KUNG TAYO AY naaliw noon sa mga pelikula at teleserye tungkol sa mga mermaids gaya ng Dyesebel, Marina, at Mutya ay muli na naman tayong mag-e-enjoy dahil sa isang kakaibang experience na hatid ng Atlantis Productions at Metrobank as they present Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Meralco Theatre from November 18 to December 11.
Ang Disney’s The Little Mermaid ay tungkol kay Ariel, isang magandang mermaid na nakatira sa magical kingdom sa ilalim ng dagat. Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. Pero bago niya ito magawa, she has to defy first her father – the king of the sea – to escape the clutches of an evil sea witch at kumbinsihin ang isang prinsipe that she’s the girl with the perfect voice.
Based on one of the most beloved Disney films of all time and the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is the sparkling new Disney musical that made a splash on Broadway. Tiyak nang mapapakanta ang mga manonood dahil sa mga sikat na awitin nito tulad ng Part of Your World, Kiss the Girl, and Under the Sea which is an Academy Award-winning Best Original Song and written by the songwriting team of eight-time Academy winner Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
Rachelle Ann Go plays Ariel while Erik Santos is her Prince in the musical. Kung parehong champions ang mga lead stars ay dapat lang na champions din at batikan sa larangan ng musical ang mga direktor nito tulad nina Boby Garcia (In the Heights, Next to Normal, A Little Night Music, Xanadu, Avenue Q, Spelling Bee, at Cinderella) at Chari Arespacochaga (Aida, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening, Avenue Q, at Doubt).
Bongga ang ginawang paghahanda nina Direk Bobby at Chari para sa musical na ito. Nagpunta pa sila sa Hawaii noong isang taon para sa Asian Puppetry workshops that will help them create much of the underwater world. At kitang-kita naman ang kanilang effort para sa musical because Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be created with a fusion of East meets West elements. The underwater kingdom will be completely Asian in theme and the above water world will be Western, representing two different worlds. Gagamit din sila ng mga traditional forms of Asian and Western puppetry gaya ng Wayang shadow play, bunraku, nang kaloung at western hand and walking puppetry.
What makes the musical even more exciting is that the Manila production features over 150 costumes and numerous puppets of all shapes and sizes created by Liz and Benny Batoctoy.
Kasama rin sa cast sina Jinky Llamanzares as Ursula, OJ Mariano as Sebastian, Calvin Millado as King Triton, Lee Viloria as Flounder, Ikey Canoy as Scuttle, Felix Rivera as Flotsam, Jamie Barcelon as Jetsam and Raymond Concepcion as Grimsby. The Manila production also features a full orchestra using the original Broadway arrangements.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid has Choreography by Cecile Martinez, Set Design by Lex Marcos, Costume Design by Erik Pineda, Lighting Design by Jay Aranda, Music Direction by Ceejay Javier, Puppetry Design and Execution by Liz and Benny Batoctoy and Sam Fuentes, Projection Design by G.A. Fallarme and Vocal Coaching by ManMan Angsico. Tickets are now on sale. For more information, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187 or visit www.atlantisproductionsinc.com
Kaibigan, usap tayo muli!
Points of Boy
by Boy Abunda
