James Stacey News

Repertory Philippines (Rep) released its publicity photos for "The Wizard of Oz," music by Jean Bargy and Jim Eiler, and book and lyrics by Eiler, which runs at Onstage Theatre at Greenbelt One, Ayala Malls, Makati City for five months, from today, August 18 to Sunday, December 16.

Repertory Philippines has just released its publicity photos for THE WIZARD OF OZ, music by Jean Bargy and Jim Eiler, and book and lyrics by Eiler, which runs at Onstage Theatre at Greenbelt One, Ayala Malls, Makati City for five months, from Saturday, August 18 to Sunday, December 16.

Live performances from Philippine Educational Theater Association's WILLIAM, CARE DIVAS, Tanghalang Pilipino's NOLI ME TANGERE, and Repertory Philippines' PETER PAN beefed up the 2011 Philstage Gawad Buhay!, line produced by theater advocates Audie Gemora and Alvin Trono's Stages Production Specialists Inc., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' main lobby on Sunday.

Repertory Philippines' current 45th theater season reaches fever pitch with the premiere of composer Frank Wildhorn and book writer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse's overtly melodramatic, pop rock-laden Broadway musical JEKYLL AND HYDE. However, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, director for JEKYLL AND HYDE, along with her team, seems to have been rising above the original Broadway production's bad reputation since the local production opened last weekend. Whereas American critics find Wildhorn's body of work as "gallumphing, dunderheaded musicals that make everything by Andrew Lloyd Webber seems like great art," says Linda Winer of 'Newsday'; Filipino critics find Repertory Philippines' stripped-down incarnation of Wildhorn's most popular undertaking as nothing short of a miracle. "By doing away with the stage spectacle [without the high-tech gimmickry that marked its Broadway run], the focus was redirected to the actors - and rightly so," says Vladimir Bunoan of ABS-CBNNews.com.

Premier theater company Repertory Philippines (Rep) opened Ken Ludwig's (CRAZY FOR YOU, LEND ME A TENOR) rib-tickling play LEADING LADIES last night at Onstage Theatre, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. Circle in the Square School (N.Y.)-trained actor Topper Fabregas and Rep regular James Stacey topbill the production.

The cast of Repertory Philippines' (Rep) LEADING LADIES, a rib-tickling play by Ken Ludwig (CRAZY FOR YOU, LEND ME A TENOR), recently held a photo op during a press conference at Rep's main office in Ortigas Center. LEADING LADIES is Rep's second offering for its 75th season.

Repertory Philippines (REP), the country's premier English-language theater company, and Stages Production Specialists Inc. (Stages), a fast growing event and talent management firm, will bring to the Meralco Theatre Anthony Drewe and George Stiles' musical incarnation of PETER PAN from September 29 to October 30.

Repertory Philippines (LITTLE WOMEN, EQUUS), the country's premier English-language theater company, opened its five-month run of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahren's Tony Award-nominated children's musical, SEUSSICAL, yesterday at the Onstage Theatre, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. The musical runs until December 11.

The cast of Repertory Philippines' upcoming production of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahren's SEUSSICAL recently performed an excerpt from the Broadway musical on ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC). SEUSSICAL runs from August 13 to December 11 at the Onstage Theatre, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

The story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb has been written about and filmed on a few separate occasions, most notably with Alfred Hitchcock's version of Patrick Hamilton's play, Rope (shot in single film reel length takes as an added novelty), and with Meyer Levin's more fictionalized account Compulsion, which was also made into a noteworthy movie. Of course, there were many others that co-opted the ideas present in their terrible tale, but playwright/composer Stephen Dolginoff's THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD AND LOEB STORY, just may be the most potent, presenting their saga as a 'pocket musical' that's harrowing, haunting and disturbing all at the same time.

2006 Tony award-nominated 'The Wedding Singer', starring mainstream television and recording stars Gian Magdangal and Iya Villana, opens at the Meralco Theatre in Manila on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 8 p.m. The proceeds from the opening night will directly benefit the medical outreach and feeding program of The Orange Project, a nonprofit educational foundation that helps needy and hungry Filipino children.

2006 Tony award-nominated 'The Wedding Singer', starring mainstream television and recording stars Gian Magdangal and Iya Villana, opens at the Meralco Theatre in Manila on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 8 p.m. The proceeds from the opening night will directly benefit the medical outreach and feeding program of The Orange Project, a nonprofit educational foundation that helps needy and hungry Filipino children.

BroadwayWorld Philippines joined first-time straight play director Audie Gemora ('High School Musical On Stage') open Repertory Philippines' 73rd season ender 'Equus' Friday evening, July 9, 2010 at the OnStage Theatre in Greenbelt One, Ayala Malls, Makati City. With seasoned Repertory Philippines actors Miguel Faustmann, who plays middle-aged psychiatrist-narrator Martin Dysart, and Red Concepcion, who portrays seventeen-year-old dangerously atypical Alan Strang, up the marquee, Mr. Gemora has showed his own firm grip of Peter Shaffer's material before his curious audience.

Repertory Philippines opens its new production of the celebrated, Tony Award-winning musical thriller SWEENEY TODD on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1.

Repertory Philippines opens its new production of the celebrated, Tony Award-winning musical thriller SWEENEY TODD on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1.

REPERTORY PHILIPPINES' new production of SWEENEY TODD is in full swing. Audie Gemora (Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Mrs. Lovett), Liesl Batucan (beggar woman), Robbie Guevara (Beadle), Robbie Zialcita (Pirelli), Franco Laurel (Anthony), Lena Mckenzie (Johanna), Marvin Ong (Tobias), Roger Chua (Judge Turpin), Juno Henares (Mrs. Lovett understudy), and chorus members: James Stacey, Meynard Penalosa, Jejie Esguerra, Hans Eckstein, Red Concepcion, Raul Montesa, Rem Zamora, Oliver Usison, Collins Gutierrez, Jay Pangilinan, David Cruz, Gary Junsay, Cara Barredo, Jay Glorioso, Naths Everett, Joy Virata, Marisse Santos, Ring Antonio, Gloria Sicam, Teenee Chan, and Ronna Guba complete the cast.