Oliver Oliveros - Page 55

'Road to Saigon', East West Players' 44th season finale features three 'Miss Saigon' alumnae Joan Almedilla, Jennifer Paz, and Jenni Selma in an original musical revue where the trio of outstanding vocalists gets to share personal stories about their young adult years, family and romantic relationships, and 17 year old alter ego, Kim. Previous viewing of megamusical inspiration, 'Miss Saigon', is not necessary.

McDonald's Metro Manila customers, who order fast food online at www.mcdelivery.com.ph from May 15 to June 7, 2010, get the chance to win free tickets to Tony winner Lea Salonga's next big show in town - Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical spectacle 'Cats' at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Broadway actors Christine Toy Johnson and Jose Llana, in partnership with The Eastern Region Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of the Actors' Equity Association, held a sold-out, all Asian-American concert performance of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Tony Award-nominated musical 'Once On This Island' at the York Theatre in New York, NY on Sunday, May 16, 2010.

Existing and emerging Gleeks' digital audio collection won't be complete without Fox Broadcasting Company's hit show 'Glee's' tribute album to pop music icon Madonna. 'Glee: The Power of Madonna' album, which contains seven cover tracks featured in the show's second episode of the second season, topped Billboard's 200 album charts on the week of April 26 to 30, 2010 after selling nearly 100,000 copies on its first week of release.

Leviathan Lab, a newly established production studio in Manhattan, presents 'Filipino Drama Club Sings! (FYI We Aren't All Filipino)': A benefit concert featuring Ali Ewoldt ('Les Miserables'), Christine Toy Johnson ('Flower Drum Song', 'Music Man'), and Jaygee Macapugay ('Imelda', 'Honor') on Monday, May 10, 2010 at the Helen Mills Theatre (137-139 West 26th Street) at 8 p.m.

TY KU and Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales sponsored the reception and After-Party! of Prospect Theater Company's benefit concert reading of the musical 'Honor,' created by the Company's founders Peter Mills and Cara Reichel, on Sunday night (April 25, 2010) at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, New York City.

There is no stopping 'caveman' Joel Trinidad ('Avenue Q', 'Spelling Bee') from hunting for more men and women audiences as Rob Becker's smash solo comedy 'Defending the Caveman' moves from the Insular Life Theatre in Alabang, South of Manila to the Carlos P. Romulo RCBC Theatre in Makati City on May 14 to 16, 2010.

Richard Maltby, Jr., Alain Boulil and Claude Michel-Schönberg's 20-year-old sung-through pop opera is currently playing ST. James Theatre, Wellington, New Zealand until April 24, 2010.

Eve Ensler's THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES will be performed twice at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center (556 Fifth Avenue, New York City) on Sunday, April 11, 2010, 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Repertory Philippines' year-end production is the Broadway musical 'Little Women,' based on Louisa May Alcott's 1867 semi-biographical novel of the same title. 'Little Women,' the musical, features music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee.

De La Salle University-Manila graduate Ivy Rose Padilla plays the tragic lead in Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.'s epic and critically-acclaimed musical 'Miss Saigon', which is performed onstage for the first time at the St. James Theatre, Wellington, New Zealand from April 8 to 24, 2010.

Universal Music Philippines has made it possible for local fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber to savor a thrilling sampling of music from 'Love Never Dies', sequel to Webber's magnum opus 'The Phantom of the Opera', a mere one week after the highly anticipated musical had its world premiere (March 9, 2010) at the Adelphi Theatre in London. 'Love Never Dies' two-compact disc recording, featuring Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine Daaé, is now available in local music stores.

Repertory Philippines' acclaimed production of Stephen Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd' earned five PHILSTAGE Awards Friday night (March 26, 2010) in Manila, Philippines taking home acting honors for its lead cast Audie Gemora (Best Male Lead Performance in a Musical), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Best Female Lead Performance in a Musical), Liesl Batucan (Best Female Featured Performance in a Musical), and Marvin Ong (Best Male Featured Performance in a Musical). 'Sweeney Todd's' musical director Gerard Salonga also won the Best Musical Direction award.

'Welcome back to AVENUE Q. The musical that never dies,' remarks pop singer Rachel Alejandro (Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut). AVENUE Q plays its final show in Manila on March 27, 2010.

Repertory Philippines' year-end production is the Broadway musical 'Little Women,' based on Louisa May Alcott's 1867 semi-biographical novel of the same title. 'Little Women,' the musical, features music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee.

Tony winner Lea Salonga visited the set of 'The Wendy Williams Show' last March 15, 2010 to promote her ongoing cabaret series at Café Carlyle, dubbed 'The Journey So Far.' She sang the pop ditty 'Your Song,' which she also performed in her recent year-end concert in Manila.

The creative guys behind 9 Works Theatrical ('Songs for a New World,' 'Rent') have been immersing themselves into a new production in spite of the fact that they have just closed their sold-out, limited engagement of 'Rent' at the RCBC Theatre...Up next is the screen to stage adaptation of 1998 Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore starrer 'The Wedding Singer.' For which, the theatre company is holding auditions on Friday and Saturday, March 19 to 20, 2010.

The Philippine Opera Company's (POC) acclaimed production of Terrence McNally's play 'Master Class,' featuring television, film and stage actress Cherie Gil ('Doubt'), will return on stage in the third quarter of 2010.

AVENUE Q Manila original cast members, and new cast addition Calvin Millado recently met with BroadwayWorld.com Philippines, and some local bloggers to officially announce that 2004 Tony Award Best Musical, which proudly shows off its explicit lyrics and never before seen full puppet nudity, will return to the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza in Makati City from March 12 to 27, 2010.

In New York City on February 22, 2010, the day Tony winner Lea Salonga turned 39, she had to sing at the 2nd staged reading of new American musical, ALLEGIANCE, in addition to having to belt out a song in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit, BROADWAY BACKWARDS 5, happening on the same evening at two different live music venues.