Cris Villonco News

In between the first set of live shows for 'The Voice of the Philippines,' Broadway star turned coach Lea Salonga leads a benefit concert for the victims of Typhoon Maring in the Philippines. The onslaught of the typhoon has taken the lives of 24 Filipinos; displaced almost one million residents; and destroyed an estimated PhP700 million in agricultural products and infrastructure throughout Luzon, the largest island in the country.

Besides Velvet Channel, do you know who else is excited for the Tony Awards? Scroll down!

BroadwayWorld.com, the premier theater news website in the United States, in the United Kingdom, and in more than 20 other countries, has expanded, updated, and is now ready for this year's BWW Awards that are conducted simultaneously across all local and international markets, including the Philippines.

Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) opened its 26th season with Severino Reyes' immortal sarsuwela WALANG SUGAT last Thursday, August 16 at CCP's Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino. Highly esteemed film director Carlos Siguion-Reyna helms the production, and makes his stage directorial debut.

Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), opens its 26th season with Severino Reyes' immortal Filipino sarsuwela 'Walang Sugat' at CCP's Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino from tonight, August 16 to 26. Highly esteemed film director Carlos Siguion-Reyna helms the production, and makes his stage directorial debut.

Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, cancels the opening weekend of its production of Severino Reyes' sarsuwela WALANG SUGAT due to flooding in Metro Manila.

Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), opens its 26th season with Severino Reyes' immortal Filipino sarsuwela "Walang Sugat" at CCP's Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino from August 16 to 26. Highly esteemed film director Carlos Siguion-Reyna helms the production, and makes his stage directorial debut.

Live performances from Philippine Educational Theater Association's WILLIAM, CARE DIVAS, Tanghalang Pilipino's NOLI ME TANGERE, and Repertory Philippines' PETER PAN beefed up the 2011 Philstage Gawad Buhay!, line produced by theater advocates Audie Gemora and Alvin Trono's Stages Production Specialists Inc., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' main lobby on Sunday.

Leo Valdez, Cameron Mackintosh's "favorite Engineer' in 'Miss Saigon," joins Monique Wilson, "Miss Saigon" alumna-turned-women's rights activist, in Resorts World Manila's (RWM) third major stage production, Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved Broadway musical "The King and I," which premieres on September 15 at RWM's Newport Performing Arts Theatre on Newport Boulevard, Pasay City.

Repertory Philippines' current 45th theater season reaches fever pitch with the premiere of composer Frank Wildhorn and book writer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse's overtly melodramatic, pop rock-laden Broadway musical JEKYLL AND HYDE. However, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, director for JEKYLL AND HYDE, along with her team, seems to have been rising above the original Broadway production's bad reputation since the local production opened last weekend. Whereas American critics find Wildhorn's body of work as "gallumphing, dunderheaded musicals that make everything by Andrew Lloyd Webber seems like great art," says Linda Winer of 'Newsday'; Filipino critics find Repertory Philippines' stripped-down incarnation of Wildhorn's most popular undertaking as nothing short of a miracle. "By doing away with the stage spectacle [without the high-tech gimmickry that marked its Broadway run], the focus was redirected to the actors - and rightly so," says Vladimir Bunoan of ABS-CBNNews.com.

Premier theater company Repertory Philippines (Rep) opened Ken Ludwig's (CRAZY FOR YOU, LEND ME A TENOR) rib-tickling play LEADING LADIES last night at Onstage Theatre, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. Circle in the Square School (N.Y.)-trained actor Topper Fabregas and Rep regular James Stacey topbill the production.

The cast of Repertory Philippines' (Rep) LEADING LADIES, a rib-tickling play by Ken Ludwig (CRAZY FOR YOU, LEND ME A TENOR), recently held a photo op during a press conference at Rep's main office in Ortigas Center. LEADING LADIES is Rep's second offering for its 75th season.

London-based musical theater actress Joanna Ampil (MISS SAIGON, AVENUE Q), who's been playing the coveted role of postulant Maria Rainer (with Cris Villonco as alternate actress) in Resorts World Manila's local production of Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers' beloved musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC(SOM) for over three months now, would need to postpone her planned visit to New York City this winter because Resorts World has just announced SOM's extended performances till February 12, 2012.

After an intense internal auditing process, the results are in for the 2011 BroadwayWorld (BWW) Philippines Awards!

It's almost over! There's just THREE days of voting remaining for the 2011 Philippines Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Philippines Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Monday December 26, 2011. Voting ends at midnight on 12/31 so time is running out.

There's just TWO short weeks left to go in voting for the 2011 Philippines Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Philippines Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Monday December 19, 2011. Voting ends at midnight on 12/31 so time is running out.

There's just a few weeks left to go in voting for the 2011 Philippines Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Philippines Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Monday December 12, 2011.

There's just 4 weeks left to go in voting for the 2011 Philippines Awards and here is the latest update! Have you voted yet, and helped to spread the word to support your favorites in the hopes that they will be the recipients of a 2011 BroadwayWorld Philippines Award? There is no time to waste, click on the voting link and make your opinion count! Below are the stats so far as of Tuesday November 29, 2011.