Saturday, December 25, 2010

Gibbs Cadiz: Atlantis Productions brings Next to Normal to Manila


Atlantis Productions, which celebrated its 2010 Season with hit productions of “Avenue Q,” “Legally Blonde,” “Xanadu” and the Manila and Singapore runs of “A Little Night Music,'” opens its 2011 Season with the Tony Award- and Pulitzer-Prize winning rock musical “Next to Normal,” set to run March 11-27, 2011 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (as Diana), one of Philippine musical theater’s most accomplished actresses, and rock star/theater actor Jett Pangan (as Dan) star in this production. They take on two of the most demanding roles written for musical theater, originated on the Broadway stage by Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley and J.Robert Spencer.

Other cast members include Felix Rivera as Gabe, Bea Garcia as Natalie and Markki Stroem as Henry.

In “Next to Normal,” Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book/lyrics) puts a woman’s lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and depression center stage--in a musical. The two earned the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for their work.

“Without 'Rent' and Stephen Sondheim, there is no 'Next to Normal,'” Kitt and Yorkey said, in an interview with Playbill.com following their Pulitzer Prize win.

“We’ve always been moved and inspired to write material that maybe says something a little different through musical theater. I think at the very beginning, when we set out to write this, we just wanted to write something that mattered to us, something that felt maybe that it hadn’t been explored in musical theater before. But never could we have imagined in our wildest dreams that we’d be here.”

Fresh from his critically acclaimed staging of “A Little Night Music” in Manila and Singapore, Bobby Garcia directs the Manila production of “Next to Normal,” which is the first licensed English language production outside the United States.

Garcia says, “I am thrilled that Atlantis is opening 2011 with a show as groundbreaking and as powerful as 'Next to Normal.' It is one of the most unlikely hit musicals to have ever opened on a Broadway stage, and I am thrilled we will get to create our own unique family for this production. When I saw 'Next to Normal' off-Broadway two years ago and on Broadway last year, I was once again excited for the future of musical theater.”

The Manila production is presented through a special licensing agreement with Music Theater International. 

Catch NEXT TO NORMAL
on March 19, 2011, 2PM @ RCBC    
Contact Us:
Onay Sales (0918.536.2116)
Borgy Marzan (0922.888.5344)
Robert Marzan (0922.888.5348)

Email: watchplays@yahoo.com

Seat Plan can be viewed here:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dF9FNVI4WGVyYTBTRWFKaGpCV05mYkE&hl=en#gid=0

Monday, December 20, 2010

Yahoo! Philippines Entertainment


Markki cast in local production of 'Next to Normal' 

By Chuck Smith, For Yahoo! Southeast Asia  

Sunday December 12, 2010 08:34 pm PST 

 

(Original Article can be found in http://ph.promotion.yahoo.com/entertainment)

 

“Pilipinas Got Talent' finalist Markki Stroem will be part of the local production of “Next to Normal,” the Broadway musical that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama this year. 


Markki will join renowned stage actress and director Menchu-Lauchengco Yulo, The Dawn vocalist Jett Pangan, and theater actors Felix Rivera, Jake Macapagal, and Bea Garcia.

The Manila run of “Next to Normal” is produced by Atlantis Productions, which recently staged the musicals “A Little Night Music” with Dawn Zulueta and “Xanadu” with Rachel Alejandro.

“Next to Normal” is only one of the eight musicals in the history of the Pulitzer to receive the award. The last musical to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Drama is “Rent.”

The local production of the award-winning musical will run from March 11 to 27, 2011. 

Best known for being one of the 12 finalists of the first season of “Pilipinas Got Talent,” Markki  was first seen on television as a “Philippine Idol” semifinalist back in 2006.

Catch NEXT TO NORMAL
on March 19, 2011, 2PM @ RCBC    
Contact Us:
Onay Sales (0918.536.2116)
Borgy Marzan (0922.888.5344)
Robert Marzan (0922.888.5348)

Email: watchplays@yahoo.com


Seat Plan can be viewed here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dF9FNVI4WGVyYTBTRWFKaGpCV05mYkE&hl=en#gid=0

Philstar: 'Next To Normal' comes to Manila

(Originally published by www.philSTAR.com )

MANILA, Philippines - Atlantis Productions — which celebrated its 2010 Season with hit productions of Avenue Q, Legally Blonde, Xanadu and the Manila and Singapore runs of A Little Night Music — opens its 2011 Season with the Tony Award and Pulitzer-Prize winning rock musical Next to Normal.

Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book/lyrics) penned the emotional work that puts a woman’s lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and depression center stage. The two earned the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Kitt and Yorkey reflected on their work in an interview with Playbill.com following their Pulitzer Prize win. “Without Rent and Stephen Sondheim, there is no Next to Normal,” Kitt said. “I think that we’ve always been moved and inspired to write material that maybe says something a little different through musical theater. I think at the very beginning, when we set out to write this, we just wanted to write something that mattered to us, something that felt maybe that it hadn’t been explored in musical theater before. But never could we have imagined in our wildest dreams that we’d be here.”

Fresh from his critically acclaimed staging of A Little Night Music in Manila and Singapore, Bobby Garcia directs the Manila production of Next to Normal, which is the first licensed English language production outside the United States. Garcia says, “I am thrilled that Atlantis is opening 2011 with a show as groundbreaking and as powerful as Next to Normal. It is one of the most unlikely hit musicals to have ever opened on a Broadway stage, and I am thrilled that we will get to create our own unique family for this production. When I saw Next to Normal off-Broadway two years ago and on Broadway last year, I was once again excited for the future of musical theater.”

One of Philippine musical theater’s most accomplished actresses Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (as Diana) and rock star/theater actor Jett Pangan (as Dan) star in Next to Normal. They take on two of the most demanding roles written for musical theater originated on the Broadway stage by Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley and J.Robert Spencer. It is presented through a special licensing agreement with Music Theater International.

Catch NEXT TO NORMAL
on March 19, 2011, 2PM @ RCBC  
 
Contact Us:
Onay Sales (0918.536.2116)
Borgy Marzan (0922.888.5344)
Robert Marzan (0922.888.5348)

Email: watchplays@yahoo.com


Seat Plan can be viewed here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dF9FNVI4WGVyYTBTRWFKaGpCV05mYkE&hl=en#gid=0

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Wish I Were Here





Catch NEXT TO NORMAL
on March 19, 2011, 2PM @ RCBC  
 
Contact Us:
Onay Sales (0918.536.2116)
Borgy Marzan (0922.888.5344)
Robert Marzan (0922.888.5348)

Email: watchplays@yahoo.com


Seat Plan can be viewed here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au4HQl0TAAC_dF9FNVI4WGVyYTBTRWFKaGpCV05mYkE&hl=en#gid=0