Cast of Newsies’ Philippine Production announced!

Cast of Newsies’ Philippine Production announced!

Newsies is the 2012 Tony Award winning musical originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions. It ran for two years, with 1,005 performances in Broadway, and Globe Live and 9 Works Theatrical are bringing Newsies to the Globe Iconic Store Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater on all the weekends of July.

With lyrics by Jack Feldman, music by Tony and Oscar winner Alan Menken, and book by Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles), Newsies is inspired by the true events of the “Newsboy Strike of 1899.” The play follows the charismatic leader of a band of newspaper boys, Jack Kelly, who dreams of a better life and far from the streets where he sleeps and earns a living. When newspaper magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices, affecting the livelihood of the ‘Newsies,’ Jack and his friends band together and protests against corporate greed.

Featuring a large cast, including 21 Newsies, Executive Producers Joe Caliro (Globe Live) and Santi Santamaria (9 Works Theatrical), Director Robbie Guevara along with choreographer PJ Rebullida and the rest of the creative team held grueling auditions to find the perfect actors who could sing, dance, and act through the high-energy musical.

Playing Jack Kelly is singer, recording artist, actor for television, film and theater Gian Magdangal, who has just returned from Hong Kong Disneyland’s Golden Mickeys and Universal Studios Japan. After being the 1st runner-up in Philippine Idol, he became a mainstay talent of GMA 7’s Sunday primetime shows such as SOP and Party Pilipinas, and other high rating drama shows. His theater credentials include Rent, Grease, The Wedding Singer, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and West Side Story.

Danielle Chopin plays Katherine Plumber, the young reporter who helps the Newsies. Danielle’s US stage credits include appearing in My Fair Lady, Into the Woods, Hair, and performed live at the California’s Great American show Pop Fusion. The Filipina-American Chopin is a classically trained vocalist and specializes singing first soprano operatic arias. She can also be seen in the web series Golden California and Hillbrook Gardens. Newsies is her Philippine stage debut.

Jack will eventually meet Davey and Les, two new Newsies, who have families, unlike Jack and his band. Playing Davey is the currently heralded “it-boy of Philippine Theater,” Jef Flores. Jef first started in Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical before making his unexpected breakout in 4000 Miles. He has also appeared in Cinderella and Priscilla: The Queen of the Desert. He is an actor and music contributor for the TV series The Boston and has appeared in several commercials. He has won 2 Gawad Buhay Award for Best Actor for his roles in This Is Our Youth and Tick, Tick… BOOM!.

Appearing as Les are Daniel Drilon and Tory Cortez, alternating. Daniel recently appeared in Fun Home and began his professional theater career portraying the title role in Pinocchio, then Peter Cratchit in Scrooge, and Colin Craven in The Secret Garden. Tory made his theatrical debut in the musical Hansel & Gretel as Hansel. He was also seen recently in A Christmas Carol.

Taking on the role of Jack Kelly’s friend, Crutchie, is Luis Marcelo, who is proud to be making his professional theater debut with Newsies. As a member of the Ateneo Blue Rep, he played Seymour in Little Shops of Horrors and directed Stages of Love.

Greg Dulcie essays the role of Joseph Pulitzer. His US theater credits include playing the Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan in Hook, and the king in Victor Victoria. He has appeared in shows all over the US, Canada, and Japan. Some of his favorite roles include Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, Booth in Assassins, Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf in Into the Woods, and Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Portraying the theater own Medda Larkin is singer, recording artist, host and theater veteran Pinky Marquez. Her credits include The Wedding Singer, Songs For A New World, Marco Polo: The Untold Love Story, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Graduate, The Sound of Music, Lapu Lapu, El Filibusterismo, among many others. Pinky has represented the country in the ASEAN Music Festival twice.

Theater veteran Raymund Concepcion will be playing several roles such as Governor Teddy Roosevelt and Nunzio. Raymond started acting in theater during the 1980s at the Manila Metropolitan Theater. His theater credentials include Joseph the Dreamer, Footloose, the musical, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, among many others. In-between doing theater, he also does stints for television and film.

Playing multiple roles such as Wiesel, Mr. Jacobi, and the Mayor is Gawad Buhay awardee for tick, tick… BOOM! Ariel Reonal. Ariel’s theater credits include American Idiot, A Christmas Carol, Miss Saigon (Manila, Asian, Dublin, Portugal & UK Tours, West End Revival), Himala the Musical, and El Filibusterismo.

The Warden of the Juvenile Center and chasing after Jack is Snyder played by Franz Imperial, whose theater credits include A Christmas Carol, Shrek and Bridges of Madison County. Franz has been a part of the opening team of 3 theme park giants – Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios Singapore, and DreamWorks Movie Animation Park.

Making his theater debut as one of the Newsies is singer, host, VJ for MYX and member of Star Magic Circle Alex Diaz. Alex also portrayed roles in hit teleseryes such as Got 2 Believe and Bagito.

Rounding up the rest of the Newsies are Anton Posadas (King and I, The Sound of Music), Ian Ocampo (Don Quixote, Carmen, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker), Erick Arenas (Sonic Odyssey, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You), Stephen Viñas (Orosman at Zafira, #R

Performing as the roles of the Bowery Beauties are Joni Galeste and Melissa Bell. Joni began ballet training at 7 in the Royal Academy of Dance. Her theater credits include Cinderella (Resorts World Manila), Snow White (Repertory Philippines), La Cage aux Folles and A Christmas Carol (9 Works Theatrical). Melissa, who also plays Hannah, is an Australian performer and a graduate of Melbourne Dance World Studios. She has worked as a dancer for the Tokyo Disney Sea, Hong Kong Disneyland, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Osaka, Japan.

Globe Live and 9 Works Theatrical’s production of Disney’s Newsies is directed by Robbie Guevara, together with PJ Rebullida as choreographer, Franz Imperial as assistant director, Daniel Bartolome as musical director, Yek Barlongay additional choreography for tap, Ed Lacson as set designer, Eric Pineda as costume designer, Martin Esteva as lighting designer, GA Fallarme as video & projection designer, Myrene Santos as hair and makeup designer and Dong Calingacion as technical director.

Heading the production team are executive producers Joe Caliro (Globe Live) and Santi Santamaria (9 Works Theatrical), Denise Seva (Globe Live Director for Events and Production), with 9 Works Theatrical’s Anna Santamaria as company manager, Jonjon Martin and Issa Tuason as PR managers, GM Hernandez as marketing manager, and Arma Bonilla as stage manager.

Newsies will be staged at the Globe Iconic Store Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater, Bonifacio Global City on July 7-9, 14-16, 21-23 & 28-30, 2017 at 8:00pm.

You can buy tickets HERE.

Disney’s Newsies is a production of Globe Live & 9 Works Theatrical, co-presented by FOX and StarWorld, with MAC Cosmetics as the official make-up partner. Special thanks to RX93.1, Bonifacio High Street and Mossimo.

Disney’s Newsies is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

For more details about what’s happening in the Manila theater scene, please view our Theater Calendar.