MiG Ayesa to star in Broadway

International singer MiG Ayesa, who has starred in Australia’s theaters and London’s West End, will make his Broadway debut as a lead male vocalist in the hit musical Burn the Floor, a spectacular, sweaty, sexy celebration of ballroom dancing that was first developed and performed in Bournemouth, England, over 10 years ago before coming to the Great White Way.

This piece of good news from Edmund Silvestre, Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent, should be interesting to Filipinos because MiG is half-Filipino related to the Legardas (celebrity lawyer Katrina Legarda is his cousin). He came for a visit three years ago after he finished third place in the CBS reality search Rockstar: INXS.

According to Edmund, MiG’s appearance will be a limited engagement only, from Jan. 5 to 10, for the final week of the show’s New York run, as it embarks on a world tour in countries like Australia, Japan, Korea, Canada and then back to the US. MiG is replacing Ricky Rojas as the lead vocalist in Burn the Floor, playing at the Longacre Theatre on 48th Street and Broadway.

The show’s Broadway leg was originally intended for a few months run but it became a smash hit, forcing the producers to keep extending the season again and again. With overseas tours already booked, the final date in New York has had to be set on Jan. 10

“Of course MiG is excited and we are all excited because this is his first taste of Broadway,” said MiG’s New York-based aunt, Dr. Ching Legarda. “The whole family is watching to lend our support. Hopefully, this will open new doors in Broadway for MiG. After all, he’s a passionate artist who’s really hardworking and down-to-earth.”

Due to the tremendous success of TV shows like Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, ballroom dancing has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity and fascination. It is as though the world has finally understood and caught up to what Burn The Floor has been saying for over a decade — that ballroom dancing is sexy, modern, alive and kicking.

The show features Mary Murphy (So You Think You Can Dance) and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kym Johnson (both from Dancing With The Stars).

MiG will be performing with some of the best dancers in the world in this dance extravaganza.

Although MiG has played leads on stage in London’s West End (We Will Rock You, Rent and Buddy) and in Australia (Grease, Fame, Rent, West Side Story, Buddy), sang on television shows, performed in concert tours (Thriller: Live!, Queen Symphonic Spectacular, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber), played vampire on a film (Queen of the Damned) and released his self-titled debut CD through Decca/Universal, he considers his Broadway project a very important milestone in his career as Broadway is the ultimate dream of any theater performers around the globe.

Edmund said that MiG is in the middle of recording his follow-up CD, due for release in the first half of 2010. Earlier, he released a riveting composition called United As One (Kasama Mo Ako) as a tribute to the Filipino nation following the massive destruction wrought by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. The must-see music video is available on YouTube.

Fr. Joey Faller’s healing schedule

Here’s Fr. Joey Faller’s healing schedule for January:

• Jan. 6, Wednesday, 9 a.m. at SM Makati; and 12:15 p.m. at SM Megamall;

• Jan. 9, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. at Kamay ni Hesus Church, Lucban, Quezon;

• Jan. 10, Sunday, 9 a.m. at SM Bacoor, Bacoor, Cavite;

• Jan. 16, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. at Kamay ni Hesus Church, Lucban, Quezon;

• Jan. 17, Sunday, 8 a.m. at NBN Channel 4;

• Jan. 19, Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. at Buklod ng Pag-ibig, Balate Drive Extension, Quezon City;

• Jan. 20, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. at Kamay ni Hesus Church, Lucban, Quezon;

• Jan. 22, Friday, 12 noon at Export Bank, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City; and 7 p.m. at the Metropolitan Hospital on Masangkay St., Sta. Cruz, Manila;

• Jan. 23, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. at Kamay ni Hesus Church, Lucban, Quezon;

• Jan. 24, Sunday, 9 a.m. at SM Bacoor, Bacoor, Cavite;

• Jan. 25 to 28, National Clergy Retreat;

• Jan. 30, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. at Kamay ni Hesus Church, Lucban, Quezon; and

• Jan. 31, Sunday, 8 a.m. at NBN Channel 4.

(Note: Starting in March, the healing Mass in SM Megamall will be held every first Friday of the month.)

12 ‘gifts’ from the Romulos

Another touching card I received last Christmas came from Foreign Affairs Sec. Bert Romulo and his wife Lovely, on the cover featuring the Noche Buena painting of Jovito Andres and inside a family photo taken during the couple’s 46th wedding anniversary on June 30, 2009, held at the Sanctuario de San Antonio Church in Forbes Park, Makati City, and the following poem quoted from Fr. James Reuter’s column in The STAR: 

MY TWELVE GIFTS FOR YOU

Happiness. Down deep inside.

Serenity. At every sunrise.

Success. In every facet of life.

Family. Beside you.

Caring friends around you.

A love that never ends.

Good health within you.

Beautiful memories of yesteryear.

A bright day with so much to be thankful for.

A pathway leading to better tomorrows.

Dreams that manage to come true.

And a great appreciation for whatever you do.

God bless you!

What’s up?

• Condolence to the bereaved family of Doc Mandy Saguin, host of the UNTV 37 show Kaagapay, who died on Dec. 29 last year. Doc Manny made people happy by successfully performing surgeries on patients who sought help from the UNTV 37 program Good Morning, Kuya. He is survived by his wife Bella Marie Peachie Baron Saguin and their children Richelle, John Paul, Reginald Carlos and Regine Jennifer; his mother Teresa and siblings Jajou, Lolly and Dominic.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])