Simon's Way in Naga City

The Biggest Theatrical Event in Bicol’s History

Philippine theater icon trek 'Simon's Way' to Naga City

By Shiena M. Barrameda @ BICOL MAIL ONLINE

Source

March 24, 25 and 26, 2011 | USI Auditorium, Naga City
March 28, 2011 | UNEP, Iriga City
April 14, 2011 | Resorts World in Manila
May 14, 2011 | Legazpi City
A project of the Archdioceses of Caceres
with the participation of Our Lady of Fatima Association
for the benefit of the Poor Parishes of the Archdiocese

March 24, 2011 For Teachers & Students

7:00 PM 

Balcony Php 200

Orchestra Php 400

March 25, 2011 

1:30 PM

Balcony Php 400

Orchestra 600

7:00 PM

Balcony Php 600

Orchestra Php 1,000

March 26, 2011 Benefit Gala

7:00 PM

Balcony Php 1,000

Orchestra Php 2,000

Tickets Available at 22 Outlets in SM City Naga

and at the Ground Floor of E-Mall.

The Biggest Stars in Philippine Theater with the MANILA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

VICTOR “COCOY “LAUREL has an enduring  career in the entertainment world – best loved as a singer-actor but little known for his talent as a portrait painter, and even less known as a composer. In 1971, movie Director Cirio Santiago cast him in the film Lollipops and Roses where he was paired with Philippine superstar, Nora Aunor. This film became an overnight box-office hit and marked the beginning of successive films for him. In 1990, he became a part of “Miss Saigon” – joining the stellar cast that included Lea Salonga, Jenine Desiderio, Monique Wilson and Isay Alvarez. In 1994, mega producer Cameron McKintosh cast him as the Engineer in the Australian production of Miss Saigon. The Sydney premier was a monumental success. The following day nearly all the papers carried rave reviews of his performance. Cocoy played the “Engineer” for an amazing 450 performances in Sydney.

ENINA MARIE “JENINE” DESIDERIO is a multi-talented and versatile artist. Ms. Desiderio’s biggest break came by playing “Kim” in the London production of “Miss Saigon”. She played the lead role of Kim for four impressive years at the revered Drury Lane Theater in London.  Since then, Jenine has been an in-demand theatre actress here and abroad. Her latest stint is in Gines Tan’s musical, Magsimula Ka, that was recently revived at the Music Museum in November 2010. It is considred the longest running Pilipino musical.

ANNA CRISTINA “CRIS” SIGUIO-REYNA VILLONCO is a Filipino performance artist whose credits include performances in theatre, television, film, album recordings, music videos, and advertisements. She is currently associated with Repertory Philippines foundation. Villonco’s singing career began when she was only nine. She first gained public attention with her sweet voice and wholesome image, but then easily established a reputation as a young ingénue-from singer to actress with elan. She is the granddaughter of film industry crusader Armida Siguion-Reyna.

ON JOVEN has an extensive Broadway and off-Broadway experiences for the last 10 years. Jon was part of the “Miss Saigon” Germany production where he played Thuy. He is the lead singer of the group PRIMO

NICOLE ASENCIO omes from the distinguished families of artist: the Asencios and the Laurels. She started singing in Broadway productions when she was 9 years old. She jumped from theatre to Rock and is currently the lead singer of the all female rock band, General Luna under Warner Music International.

MANILA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA is one of the oldest orchestras in Asia. Founded by Dr. Alexander Lippay in 1926, the orchestra has played a major role in Philippine history. Through the years, it has hosted artists Montserrat Caballe, Yehudi Menuhin, Igor Oistrakh, Eugene Istomin, Fou Ts’ong, Barry Tuckwell, Paul Badura-Skoda and Rony Rogoff, as well as conductors Andre Kostelanetz, Arthur Fiedler, Mendi Rodan, Robert Feist, Gareth Nair and Helen Quach.

At present, the MSO is composed of around 60 musicians under the music direction of Prof. Arturo Molina. Many of these have been winners in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and have represented the country in various international music festivals and workshops.

GIGI FELIX VELARDE SCHOOL OF BALLET founded by New York schooled choreographer and dancer.  Gigi Velarde David. It is one of the most enduring ballet schools in the country. For Simon’s Way – Ms. David has prepared an elaborated choreography that will be performed by twenty of her finest dancer.

ACAT is the premier dance company of the Universidad de Santa Isabel. Headed by choreographer Randy Salvani, ACAT has an impressive dance repertoire ranging from ballet to modern jazz. From power dance to ethnic. From folk to street dances.

JELYN OLIVA is a violin and piano prodigy from Naga City. She is one of the finalist of the Pinoy Got Talent where she wowed the audience by playing three musical instruments superbly. Only 14 years old, she has started performing concerts with Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez. She is currently studying advance violin at the Saint Scholastica College of Music.

RAYMOND ROLDAN is an accomplished classical singer. He hails from Naga City. He was the first place winner of the 1990 National Competition for Young Artist. He was the finalist in the 1997 Mary Garden International Prize in Aberdeen, Scotland and represented the Philippines at the prestigious 200 Francisco Vinas International Singing Competition in Barcelona, Spain.

UNEP CHORALE is an acclaimed and awarded chorale. Composed of talented students of UNEP – the chorale has been a winner in international choral competitions and has brought laurels and recognitions for our country. It is conducted by Adrian Argete.

FATHER LOU-AN JARCIA is the parish priest of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Iriga City. Father Louan is a popular composer and singer. Many of his religious songs have become famous like Siya ang Kagurangnan and Maira – Ina ni Hesus. He is also a stage actor and has performed in numerous stage productions including the local production of Oliver. The recent musical, Manto, featured many of his original songs.

FATHER FIDEL BAGAYAUA Father Nonoy as he is fondly called hails from a family of musicians. His mother, Maxima, had been an accomplished harpist. His brother, Boboy, is an national figure in music composition and arrangement. For the film component of Simon’s Way, Father Fidel tackles the character of Father Simon. His poignant portrayal of the character is a surprising revelation of his great talent as a film actor.

FERDINAND “FERDS”DIMADURA coined the word CineMusical to describe his new work. Simon’s Way, which is a combination of Cinema and Musical Theater: Simon’s Way is the first CineMusical performance in the world – and is a natural result of his unique talents in music, film and theatre.He is one of the most popular directors in the internet today because of his short film, Chicken ala Carte, which has been viewed by 16 million people worldwide – the most by any Filipino film director.His musical, Something to Crow About, based on the short stories of national artist, Anding Roces, won as Best Musical in the 2006 ALIW Awards.

He studied music composition under the tutelage of the late national artist Lucio San Pedro. He graduated from the Universidad de Santa Isabel College of Music.

For Tickets, please call (54) 4955863