Lea Salonga to Star in GOD OF CARNAGE Manila; Auditions Announced for ROCK OF AGES, NINE, SHREK

Manila, Philippines, November 10, 2011 -- It's rather unusual to see Lea Salonga, a Tony Award-winning actress whose name has been synonymous with all things musical, flexing her acting muscles in a straight play; she did that once in the Manila run of David Auburn's Proof back in 2001, and she's set to do that again via the impending Manila premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage in July next year.

Atlantis Productions (Dogeaters, Next to Normal) has just announced that Salonga will star in the black comedy God of Carnage, the company's first straight play offering after four years, and its only straight play production for its 2012 season, which boasts of three big Broadway musicals -- Rock of Ages, Nine, and Shrek.

According to Bobby Garcia, Atlantis Productions' resident director, Salonga has been tapped to portray the role of Veronica, a writer and wife to a wholesaler Michael, whose son, Henry, was hit with a stick in a public playground in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

The 2009 Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage, whose original text was in French, is a 90-minute debacle of two couples  -- Veronica and Michael; Anette, a self-proclaimed wealth manager and Alan, a corporate lawyer -- who meet and discuss about their kids' recent playground squabble.

Roman Polanski, a film auteur, has recently released his film adaptation of the play, which has been retitled to Carnage and has starred Jodie Foster (Penelope; Veronica in the play), Kate Winslet (Nancy; Anette in the play), Christopher Waltz (Alan), and John C. Reilly (Michael).

On the other hand, Atlantis Productions has also announced its auditions for adult actors and singers for its upcoming productions of Rock of Ages, Nine, and Shrek on Wednesday, November 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Spotlight Artists Center, Jupiter Street, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City. Auditionees should sing a rock song and a musical theater song with either a piano score or an accompaniment CD. For more information, call Atlantis Productions at (632) 892-7078 or 840-1187.

Editor's note:  We'll update this news item with a statement from Salonga as soon as possible.

Oliver is about to earn his M.S. degree in public relations and corporate communication from New York University while serving as regional editor for BroadwayWorld.com. Over the past 18 years, Oliver has been handling public relations and corporate communication for numerous brands (including Pepsi), Broadway shows, Broadway stars, non-profit organizations, and mainstream celebrities. He also teaches public relations at De La Salle University-Manila. Follow Oliver on Twitter: @OliverOliveros

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