”

“The Filipino immigrant story is one of courage, sacrifice, searching for identity, struggling to belong, and ultimately, redefining home,” says Tirol. “At first I thought these were stories no one was really interested in hearing. But my collaborator, director Noam Shapiro, who is not Filipino, believes in it so much and has pushed me to finish it and helped me present it. People’s responses to the piece—Filipinos, Asians, non-Asians, immigrants, children of immigrants and people whose families have been here for generations, artists and non-artists alike—have convinced me that this is a piece worth sharing. The theater community has welcomed this piece with an excitement that I honestly didn’t expect. Fil-Am actors are excited to share their own culture and heritage, to tell their communities’ own stories, to play characters from their own lives.”

“The Filipino immigrant story is one of courage, sacrifice, searching for identity, struggling to belong, and ultimately, redefining home—and come to think of it, isn’t that every person’s story?”