Dale Bacar

A long delayed follow-up to 2009's N.O.A.H. (No Ordinary Aquatic Habitat), Trumpets' new production 'The Bluebird of Happiness,' a musical adaptation of Maurice Maeterlinck's play of the same name, featuring music by Rony Fortich and book and lyrics by Jaime del Mundo, tells a story set on Christmas Eve, at the height of the frustration of siblings Mytyl and Tyltyl over not having the material things they think would make their lives better. It is a scene that is familiar not only among children but even adults. Mytyl and Tyltyl's frustration is a reminder of lives that are driven by making ends meet or by achieving material wants that makes us lose sight of the very things that should have made us happy in the first place.

Broadway star Dan Domenech ('Rock of Ages,' 'Glee') and pop star Rachelle Ann Go ('Disney's The Little Mermaid,' 'Party Pilipinas') will play the roles of Tarzan and Jane, respectively, in Viva Atlantis Theatrical's production of Phil Collins and David Henry Hwang's Broadway musical 'Disney's Tarzan' at Meralco Theater on Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 29.

South African actor Anthony Downing, who currently plays Viscount Raoul de Chagny in the international touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera' (POTO), received his BroadwayWorld.com (Philippines) Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical May 18 at Parkview Restaurant, The Imperial Queen's Park Hotel in Bangkok, where POTO is now playing.

'Sa Wakas' has garnered mostly rave reviews since the new Filipino musical opened at PETA-PHINMA Theater two weeks ago. After finally catching the show last weekend, we were glad to see that it isn't all hype. 'Sa Wakas' is the type of show you will tell your friends about because you want to share something special with them. It is the type of show you would want people to see because they may have walked the same path once similar to one of the characters. Seeing it onstage also calls to mind gut wrenching conversations you may have had over a few rounds of beer.

During Act One of 'The Graduate,' Benjamin Braddock exclaims brattishly that his father and everyone his father knows are grotesque. We think there couldn't be a more appropriate description to what follows in the next hour of the play.