Oliver Oliveros News

To say 'Anak Datu' is immensely personal and political is an understatement, and the uninitiated ticket buyer could find it rather deceitful at first. Pre-opening, TP’s marketers were masquerading the production as a play with music told in multi-universes than a multi-layered creative protest at the past Marcos Sr. regime.

Tickets to the Singapore debut of the hit Broadway musical 'Frozen' are now on sale, producer Disney Theatrical Productions and presenter Base Entertainment Asia have just announced. Starting at SGD 88, excluding the booking fee, 'Frozen' opens at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, from February 5, 2023.

South African performers Nicole Fernandes (Scaramouche), Stuart Brown (Galileo), Londiwe Dhlomo (Killer Queen), Craig Urbani (Khashoggi), Tiaan Rautenbach (Buddy), Richard Gau (Brit), and Danelle Cronje (Oz) are set to star in the brand-new production of Queen and Ben Elton’s rock musical 'We Will Rock You.'

For the eighth time, Eksena PH, a community of artists and creators, is back with 'Shorts & Briefs,' an independently-produced theater festival that features 10-12 minute plays.

In its 12th year, The Outstanding Filipino American Awards (TOFA), founded by journalist Elton Lugay, were still brimming with historic firsts. From the Carnegie Hall on 56th Street, TOFA’s venue has moved down 13 streets to the Town Hall. TOFA has also launched its newest sets of excellence in leadership awards: the Lifetime Achievement Awards, endorsed by President Joe Biden, and the Global Awards. Remarkably, it was also the first time an incumbent mayor of the city has physically graced a Fil-Am event.

Reimagined 'We Will Rock You,' the jukebox musical set in a post-apocalyptic world and features the hit songs of the British rock band Queen, will premiere at the Esplanade Theatre on January 5, 2023. It will only run for 22 performances.

The hit Broadway musical 'Frozen,' based on the Disney animated film and Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” or more widely recognized for its anthem 'Let It Go,' makes its only stop in Southeast Asia, in Singapore, in 2023. Producer Disney Theatrical Productions and presenter Base Entertainment Asia have jointly announced this strictly limited engagement.

The Outstanding Filipinos in America Awards honor the triumph of a 17-year-old Filipino tennis player, Alex Eala, who just won the grand slam juniors singles title at the U.S. Open--a first from any tennis player from the Philippines. Ms. Eala, who is now back to training in California, is conferred the TOFA Global Awards for Sports, given to global Filipinos who made exceptional achievements in their field of endeavor.

Stage director Toff De Venecia is toying at a postmodern take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic 'Carousel,' which is widely known for its 'reinvention' of what the Broadway musical should be in 1945, along with its beloved songs 'You’ll Never Walk Alone,' 'If I Loved You,' and 'June is Bustin’ Out All Over.'

Tanghalang Pilipino’s stage adaptation of National artist Abdulmari Imao’s short story published in 1972, 'Anak Datu,' marks the public opening of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ newly launched black box theatre, the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, which shall also serve as the CCP’s temporary performance venue while the main building is being renovated in the next three years.

True to its original form, the zarzuela, 'Mula Sa Buwan,' whose original title 'Cyrano: Isang Sarswela,' fuses songs, dances, romance, and revolutionary overtones, which, in essence, is immensely faithful to its main inspiration, Edmond Rostand’s 1897 French play Cyrano de Bergerac, more specifically its 1955 Filipino adaptation by Soc Rodrigo--but this time set during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines.

Singer-actor Gerald Santos, who hails from the Philippines, is poised to revisit his previous role in 'Miss Saigon,' Thuy, in Det Ny Teater’s 2023 production of the mega-musical. The Det Ny Teater is Denmark’s only privately operated theatre, producing Broadway and West End titles since 1994.

Although in many theatrical venues here and abroad, eating and drinking are only allowed during the intermission, and at a designated location at the back, there are also instances where eating and drinking are even encouraged, such as inside bar theaters.

The bio-musical, which aims to inspire the youth to reach their dreams, is set to hold a gala premiere at the newly-reopened Manila Metropolitan Theater on October 14, which also kicks off a school tour in October until November.

The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Theater Arts Program Batch 118, which produces plays via its production outfit, Maiba 18 Productions, runs acclaimed playwright Dr. Layeta Bucoy’s play 'Doc Anna…Let’s Kill This Lab!' Inspired by Dr. Bucoy’s dissertation on nanotechnology, this student production, directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, streams on Ticket2me.net from July 29 to August 12, 2022.

As the city is slowly revitalizing its night entertainment landscape that shut down during the pandemic, Ayala Land Inc. unveils its grandest performance space yet, the 10-story, 1,520-seater Samsung Performing Arts Theater, which has recently opened its doors.

Third World Improv, a performing arts school focused on improvisational theater methods, honors its pioneering leaders from the Silly People’s Improv Theatre via 'BenteBulous,' SPIT’s 20th-anniversary show.

Live performances, more specifically in-person theatrical productions, are slowly making their transformative presence felt once again, which was practically nil during the onslaught of the pandemic. One of these early curtain-raisers is the Philippine Stagers Foundation’s string of short plays on Saturday nights, which have launched both the theater group’s bar theater concept and a black box theatre venue located in the heart of Sampaloc, Manila.

Teatro 77, a production collective of Filipino artists aiming to capture today’s realities via unconventional means, premieres the online play 'Para,' a fourth in a series of digital productions, on June 26. It streams on YouTube and Facebook.

GMG Productions and Selladoor Worldwide have just announced that a brand new, reimagined production of the Olivier Award-winning jukebox musical “We Will Rock You,” featuring the British rock band Queen’s timeless songs, will premiere in Manila, ahead of any other cities, in October 2022. Kicking off a multi-year international tour, “We Will Rock You” is directed and choreographed by Olivier Award nominee Nick Winston.