'Next to Normal' opens in Manila
MANILA, Philippines - Atlantis Productions — which celebrated it’s 2010 Season with hit productions of Avenue Q, Legally Blonde, Xanadu and the Manila and Singapore runs of A Little Night Music — opens its 2011 season with the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical Next to Normal on March 11.
Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book/lyrics) penned the emotional work that puts a woman’s lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and depression center stage. The two earned the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Kitt and Yorkey reflected on their work in an interview with Playbill.com following their Pulitzer Prize win. “Without Rent and Stephen Sondheim, there is no Next to Normal,” Kitt said. “I think that we’ve always been moved and inspired to write material that maybe says something a little different through musical theater. I think at the very beginning, when we set out to write this, we just wanted to write something that mattered to us, something that felt maybe that it hadn’t been explored in musical theatre before. But never could we have imagined in our wildest dreams that we’d be here.”
Bobby Garcia directs the Manila production of Next to Normal, which is the first licensed English language production outside the United States. Garcia says, “This has been one of the most rewarding rehearsal processes I have had. Next to Normal is a work of sheer genius by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. The music, lyrics and story are all electrifying. And I am blessed with a dream cast led by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Jett Pangan. Directing Next to Normal is a really proud moment for me.”
Starring in Next to Normal is one of Philippine musical theater’s most accomplished actresses Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Diana and rock star/theater actor Jett Pangan as Dan. They take on two of the most demanding roles written for musical theatre originated on the Broadway stage by Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley and J.Robert Spencer. Joining them are Felix Rivera, Bea Garcia, Jake Macapagal, and Pilipinas Got Talent finalist Markki Stroem.
Menchu will also be releasing a CD-Lite consisting of seven musical theater songs from shows she has performed in in the past. The CD, entitled “Light,” will feature two songs from Next to Normal and is produced by Atlantis Productions and released by Sony Music. It will initially be available at the theater lobby during performances.
Next to Normal features lighting design by Shoko Matsumoto, choreography by Chari Arespacochaga, set design by Lex Marcos, costume design by Twinkle Zamora, music direction by Ceejay Javier and vocal coaching by ManMan Angsico.
Nest to Normal runs from March 11 to 27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. For tickets, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187 or Ticketworld at 891-9999.
