'10 and 10' with Gerald Santos and Composer-Director Rommel Ramilo
We recently sat down with “Miss Saigon” alum Gerald Santos and his award-winning composer-writer-director-manager Rommel Ramilo to talk about their wins at the 2020 Aliw and BWW Philippines Awards, recent and upcoming works, finding the creative oasis and breaking new grounds on the virtual platform, and more. Dubbed ‘10 and 10,’ here are the excerpts of the conversations that focus on 10 questions that matter to each of them.
The Maningning Miclat Art Award Exhibition: Young Blood in Focus
The simple but elegant opening and press launch of the Maningning Miclat Art Award Exhibition at the Far Eastern University (FEU) Nicanor Reyes Exhibit Hall last September 4 heralded a new batch of young and talented student-artists competing for the top prize, further ensuring award-winning artist, poet, and educator Maningning Miclat's legacy.
Photo Coverage: Andrew Lloyd Webber-Produced THE SOUND OF MUSIC Opens in Manila; Show Runs Until 10/22
From England to New Zealand to Hong Kong, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber-produced 2006 lavish revival of The Sound of Music finally made it to Manila, which officially held its gala performance last Friday, September 29, at The Theatre at Solaire and an after party at the Diamond Hotel. (Thanks to Globe Live, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, Concertus Manila, and David Atkins Enterprises--yes, it takes a village to import a first-rate international theatrical production!)
Photo Coverage: Inside WEST SIDE STORY Media Call, Gala Night
U.S.-based musical theater actors Kevin Hack (Tony), Jenna Burns (Maria), Keely Beirne (Anita), Lance Hayes (Riff), and Waldemar Quinones-Villanueva (Bernardo) lead the triple threat cast of the 60th-anniversary touring company of 'West Side Story,' which originated in Germany, now playing at The Theatre at Solaire (Solaire Resort and Casino along ASEAN Avenue in Paranaque City) until Sunday, August 27.
BWW Review: Catch The 'Jersey Boys' While You Can
To call JERSEY BOYS a 'jukebox musical' is downright myopic, as underneath the musical's cotton-candy pop hits lies a piercing story of ambition, love, drugs, sex, greed, failures, triumphs, and yes, family values. However, it would take more than a fanatic mind to look beyond those monster hits to see the real heart of the show--one that tells of realities past that still ring true in today's cutthroat music industry.
BWW Review: Reimagined LES MISERABLES Asian/International Tour
LES MISERABLES stirred a musical maelstrom in Manila last Wednesday (March 16), and is poised to win audinces over via a memorable theatrical experience. At the heart of its seamless and dynamic storytelling beats a conscience that rouses, provokes, mangles, and transforms souls: a singular man's search for acceptance and meaning in a fractured and unforgiving 19th century France. This Cameron Mackintosh new production of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's legendary and popular musical takes center stage again, this time against the canvases of Victor Hugo's lesser known paintings--never before seen in the original London's West End and Broadway productions--providing a perfect complement to the production's memorable music and breath-taking sets of that iconic turning-barricade-flying-helicopter-falling-chandelier stature Mackintosh productions are known for.
Assumption Antipolo, PETA Present HANDURAWAN
Handurawan in Philippine dialect means a memory, a remembrance, or a vision. More than its literal meanings, this word, which happens to be the title of a musical collaboration between Assumption Antipolo and Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), is a memory and remembrance of a well-forged relationship among participants throughout the production process. On the other hand, it is also a vision of a beautiful world in these critical times when environmental degradation has reached an alarming level.
BWW Reviews: CHICAGO Rox Manila; Show Runs Until 12/21
The much-anticipated Manila premiere of Broadway's longest-running American musical, CHICAGO, razzle-dazzled audiences with its hard-hitting numbers (All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango, Razzle Dazzle), which speak of passion, treachery, murder, and glossed-over celebrity, on opening night. Leading the pack of an all-American cast of Broadway veterans is Bianca Marroquin who rocked Solaire Resort and Casino's The Theatre with her multi-faceted portrayal of accused murderess Roxie Hart. The strong ensemble, while writhing, gyrating, and exploding to John Kander's music, provided the backdrop to Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's dark satirical commentary of the 1920s Prohibition-era Chicago. When the audience rose to a standing ovation at the end of the show, it was palpable that even in these modern days, it is impossible to convict good looking murderesses.