'Maxie The Musicale: Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros' set to open on November 9

Click The City

Original Article can be found HERE

The long wait is finally over! A pre-holiday treat is coming soon for all the young and adventurous, the romanticists and idealists and those who simply want to enjoy a beautiful love story between a 12 year-old gay lad who falls in love with a young, handsome police officer.

Since its initial announcement to the local theater scene last December 2012 that the iconic film “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” has been adopted to become a musical, Bit by Bit Company, in cooperation with the PETA Theater Center and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, proudly brings to the stage “MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS,” a coming-of-age musical about a gay teen who is torn between his love for a young cop and his loyalty to his family.

Based on Michiko Yamamoto's screenplay “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” (ufo Pictures, 2005), “MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS” features book and lyrics by Nicolas B. Pichay, music by William Elvin Manzano, JJ Pimpinio, and Janine Santos, and direction and choreography by Dexter M. Santos.

Since the beginning of 2013, a series of tough and rigid audition processes and ‘call backs’ were held to search for the boy and the cop who will essay the roles of Maxie and Victor respectively along with the other roles in the musicale. At the end of summer, a ‘newcomer’ was finally chosen as Maxie but it had to take another month when the role of Victor was given to a theater actor/singer and TV commercial model.

Last August, a hip and energetic kick-off launch aptly titled “Patikim ng Shlight” was held at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The audience loudly cheered the 30-minute excerpt from “MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS.”

Bagging the plum lead role of Maxie is Jayvhot Galang, a 14 year-old resident of Sta. Ana, Manila who loves to sing and belt like celebrity singer Whitney Houston. He has joined a lot of singing competitions in various barangays and in a reality-search TV show. Without any previous theater experience, coupled with a very tough challenge that lies ahead for this role of a lifetime, Jayvhot joined the PETA Summer Acting Workshop (April-May 2013). In the last five months, his rigid schedule is a happy balance between attending classes in high school, aerobics exercises, dance classes and voice lessons under the tutelage of Janine Santos, a classical opera singer.

In “MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS,” Jayvhot will bring to life the young and innocent character of Maxie, a 12-year-old effeminate gay boy who lives in the slums with his father and brothers who are petty thieves.

Maxie behaves like a girl, wears clips in his hair and bangles on his wrists and even wears lipstick. He is teased by neighbors and former school friends. His sexuality is, however, fully accepted by his two brothers and by his father. One night he is accosted by two men who attempt to molest him, but is saved by the appearance of Victor. The story will revolve around the conflict between his love for the handsome young police officer and his family's illegal livelihood. And will their friendship develop into a relationship?

Giving Jayvhot their full support as his co-actors are well-respected names in the theater industry namely: Roeder Camañag and Nazer Salcedo (alternating as Paco Oliveros), Jojo Riguerra (Victor Perez), Al Gatmaitan and OJ Mariano (alternating as Boy Oliveros), and Jay Gonzaga (Bogs Oliveros).

The other members of the cast are Aaron Ching (Nar), Nomer Limatog, Jr. (Leslie), Teetin Villanueva (Monique), Eo De Guzman and Merdin Mojica (alternating as Peter), and Greg de Leon (Chief Dominguez).

The ensemble is composed of Ruth Alferez, John Paul Basco, Jules Dela Paz, Irene Delarmente, Elliot Eustacio, Karyl Factora, Jim Andrew Ferrer, Francelle Fetalvero, Al Bernard Garcia, Jeffrey Hernandez, Ronah Rostata, and Christian Velarde.

The band is composed of William Elvin Manzano and Rigil Borromeo (Guitar), Van Quiaong (Keyboard), Jonah Ruiz (Drums), and Allen Mamaid (Bass).

“MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS” shall run from November 9 to December 8, 2013 with shows on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8pm and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm. All performances are at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City.

The other members of the artistic team of “MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS” are John Neil Ilao Batalla (Lights Designer), Gino Gonzales (Production Designer), Ohm David (Technical Director), Emman Feliciano (Assistant Director), Stephen Viñas (Associate Choreographer), and Arkel Mendoza (Additional Music).

“MAXIE THE MUSICALE: ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS” is the second offering of Bit by Bit Company which produced the critically-acclaimed run of Dulaang UP’s “Orosman at Zafira” at the SM Mall of Asia Centerstage in February 2011.

Bit by Bit Company is composed of Atty. Darwin Mariano (Executive Producer) and Carlo Miguel Francia (Associate Producer). Assisting them are the rest of the production team, namely: Nicole Andrew Guila (Production Manager), Loraine Macatangay (Stage Manager), Lexie Bartolome (Assistant Stage Manager), Cheska Cartativo (Props Head), Henzy Manalaysay (Props Assistant), Nica Marcelo (Costume Head), Darwin Desoacido (Costume Assistant), Simon Tiukinhoy (Sounds Boardman) and Miggy Panganiban (Lights Boardman).

The marketing and publicity team is composed of Marvin Ray Olaes (Marketing Head), Toots O. Tolentino (Publicist), David Fabros (Photographer), Pow Santillan (Logo Design) and Ron Misayah and Jan Evert Tagle (Graphic Designers).

The screenplay of “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” was made into a film directed by Auraeus Solito and produced by ufo Pictures in 2005. It was the Philippines’ official entry to the 2007 Academy Awards and has won numerous other awards, including: 2005 Best Film from the Asian Festival of First Films, 2005 Best Picture from the Toronto Imagine Native Film Festival, 2005 Golden Zenith Award for Best Picture from the Montreal World Film Festival, 2006 Best Picture from the Gawad Urian, 2006 Teddy Award and Glass Bear Special Mention from the Berlin International Film Festival, and the 2007 Independent Spirit Award from the IFC Spirit Awards.

Will Maxie ever be the same? Will he ever get his romantic movie ending with the policeman of his dreams? 

Catch Maxie The Musical on December 7 | Saturday | 8PM
Ticket Prices: 1200 (VIP), 1000 (Orchestra) and 800 (Balcony)

For reservations, contact:  Onay 0917.908.0565

Robert / RC Marzan 0922.888.5348
Jayme del Rosario 0927.202.2017
Ma-Ann Alimagno 0917.593.5895

 

‘Maxie The Musicale’ –‘It’s the movie but not the movie’

By Cora Llamas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Original Article can be found HERE

Darwin Mariano and Carlo Francia (producers), JJ Pimpinio, Janine Santos and William Elvin Manzano (composers), Nicolas Pichay (playwright and lyricist) and Dexter Santos (director-choreographer)

Curtains will open a month from now, but the buzz has it that theater showbuyers have been lining up for months to get a piece of the action. The main attraction is “Maxie The Musicale,” a stage adaptation of the indie film hit “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros.”

 

Jayvhot Galang as Maxie

The Cinemalaya film explores the coming-of-age story of a young gay boy and his crush on a twentysomething police officer. That Maxie, the young hero, comes from a family of petty thieves who are on the radar of the crusading Victor, adds a Romeo-and-Juliet spin to the tale. 

The musical’s cinematic origins and the film’s huge fan following have triggered huge interest for the theatrical production. At the same time, they have also made potential audiences ask: How faithful—or different—will “Maxie The Musicale” be vis-a-vis its source material? 

Darwin Mariano, the musical’s executive producer, quotes playwright and lyricist Nicholas Pichay for an answer: “It’s the movie—and it’s not the movie.”
 
Original choice
Fidelity could be guaranteed by the fact that Pichay was the choice of the original film producers to adapt the movie to the stage. The playwright also consulted with the the movie’s screenwriter, Michiko Yamamoto. Directing the production and providing choreography is Dexter Santos. 

 

JOJO Riguerra (Victor) with Raymond Lee
(producer of “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros”)

“We will follow the story,” says Mariano. “But we do want to maximize the fact that it’s now a stage play, and there are a lot of things you can do in the theater and not on film.” 

Among them are 26 musical numbers (so far), consisting of a wide variety of styles from the boisterous “Tabo-Tabo” that has cops and criminals dancing (separately) in the showers of a prison station; the bittersweet “Pelikula” that has Maxie escaping into the fantasy world of film; and the poignant “Love Letter,” where Maxie finally confesses his feelings to Victor. 

What remains intact is the spirit of the movie. “It’s about the loss of innocence,” says Mariano. “All of us have that period in our lives when we see that the world is not perfect, our parents have flaws… The story captures that very well.  The movie is about love, and it’s not about the gay angle. That Maxie is a gay boy is not an issue, but the fact that he happens to belong to a family of crooks. If the main character were a little girl, the movie would have worked as well, I think.”

At the same time, Mariano concedes, “We are benefiting from a time when gay-themed material is not as scandalous anymore as it was years ago.”

Last-minute casting
Jhayvot Galang, the 14-year-old who plays Maxie, is an openly gay boy accepted by his family. His was a last-minute casting that just might spawn a star turn. For months, the producers and artistic team could not find their main hero, until a friend posted on their Facebook wall a video of the young Galang auditioning in a noontime show. What Mariano saw impressed him so much that he tracked the boy’s address to his home in San Andres, Manila, and personally asked him to audition. 

“The minute he sang his first note, we knew we had our Maxie,” says Mariano. Galang was then sent to do the rounds of theater workshops to develop his acting and singing skills. 

Jojo Riguerra, who plays Victor, is a model and a theater actor who has done work for Gantimpala Theater and other companies. Aside from his thespian abilities and attractive features, what sold him to the artistic team was his six-foot height. 

“That was necessary to underline the disparity in the ages of Victor and Maxie,” says Mariano. Santos, who was in New York when they were casting for Victor, did the auditions through Skype. 

Positive response
Rehearsals are in full swing for the Nov. 9 opening, and the songs (by William Elvin Manzano, JJ Pimpinio and Janine Santos) and material are being fine-tuned. Mariano says he wants “a fun show that is movement-heavy… and with humor, power and delicacy.” 

He is happy that many are responding positively to news about the musical. Along with his business associate Carlo Miguel Francia, Mariano has been an active showbuyer of productions such as Dulaang UP’s “Orosman and Zafira” and New Voice Company’s “The Vagina Monologues.” “Maxie The Musicale” is the first show they are producing, and Mariano hopes it won’t be their last. 

“Right now, the economy is good, that’s why theater is growing and the middle class is watching,” he says. Beyond the businessman in him, though, is the dramatic arts buff who regularly trooped to the Cultural Center of the Philippines in his high school and college years to watch plays produced by Tanghalang Pilipino. 

“We have no illusions about being groundbreaking,” Mariano says. “We don’t want to produce Broadway material because there are already many who are doing that. We want to showcase Filipino talent—and we want to produce Filipino material.” 

Catch Maxie The Musical: on December 7 | Saturday | 8PM
Ticket Prices: 1200 (VIP), 1000 (Orchestra) and 800 (Balcony)

For reservations, contact:  Onay 0917.908.0565

Robert / RC Marzan 0922.888.5348
Jayme del Rosario 0927.202.2017
Ma-Ann Alimagno 0917.593.5895

 

The ‘Closer’ I get to you

By Tim Yap (The Philippine Star)

Original Article can be found HERE

 Red Turnip Theater's first offering: Closer opening on October 4  

Photos by DIX PEREZ Sittings by DAVID MILAN        

      

MANILA, Philippines - I never did like Disney. Preying on innocent minds and making us believe in fairy tales and happily ever after is pretty cruel, don’t you think?” said Ana Abad Santos, hands down my favorite theater actress slash director and now the founder of The Red Turnip Theater — the new kid formed by not-so-new kids around the theater block that’s bringing the play Closer close to us this October. 

In between surfing, doing movies, organizing events and marketing for a sports brand and shooting teleseryes, Ana Abad Santos is now back in her element, with a vengeance that is palpable as I hear her talk about her new theater company’s new project.

But first I was curious. Why the name Red Turnip Theater? “The late great Bibot Amador used to say, “You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip... But you can damn well paint it red.” Ana turns pensive as she recalls that turning point.  “As we were building the company, that quote kept running in my head.

“Maybe as a reminder that love and passion are not enough. You gotta have guts and nerves of steel. And boy, did that woman have all of the above!” Ana emits a different glow whenever the topic turns to where she started and where she intends to go.

Pursuit of love and other drugs

“Both as a salute to a great mentor and a symbol of passion, and humor — we named our company Red Turnip Theater.” Ana formed the company with other theater veterans Rem Zamora, Cris Villonco, Jenny Jamora and Topper Fabregas.

Their first project? Closer. Some of us might be familiar with the movie adaptation of the play that was based loosely on an opera, but this one proves to be even more exciting. “Closer is a painfully humorous dissection of the human heart and it’s tirelessly sad pursuit of love.” Call it jaded but don’t we catch ourselves swinging to and fro that pendulum depending on the moments of our lives?

 

Ana shared with me some of the stellar lines from the play.

“Try lying for a change. It’s the currency of the world.”  — Dan. 

Or this, “The poor are more generous.” — Larry.

 “Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist wrapped in blood!”  — Larry.

“I don’t want to lie. I can’t tell the truth.  So it’s over,” said Alice. With a script that’s as amazing as this, and with a cast so brilliantly assembled as pictured above in this exclusive PhilStar Supreme shoot, how can you not want to see the show this October?

Oh and the exciting part about this run is that the show will be staged at Whitespace, with Friday night shows starting at 9 p.m. There’s also a bar where you can get drinks and have a glass of wine while watching the show, and food from Cibo (upon order), too! Now that’s what you call adjusting to the times. 

I then look at Ana and I see her aura turn into a deeper shade of red. “In spite of its modern tone, it has a very classic rhythm. Very poetic. Imagine Romeo and Juliet hundreds of years later is still ruining our lives. Love remains elusive. Why do the greatest love stories end in tragedy? Death keeps it alive.  It cannot survive in everyday life. We don’t have the space.”

Catch Red Turnip Theater's CLOSER
October 26 | Sat | 3PM | Whitespace, Makati
Patron Tickets at Php 1000 each

Contact Onay 0917.908.0565 or Jayme 0927.202.2017

SHE Rocks: Menchu Lauchengco still enjoying theater after 15 years

By Maridol Rañoa-Bismark
Yahoo!
Original Article can be found HERE

Photo courtesy of Atlantis Productions.

What else can you do after you’ve earned the title “First Lady of Philippine Musical Theatre,” and you’ve wowed critics by playing practically all the challenging roles available to stage artists?

You don’t rest on your laurels. Not when you’re Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo.
Voice coaches Jai Sabas in the Philippines and another one in New York, among others help Menchu keep her voice pitch-perfect for musicals.

“You could do things that could hurt your voice, especially in this country where you end up singing songs not necessarily in your vocal range. So you have to go back to your voice coach, ” she explains.

Menchu also makes sure she rests her voice to prepare it for all the singing and even screaming she does on stage.

“You need discipline. You don’t party after rehearsals and just go home and rest. You have to take care of your body.”

Menchu needs all the energy she can get in the upcoming production of “Carrie” the musical where she plays deranged mom Margaret White who cries and shouts – in song – all at the same time.

“It’s fifth gear in every scene. I get mad and I’m screaming. It’s one of the hardest roles I’ve ever done. This is another level of difficulty. It’s such an intense role.”

It’s so intense it even requires her to slap Mikkie Bradshaw – who plays Carrie, the teenage girl equipped with telekinetic powers that frightens her mom so.
The role can sap the energy of the most hyper actor, and Menchu is no exception.


Cartoons to relax
What does she do?

“I watch cartoons,” she smiles.

Cartoons – and the love for her craft – keep Menchu going.

“I like to accept roles that stretch and challenge me. I have no time to relax. I’m on my toes. I want to do justice to every role. You wanna push yourself constantly.”

Menchu has been pushing herself constantly since age 15, or 35 years ago, when she started in theater.

Theater has been her “happy place,” and Menchu feels blessed she can go back to her comfort zone anytime she wants. The good roles just land on her lap, and for that she feels “lucky and honored.”

“I’ve been very blessed. It would be wrong to complain.”

Menchu’s followers – who have seen her grow up in theater – are enjoying the journey along with her.

 

Catch CARRIE on its closing weekend run!  

OCTOBER 5, 2013 / SATURDAY / 8PM /RCBC  

Ticket Prices: 1700, 1600, 1300, 800 and 700 

 

 Contact:   

RC Marzan 0922.888.5348  

Onay Sales 0917.908.0565 

 

View Available Seats Here: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dC1RLVVKbmZXNzViSXVLeWJKakIxNEE#gid=0 

   

‘Carrie’–a musical prelude to Halloween

By Walter Ang

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Original Article can be found HERE

Atlantis Productions will stage the suspense-horror musical “Carrie” in the weeks leading up to Halloween. 

The musical is based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel (first published in 1974) about a girl who is bullied in school and suffers under a cruel mother. She soon discovers a special power that she wields over her tormentors. 

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo headlines the show as the titular character’s mother Margaret White, while Mikkie Bradshaw (“Rock of Ages,” “Nine,” “Disney’s Aladdin,”) will play Carrie. 

An upcoming film adaptation has Julianne Moore as Carrie’s mother and Chloe Grace Moretz (“Hugo,” “Kick-Ass,” “(500) Days of Summer”) as Carrie. Prior to this version, there was a 1976 film adaptation directed by Brian De Palma, starring Sissy Spacek in the title role. 

The musical version debuted on Broadway in 1988 with book by the film’s screenwriter Lawrence Cohen, music by Michael Gore (“Fame,” “Terms of Endearment”), and lyrics by Dean Pitchford (“Fame,” “Footloose”). 

The 1988 version was critically panned and closed after only five performances. The incident was notorious enough to be immortalized in the title of Ken Mandelbaum’s book “Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops.” 

Last year, a reworked version by the original collaborators was staged on a limited engagement Off-Broadway, earning numerous nominations from different award-giving bodies. 

Atlantis is staging the 2012 version. “It is a beautifully tragic retelling of the Cinderella story with an amazing Broadway pop score,” says Atlantis’ artistic director Bobby Garcia, who is directing the show with Jamie Wilson as assistant director and Ceejay Javier as musical director. 

Choreography is by Cecile Martinez, with set design by Otto Hernandez, lighting design by Martin Esteva, sound design by Bobbit Jacinto and costume design by Raven Ong. 

   
Catch CARRIE on its closing weekend run! 
OCTOBER 5, 2013 / SATURDAY / 8PM /RCBC 
Ticket Prices: 1700, 1600, 1300, 800 and 700

 Contact:  
RC Marzan 0922.888.5348 
Onay Sales 0917.908.0565

View Available Seats Here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dC1RLVVKbmZXNzViSXVLeWJKakIxNEE#gid=0 
   

Red Turnip Theater's CLOSER
October 26 | Sat | 3PM | Whitespace, Makati

Patron Tickets at Php 1000 each
Contact Onay 0917.908.0565 or Jayme 0927.202.2017

Cast: Marc Abaya, Angel Aquino, Bart Guingona, Cris Villonco

CLOSER
by Patrick Marber

Closer is the third play written by English playwright, Patrick Marber. The play was premiered at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in London in 1997. It won the Evening Standard Best Comedy Award and later the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1998.

Closer made its North American debut at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on 25 January 1999 where it ran for 172 performances on Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play and was nominated for both Tony and Drama Desk awards.

Four lives intertwine over the course of four and a half years in this densely plotted, stinging look at modern love and betrayal. Twelve scenes chronicle the love affairs, rivalries, seductions and betrayals of four characters (two men, two women), in a spare, intense style, sometimes coarse, sometimes obscene, but calling for real sensitivity and vulnerability in the acting.

'Carrie' is coming to Philippine stage

By Miguel Dumaual, ABS-CBNnews.com 

Posted at 08/08/2013 11:32 PM | Updated as of 08/09/2013 3:18 PM

ORIGINAL ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND HERE

Theater actress Mikkie Bradshaw as Carrie in Atlantis Productions' locol staging of the Broadway musical. -- Photo from the theater company's official Facebook page

MANILA -- Carrie, the bullied high school teenager who goes on a rampage of revenge with her telekinetic powers, is coming to the Philippine stage via Atlantis Productions' staging of the 1988 Broadway musical.

Based on the modern classic by Stephen King, "Carrie: The Musical" will be staged for the first time in the Philippines starting September 20 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.

The play features music by Michael Gore ("Fame," "Terms of Endearment"), lyrics by Dean Pitchford ("Fame," "Footloose") and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen, who also wrote the screenplay of the Brian de Palma film released in 1976.

Revived in 2012 with revisions by the musical's original authors -- it hasn't been shown on Broadway since its debut 1988 run -- "Carrie: The Musical" is now set in the present, in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine.

The story remains intact: Carrie White, a misunderstood teen terrorized by her religious fanatic mother and bullied by her classmates, goes berserk with her supernatural abilities after being pushed to her limits.

Taking on the iconic role in the Bobby Garcia-directed local staging is Mikkie Bradshaw, whose turn as the oppressed Carrie marks her first lead role on stage.

Bradshaw, who has appeared in local versions of "Rock of Ages," "Nine," and "Disney's Alladin," considers her latest role her most challenging yet.

Speaking with ABS-CBN News, Bradshaw nonetheless said she is thrilled to take on the vocal and emotional challenge.

"I haven't done much, but I guess this will be my most challenging role yet, because it's very emotional. Vocally, it's very challenging as well. Bascially we're singing throughout the entire show.

"Apart from that, it takes you back to a place where it isn't particularly a pleasant feeling, but it should be fun and I'm excited!" she said.

Carrie's tormentors
Along with Bradshaw, headlining the cast of "Carrie" are Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Margaret White, Markki Stroem as Tommy Ross, Yanah Laurel as Sue Snell, and Sheila Valderrama-Martinez as Miss Gardner.

"I'm so excited because I've only heard good things about them," Bradshaw said of her co-actors. "Markki, I've seen him in his other works, and of course he's amazing."

Stroem, who started in local showbiz as a "Pilipinas Got Talent" finalist in 2010, is taking on his third role on stage as the high school star athlete and valedictorian who befriends Carrie.

"This is my first horror musical, so I'm very excited, tapos ang ganda ng role, ang galing ng cast," Stroem said.

 

He added he is particularly thrilled to work anew with Lauchengco-Yulo, calling her "the ultimate theater actress in the Philippines."

The actor's previous theater credits are Atlantis Productions' "Next to Normal" and Repertory Philippines' "Camp Rock: The Musical," where he played the lead roles.

Another theater newcomer joining the cast of "Carrie" is singer Garie Concepcion, the daughter of showbiz veteran Gabby Concepcion with his former partner.

Concepcion related she had already auditioned last year to be part of the musical, but didn't land a role. "I auditioned again this year, and now I feel blessed and lucky na finally I was able to get in," she said.

She added: "Try and try again. Sabi ko nga, 'Pag hindi ako nakakuha ng role this year, next year I'll try again.' I'm very happy na this year nabigyan po ako ng chance. So this is my first musical."

As Helen in "Carrie," Concepcion will be seen as one of the title character's tormentors in school.

According to Concepcion, rehearsals for the play has yet to start. But preparations have long been underway for Garcia, who said he had been "working closely" with the writers of the original production.

"They have been so generous and supportive of our production. It is a beautifully tragic retelling of the Cinderella story with an amazing Broadway pop score.

"We have assembled a fantastic cast and I can’t wait to start creating the show with all of them in the room," Garcia said.

Coinciding with the debut run of "Carrie: The Musical" in the Philippines, Atlantis Productions will also release a four-track EP of the play featuring the local cast.

Catch it on its closing weekend run! 
OCTOBER 5, 2013 / SATURDAY / 8PM /RCBC 
Ticket Prices: 1700, 1600, 1300, 800 and 700

 Contact:  
RC Marzan 0922.888.5348 
Onay Sales 0917.908.0565

View Available Seats Here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dC1RLVVKbmZXNzViSXVLeWJKakIxNEE#gid=0

CARRIE: Tickets Now Available!

CARRIE

Based on Stephen King's Novel

OCTOBER 5, 2013 / SATURDAY / 8 PM / RCBC

Closing Weekend Run

CARRIE White is a misfit. At school, she’s an outcast who’s bullied by popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she’s at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over – protective mother. But CARRIE’s just discovered she’s got special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it…

RESERVE YOUR SEATS NOW!

Ticket Prices: 1700, 1600, 1300, 800 and 700 

View Seat Plan HERE:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dC1RLVVKbmZXNzViSXVLeWJKakIxNEE#gid=0

 

Catch it on its closing weekend run!

OCTOBER 5, 2013 / SATURDAY / 8PM /RCBC

Ticket Prices: 1700, 1600, 1300, 800 and 700 

 

Contact:
  Onay Sales (0917.908.0565)

email: ronaleans@yahoo.com

    

Theater review: The 'Rock Of Ages' principle

By KATRINA STUART SANTIAGO

ORIGINAL ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND HERE

Is rock ‘n’ roll. The kind that’s in your bloodstream, the kind that you cannot fake. You see it the moment Nyoy Volante entered that stage, you see it in Aiza Seguerra and Jinky Llamanzares and Jett Pangan, of course. You can smell it on Migs Ayesa a mile away. 

 

It is glam rock that’s self-aware of its ironies, it is irony on overdrive in fact. Because watching “Rock Of Ages,” you realize that it makes fun of itself, of this particular time and space and its music, as it takes you on a ride that might be unfamiliar, but should—will—resonate. Between “Glee” and the revived Journey with Arnel Pineda after all, some of these songs can only be familiar; and if you got into some glam rock as a teenager, well “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and “More Than Words” must remind you of some boy or other, too.

 

It’s entirely possible in fact, to watch this musicale and miss the narrative altogether, or find it to be secondary to the music. Or just, because it is a local production, secondary to the talent that’s here. I’ve said this before and I will say it again: the value of these foreign productions, other than that we have access to them finally, is the way it showcases the kind of theatrical talent that we have, full stop.

 

And so you can watch “Rock of Ages” and treat it like a rock concert instead of a piece of musical theater. This might allow us to be kinder to someone like Vina Morales (Sherrie), who could barely meld the singing and acting together, shifting too clearly between the two. Let’s not get into the lack of mastery in English pronunciation that Morales obviously didn’t have, which can only be a problem in the context of this cast.

 

Which had the accents down pat, and who all looked/felt/sounded like veterans on that stage. Even when they had to work with an audience that couldn’t separate their off-stage personas from the ones gyrating and singing in front of them. Even when we were all just screaming and cheering and stomping our feet to the music and (maybe) not much else. 

 

Case in point, Seguerra as the activist Regina held her own in the face of stronger voices such as Calvin Millado’s and Pangan’s; but when she came onstage as the dancer, the cheers from the crowd were obviously premised on what we know of Seguerra off-stage and off-cam. We know too much about her, and this works towards surprise, as it does towards comedy. That Seguerra can rakenrol it is just “Rock of Ages” Manila’s luck.

 

As they are absolutely and downright lucky to have most of this cast, not quite as jelled together as an ensemble as I’d like, but really quite competent if not downright awesome in the roles that they played. Pangan’s role as narrator was en pointe, practically making cohorts out of the audience, as he skillfully did the whole breaking of the fourth wall scenes. Jamie Wilson as Dennis, the owner of the bar within which much of this story takes place, is the perfect counterpoint to Pangan’s Lonny, their uncanny combination allowed for the funniest of and most absurd of endings for their story. 

 

Llamanzares’ portrayal of the mother figure Justice is one that takes that stage and outsings most every other presence on it. Most, because there are Ayesa (Stacee Jaxx) and Volante (Drew), central character and main protagonist respectively, who are a sight to behold onstage. Ayesa is as expected: like a man made to play that role. He looked like he had breathed life into that character, 80’s glam rock excessive and abusive as it is. Ayesa is exactly who you expect in that role, and he doesn’t disappoint. 

 

But Volante, good lord. The first time I saw him onstage it was in the repeat run of “In The Heights” in March, in a lead role that had him rapping and singing, moving and dancing on that stage like the Latino he needed to be. I couldn’t but wonder who this guy was, and why I was only seeing such talent at this point. I was floored. 

 

When he sang his first note on that “Rock Of Ages” stage as Drew, my jaw dropped. And as he hit note after glam rock note, from Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock” to Warrant’s “Heaven,” I could only shake my head at how Volante had such command of that stage, how his voice rose above the ensemble’s and Morales,’ too. And we were only in the first part of Act I. By the time it closed with Whitesnake’s “Here We Go Again,” it was clear that Drew was the star of this story, Volante the star of this show. 

 

Of course it’s easy to think, heck, he’s got the lead role, how could he not fill that stage with his presence? But in a musicale that’s got 80’s glam rock, on a stage that has stars from Pangan to Ayesa, Llamanzares and Morales, the less than talented would disappear, if not be eaten alive. Neither happens to Volante, and that is a feat in itself.  That he doesn’t just plod through this, or just hit his notes, is astounding. As with “In The Heights,” but even more so here, Volante proves himself steady as he is quick on his feet, who sings without the uncertainty that television teaches the idiot-board-reading-performer, without the acting mannerisms that a TV or movie actor would need to unlearn for theater (uh, case in point: Morales). 

 

Volante gets on that stage with nary a self-conscious bone, turning in the most believable portrayal of the rock star wannabe Drew, who’s got his heart in the right place, but grows tongue-tied and clumsy in front of a girl he likes, yet can easily and logically turn on the confidence with some rock ‘n’ roll. 

 

It’s easy not to feel for any of the characters in “Rock Of Ages” precisely because this seems secondary to the excesses that are here. You know Volante rocks his role because you leave that theater with a very clear sense of Drew, with a voice that fits glam rock to a tee, a boyishness that stands out against the rest of ‘em in 80’s Hollywood. 

 

Volante doesn’t just give you rock ‘n’ roll here. He also proves that at the core of his acoustic singing, guitar playing, pop TV persona, is some good ol’ soul and real musicianship. Along with the rest of this cast, from the awesome ones to those who tried their best, it’s “Rock of Ages” on rakenrol overdrive. 

 

And that’s the way we do it in Manila. –KG, GMA News

 

Catch it on its closing weekend run!

JULY 27, 2013 / SATURDAY / 8PM /RCBC

Ticket Prices: 2000, 1750, 1500, 900 and 700

 

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