Think happy thoughts, kick off with your heels and get ready to fly with Peter Pan!
Manila has been chosen as the first stop of the 2007 Asian tour of Peter Pan, the musical version of the much-loved classic by Sir James Matthew Barrie. See Peter Pan fly off to Neverland starting January 12 - February 4 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater.
Joining Peter Pan in Neverland are the Darling children Wendy, John, and Michael, the mischievous fairy Tinkerbell as well as new cast members. The Fairy Queen, the Trackers (mysterious earthy beings who help Tiger Lily with her work), and the Voice are all new characters that were not included in the original 1904 play.
This classic story of the Darling children's adventures in Neverland is the basis for a spectacular new musical to be staged at the CCP—complete with special effects and hip hop grooves. Proceeds from Peter Pan will benefit Children's Hour and London's Great Osmond Street Hospital, to which the author bequeathed copyright.
Filipinos can take pride in the fact that the University of Santo Tomas Action Singers Alumni Ensemble will be touring with the 65-strong cast of Peter Pan in its Asian tour.
During the January 9 press conference of Peter Pan at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Roxas Boulevard, Matthew Gregory, executive producer of Peter Pan, explains why they chose the UST Action Singers Alumni Ensemble to be the choir for this musical play. "The standard of singing here in the Philippines is incredibly high. And that's the main reason," he explains. "We actually take the same choir in all the different cities we go to. So, if we're in Hong Kong, we have the same choir. If we go to Kuala Lumpur, we have the same choir."
Another source of pride for the Philippines is Meynard Marcellano, who plays the role of the pirate Bo'sun Black in Peter Pan. This member of the dance group Streetboys has made a good impression on his fellow cast members, particularly Captain Hook (played by Scott Thomas Sauer).
"He is a fantastic dancer. I fancy myself a dancer but I'm not really one. Meynard is brilliant to work with. He's very professional. He's a very kind person. He is a role model to a lot of the children, especially the [children playing] Peter Pan—they look up to him and follow his example," recounts Scott, the actor playing Captain Hook.
Michael Lin, the fifteen-year old British actor who plays Peter Pan, also has a high regard for Filipino performers who are part of this musical play. "The fairies who dance [with us] are honestly the best type of dancers we've had...in all other shows we've had. When we went to Singapore, we also had local fairies but the Philippines definitely has much better dancers."
ABA Productions will be presenting Peter Pan in various Asian countries until 2008. According to Matthew, "Already the play has been in Hong Kong and in Singapore. And on this leg of the tour, we're going here to the Philippines in January. Then we're going back to Hong Kong for the whole month of June because the reception two years ago was so great. Then we go to Kuala Lumpur later in the year then we go to Taipei, Shanghai. Then, hopefully, in the middle of 2008, we finish up in Sydney, Australia. So, it's quite a long tour."
Click on "MORE PHOTOS" to get a sneak peek of Peter Pan.
Performances:
Jan. 12, 2007 (7:00 PM)
Jan. 13, 2007 2:00:PM, 7:00:PM
Jan. 14, 2007 2:00:PM, 6:00:PM
Jan. 19, 2007 7:00:PM
Jan. 20, 2007 2:00:PM, 7:00:PM
Jan 21, 2007 2:00:PM, 6:00:PM
Jan 26, 2007 7:00:PM
Jan 27, 2007 2:00:PM, 7:00:PM
Jan 28, 2007 2:00:PM, 6:00:PM
Feb 2, 2007 7:00:PM
Feb 3, 2007 2:00:PM, 7:00:PM
Feb 4, 2007 2:00:PM, 6:00:PM
Venue: Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater
For inquiries, call TicketWorld at 891-9999.