The Little Mermaid staged in Manila 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Atlantis Productions, which recently had a spectacular 2010 season with Avenue Q, Legally Blonde, two runs of Xanadu and the Manila and Singapore engagements of A Little Night Music, has secured the rights to stage the Broadway Musical Disney’s The Little Mermaid in November 2011. It is the first theater company to be licensed the show after its Broadway run. It is made possible through a special licensing agreement with Music Theatre International.

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 has made a big splash on Broadway. Some of Disney’s most popular songs are featured in the show including Part of Your World, Kiss the Girl, and the Academy Award-winning Best Original Song, Under the Sea — by the renowned songwriting team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The stage adaptation also features 10 new songs by Menken and Glenn Slater, plus a book by Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright. It will be directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga,

Bobby and Chari were in Hawaii this year to take an Asian Puppetry workshop. Garcia says, “We are thrilled, once again, to bring another beloved Disney classic to the Philippines. Disney’s The Little Mermaid started the renaissance of Disney’s animation department and has some of the most memorable songs written for an animation classic. We are creating a Little Mermaid unlike any other. It will be an exciting fusion of East meets West elements. Our underwater kingdom will be completely Asian in theme and our above water world will be Western. We will also be using traditional forms of Asian and Western puppetry including Wayang shadow play, bunraku, nang kaloung and hand puppetry. We can’t wait to begin!”

Auditions were held last month with hundreds of people lined up hoping for a chance to be a part of one of Disney’s most beloved fairy tales. A complete cast will be announced at a future date. Atlantis Productions was also one of the first theater companies outside the US to be licensed Disney’s Beauty & The Beast in 2005.

A limited number of shows are also now available for show buying and fund-raising opportunities with excellent returns on your investment. It is the perfect show to raise money for your organization, foundation or charity. Don’t miss out on a chance to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime family musical classic.

For details, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187.