No less that theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh, the world's first 'theater billionaire' according to Forbes, much-lauded composer Claude-Michel Schonberg, and prolific theater director Laurence Connor attended the gala premiere of the reimagined production of Schonberg and Alain Boublil's phenonemal musical LES MISERABLES' first-ever Asian Tour, which kicked off at the state-of-the-art The Theatre at Solaire, Solaire Resort and Casino, last Wednesday, March 16.
32-year-old Aussie actor Chris Durling ('Jersey Boys,' 'Grease') has set his eyes on Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables' as his ultimate dream role. But his boyish good looks ain't helping him snag the role of the ex-convict on a quest for redemption--not just yet.
Lorna Cobbold, the company manager at LES MISERABLES in Brisbane, the show's last stop prior to its Asian tour, which will kick off at The Theatre at Solaire in Manila, Philippines, next Friday, March 11, gave BroadwayWorld.com a backstage tour, where we bumped into one of the most iconic hairpieces in the show, Fantine's long golden blonde wig.
The original London production of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel LES MISERABLES (LES MIS), which was Messrs Schonberg and Boublil's first collaboration with theater producer Cameron Mackintosh, opened to very mixed reviews from the critics in 1985. But 'LES MIS has always been big for criticism,' says Meghan Lewit for The Atlantic. 'Bombast? Bathos? That's the point. The original production [which remains intact and continues to play at the Queen's Theatre in London until today] has endured because it gave audiences exactly what they wanted.'
After a 19-month run across Australia (Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane), amassing 588 performances, Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed reimagined production of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's 30-year-old megamusical LES MISERABLES closes today, January 17, at Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC) 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre. Fans of the musical can still catch the free supplementary exhibition titled 'Les Miserables: From Page to Stage' at QPAC's Tony Gould Gallery until this Friday, January 23.
18 months after it opened in Melbourne, the original Australian production of Cameron Mackintosh's reimagined edition of the 30-year-old megamusical LES MISERABLES officially opened at Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC) largest venue, the 2,000 seat Lyric Theatre, last November 13.
MasterVoices kicks off the 2015-2016 season with The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Dutyon October 15-16, 2015 at 8pm at New York City Center, 131 W. 55th Street, New York City. Following the success of our 2012 Mikado at Carnegie Hall, MasterVoices' semi-staged presentation of The Pirates of Penzance will feature a cast of stars from the Broadway and opera worlds, along with Orchestra of St. Luke's performing Arthur Sullivan's original orchestrations under the direction of Artistic Director Ted Sperling. Single tickets are $30-$130 and are available at NYCityCenter.org.For more information visit: www.mastervoices.org/city-center-series.
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is theatrical proof of how this age-old formula can work wonders. With syrupy and infectious melodies, stunning choreography and visually-stunning sets, this monumentally theatrical homage to the most beloved classics in the Nacio Brown and Arthur Freed canon perfectly fits the bill for a 'Mary J. Blige Pre-Approved' musical- it is uncomplicated, lavish technicolor entertainment--without the drama.
The latest international touring production of the film-to-stage adaptation of SINGIN' IN RAIN, produced by Stage Entertainment and Chichester Festival Theatre, opened at the Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino (ASEANA Avenue, Paranaque, Manila) last August 20 and will run through September 13.
In its fifth edition, The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) Awards honor 15 organizations and individuals who have inspired the community with their passion, conviction, and achievements. Presented by AARP, TOFA-NY caps the month-long Filipino American Heritage celebrations in the New York tri-state area. This year's TOFA-NY Awards ceremony is slated for 8 p.m. on October 31 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.
Of her role in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, Bethany Dickson says, 'Kathy Selden is ambitious, full of sunshine and positivity! To stay true to the character, that's my mission - that the character maintains that feisty, bubbly ambition that Debbie Reynolds portrayed in the movie.'
For theater is a collaborative artform, yours truly gestured the creative team, cast, and production crew of grassroots theater company Philippine Stagers Foundation's (PSF) latest work, 'Filipinas 1941,' to join me on stage, together with Atty. Vincent Tañada, the show's writer-director-lead actor, to collectively accept the 2014 BroadwayWorld Philippines Regional Award for Best Filipino Musical (New/Revival) at Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle earlier last week.
