POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN (Theater):
Once upon a time, there was a young beautiful girl named Cinderella... Blame it to my multimedia memory but this line stuck in my head since I was young because of the 6-part story book (including Hansel & Gretel, 7 in 1 Blow, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Frog Prince, and oh I forgot the last one hehe) sold in our school when I was in Kindergarten.
Why am I saying this? This just shows how Cinderella has been part of our literary literacy. And now, families, kids and kids at heart will have the chance to see Cinderella on stage starting October 9! And it will be shown not in any ordinary stage but in Resorts World Manila's New Performing Arts Theater (NPAT), the biggest stage in the country and home to previously shown world-class musicals The Sound of Music and King and I!
Originally written for television, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was based on the popular French version Cendrillion by Charles Perrault. The television musical was first broadcasted in 1957 in CBS which was viewed by over 107 million people during its network premiere. It featured Julie Andrews in the title role and Jon Cypher as the Prince. The three-act TV version was comprised of original compositions that spiced up the well-loved fairy tale including “In My Own Little Corner”, “Ten Minutes Ago”, and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” among others.
Several remakes were made including the CBS 1965 version starring Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella and Stuart Damon as Prince Charming. Walt Disney also made their own version in 1997 which featured a star-studded cast which includes Brandy, Whitney Houston, Paolo Montalban, Bernadette Peters, and Whoopi Goldberg, among others.
In 2008, Tony Award winning actress Lea Salonga top-billed Broadway Asia Entertainment’s 30-week Asian Tour of Cinderella which premiered in Manila.
This 2013, RWM, the ultimate one-stop, nonstop entertainment and tourism destination in the country, will bring Cinderella back to Manila as its latest musical offering. “In the interest of theatre arts, we have to invest because when people come they expect to see something better, more glamorous, more “bonggacious”, than the previous production. That’s something that Resorts World Manila always aims to do-- we always try to give a wow factor. What we have done before, that becomes the norm and we always try to do better with subsequent productions” said RWM Chief Entertainment Officer Colin Kerr.
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| The magical stage of Cinderella in Resorts World Manila |
Slipping on the famous glass slippers to play the title role is TV and stage luminary Karylle Tatlonghari, with Julia Abueva and Justine Peña as alternates. Asia’s Pop Idol Christian Bautista, on the other hand, will fill the role of the Prince Chhristopher alongside Fred Lo as his alternate.
The First Lady of Philippine Musical Theater, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, will once again step into the enchanted stage of the NPAT, this time to play the role of the ever-reliable Fairy Godmother. Also joining the all-Filipino ensemble are Pinky Marquez, Sweet Plantado, Sheila Francisco, Miguel Faustmann, Maronne Cruz, Gianina Ocampo and Red Concepcion.
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| Julia Abueva and Justine Pena will play Cinderella alternates while Fred Lo for the Prince |
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| The wicked but funny stepsisters and stepmom of Cinderella |
I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the press preview of this musical. And all I can say, from the 20-minute piece I saw, we can expect another monumental production from Resorts World Manila. The stage is elaborate and grand, the costumes are visually stunning and the performers are worth seeing and hearing. I just can't wait how they will do all the magical renditions like how the mice will be foot men, how the pumpkin will become couch, how the rag dress will become a silver gown. I think this will be the main difference of this musical from The Sound of Music and King and I. ResortsWorld didn't reveal it yet as they said it will be their surprise.
Resorts World Manila’s Cinderella is under the direction of veteran theater actor and director Michael Williams. For show schedules and complete details about Cinderella, visit www.rwmanila.com or call Tourist Hotline at (02) 908-8833.
For ticket inquiries and reservations visit RWM Box Office located near the main casino entrance or call (02) 891-9999.
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