Check Out First Production Photos of ANNA IN THE TROPICS, Staged by Repertory Philippines

Manila, Philippines - Noted production designer Joey Mendoza makes his directorial debut in Repertory Philippines' (REP) production of Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Anna in the Tropics. The show runs from 13 March to 5 April 2020 at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City.

In this beguiling story set in a Cuban-American cigar factory in 1929, Florida, cigars are still rolled by hand, and "lectors" are employed to educate and entertain the workers. The arrival of a new lector is a cause for celebration. Still, when he begins to read aloud from Anna Karenina, he unwittingly becomes a catalyst in the lives of his avid listeners, for whom Tolstoy, the tropics and the American dream prove a volatile combination.

In a recent interview with BroadwayWorld.com, Mendoza revealed that Anna in the Tropics was a game-changer in his maturity as a theater consumer. Up until he saw the original Broadway production nearly two decades ago, the theater had been a function of "make-believe, escapism," as he recalls it.

"With Anna, I felt the characters were real. They were people I knew. Hey, those stories on the stage could be true and real to me, even if they were Americans. Sure, there were Filipino plays I'd seen before that related, but this felt bigger and more universal. Theater, all of a sudden, wasn't just entertainment anymore. It became a personal experience."

Anna in the Tropics also features Mendoza as its set designer; Fabian Obispo, sound designer; Becky Bodurtha, costume designer; Barbie Tan-Tiongco, lighting designer, and GA Fallarme, video production designer.

The show's cast is made up of Skyzx Labastilla (Conchita), Gab Pangilinan (Marela), Paolo O'Hara (Cheche), Gie Onida (Santiago), Madeleine Nicolas (Ofelia), Brian Sy (Palomo), and Ricardo Magno (Juan Julian).

Get the best deals on tickets to Anna in the Tropics HERE.

Read our interview with designer-director Joey Mendoza.

Photos: Santy Calalay

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

Repertory Philippines stages Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics.

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