Nov. 4, 2008 by Female Network's Shar Bareng
After the successful remake of Hairspray starring John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer last year, theater fans will surely rejoice when Atlantis Productions brings the hit Broadway musical closer to home with its staging at the Cultural Center of the Philippines beginning November 14. We at FemaleNetwork are excited to share a sneak peek at the local production.
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| Madel Ching and Michael de Mesa |
Heading the cast is film, television, and stage actor Michael de Mesa, who will play a woman on stage for the first time as Edna Turnblad - made famous in the original film by Divine, on Broadway by Harvey Fierstein, and in the recent film by John Travolta. (Read our exclusive interview with Michael here). Multi-awarded singer Dulce plays Motor Mouth Maybelle, a role that Queen Latifah made famous in last year’s remake.
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| Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Velma Von Tussle and Christine Allado as Amber Von Tussle |
Musical theater sensation and West Side Story director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo returns to the spotlight as villainous Velma Von Tussle, played in the remake by Michelle Pfeiffer, while theater actor and director Leo Rialp plays Wilbur Turnblad, Edna’s devoted husband. Also part of the powerhouse cast are singer/songwriter Nyoy Volante, who returns to his theater roots, and comedian Gabe Mercado, who will play numerous roles in the musical.
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| Monica Reynoso as Penny Pingleton |
Of course, we look forward to witnessing the professional stage debut of Madel Ching, a junior at the Ateneo de Manila who landed the highly-coveted role of Tracy Turnblad, the “big girl with big dreams.”
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| Monica Reynoso, Nyoy Volante as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Madel Ching as Tracy Turnblad |
“I feel like the modern-day Filipina version of Tracy,” Madel said. “It’s a little scary to take on a role this big, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge of playing a character with this much spirit and energy!”
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| Tim Espinosa as Link Larkin, Madel Ching, Monica Reynoso, Nyoy Volante |
Likewise, ABS-CBN talent Tim Espinosa marks his stage debut with Hairspray, where he takes on the role of heartthrob Link Larkin (played by Zac Efron in the remake).
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| Monica Reynoso and Nyoy Volante |
Directed by Bobby Garcia, choreographed by Cecile Martinez, and conducted by musical director Archie Castillo, Hairspray tells the story of Tracy, a “pleasantly plump” girl who wins a spot on a local TV dance program and becomes a celebrity overnight. Yet contrary to the recent film, the Hairspray musical is more political, as it tackles issues such as racism more closely. The two-hour show also includes songs from the musical that were not used in the film.
Hairspray Manila will be staged at the Star Theater, CCP Complex
on November 15, 2008 (Saturday) at 8:00 p.m.
For ticket inquiries/reservations please contact:
Stef Sioson
Fritzie Sioson-Villacorta
For more information, please visit:
http://hairspraymanila.blogspot.com
The Nov 15, 2008, 8pm staging of Hairspray is brought to you by:
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