Oliver Oliveros - Page 46

I just have to write about Lara Fabregas; she's my kind of a leading lady of the theater: enigmatic, elusive, complex, sultry, and divine. If she were to star as Hedda Gabler, the original, quintessential "desperate housewife" in Henrik Ibsen's 1890 play, in the big city, which versatile and accomplished actresses Cate Blanchett and Mary-Louise Parker did in 2006 and 2009, respectively, I'd be the first to fall in line for show tickets. Alas, Ms. Fabregas' much-awaited stage comeback after almost seven years is happening back home in Manila. At times like these, I wish I were a bridge that could stretch across the Pacific.

Young, bold and enterprising Atlantis Productions wraps up its 2011 season with the Asian premiere of Disney's stage adaptation of The Little Mermaid from November 18 to December 11 at the Meralco Theatre -- This comes right on the heels of Atlantis Productions' own productions of Broadway's smash musicals Next to Normal, Disney's Aida and In The Heights.

The first-ever BroadwayWorld (BWW) Philippines Awards, an audience initiative project that encourages BWW readers from the Philippines to nominate and vote for their favorite plays, musicals, and theater personalities of the past year, revealed its list of nominees two weeks ago to an overwhelming response. Related web pages on my blog and BWW have around 2,000 hits, 100 comments, 2,000 likes, and 100 shares to date.

Dulaang UP's RIZAL X's head writer Katte Sabate, and composer and lyricist William Elvin Manzano have just formed a new theater group called Dulaang Kalay whose inaugural offering is an original play titled 'Series Finale: Saan Hahantong ang Tagpong Ito?', a satirical look at Filipinos' incurable obsession toward soap operas.

"I'll always find the time to go back to my theater roots; everything I know now, I learned it from my professors and directors." - JM De Guzman

It's rather unusual to see Lea Salonga, a Tony Award-winning actress whose name has been synonymous with all things musical, flexing her acting muscles in a straight play; she did that once in the Manila run of David Auburn's PROOF back in 2001, and she's set to do that again via the impending Manila premiere of Yasmina Reza's GOD OF CARNAGE in July next year.

BroadwayWorld (BWW) Philippines Awards' nominees Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Best Leading Actress [Musical] for 'Next to Normal'); Jay Glorioso (Best Leading Actress [Play] for 'Love, Loss, and What I Wore'); Vince Tañada (Best Direction of a Musical and Best Leading Actor [Musical] for 'Cory ng EDSA'); Frances Makil Ignacio (Best Actress in a Featured Role [Play] for 'The Joy Luck Club'); and 'Cory ng EDSA' (Best Musical) were big winners at the 24th Aliw Awards, an award-giving body that recognizes excellence among Filipino practitioners in the fields of theater, opera, dance, live vocal performance, and instrumental performance.

Lea Salonga, Adam Jacobs, Ali Ewoldt, Jose Llana, and Angel Desai led a company of mostly Filipino-American Broadway actors in SUITES BY SONDHEIM, a tribute concert to American musical theater icon Stephen Sondheim, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center last night. THE BOOK OF MORMON's co-book writer, co-composer, and co-lyricist Robert Lopez, who's part-Filipino, was also honoured with an Award of Excellence at the concert.

BroadwayWorld.com's Richard Ridge and I, on two different occasions, have recently interviewed Lea Salonga about her newest project in New York City: SUITES BY SONDHEIM, a tribute concert to Stephen Sondheim, that will feature Filipino-American Broadway actors, and singers in a one-night-only performance at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center tomorrow, November 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Leviathan Lab, a newly-established professional creative studio that's helping Asian American artists in advancing their careers in theater and film, recently met with some members of the press and presented excerpts from its inaugural production of William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, which opens tonight and will run until Saturday, November 19 at Arclight Theatre (152 West 71st Street).

Congratulations to BroadwayWorld.com (BWW) Philippines Awards' nominees, whose names are below, and were shortlisted from around 500 nomination entries sent from October 6 to 31.

While the city was being pummelled by a historic October snowstorm yesterday, Broadway actor-singers Lea Salonga, MiG Ayesa, J. Elaine Marcos, and members of the Filipino-American community braved the bad weather to get to Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall for The Oustanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have influenced the Filipino-American community in a positive way.

Right on the heels of her Disney Legend citation that had recognized her iconic vocal recordings for two Disney Princesses Mulan from MULAN and Jasmine from ALADDIN, Lea Salonga, born and raised in the Philippines, is set to receive another accolade: the Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY)Awards' Heritage Award on Saturday, October 29 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.

Right on the heels of her Disney Legend citation that had recognized her iconic vocal recordings for two Disney Princesses Mulan from MULAN and Jasmine from ALADDIN, Lea Salonga, born and raised in the Philippines, is set to receive another accolade: the Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY)Awards' Heritage Award on Saturday, October 29 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.

Needless to say, we value your opinion. Thus, on our third year as a regional site of BWW, we've previously announced that we're accepting nominations for the first BWW Philippines Awards, an award-giving program that allows you to nominate and vote for your favourite musicals, straight plays, and stage personalities that made the 13-month eligibility period from September 2010 to October 2011.

Longtime cast members of the dance, percussion, and visual comedy show STOMP Angus H. Little, Melanie Joseph, Johannes Bohun, Nigel Clarke, Mikey Lantis, and Andy Pang enthusiastically promoted their show and wowed the crowd at Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, and Glorietta malls last weekend. STOMP's currently playing for a limited run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines until Sunday, October 23.

The non-traditional Off Broadway show, STOMP, which has been packing in audiences at the Orpheum Theatre in East Village, New York since 1994, will have a limited run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theatre from October 18 to 23

Atlantis Productions Inc. (NEXT TO NORMAL, IN THE HEIGHTS) has just released one of its first promo artworks, which shows one of its lead stars, Rachelle Ann Go, posing as the little mermaid Ariel, her mid-torso resting on a bed of corals, and her synthetic fishtail flashing in the background, for its upcoming production of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID running from November 18 to December 11 at Meralco Theatre.

Apparently, MiG Ayesa isn't saying goodbye just yet neither to 'Stacee Jaxx' nor to ROCK OF AGES because Atlantis Productions Inc., a prolific theater company based in Manila, Philippines whose recent productions have included the Asian premieres of NEXT TO NORMAL, and IN THE HEIGHTS, has just announced that Ayesa will be reprising his role as 'Stacee Jaxx,' a decadent rock star, when the smash Broadway musical Rock of Ages opens in Manila in June/July next year (venue to be announced).

I just broke one of my self-imposed rules: Never watch a movie alone again in the United States, more so in New York City. But, who could possibly let go of the opportunity to join the audience (although virtually) at Royal Albert Hall during Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 25th anniversary presentation of their longest-running musical together, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA?