REP is Back with a Post-modern Contemporary Spin on CAROUSEL!
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| REP's Carousel on stage starting NOV26! |
CAROUSEL was one of the shows I was looking forward to watch back in 2020... but as with other theater productions worldwide, it had to be postponed. Two years after, Repertory Philippines (REP) is finally back doing live performances on stage starting with CAROUSEL -- the best musical of the 20th century!
It will open on November 26, 2022 in a new venue -- Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez within the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex.
Watch the preview during the media launch:
First-time REP director Toff De Venecia puts a radical spin on this reimagination of the beloved Broadway musical created by the legendary team of Richard Rodgers (Music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Book and Lyrics). CAROUSEL collected accolades from critics and praises from audiences after its original opening in 1945. This production won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical, and was ultimately hailed by Time Magazine as the greatest musical of the 20th century. Its subsequent revivals also won Tony, Olivier, and Drama Desk Awards, a testament to this R&H classic’s timeless and universal appeal.
CAROUSEL follows the story of Billy Bigelow, a swaggering and carefree carnival barker, who falls in love with and marries Julie Jordan, a sweet yet naïve millworker. After learning Julie is pregnant, a desperate Billy is forced to participate in a robbery that ends in a tragedy. He is then given a second chance to make things right. A moving tale of redemption, CAROUSEL features some of musical theater classics like If I Loved You, June is Bustin’ Out All Over, and You’ll Never Walk Alone.
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| Karylle Tatlonghari and Gian Magdangal playing the lead roles |
REP’s comeback production will be led by sought-after theater leading man Gian Magdangal and singer, actor, and OPM royalty Karylle Tatlonghari who are both joining a REP production for the first time. Joining the two leads are REP stalwarts Loy Martinez and Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante.
It is with great pride that Repertory Philippines is making its return to live theater with a production that is both renowned and beloved. We are all thrilled with how Toff has executed his bold, brave vision of CAROUSEL for the current generation of theatergoers
says Mindy Perez Rubio, REP president and CEO.
Together with a superb cast, including our wonderful female lead Karylle, whom we are also working with for the first time, I think CAROUSEL will prove to be a fitting and triumphant return to the stage for Repertory Philippines.
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| Direct Toff De Venecia with some of the main casts |
As the production now moves at full speed, Direct Toff De Venecia emphasized that they are navigating new frontiers of theater and exploring the ways they can seamlessly push this Broadway masterpiece into post-pandemic realities and contexts.
While this R&H musical is closest to an opera which necessitates its own grandiosity as told through elaborate mise-en-scène or even how the music is orchestrated or how the songs are sung, we push against this idea and explore new ways forward in this post-modern contemporary CAROUSEL that the team is working on. It's an alchemy of limitations that gives rise to contemporary possibilities
De Venecia elaborates.
Witness REP’s highly anticipated return to live theater with no less than a bold, brave vision for one of Broadway’s glorious masterpieces. Catch CAROUSEL starting November 26 until December 18 at the CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.
Tickets will be available through the CCP Box Office, TicketWorld, and SM Tickets. Ticket prices are:
- Php 3,000 for Rows 1 and 2
- Php 2,500 for Row 3
- Php 2,000 for Row 4
- Php 1,500 for Row 5
- Php 1,000 for Row 6
For updates, log on to www.repertoryphilippines.ph, like and follow Repertory Philippines on Facebook and Instagram. Educators and school representatives who are interested in the show can email [email protected].
