From December 2 to 11, 2011, Ballet Philippines will perform one of the most beloved classical ballets, The Sleeping Beauty, at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). Perfect for the whole family, it will have 17 performances, including 13 matinees at 10 AM and 3 PM, where children as young as 3 years old can watch. Tickets range from P200 to P600 on matinees, and student and senior citizen discounts apply.

Audiences of all ages will delight in the familiar music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which was used in the 1959 Disney cartoon. Songs such as “Once Upon A Dream,” and “Hail to the Princess Aurora,” and soundtrack themes such as the battle scene and the bright and perky melody introducing the fairies are straight from Tchaikovsky’s score.

The Sleeping Beauty first premiered in 1890 at the Maryiinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, the ballet’s music was composed by the great Tchaikovsky, and was choreographed by Marius Petipa, the duo behind…

Resorts World Manila has long believed in Filipino talent, and the staunch support has paid off. With that, its sophomore production, The Sound of Music, has been recognized by the 2011 Broadway World Philippines Awards.

The nominees were short listed out of the 500 entries sent from October 6 to 31, 2011.

According to world-renowned network for theater and live entertainment BroadwayWorld.com, the play, headlined by Joanna Ampil, Audie Gemora and an ensemble cast of seasoned theater performers, is nominated for Best Musical and Best Sound Design (Rads Corpuz). Meanwhile, the Newport Performing Arts Theater is also nominated in the Best Theatrical Venue category.

The local theater scene is vibrantly alive and well, and Resorts World Manila is at the forefront of the action.

Show your support for Sound of Music and vote at BroadwayWorld.com; voting deadline is December 31, 2011.

In the continuing year-long celebration of Jose Rizal’s birth sesquicentenary and also as a pre-birth centennial tribute for National Artist Felipe de Leon, Dulaang UP is proud to present Noli Me Tangere: The Opera on December 1 & 2, 7PM, December 3 & 4, 10AM / 3PM at Wilfrido Ma. Guererro Theater, UP Diliman. For ticket inquiries, contact Cherry Bong Edralin at 0917-7500107, or the Dulaang UP Office at 926-1349, 981-8500 local 2449 or 433-7840.

This December, Dulaang Kalay, a theater organization founded by a young breed of theater actors and enthusiasts, launches their first offering, presenting a satirical look on the Filipino’s obsession with the ‘telenovelas’ and their stars in ‘Series Finale’. The play centers around the last episode of a soap opera, with all its melodrama and cliches, aired in the midst of national scandals and big news stories. On December 5 - 18 at Vision 21, Crossroads 77, QC. For ticket inquiries, please call Nicole Nequinto at 0906-4581711 or Raquel Pascua at 0906-5721157.

The Palanca awarded non-realistic one-act play written by playwright Frank G. Rivera tackles about man’s struggle on the influential forces of pretension in a world where dissimulation and delusion of happiness is being orchestrated by “masks”. On December 10 & 11, 10AM / 2PM / 5PM at College of the Holy Spirit. For ticket inquiries, please call VOZ at 0915-4198655.

For its mid-season production, Dulaang UP stages a children’s play adapted from Gilda Cordero-Fernando’s children’s short story The Magic Circle, written by Rody Vera and directed by José Estrella. The story chronicles the adventures of a young boy named Jepoy Baybayin and his pet dog Galis as they go on a magical journey bursting with fantastic characters and strange happenings. The play runs until December 11 at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan (THY), Faculty Center, UP, Diliman. For ticket inquiries, please contact Cherry Bong Edralin at 0917-7500107 or the DUP Office at 926-1349.

The sparkling new Disney musical that has made a big splash on Broadway. Based on the most beloved Disney films of all time and the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The stage adaptation also features 10 new songs by Menken and Glenn Slater, plus a book by Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright. It will be directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga. On November 18, 20, 25, 26 at the Meralco Theater. For ticket inquiries, please call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078, 840-1187 or Ticketworld at 891-9999.

All of us who grew up with The Sound of Music might think it’s an easy production to restage. Think again. To incorporate Southeast Asia’s largest LED wall, a giant stage, a revolving staircase, and numerous musical sequences into one seamless musical was a task cut out for The Sound of Music’s highly talented production team. “This time, you won’t see drawings in the background. You’re going to see video. It’s going to move,” the show’s director Roxanne Lapus said.

As the show’s main woman, what Roxanne first did was select people who shall transform her vision of what the musical was going to be into reality. Her dream team consisted of Maestro Rodel Colmenar as the Musical Director with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, Lynn Fabella as Voice Coach and Terri Aldeguer as the Choreographer. Matching the music to the visuals are Mio Infante as Production Designer, Martin Esteva as Lighting Director, Francis Libiran as Costume Designer and Paul Soriano as Video Director.

With almost 50 shows, 6 times…

We can learn so much from Rizal’s history, most especially the great relationships he had with his family; his devotion to the academe and the ardor for the written word through his great novels; the romances that added color to his years and the nationalistic fervor he had for the country. Gerald Santos and RJ Jimenez will alternately portray the role of our national hero. On October 14 - 15, 10AM / 2PM, at the AFP Theater, QC. Call 899-5911, 998-5622 or visit www.gantimpalatheater.multiply.com and www.facebook.com/gantimpala for more details.

Musical theater veterans Joanna Ampil and Cris Villonco will play alternately as Maria. Seasoned stage actors Audie Gemora and Ed Feist, meanwhile, will play alternately as Captain Von Trapp. 2006 World Champion of the Performing Arts and actor Jon Joven will be the third Georg von Trapp. “From 300 to 400 auditionees, I’m sure we were able to pick the best,” director Roxanne Lapus said.

Paul Soriano will bring sceneries to life on the Newport Performing Arts Theater’s huge LED screen. Mio Infante goes on board as production designer, while costumes were designed by Francis Libiran.

Pinky Marquez will play Mother Abbess, with Sheila Francisco as alternate. Miguel Faustmann and Robbie Guevarra share the role of Max Detweiler, while Pinky Amador will play Baroness Elsa Schraeder, with Katha Awardee Lynn Sherman as alternate. Marvin Ong shares the role as Rolf (Liesl’s love interest) with former child actor Bryan Homecillo. The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Rodel Colmenar will be providing the music.

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