With the people behind STOMP already having a general idea on how Filipino audiences respond to the show's unique theatricality--based on how it had wowed audiences in its first run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 2011--perhaps the biggest surprise that awaits STOMP's impending return to the CCP from Tuesday, June 17, to Sunday, June 22, is how having a Filipino-American cast member Andres Fernandez would draw in a novel kind of enthusiasm from his fellow Pinoys.
As the summer days near, BroadwayWorld rounded up our worldwide community - from Australia to Spain, California and beyond! - to bring you our top picks for the best of summer theater in each of our main markets! Looking for the best of the summer venue and production offerings in your area? Let's hear from a sampling of the BroadwayWorld experts!
The Black Eyed Peas Co-Founder apl.de.ap; multi-platinum award-winning recording artist David Pomeranz; and boxing, mixed martial arts superstar Ana Julaton, among others are set to join First Filipina Miss World Megan Young; Original Philippine Music (OPM) icons Kuh Ledesma, Cecile Azarcon, Edlyn Peregrina, Lirio Vital, and Ogie Alcasid; First Filipina Carnaval Queen in Brazil Bessie Badilla; Grand Marshals Drs. Emilio and Felicisima Quines; and nearly 200 Filipino American organizations in the festive parade.
First Filipina Miss World Megan Young; Original Philippine Music (OPM) Icons Kuh Ledesma, Cecile Azarcon, Edlyn Peregrina, and Ogie Alcasid; First Filipina Carnaval Queen in Brazil Bessie Badilla; Grand Marshals Drs. Emilio and Felicisima Quines; and Nearly 200 Filipino American Organizations to Lead Annual Festive Parade
Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott's PRISCILLA , QUEEN OF THE DESERT, based on the 1994 sleeper hit 'The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,' is Resorts World Manila's (RWM) fifth theatrical production right on the heels of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella.' The production, helmed by Jaime del Mundo ('The Producers'), opened Friday, May 9, at Newport Performing Arts Theatre.
Synergy Production and Marketing Inc., founded by husband and wife team Ronald and Grace Labaguis, to promote emerging Filipino-American artists and performers in the East Coast, successfully wrapped up its maiden project, a concert billed as 'An Evening of Original Philippine Music with Cecile Azarcon and Sounds of Manila,' featuring musical direction by Lorrie Ilustre, held Sunday, April 27, at Symphony Space on 95th Street and Broadway.
The main cast of the Philippine premiere of Sydney-London's West End-Broadway musical PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: Leo Tavarro Valdez (Tick/Mitzi), Jon Santos (Bernadette), Red Concepcion (Adam, Felicia), Michael Williams (Miss Understanding), Bituin Escalante (Diva), Lani Ligot (Diva), Timmy Canlas (Diva), and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Marion), donned for the first time their '80s retro costumes, mainly designed by Edgar San Diego, before the members of the press Thursday, April 3, at Taps, Genting Club, Maxims Hotel.
Michael Frayn's outrageously funny three-act play NOISES OFF is now playing at Repertory Philippines (Rep), the country's premier English-language theater company behind recent hits 'August: Osage County' and 'Wait Until Dark.'
9 Works Theatrical ('Grease,' 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown') held its first batch of auditions for its upcoming production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Opera Haus in Makati City last week. 42 dancers and 16 theater actors--who can dance--showed up at the auditions.
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.
Celebrity socialite and occasional theater actress Tessa Rufino-Prieto Valdes, alongside WICKED Australasian tour stars Jemma Rix (Elphaba), Suzie Mathers (Glinda), Steve Danielsen (Fiyero), and Jay Laga'aia (The Wizard), hosted a live benefit auction at the end of WICKED'S matinee performance on Friday, January 31, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' (CCP) main theatre.
BroadwayWorld would be nothing without its team of talented Regional Editors who work tirelessly, offering countless opinions, reviews, interviews, special features and more. It truly takes a village. While all 260+ of our Regional Editors have helped make BroadwayWorld go 'round, this year, we'd like to recognize our Top 10 standouts who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and who have been an integral part of the success of BroadwayWorld. This was a tough decision that was based on number of articles, traffic, consistency, and other factors. We will also be recognizing several others throughout the year in our 'Meet the BWW Team' series and otherwise, so stay tuned for more!
Filipino American and Tony Award-winning composer Bobby Lopez, who created and co-wrote 'The Book of Mormon' and 'Avenue Q,' and his wife, Kristen Anderson, were nominated for Best Original Song 'Let It Go' from the Disney animated feature film 'Frozen,' also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, at the 71st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Sunday, January 12.
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.
It has been a tough year for us, Filipinos, but we were able to rise above the challenges and showed the world how strong and resilient we are. We wish that for the coming new year our hearts be filled with love and compassion for everyone. BroadwayWorld.com has recently surveyed some of our friends in the Philippine theater industry about their New Year's wishes!
On his way out of the Amazura Concert Hall in Jamaica, Queens, where the cast of GMA Pinoy TV's hit TV series 'My Husband's Lover' had a well-attended thanksgiving concert for fans, model-singer turned actor Tom Rodriguez had a quick interview with BroadwayWorld.com, whose readers from the Philippines have earlier nominated him for Best Actor (Musical) and Best Crossover Artist (Mainstream to Theater) at the 2013 BroadwayWorld Awards-Philippines.