Catherine Ricafort News

One of New York Musical Theatre Festival's fastest-selling shows, PRISON DANCER, an original screenplay turned into a web series turned into a stage musical by Romeo Candido (music, lyrics, and book) and Carmen de Jesus (book), veers away from the hugeness of its viral hit inspiration - a video uploaded to YouTube in 2007 that boasts around 1,500 male inmates of Cebu, Philippines' Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center dancing in sync with Michael Jackson's "Thriller" - by using its two-hour storytelling to explore more about the personal lives of a handful, fictitious prisoners instead, interspersed with a lively dose of Filipino cultural and religious quirks, and with a heavy R&B/club-ish score not often used for a musical.

THE NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL (NYMF) and PRISON DANCER LIVE, LLC. presents Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus' PRISON DANCER, music supervised by Alexander Rovang, and directed by Jenn Rapp. PRISON DANCER plays a limited engagement at Off-Broadway's Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036). Performances begin tonight, Jul 20th, 2012 at 8:00 pm and continue through Saturday, Jul 28th, 2012 at 9:00 pm. Press are invited Sunday, Jul 22nd, 2012 at 3:00 pm and any subsequent performance.

THE NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL (NYMF) and PRISON DANCER LIVE, LLC. is pleased to announce Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus' PRISON DANCER, music supervised by Alexander Rovang, and directed by Jenn Rapp. PRISON DANCER will play a limited engagement at Off-Broadway's Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036). Performances begin Friday, Jul 20th, 2012 at 8:00 pm and continue through Saturday, Jul 28th, 2012 at 9:00 pm. Press are invited Sunday, Jul 22nd, 2012 at 3:00 pm and any subsequent performance.

TV, film,and Broadway actress J. Elaine Marcos can't shy away from the fact that she's a distant relative of the Marcoses, the Philippines' most controversial political clan. Apart from the obvious last name and broadly similar facial features as Imee Marcos, the current governor of the northern province of Ilocos Norte, J. Elaine even made a cameo appearance as Imee's mom, Imelda Marcos, the Philippines' former first lady, in the Broadway musical comedy THE WEDDING SINGER five years ago. Nonetheless, the Marcoses (and Filipinos around the world) should pay attention to this petite, brown-skinned, talented actress - J. Elaine happens to be carrying an impressive Broadway resume that includes MISS SAIGON, FLOWER DRUM SONG, WONDERFUL TOWN, SWEET CHARITY, again THE WEDDING SINGER, A CHORUS LINE, and her latest assignment, PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, where she does a show-stealing turn as Cynthia, a feisty Filipina mail-order bride who performs the late '70s hit single 'Pop Muzik' (interspersed with lyrics in Filipino, e.g.'isa, dalawa, tatlo, I'm rapping in Filipino') while blowing out ping pong balls into the audience.

Philippine-based ABS CBN lifestyle program host and entertainment reporter MJ Felipe recently flew all the way to Zurich, Switzerland to meet and conduct a behind-the-scenes tour with MAMMA MIA's international touring company's stage manager, James Anderton and its cast. The touring production marked its 2,000th performance on the road in Zurich last November; its next stop is the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with limited engagement performances from January 24 to February 12.

Last year's New York Musical Festival's (NYMF) participant PRISON DANCER, a musical inspired by the world-renowned dancing prisoners from Cebu, Philippines, featuring music and lyrics by Romeo Candido, and book by Candido and Carmen de Jesus, is now a web series. PRISON DANCER, a 12 episode web series premiering this Spring, stars CANADIAN IDOL Season One finalist Mikey Bustos and MAMMA MIA! on Broadway's current Ali, Catherine Ricafort.

Philippine Development Foundation ('PhilDev') announces that Filipino American actor, Deedee Magno Hall, best known for her role as Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway and Nessarose in Wicked's first national tour, has been added to the impressive list of Filipino American Broadway stars led by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga for its upcoming gala concert, PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim, on Monday, November 7th at 7:30PM at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City.

Philippine Development Foundation ('PhilDev') will present it's upcoming gala event, PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim,on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7:30pm at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City. Headlining the event are Tony Award winners Robert Lopez, who will be honored with an Award of Excellence, and international star Lea Salonga. Yesterday, BroadwayWorld caught up with Salonga in rehearsal for the event and was given a sneak peak of her rendition of Sondheim's 'Move On'!

Philippine Development Foundation ('PhilDev') announces that Filipino-American Robert Lopez-Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist and co-creator of Broadway smash hit musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon-will be honored with an Award of Excellence at its upcoming gala event, PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim, on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7:30pm at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City.

Philippine Development Foundation USA (PhilDev), a non-profit organization that supports community and entrepreneurship programs in the Philippines, presents PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim, a benefit concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 7 that will feature Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, and an impressive roster of Filipino-American Broadway stars. In the video below, Lea Salonga chats about what to expect from the show! Click below to check it out.

Philippine Development Foundation ('PhilDev') announces that Filipino American actor, Deedee Magno Hall, best known for her role as Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway and Nessarose in Wicked's first national tour, has been added to the impressive list of Filipino American Broadway stars led by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga for its upcoming gala concert, PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim, on Monday, November 7th at 7:30PM at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City.

Philippine Development Foundation USA (PhilDev), a non-profit organization that supports community and entrepreneurship programs in the Philippines, has just released its promo video for PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: SUITES BY SONDHEIM, a benefit concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 7 that will feature Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, and an impressive roster of Filipino-American Broadway stars.

BroadwayWorld.com has visited Jose Llana ('…Spelling Bee,' 'Wonderland'), Adam Jacobs ('Lion King,'Les Miserables'), Angel Desai ('Company'), among others' publicity photo shoot for PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: SUITES BY SONDHEIM, a concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 7 that will feature Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, and an impressive roster of Filipino-American Broadway stars; and that will benefit Philippine Development Foundation USA, a non-profit organization that supports community and entrepreneurship programs in the Philippines. Check out some of the behind-the-scenes photos below.

The 2011 edition of the annual Carols for a Cure album is now in the works. Produced by Rock-it Science Records and currently in it's thirteenth year, purchase of the album benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This highly anticipated annual holiday release features casts from the current Broadway line-up of shows performing new and traditional holiday music. Broadway's Carols for a Cure offers a 'snapshot' of each season, as the casts and orchestras from each show on Broadway perform their own holiday track. Yesterday, the cast of MAMMA MIA! stopped by the recording studio. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you photo coverage below!

Philippine Development Foundation ('PhilDev') today announced that tickets for its upcoming star-studded benefit concert, 'PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim,' set for Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 7:30PM at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, can now be purchased at Lincoln Center's box office via online at www.lincolncenter.org or by calling 212-721-6500.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA!, now in its 10th year on Broadway, will welcome new principals John Hemphill, David Beach, Jordan Dean and Jacob Pinion to the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway) on Monday, June 6, 2011.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA!, now in its 10th year on Broadway, will welcome new principals John Hemphill, David Beach, Jordan Dean and Jacob Pinion to the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway) on Monday, June 6, 2011.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA! celebrated 4,000 performances in its landmark 10th Anniversary year at the Winter Garden Theatre last night, May 31. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the event and brings you photo coverage below!

Bestselling financial author David Bach (The Automatic Millionaire), The Blackstone Group Senior Managing Director Timothy Coleman, urban designer and architect Jonie Fu, painter/art critic Peter Plagens and Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde, The Civil War) will be honored at the Second Annual Tommy Awards - named for Tommy Trojan, the University of Southern California's collegiate symbol - on June 28, 2010 at the NYU Skirball Center.