Oliver Oliveros News

Google's office on Eight Avenue hosted a conversation with Tony Award-winning musical revival PIPPIN's new lead stars Kyle Dean Massey (Pippin) and Ciara Renee (Leading Player), together with original cast members Bethany Moore (Player, Catherine understudy) and Orion Griffiths (Player, Acrobat), earlier today, which was streamed live on YouTube, moderated by Google's Alan Seale and YouTube Next Lab's Mark Douglas.

Following its Philippine premiere in 2011, London's West End and Off-Broadway's percussion sensation, STOMP, will return to the Cultural Center of the Philippines' (CCP) main theater for a limited eight-performance engagement from Tuesday, June 17, to Sunday, June 22, producers Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Concertus Manila recently announced.

Manhattan Shakespeare Project (MSP), an all-female Shakespeare theater company, will celebrate its 'patron saint' William Shakespeare's 450th birthday by blowing out birthday candles and reading bawdy writings penned by the master playwright at The Thirst Fan Bar (254 W 31st St.) on Sunday, April 20, at 7 p.m.

Tony Award nominated rock star Constantine Maroulis (“Rock of Ages,' 'Jekyll and Hyde') and former “Rock of Ages” co-star Angel Reed have joined showband singer-graphic novelist Arnel Arcedo's UNSELFIE campaign to raise funds for 13-year-old John Carlo Zaparita and his siblings, Angelo, 11, and Adrian, 6.

Remember then 18-year-old contestant on “The Voice Australia” Season Two who stuttered when talking, but would command your attention once he began singing Josh Groban's “Broken Vow”? Melbourne-bred Harrison Craig, now 19, coached by soul and R&B singer Seal, went on to win the title of “The Voice Australia,” and is set to release today, Friday, April 11, his second album titled L.O.V.E., produced by Universal Music Australia.

Before I entered college at De La Salle University-Manila in 1991, I attended my first musical theater workshops with GANTIMPALA THEATER in Manila: the first one was with actor-director Roobak Valle, our workshop facilitator; we did an original musical titled 'Dormitoryo: 24 Oras'; the second one was with Mr. Valle again (I was one of his assistant facilitators at that time); we did Don delos Reyes' 'Bien Aligtad.' Both musical theater workshops were so much fun. We--the participants-had seemingly incurable withdrawal symptoms at the end of the summer.

The main cast of the Philippine premiere of Sydney-London's West End-Broadway musical PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: Leo Tavarro Valdez (Tick/Mitzi), Jon Santos (Bernadette), Red Concepcion (Adam, Felicia), Michael Williams (Miss Understanding), Bituin Escalante (Diva), Lani Ligot (Diva), Timmy Canlas (Diva), and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Marion), donned for the first time their '80s retro costumes, mainly designed by Edgar San Diego, before the members of the press Thursday, April 3, at Taps, Genting Club, Maxims Hotel.

The actors' convention ACTORS PRO EXPO, billed as 'Surviving Actors Expo' in the United Kingdom, will make its US debut at The Radisson Martinique on Broadway (49 W 32nd St.) on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrepreneur actress Felicity Jackson, best known for her appearance on BBC's 'The Apprentice' Series 7, founded Surviving Actors in 2009 to aid working actors by holding trade shows.

Filipino-American singers Jared Martin, 21, and Tiffany Viray, 17, are poised to lend their singing flair to the upcoming tribute concert to Original Philippine Music (OPM) composer-lyricist Cecile Azarcon billed as 'An Evening of Original Philippine Music with Cecile Azarcon and Sounds of Manila' at Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway and 95th Street) on Sunday, April 27, at 7 p.m.

Originally from the Philippines, Miguel Braganza II, Walter Terry scholar in the dance performance and choreography program at Harvard University in the '80s, and assistant to Tony Award-winning director John Dexter in the original Broadway production of 'M. Butterfly' from 1988-1990, joined the cast of the U.S. and international productions (Germany, Canada, UK, and Portugal) of Cameron Mackintosh's megamusical 'Miss Saigon' for 14 years: a feat that made him feel so blessed, and has prompted him to donate his time, talents, and resources by teaching young and up-and-coming artists, build libraries, and promote arts programs both in New York and in the Philippines to this day.

There is something amazing about a playwright who can create a play that has an entire act in mime. There is something more amazing about a theater company who can pull off that play.

Michael Frayn's outrageously funny three-act play NOISES OFF is now playing at Repertory Philippines (Rep), the country's premier English-language theater company behind recent hits 'August: Osage County' and 'Wait Until Dark.'

Queen and Ben Elton's smash musical WE WILL ROCK YOU, built around 24 of British rock group Queen's biggest hits, including 'Another One Bites The Dust,' 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love,' 'We Are The Champions,' 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' and 'We Will Rock You,' opens at the Warner Theatre (513 13th Street NW) on Tuesday, June 3, and will run eight performances until Sunday, June 8. For tickets ($55-75), visit ticketmaster.com or warnertheatredc.com.

In August last year, about 700 Filipino theater fans' Facebook-based petition to bring the smash Broadway musical 'Wicked' to Manila was deemed successful; the 'Ozian' stage spectacle opened at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) five months later, which ran 42 performances. Apparently, these fans are at it again: a newly created Facebook-based petition page to bring the critically-acclaimed reimagined production of Sir Cameron Mackintosh's LES MISERABLES to Manila is up and running--engaging every visitor to like its cause!

Loop Players of Harold Washington College, which is part of the City Colleges of Chicago, the largest community college system in Illinois, will present New York-based playwright Chad Beckim's critically acclaimed drama AFTER. from tomorrow, March 26 to Saturday, April 5, at Room 103, Washington Hall, Harold Washington College (30 E Lake Street).

The word 'cock' can be described in many different ways: the alternative term for a certain kind of bird; a male reproductive organ; or a certain kind of overconfident man who thinks he knows everything. Red Turnip's COCK presents all those in less than two hours.

Michael Frayn's outrageously funny three-act play NOISES OFF is next on the agenda of Repertory Philippines (Rep), the country's premier English-language theater company behind recent hits "August: Osage County" and "Wait Until Dark."

The Spiral Theatre and Richard Skipper celebrate the nearly 50-year career of Broadway's legendary actress Sondra Lee ('High Button Shoes,' 'Peter Pan') at the Spiral Theatre (242 W 36th St.) on Tuesday, March 25 at 8 p.m. For tickets, call 845-365-0720.

Young at Arts, a nonprofit organization that provides an outstanding music and theater education to a diverse group of young people from Southern Westchester County and The Bronx, presents an operatic twin bill of Susan Kander's ONE FALSE MOVE and Gian Carlo Menotti's MARTIN'S LIE today, March 14, 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church Bronxville (17 Sagamore Road).

Showband singers Arnel Arcedo and Tony Gado have been announced to join Original Philippine Music (OPM) icons Cecile Azarcon and Lorrie Ilustre, and multi-award winning band Sounds of Manila, in a one-night-only concert, featuring an all-OPM repertoire, at Symphony Space in Upper West Side Manhattan April 27.