Il Divino premiers on May 6

A new musical by stage master Freddie Santos, Il Divino (The Divine), premiers on May 6 at the Music Museum.

The musical, which will run until May 8, tackles a global and timeless subject: Michelangelo Buonarotti and the Italian Renaissance.

In this radical and brave new work, Santos teams up with award-winning music composer Von de Guzman to come up with a production that daringly explores the scandals, the struggles and the triumphs of the most colorful time in world history seen through the eyes of its most turbulent artists.

Il Divino combines the elements of musical comedy, political commentary, high drama, sacred cantata, MTV and documentary in an effort to bring out the appalling details of Michelangelo¹s life. Although such a life occurred more than 400 years ago, its elements of political intrigue, sexual scandal, religious controversy and leadership failure make it as relevant as today¹s headlines.

Essaying the role of Michelangelo, ironically the only non-singing role in the entire musical production, are the country's foremost stage actors/directors Audie Gemora (Joseph the Dreamer, The Last Five Years) and Jaime del Mundo (Art, Mr. Noah¹s Big Boat). Playing the role of the radical poetess Victoria Colonna is musical theater stalwart Pinky Marquez (Rama at Sita, Magnificat).

Il Divino wa made possiblethrough a grant from the PLDT Foundation and with major sponsorship from the Music Museum, JTStage, Patrick Uy, Avon, Megaworld and SMART. Shows are at 8 p.m. with matinee performances at 3 p.m. on May 7 and 8. Ticket reservations and discounted block sales are available at the Music Museum box office. Call tel. no. 721-6726.