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NEW YORK—Filipina-American theater actress Jaygee Macapugay is taking on the role of a lifetime, that of the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, in the New York premier of Imelda, A New Musical.
"I am feeling really excited. This is an extremely challenging role because the character is equally loved and hated. We have been rehearsing for the past weeks and working hard to come up with a great show," Jaygee told the Asian Journal a week before the opening of the musical.
Tisa Chang, Artistic Producing Director of Pan Asian Repertory Theatre announced recently that its 33rd season includes the East Coast premiere of Imelda, A New Musical. The limited engagement plays September 22-October 18, 2009 at The Julia Miles Theatre, 424 West 55th Street. Opening night will be on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 7pm.
With a book by Sachi Oyama, music by Nathan Wang and lyrics by Aaron Coleman, Imelda is a portrait of the ambitious and controversial woman often referred to as "The Steel Butterfly."
The musical spans from the 1940s to 1980s—the pivotal years after the Philippines gained its independence. Imelda Marcos wanted to set her country as an equal player on the world stage and gain the respect of the world.
Set against the backdrop of modern Filipino history, the musical traces the rise of a beauty pageant contestant to become First Lady of the Philippines. It is a story of a powerful and controversial figure and her fall from grace, with a parallel story line that follows the political dissent and assassination of Ninoy Aquino, and the rise of his wife, Corazon Aquino.
"This is the first Filipino musical that I have ever been a part of, and I am just so glad to be a part of it. This is an all-Filipino cast and it is very important for us that we are playing Filipino roles this time around," Jaygee explained.
Under the direction of Tim Dang, Producing Artistic Director of East West Players in L.A., (which produced the show in Los Angeles in 2005) the musical stars Liz Casasola as Corazon Aquino, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop as Ferdinand Marcos, Brian Jose as Ninoy Aquino and features Alan Ariano, Angelica-Lee Aspiras, Billy Bustamante, Leanne Cabrera, Sacha Iskra, Loresa Lanceta, Jonelle Margallo, and Romney Piamonte.
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