Oliver Oliveros News

"Care Divas," Philippine Educational Theater Association's (PETA) newest hit musical about five overseas Filipino male caregivers who transform into drag performers at night, written by Palanca Award-winning playwright Liza Magtoto, wowed theatergoers anew during its three-day run held recently at Repertory Philippines' (Rep) Onstage Theatre in Makati City. Both PETA and Rep are celebrating their 45th anniversary this year.

Leo Valdez, Cameron Mackintosh's "favorite Engineer' in 'Miss Saigon," joins Monique Wilson, "Miss Saigon" alumna-turned-women's rights activist, in Resorts World Manila's (RWM) third major stage production, Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved Broadway musical "The King and I," which premieres on September 15 at RWM's Newport Performing Arts Theatre on Newport Boulevard, Pasay City.

Joel Trinidad, Upstart Productions' president, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that theater bigwigs Lea Salonga, Aiza Seguerra, Nyoy Volante, Jett Pangan, Iya Villania, Nikki Valdez, Markki Stroem, and Gabe Mercado will guest star in the theater company's summer production of Off-Broadway parody "Forbidden Broadway's Greatest Hits," written and originally directed by Gerard Alessandrini, and top-billed by Liesl Batucan, Caisa Borromeo, OJ Mariano, and Lorenz Martinez. The musical will run at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza on Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue from May 11 to 27.

Considered as pillars of Philippine Theater, Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and Repertory Philippines (Rep) - coincidentally, both theater companies celebrate their 45th anniversary this year - are joining forces to bring one of PETA's highly successful original Filipino musicals, "Care Divas," to Rep's home at Greenbelt 1's OnStage Theatre on April 27 to 29.

MacArthur Genius Grant winner Han Ong's play "Swoony Planet" is closing Fordham University Theatre Program's "A Season of Cultural Revolution 2011-2012," which aimed at promoting cultural diversity through theater. "Swoony Planet," preceded by Saviana Stanescu's "For a Barbarian Woman," Pierre Beaumarchais' "The Marriage of Figaro," and Naomi Iizuka's "Anon(ymous)," will have its last weekend run from Thursday, April 19 to Saturday, April 21 at Fordham University's Pope Auditorium (113 W 60th St. and Columbus Ave.). Mia Katigbak, artistic producing director for National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), directs.

Ateneo de Manila University alumnus-turned-stage actor, musical director Reb Atadero first appeared in Blue Repertory's 2006 production of 'Hope for Flowers,' a rock musical inspired by Trina Paulus' book of the same title. Apparently, Reb fell in love with the process of putting on a play, and since then has kept the ball rolling. By attending workshops handled by stage veteran Robbie Guevara, he studied musical theater, which he admitted was initially unknown to him. However, right after seeing the video version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's seminal rock musical "Jesus Christ Superstar," he said to himself, "Where have you been all my life, musical theater? Such a progressive art form is a fantastic medium for telling stories!"

GODSPELL star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle holds a benefit concert for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on Monday, May 7, on board the Hornblower Hybrid (embarking at 7 p.m. from Pier 40), featuring de Tagle's GODSPELL costars Corbin Bleu, Wallace Smith, Nick Blaemire, Eric Krop, and George Salazar, and Filipino-American television and film actor and singer Sam Milby. Sonny Paladino is musical director.

ROCK OF AGES on Broadway wanted him to stay for another six months. In spite of that, after more than 500 shows, which began in his swing job at ROCK OF AGES' first national tour two years ago and ended up in his last performance as the musical's male romantic lead, Drew, on Broadway last Sunday, Dan Domenech has opted for some time off instead. BroadwayWorld.com brings you exclusive photos of Domenech's farewell party, in which ROA cast members, some theater friends, and family members joined the intimate gathering, recently held at Pazza Notte Restaurant & Lounge on Avenue of Americas.

It is better late than never for Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, Francis Lumen, Smart, and Citibank Philippines. Andrew Lloyd Webber's megamusical THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, based on the French novel 'Le Fantôme de l'Opéra' by Gaston Leroux, gets its Philippine premiere after 24 years since the production opened on Broadway. An international touring production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, featuring cast members from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia, and South Africa, runs at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' main theater from Saturday, August 25 to Sunday, October 14. Tickets go on sale to general public starting Tuesday, May 1. For Infinity (Powered by Smart) subscribers and Citibank cardholders, pre-selling of tickets is from Monday, March 19 to Monday, April 30.

Atlantis Productions has just released the teaser poster for its upcoming production of Yasmina Reza's Tony Award-winning play GOD OF CARNAGE, starring Lea Salonga, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Adrian Pang, and Art Acuña. To be directed by Bobby Garcia, the play will premiere in Manila in July, and in Singapore in November through a partnership with Singapore Repertory Theatre.

New Voice Company, whose founder, Monique Wilson ('My Name Is Rachel Corrie,' 'The Good Body'), is one of the most provocative voices in Philippine contemporary theater, brings back THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning play, and V-Day 2012, a global movement that raises money for community organizations fighting violence against women, at Music Museum, Greenhills Shopping Center on Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m.

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.

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and George Salazar, Filipino actors and singers who are making their Broadway debuts in the current production of GODSPELL, and the rest of the show's cast were in full force to welcome the Filipino-American press, and Filipino-American TV and film actor Sam Milby, at a cocktail reception at Bambo 52 sushi bar and lounge in New York City, on Thursday, March 15, followed by an evening performance of GODSPELL at Circle in the Square Theatre, and a post-show talk back with KABABAYAN LA's Janelle So.

A different kind of "Lin-sanity" is happening in Manila! Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator, original leading man, and Tony and Grammy Award-winning composer of the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical In the Heights, visited the Philippines for the first time, and led last night's opening night curtain call for Atlantis Productions' restaging of In the Heights - the show's first ever licensed production in Asia, which features an all-Filipino cast - at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. Esteemed talent manager, theater producer Girlie Rodis shares her opening night photographs with BroadwayWorld.com.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator, original leading man (Usnavi), and Tony and Grammy Award-winning composer of the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical IN THE HEIGHTS, just landed in Manila to attend the opening night of Atlantis Productions Inc.'s restaging of IN THE HEIGHTS - its first ever licensed production in Asia, which features an all-Filipino cast - on Friday, March 16 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City, Philippines.

The De La Salle Brothers, Roman Catholic religious brothers who dedicate their lives to educating young people, recently celebrated the centennial anniversary of De La Salle University (DLSU) in the Philippines, and commemorated their colleagues who were killed by Japanese soldiers in World War II via the restaging of the cantata (a vocal chamber work) A FIRE IN THE SOUL, which features libretto by Vicente Groyon III, music by Von de Guzman, and direction by Peque Gallaga.

Old Library Theatre presents a limited run of composer Tom Kitt, and book writer and lyricist Brian Yorkey's Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical, NEXT TO NORMAL (N2N), on March 9, 10, 16, 17, and 23 at 8 p.m.; and March 11, 18, and 25 at 2 p.m. at Fair Lawn Community Center (10-10 20th Street). In anticipation of its opening night, the production's cast members had recently sat down with Charlie Alterman, N2N on Broadway's musical director and conductor, for a music rehearsal and a vocal workshop.

Manila theatergoers have until Saturday, March 10, to catch Blue Repertory's production of Off-Broadway musical BARE at Teatrino, Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center. Theater and film actress Ana Abad Santos directs the production, starring Bibo Reyes and Jaime Barcelon.

Do you remember your college theater days? How many friends from your drama club have you kept in contact with? Ask these questions to University of Michigan alumna Lauren Lopez; we bet her quick answer would be 'mostly all of them.' For Lopez and her former college theater buddies, who include GLEE star Darren Criss, nothing's more fun than setting up their own theater company, StarKid Productions.

BroadwayWorld.com and other select members of the press were invited last night to a cocktail reception and a performance of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, which tells the story of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins' historic 1956 recording session. The show is now playing open-ended run at its new Off-Broadway home, the New World Stages.