Atlantis ProductionsÂ' NINE Pulls Off A Casting Coup, 9/21-10/7

Manila, Philippines, January 30, 2012 – Rest assured that Atlantis Productions Inc. (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Next to Normal) will deliver casting coups in its current theater season: the official announcements that Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga will be starring as Veronica in the straight play God of Carnage, and rock star MiG Ayesa will be reprising his Broadway role as Stacee Jaxx in the rock, '80s themed musical Rock of Ages came in earlier; in addition to that, Atlantis Productions' recent announcement of another rock star Jett Pangan (Next to Normal, Jekyll and Hyde) and some of the classy ladies in Philippine theater, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Love, Loss and What I Wore, Next to Normal), Cherie Gil (Master Class, Doubt), and Eula Valdez (Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah), will be essaying lead roles in the sexy musical Nine in September confirmed another casting triumph for the prolific theater company.

In the musical Nine, which features Maury Yeston's (Death Takes A Holiday, Grand Hotel) music and lyrics, and Arthur Kopit's (Wings, Indians) book based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8 1/2 , Pangan will portray the role of Italian filmmaker Guido Contini (Antonio Banderas played Contini on Broadway in 2003 while Daniel Day-Lewis played the same character in Nine's film adaptation released in 2009); Yulo will play Contini's wife, Luisa; Gil will play Contini's film producer, Liliane Le Fleur; and Valdez will play Contini's leading lady, Claudia Jenssen. 

Nine tells the story of Contini, who's turning 40 and facing a midlife crisis, as he prepares for his latest motion picture, and balances the many women in his life. The original Broadway production, which starred Raul Julia as the famed film director, won five Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1982.

Atlantis Productions' upcoming take on Nine will feature set design by Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Gallo (Memphis, The Drowsy Chaperone). "I'm so excited to collaborate with Gallo once again. He's one of the most talented designers I've had the honor and pleasure of working with. He'll also be selecting an up-and-coming designer in the Philippines to work as his apprentice for this production," says Bobby Garcia, Atlantis Productions' resident director, who first worked with Gallo in Broadway Asia's touring production of Cinderella. "I'm also excited that the costumes for Nine will be designed by New York-based Filipino designer Robin Tomas," he adds.

Nine will run from September 21 to October 7, 2012 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

Oliver recently received a master's degree in public relations and corporate communication from New York University while serving as regional editor for BroadwayWorld.com. Over the past 18 years, Oliver has been handling public relations and corporate communication for numerous brands (including Pepsi), Broadway shows, Broadway stars, non-profit organizations, and mainstream celebrities. He also teaches public relations at De La Salle University-Manila. Follow Oliver on Twitter: @OliverOliveros

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