Written by: Gabrielle Borromeo
Published in the Daily Tribune (Life Style section) on Saturday, 10 August 2013.
Cinderella is the undisputed queen of all princesses. Though Snow White was the first Disney princess with the motion picture released on the year of 1937, Cinderella came right after in 1950 and portrayed a more robust princess character. Cinderella took on a role that was fit for royalty. With her strawberry-blonde hair put up in a bun and prettily decorated with a headband, she was the first Disney princess to grace the dance floor in a magnificent silver-blue ball gown. To top it off, Cinderella had a Fairy Godmother who granted her wishes and endowed her with the famous glass slipper that changed her destiny. Cinderella is a well-loved character of all ages. She has brought magic into the hearts of her viewers. She has become a beacon of hope, love and faith; an inspiration and a role model for many Disney-loving generations. And this year, Resorts World Manila (RWM) proudly presents another grand theatre production: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre starting on Oct. 9.The upcoming big production of Cinderella will showcase singing, dancing and story-telling all in one.
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| Cinderella as Karylle Tatlonghari |
It is a must-watch presentation starring Karylle Tatlonghari as Cinderella with Julia Abueva and Justine Pena as alternates; Christian Bautista, Asia’s Pop Idol as Prince Christopher with Fred Lo as his alternate; Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, the first lady of Philippine Musical Theatre as the Fairy Godmother. The other members of the cast are Pinky Marquez, Sweet Plantado, Sheila Francisco, Miguel Faustmann, Maronne Cruz, Gianina Ocampo and Red Concepcion. Cinderella is under the direction of veteran theatre actor and director Michael Williams.
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| Cinderella starring Christian Bautista and Karylle Tatlonghari |
At the press conference of Cinderella recently, the entire cast was present. One of the questions asked of Christian Bautista was: “What is more challenging — to act in a live theatre or to act in a movie?” He pondered for a moment and replied, “Although a theatrical performance is live with the audience right in front of you, movie acting is more challenging because the scenes are not shot in a chronological order, which can be confusing at times for an actor. But in theatre, the acting direction is clear as the performance begins at the beginning and ends at the end.” Julia Abueva, Justine Pena and Fred Lo were asked the question: “For people who aren’t familiar with theatre and might not know you guys yet, what would you say would be the reason for the viewers to come see you when it’s your turn to fill the shoes of Christian and Karylle?” Laughingly, Fred says that being an alternate of Christian is a very big shoe to fill since Christian and Karylle are basically household names already. He added, “I’ve been a fan of Christian since I was 13. So, yes, he is like an older brother to me.” He further explained that every character on stage has a different aura and a different chemistry with the other members of the cast, so every character makes an impact because of simply being who he is.Karylle and Christian were also asked about their tandem on stage and why it is filled with so much chemistry. Karylle said Christian has been one of her closest friends even before Cinderella. He has seen her at her worst and at her best. He has been her confidant and he is someone she can trust whole-heartedly. They know a lot about each other already. This alone makes them better on stage. They don’t need to go through the whole getting-to-know-your-partner process. Everything they’ve been through — both good and bad — is what has made their tandem on-stage strong like “there’s so much going on.”
For show schedules and complete details about Cinderella, visit www.rwmanila.com or call Tourist Hotline at 908-8833. For ticket inquiries and reservations visit RWM Box Office located near the main casino entrance or call 891-9999.
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