Of breakups and breakdowns

MANILA, Philippines - Upstart Productions, Manila’s newest theater company, will be presenting its first major production, a romantic musical comedy called Breakups & Breakdowns  at Teatrino, Greenhills on Feb. 18, 19, 25 and 26 and March 4, 5, 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. There will be 3 p.m. matinee shows on Feb. 19 and 26 and March 5 and 12.

The cast includes Joel Trinidad (who wrote the show with Rony Fortich), Emerita Alcid, Reuben Uy and Jill Peña (a stand-in for theater actress Carla Guevara-Laforteza).

Trinidad is the founder and artistic director of Upstart Productions. He is a 20-year veteran of the stage. He was last seen as the solo performer in Defending the Caveman, the longest-running one-man show in the history of Broadway. He is also a founding member of SPIT or Silly People’s Improv Theater, the first Asian comedy troupe ever to perform at the prestigious Los Angeles Improv Festival. He received his first Aliw Award nomination for his role in the original Filipino musical Something To Crow About. Fortich wrote Breakups & Breakdowns with Joel in 2005 before moving to Hong Kong, where he is now musical director of Hong Kong Disneyland. Guevara-Laforteza is one of the country’s most versatile performing artists, appearing on stage, movies and television, and was awarded Best New Artist for Television by the PMPC Star Awards in 2000. Alcid is a veteran of Miss Saigon’s US tour (where she played Gigi) and the musical’s Plays In The Park production in New Jersey (where she played Kim). Alcid received her formal training at the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. Uy created the role of Derek in the Virgin Labfest reading of Breakups & Breakdowns and is thrilled to reprise the dense yet lovable playboy on the professional stage.

An original musical comedy, Breakups & Breakdowns’ book and lyrics are by Joel Trinidad and music by Rony Fortich.

(For ticket reservations, e-mail [email protected].

For more information, visit www.upstartproductionsinc.com)