Salonga, Volante, Seguerra et al. To Guest Star in FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Manila, 5/11-27

Co-written by Jude Cartalaba

Manila, Philippines, April 19, 2012 – Joel Trinidad, Upstart Productions' president, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that theater bigwigs Lea Salonga, Aiza Seguerra, Nyoy Volante, Jett Pangan, Iya Villania, Nikki Valdez, Markki Stroem, and Gabe Mercado will guest star in the theater company's summer production of Off-Broadway parody "Forbidden Broadway's Greatest Hits," written and originally directed by Gerard Alessandrini, and top-billed by Liesl Batucan, Caisa Borromeo, OJ Mariano, and Lorenz Martinez.  The musical will run at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza on Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue from May 11 to 27.

In "Forbidden Broadway," Batucan, Borromeo, Mariano, and Martinez will play a variety of roles as the four actors spoof show tunes, characters, and plot lines of beloved Broadway productions such as "Mamma Mia," "Annie," "Wicked," and "The Phantom of the Opera," among others.

"I love 'Forbidden Broadway' because it pokes fun at all the big hits of Broadway, but in a good-natured way that's never petty and mean," said Trinidad, who will also direct the show's Manila premiere.  "It's like watching 20 or more Broadway musicals in one go! But you don't even have to be familiar with any of the featured shows to appreciate it – that's how well-written it is.  It's an amazing musical revue. It's one of the funniest I've ever seen."

The original version of "Forbidden Broadway," which ran for 2,332 performances, opened at Palsson's Supper Club in New York City on January 15, 1982. The show has been rewritten by Alessandrini more than a dozen times; he has also included parodies of the Great White Way's latest smash hits. 

"Forbidden Broadway" has toured London, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, and more than 200 cities in the United States.

In Manila, "Forbidden Broadway" will also feature Martin Esteva's lighting design, Lawyn Cruz's production design, Onyl Torres' musical direction, and Dingdong Fiel's piano accompaniment.

For tickets, call Upstart Productions at +639175285678 or email upstarttickets@gmail.com or upstartproductionsinc@gmail.com. Tickets are also available through Ticketworld at (632) 8919999 or log on to www.ticketworld.com.ph.