David Atkins News

A thousand dreams, a handful of loves, too many martinis and 24 hours packed into 80 minutes of song. Tales of time from the jazz and blues songbooks starring Mitchell Butel, presented by Neil Gooding in association with Hayes Theatre Co.

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises, and Concertus Manila, together with VISA, Smart Infinity, and Solaire Resort and Casino, unveiled via a press launch Tuesday, September 16, that CHICAGO on Broadway's recurring lead actors Bianca Marroquin (Roxie Hart) and Terra C. MacLeod (Velma Kelly) are bound to reprise their signature roles on Broadway when CHICAGO plays Manila at the newly built The Theatre, Solaire Resort and Casino (1 Asean Avenue, Entertainment City, Paranaque City), from Tuesday, December 2, to Sunday, December 21.

The Helpmann Awards, which has recognised the achievements in live performance in Australia since 2001, is the Australian industry's equivalent of the Tony Awards and the Olivier Awards.

One of Broadway's best musicals, the award winning Guys and Dolls opens tonight, July 19 at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne for 10 shows only. Starring in this new production are Verity Hunt-Ballard, Martin Crewes, Chelsea Plumley, Adam Murphy, Bobby Fox and Christopher Horsey.

The Helpmann Awards are Australia's version of Broadway's Tony Awards and London's Olivier Awards. The annual awards recognise achievement in live performance including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, cabaret, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.

One of Broadway's best musicals, the award winning Guys and Dolls opens on July 19 at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne for 10 shows only. Starring in this new production are Verity Hunt-Ballard, Martin Crewes, Chelsea Plumley, Adam Murphy, Bobby Fox and Christopher Horsey.

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!

While emerald green confetti were slowly falling from midair and soap bubbles floated right near the stage door at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, photographer Jude Ng and videographer JM Ballaran, captured on their cameras on closing night, Sunday, March 9, a large crowd of Filipino fans of WICKED singing in unison one of most famous duets from the musical, 'For Good.' For the fans, it was their 'musical' way of showing how grateful they were for the Australasian touring cast, led by Jemma Rix (Elphaba), Suzie Mathers (Glinda), Steve Danielsen (Fiyero), Emily Cascarino (Nessarose), and Edward Grey (Boq), who starred in the sensational seven-week run of WICKED in Manila.

The Green Room Awards are Melbourne's performing arts awards and recognise the world-class Cabaret, Dance, Musical Theatre, Opera, Theatre and Alternative and Hybrid Performance productions that grace Melbourne's stages each year. From artistic excellence to technical innovation, a Green Room Award is the most revered accolade an artist can receive in Australia's cultural capital.

For a truly gifted musical theater genius, WICKED's composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz is picture-perfect as the laidback, generous, fun-loving avuncular figure that is the embodiment of all the high-spirited uncles that you've had as a kid growing up. Schwartz, comfortably (and most suitably for the occasion) clad in a black and green sports shirt, dressed-down gray jeans, well-loved sneakers, and seeming much more like the genial 'Wizard of Oz' than the green-skinned 'Elphaba' (which ironically, he admits, he is more like the latter), was the defining image of easy composure. Ready to bigheartedly answer questions from a select few media representatives, he cheerfully made his entrance onto the plush, intimately-set ambience of the conference room prepared by Concertus Manila and co-sponsor Diamond Hotel Tuesday, February 4.

At a press conference, Executive Producer Bernadette Hayes said Broadway icon Stephen Schwartz, WICKED's composer and lyricist, will attend the show's benefit performance for the survivors of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) on Friday, January 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The ornate set piece 'The Clock of the Time Dragon,' which was introduced by American novelist Gregory Maguire in his book 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,' and recreated on stage by Tony Award-winning scenic designer Eugene Lee, has been raised atop the main stage at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) since more than 50 stage crew members--the majority of them are Philippine locals--began the production's ingress Thursday, January 2.

The local promoters behind the upcoming Manila run of “Broadway's biggest blockbuster” “Wicked” have just announced that the international production, which premieres on Wednesday, January 22, 2014, at the main theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will be holding a benefit matinee performance and a special auction during curtain call on Friday, January 31, 2014, to raise funds for supertyphon Haiyan victims in central Philippines.

The Production Company's new staging of the Broadway version of The Pirates of Penzance opens in Hamer Hall on October 30 for a season of six performances only.

BroadwayWorld.com (BWW) and Decca Broadway--via MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines)--celebrate the official local release of the Broadway cast album of "Wicked," featuring the original recordings of Broadway superstars Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Galinda/Glinda), by giving away albums to two lucky BWW followers.

James Cundall, CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Limited, one of the lead producers of the highly-anticipated Manila premiere of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's smash hit musical 'Wicked: The Untold Stories of the Witches of Oz,' introduced to the members of the press yesterday Australian theater actresses Jemma Rix and Suzie Mathers, who will play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, respectively.

TicketWorld, the Philippines' leading ticket booking agent, has just released a teaser trailer, featuring an animated green witch hovering above Manila's famous landmarks, for the highly-anticipated Manila premiere of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's smash hit musical 'Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz.'

James Cundall, CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Limited, one of the lead producers of the highly-anticipated Manila premiere of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's smash hit musical 'Wicked: The Untold Stories of the Witches of Oz,' introduced to the members of the press earlier today Australian theater actresses Jemma Rix and Suzie Mathers, who will play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, respectively.

Hot Shoe Shuffle is a fascinating show. Its part story, part revue, part tap through line give it somewhat of an incomplete, dysfunctional feel. However, the part tap is enough to lead this show to one conclusion...all entertainment.

Hot Shoe Shuffle, the Tap Musical opened in Brisbane in May to rave reviews and a standing ovation at every performance, moves to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre tonight, August 9 to complete the 2013 Australian Tour. Hot Shoe Shuffle is one musical that is not to be missed, and is one that you will want to see again and again.