New York, September 26, 2011 -- BroadwayWorld.com has visited Jose Llana (...Spelling Bee, Wonderland), Adam Jacobs (Lion King, Les Miserables), Angel Desai (Company), among others' publicity photo shoot for PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim, a concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 7 that will feature Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, and an impressive roster of Filipino-American Broadway stars; and that will benefit Philippine Development Foundation USA (PhilDev), a non-profit organization that supports community and entrepreneurship programs in the Philippines. Check out some of the behind-the-scenes photos below.
Suites by Sondheim will highlight American musical theater legend Stephen Sondheim's works, which include musical selections from Anyone Can Whistle, Company, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Saturday Night, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story.
"...I wanted to do something that has never been done before. I've been immersing myself in the magnificent worlds of Shakespeare, Stoppard, and Sondheim in the past few years. Their works are rarely expressed by Filipino-American artists...," said Victor Lirio, the concert's co-producer and director. "...there's only one other theater icon, besides Sondheim, who's constantly revived and re-investigated: Shakespeare. Both of their works are timeless. The lyrics in Sondheim's music -- for example, "Finishing the Hat" from Sunday in the Park with George, "Send in the Clowns" or "The Miller's Son" from A Little Night Music, and "Being Alive" from Company -- are like Shakespeare soliloquies. So, one must pay attention to not just the music, but the language as well. The exciting challenge in presenting a pastiche of Sondheim music in a concert setting is contextualizing the material, giving them both lyrical and narrative form. But, I've an amazing cast to work with. I'm very excited!"
Besides Llana, Jacobs, Desai and Salonga, the cast will also include T.V. Carpio (Spider-man), Catherine Ricafort (Mamma Mia!) Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables), Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables, West Side Story), Rona Figueroa (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables), Lydia Gaston (The King & I, Miss Saigon), Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures, Miss Saigon), Paolo Montalban (Pacific Overtures, The King & I), Emily Morales (South Pacific), Jennifer Paz (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables), Aaron Albano (Wicked, Mary Poppins), Alan Ariano, Ariel Estrada, Emy Baysic, Billy Bustamante, Liz Casasola, Marc dela Cruz, Albert Guerzon (Mamma Mia!), Brian Jose, Jaygee Macapugay, Mel Maghuyop, Jake Manabat, Adam Marcelo, JP Moraga, Lora Nicolas, Diane Phelan, Chris-Ian Sanchez, Joanne Javien, Ester Barroso, Karl Josef Co, Enrico Rodriguez, Deedee Magno Hall, and Melissa Singson.
