Atlantis takes on Disney in 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Atlantis Productions celebrated 2010 with a phenomenal season of shows that started with the fifth run of Avenue Q, the hit family musical Legally Blonde, two runs of the Broadway hit musical Xanadu, and a Manila and Singapore run of A Little Night of Music starring Dawn Zulueta. And now, Atlantis gears up for an even more exciting season of shows for 2011.
Starting the season is the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical Next to Normal, which took Broadway by storm in 2009. Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book/lyrics) penned the emotional work that puts a woman’s lifelong struggle with bi-polar disorder and depression center stage. The two earned the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Next to Normal will star Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Jett Pangan, Jake Macapagal, Bea Garcia, Felix Rivera, and Pilipinas Got Talent finalist Markki Stroem. Directed by Bobby Garcia, it will run from March 11 to 27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.
Next is Disney’s hit pop opera Aida. Aida is a timeless love story with unforgettable music by Elton John and Tim Rice based on the Verdi opera. It is a musical bursting with contemporary energy that tells the story of a great Egyptian hero Radames, who sends a captured Nubian princess, Aida, as a gift to the Egyptian princess Amneris. As he prepares to marry the vain and shallow Amneris, he falls completely in love with Aida, and is forced to choose between love and life. Aida is an epic tale of love, loyalty, betrayal, and courage, with an exhilarating Tony and Grammy Award-winning score by Elton John and Tim Rice, their first collaboration since writing the music for The Lion King. Aida is a true celebration of love and life. Time magazine proclaims Aida “A big, bright show with luscious Elton John melodies.” It won four Tony Awards and will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati from June 24 to July 10. Chari Arespacochaga will direct.
In September, Atlantis is brings to Manila the Tony Award-winning hit musical In the Heights. It tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. In the Heights was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four including Best Musical. It will run from Sept. 2 to 18 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium. Directed by Bobby Garcia.
Atlantis closes the season with Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The stage adaptation features 10 new songs by Menken and Glenn Slater, plus a book by Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright. Directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga, The Little Mermaid will run from Nov. 18 to Dec. 11 at the Meralco Theatre.
For showbuying and fundraising opportunities, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187.
