A kid's feast of musicals

For parents who want to wean their kids from video games and TV shows, this is the best time to introduce them to the joys of musical theater. The next few months will see the staging of three musicals based on well-loved children’s stories and any of the following productions will provide a good introduction. The kiddies may express reluctance at first but give them the right show and I am sure they, and the adults will enjoy the experience.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid starring Rachelle Ann Go as Ariel and Erik Santos as Prince Eric at the Meralco Theater from Nov. 18 to Dec. 11. This is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale but with a happy ending. It tells of Ariel, the mermaid princess who dreams of living in the world above the sea and who falls in love with a human prince.

This will be staged by Atlantis Productions and directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga. I know how these two work. When they say this is the Disney musical on Broadway, you can bet it will look and sound like a Disney musical on Broadway with all the sets and costumes and top-flight performances.

This is such a wonderful change of pace for Rachelle Ann and Erik and I commend these two singing champions for making the big plunge into musical theater. I am sure they will do very good jobs. Erik already looks and sings like a prince but I was really surprised by Rachelle Ann. We already know she sings like a princess but she also looks so much like the Ariel of the Disney musical. Kids will love watching their favorite characters from the animated film sing familiar tunes like Part Of Your World, Under The Sea, Kiss A Girl and others.

Seussical headlines the Children’s Theater Season of Repertory Philippines from Aug. 13 to Dec. 11 at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1. This is based on the whimsical, far-out and unconventional characters created by Theodor Seuss Geisel in his hugely popular children’s books. The two-act Broadway musical features the songs of Tony Award winners Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.

This means that kids will be able to see many of their favorite storybook figures come to life on stage and it will be really great fun. I wonder who will play Horton the elephant but Seussical already stars Red Concepcion as Cat In The Hat; Bituin Escalante as Sour Kangaroo; Liesl Batucan as Mayzie La Bird; plus Cara Barredo, Rem Zamore, Oliver Usison and Dingdong Rosales. Director is Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, who is also associate artistic director of Repertory Philippines.

And last but certainly not the least is Peter Pan with young heartthrob Sam Concepcion in the title role. Now I have seen pictures of Sam in costume and I can say that I have never seen him look so handsome. If I remember right, he has done Peter Pan before, I am just not sure if this is the same one. He was also in High School Musical and Footloose.

Peter Pan is based on the famous story by Sir James Barrie about the boy Peter who chose to live in Neverland where nobody grows up. It has been done as a play, a musical, a ballet and produced as a film many times and I enjoy watching it every time. Peter Pan is a production of Stages and Repertory Philippines. This means that two of the country’s leading purveyors of musical theater is for the first time combining forces to bring this show to the Meralco Theater. It will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 30 and it will be directed by Menchu again and Jaime del Mundo.

Personal: I left my iPad, along with some CDs and papers in a yellow and green taxicab that I took from Malingap in Teachers Village to Chef’s Diner in Scout Gandia last Monday morning. I did not get the plate number but I am praying with all my might that the driver or whoever found the brown shopping bag containing my stuff will find it in the goodness of his heart to return them to me. I am feeling like this is the worst time of my life. The iPad is not only a fantastic gadget, assistant, toy, etc. but is also of great sentimental value. So I say please… You can get in touch with me at 0917-8041820 or 921-1481.