Carrion Replaces Wilson in WAIT UNTIL DARK, 1/17-2/9

Repertory Philippines' (Rep) 77th season opener and restaging of Frederick Knott's classic thriller "Wait Until Dark" will open tomorrow, January 17 at Onstage Theatre in Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

Manila, Philippines, January 16, 2014--Veteran theater actor Jamie Wilson, who was originally assigned the role of antagonist Harry Roat, Jr., was badly injured in last week's rehearsal. Fellow Rep actor Arnel Carrion, who was rehearsing for the role of Sam Henderson, the husband of the lead protagonist, Susy, has just been announced as the replacement for the injured actor, who is unlikely to return to the show.

"Unfortunately, the nature of Jamie's injury will cause him to receive surgery and will require him to be off his feet up to six weeks, thus removing his chances of coming back to finish the run [which closes Sunday, February 9]," marketing director-actor David Bianco told BroadwayWorld.com (BWW).

BWW also spoke with Wilson, who last appeared as Uncle Fester in Atlantis Productions' "Addams Family." He said, "I got injured at rehearsals, while doing one of the more physical scenes of the play. It was the first time we were doing this scene on the set.

"I'm about to go in for surgery. My knee is going to need two screws and a plate, four to six weeks recovery time with limited mobility, and six months until full recovery. I'm trying to stay positive and motivated!"

Carrion was at the top of mind for the creative team, headed by theater stalwarts Baby Barredo as artistic director and Miguel Faustmann as stage director, because the actor was made familiar with the role of Roat during the rehearsal process.

Lorenz Martinez, who has consistently earned rave reviews for his recent theatrical assignments, e.g. "The King and I," "They're Playing Our Song," and "Lorenzo," has landed the role of Sam Henderson, which was vacated by Carrion.

"This cast is focused on sharing this story and giving audiences one hell of a thrill. Special attention is of course being spent on acclimating both actors [Carrion, Martinez] to their scenes. But from a technical standpoint, the process needs to stay on schedule to be ready for its first preview [today], January 16. Inevitably, the show will go on, and both men will be ready to stand and deliver," said Bianco.

"Wait Until Dark" is one of the few plays penned by English playwright-screenwriter Frederick Knott, best known for his 1952 television play, "Dial M for Murder."

In "Wait Until Dark," Knott, who was fond of creating female characters that fall victims to sinister plots, fleshes out the character of Susy Henderson, the newly blind wife of traveling photographer Sam Henderson, who has brought home a doll from Canada, which apparently contains several grams of heroin.

Liesl Batucan, a Rep mainstay, will play the visually impaired protagonist. Batucan, who appeared in Rep's "Sweeney Todd" and "Wizard of Oz," won Best Actress at the 2009 Aliw Awards for her performance in Nick Joaquin's "A Portrait of Filipino as an Artist," which was also produced by Rep.

For tickets, Rep is offering a limited 2014 theater season pass for only P480 per orchestra center seat: Visit repertoryphilippines.com.

Knott's "Wait Until Dark," Tracy Letts' "August: Osage County," Michael Frayn's "Noises Off," Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy's "Pinocchio," and Leslie Bricusse's "Scrooge" are in the pipeline.

BWW is one of Rep's online media partners. Expect a ticket lottery on the last weekend of each new production.