WEST Side Story, Stages’s major musical offering in 2008, is all set to go onstage with an assembly of a strong cast headlined by Christian Bautista, Karylle and West End’s Joanna Ampil; a live orchestra with Gerard Salonga as musical director; and a first-rate artistic team with Audie Gemora as executive producer, and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as director.

After rigid auditions that took two months, whose mix of aspirants came from not only the Philippines but also other countries like Singapore, Australia, the US and the UK, Stages has finally completed its cast of singers and dancers. 

Balladeer Christian Bautista essays the role of Tony, while singer-actress Karylle plays Maria. 

Meanwhile, the Philippines will get the rare chance to watch Joanna Ampil in her first musical theater assignment in Manila after 16 years playing lead roles in London.  Joanna agreed to share the role of Maria with Karylle because she has long wanted to perform for her kababayan who cannot fly off to London to watch her in a musical. Local audiences have to see why Joanna is a favorite of British producer Cameron Mackintosh. She was also handpicked by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to play Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Gian Magdangal as Riff returns to the theater after a three-year hiatus. He is seen regularly on GMA’s SOP. 

Another world-class import, Filipino-Australian Rowena Vilar, who played Kim, Gigi and Ellen in the recent Australian tour of Miss Saigon, joins the cast of West Side Story. Highly recommended by Leo Valdez, who played The Engineer in Miss Saigon, Rowena will be flying in to share the role of the feisty Anita with local theater and pop artist Pam G.

Since West Side Story is primarily a dance musical, the artistic team had to call professional dance groups, and handpick very strong dancers for the supporting cast. Jazz choreographer James Laforteza will reconstruct Jerome Robbins’s original choreography in the Broadway production.

Manila’s theatergoing public has been looking forward to the restaging of this classic Broadway musical, including a growing number of fundraising groups and block buyers.

“We initially opened up 16 shows to fundraising groups and block buyers. We ended up opening four more shows to accommodate the demand coming from a pretty good mix of both Filipino and foreign investors, including a Swiss block buyer,” said Audi.

West Side Story was first staged in Manila back in 1982. This Manila restaging will precede a Broadway revival in 2009. It is regarded as one of the best musicals of all time, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It will run from September to October at the Meralco Theater, and is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theater International in New York.

Tickets are now available at Ticketworld (891-9999, www.ticketworld.com.ph).

For inquiries: 818-1111, local 225.

Urban Monologues: Lessons from a Waiting Shed

DURING the time I was in Sydney, I walked around the city to get a real feel of its urban character. I went in and out of buildings to study their designs, I took audio tours of the special structures to learn more about the way they were constructed, and I even sketched some façades for hours just to identify the principles used in their composition.

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Japanese actor tackles role of Genghis Khan in ‘Mongol’

TOKYO—Any actor planning to play Genghis Khan in a big-screen film had better carry himself with more than just a hint of presence. Historical records on the 12th-century Mongol warrior are sketchy, but there’s enough evidence to suggest he possessed a pretty severe megalomaniacal streak, his armies marauding across vast tracts of Asia and the Middle East.

‘West Side Story’ all set

WEST Side Story, Stages’s major musical offering in 2008, is all set to go onstage with an assembly of a strong cast headlined by Christian Bautista, Karylle and West End’s Joanna Ampil; a live orchestra with Gerard Salonga as musical director; and a first-rate artistic team with Audie Gemora as executive producer, and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as director.

Ready, Set, Declutter: How to store the Christmas décor

WASHINGTON—Professional organizer Caitlin Shear and I have been diligently combing through the clutter in my attic in search of organization. So far, we have finished what Caitlin calls zoning—the act of grouping similar items together, such as books, photographs or clothing—to see what has actually been hiding up there for the past few years.