BORACAY ISLAND, Philippines?Actor-TV host John Lapus, who produced the stage play adaptation of the late Joey Gosiengfiao?s ?Temptation Island? in 2003, said he had trouble getting sponsors because it was an all-gay production.

?Some agencies are still critical of the gay community,? John told Inquirer Entertainment. ?Plus, the movie was not as hyped up then as it is now.?

Titled ?Temptation Island: Live,? the play written and directed by Chris Martinez had a four-night run at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It was mounted at the now defunct Republic of Malate the following year.

Gosiengfiao?s 1980s cult classic, starring Dina Bonnevie, Bambie Arambulo, Jennifer Cortez, Azenith Briones and Deborah Sun, had its first beach front screening at the Beachcomber Hotel here on April 18.

The film is about four beauty pageant contestants marooned on an island with three hunks, a gay artist and a crazy girl Friday. Excessive hunger leads them to hallucinations?a giant fried chicken, a huge ice cream cone, sizzling sexual escapades ? and cannibalism.

According to Ronald Arguelles, ABS-CBN director for programming, ?Temptation Island? is the most requested movie on Cinema One Global, the network?s all-Pinoy movie feature channel.

An excerpt of ?Temptation Island: Live? was presented after the screening, with Lapus as Briones, Peter Serrano as Cortez, Raymond Narag as Arambulo, Ferns Villafuerte as Sun and Tuxqs Rutaquio as Bonnevie.

?We had more sponsors in 2004?and sold-out shows,? said John.

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph