''Burlesk King'' is the second film in the gay-themed trilogy of Mel Chionglo and

Ricky Lee Ricardo Arreola Lee ONA (born March 19, 1948) is a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright. Starting in 1973, he has written more than 180 film screenplays and collaborated with many of the Philippines' most notable film di ...

about the lives of macho dancers, men who work as strippers in Manila's gay bars. The first is '' Sibak: Midnight Dancers''; the third is '' Twilight Dancers''. Other films exploring the same theme are Lino Brocka's ''

Macho Dancer Macho Dancer is a 1988 Philippine drama film directed by Lino Brocka from a story and screenplay written by Amado Lacuesta and Ricky Lee. It explores the realities of a young, poor, rural gay man, who after being dumped by his American boyfrie ...

'' (1988) and Brillante Mendoza's '' Masahista'' (''The Masseur'', 2005).

Plot

Harry went to

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

with his friend James to exact vengeance on his abusive father who used to pimp him and killed his mother. He ended up working as a

Macho dancer Macho Dancer is a 1988 Philippine drama film directed by Lino Brocka from a story and screenplay written by Amado Lacuesta and Ricky Lee. It explores the realities of a young, poor, rural gay man, who after being dumped by his American boyfrie ...

in a gay club and became involved with a gay writer and a hooker. When he set out to look for his father to avenge his mother's death, he found him dying of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

in a shack in squatter's area and told him that his mother was alive after all. He looked for his mother and got reunited with her who taught him to forgive his father. His father eventually dies.

Cast

*Rodel Velayo as Harry *Leonardo Litton as James *

Elizabeth Oropesa Elizabeth Oropesa (born July 17, 1954), also known as La Oropesa, or "Boots" to friends is a Filipina actress. She was a Grand Slam Best Actress winner for ''Bulaklak Ng Maynila'' (1999). She was crowned as Miss Luzon of the Miss Republic of th ...

as Betty *

Raymond Bagatsing Ramon San Diego Bagatsing III, known professionally as Raymond Bagatsing (born 15 September 1971), is a Filipino actor. Having jumpstarted his acting career in the early 1990s, he is most notable for the roles of Jaime Laurel in the hit ABS-C ...

as Mario *

Cherry Pie Picache Cherry Pie Sison Picache (born May 27, 1970) is a Filipino actress. Known primarily for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters and television productions, she has received numerous accolades, including two Durban Internati ...

as Aileen *Gino Ilustre as Michael *Nini Jacinto as Brenda *

Joonee Gamboa Joonee Gamboa (born Jose Espineli Gamboa Jr.; August 7, 1936) is a Filipino actor. As veteran actor, he appeared in more than 145 movies and television shows. Career Gamboa started off as a stage actor, acting in plays produced by Philippine ...

as Miong *

Joel Lamangan Joel Lamangan (born September 21, 1952) is a Filipino film director, television director, actor, and comedian. His award-winning films include '' The Flor Contemplacion Story'', '' Sidhi'', '' Deathrow'', ''Hubog'', '' Aishte Imasu 1941'', ''Bl ...

as Odette *Tonio Ortigas as Leo *

Ross Rival Rosauro Reyes Salvador (October 7, 1945 – November 16, 2007), known professionally as Ross Rival, was an actor and father of JonJon Hernandez, Joseph Salvador, Rosauro Luis G. Salvador, Luchi Salvador-Joson, Sahara Shyla G. Salvador and Ma ...

*Frannie Zamora *Joseph Buncalan *Arthur Cassanova *Joey Galvez *Joseph Pe *Sofia Valdez *Aila Marie

External links

* 1999 films Philippine LGBTQ-related films 1990s Tagalog-language films 1999 drama films 1990s LGBTQ-related drama films 1999 LGBTQ-related films Gay-related films Films directed by Mel Chionglo Films with screenplays by Ricky Lee {{1990s-Philippines-film-stub