If you’ve seen Annie either on stage or film, you must be familiar with Daddy Warbucks, the man who took the orphan girl under his wings.
In the re-staging of the classic Broadway musical at the Resorts World Manila, actor Michael de Mesa is playing the iconic Daddy Warbucks role.
The country’s premier entertainment and tourism destination Resorts World Manila (RWM) recently revealed the cast for its upcoming musical Annie, apart form De Mesa. And they are young talents Krystal Brimner and Isabeli Araneta Elizalde who will both play the title role.
De Mesa will play the role of billionaire Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks after coming out of a six-year respite from show business. De Mesa returns to the stage after his Gawad Buhay-nominated role of Georges in La Cage aux Folles.
The film and theater actor shared his excitement with the project, expressing his willingness to once again perform onstage. “The theater industry is very much alive. I really believe it’s a good thing because you have the proper training ground for actors to really delve in the craft,” he shared.
De Mesa, who recently celebrated his 56th birthday, also articulated how comfortable he is with his role as Annie’s foster father. He said his gauge as a strict yet lovable character is determined by how his own grandchildren see him. “I had them in mind when I said yes to the project as this will be the first time they will watch me onstage,” he shared. “I have to find that balance where you are stern but still loved by the kids”.
The seasoned actor also recalled how the first staging of Annie in the country was a hit among audiences. “Annie is a classic. I mean Annie is known worldwide. I guess all the children know Annie especially when Lea Salonga really popularized the musical here in the Philippines,” he stated.
Annie was first staged in the Philippines in 1980 and after 36 years, RWM brings back the family classic in the country featuring an all-Filipino cast and crew.
Directing Annie is actor Michael Stuart Williams who was also at the helm in RWM”s production of Cinderella in 2013.
“It’s exciting. Everything has finally come together, the costume, the cast, the production people with all the administrative stuff, the entire company– the direction were taking this production from the lights to the sound— it’s surreal and we’re getting everybody in line with that idea,” Williams said.
Annie is the seventh musical production from RWM opening this September. The musical is presented through Full House Theater Company and Ultimate Shows, Inc. in cooperation with MTI New York.
Visit www.rwmanila.com or call the Tourist/Visitor Hotline at (632) 908-8833 for more news on Annie.
HBO releases ‘Westworld’ trailer worldwide
HBO released a trailer for Westworld (#Westworld), in global anticipation for the premiere of the network’s new drama series, slated to debut this October in Asia the same time as the US, exclusively on HBO late this year (fall of 2016). The series will also be available on HBO GO / HBO On Demand (in territories where applicable).
This 10-episode hour-long HBO Original drama series is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
Westworld’s all-star cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Ben Barnes, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Luke Hemsworth and Clifton Collins, Jr.
Inspired by the motion picture Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton,it is produced by Bad Robot Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions and Kilter Films in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Jonathan Nolan is executive producer/writer/director, along with Lisa Joy who is also executive producer/writer, and J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, and Bryan Burk.