LEADING LADIES, A Hilarious Comedy About Men Disguised As Women Set To Open On February 10

I've seen a sneak peek of Leading Ladies late last year and found the story line really, really funny. Can't wait to catch this on stage soon :)

Press Release:

Men disguised as women has proven to be one of the greatest comedic devices in movies and plays for decades.

From “Some Like It Hot” to “Tootsie” to “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “La Cage Aux Folles” there’s just something funny about watching a man trying to walk in heels, wear a dress and act like a lady.

So, prepare yourself to laugh endlessly with Repertory Philippines’ latest offering for its 75th season with “LEADING LADIES” written by Ken Ludwig.

“LEADING LADIES” is about Leo and Jack, two British actors whose careers are so far on the skids that they’re performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. They think their luck might change, however, when they hear about Florence, an old lady in a nearby town who is about to die and leave a considerable legacy to her nephews from England. Leo convinces Jack that they should impersonate the heirs.

Their foolproof plan hits a snag, though, when they arrive on the scene and realize the woman’s long-lost relatives are nieces and not nephews.

Then it hits another obstacle when Leo falls in love with Meg, who’s engaged to a minister with plans for Florence’s money, while Jack crushes on Audrey, a ditzy blonde involved with the son of Florence’s doddering doctor.

The ensuing shenanigans and problematic courtships naturally force the actors to hop back and forth between Jack and Leo and “Maxine and Stephanie.”

Ken Ludwig has won numerous awards and several Tony nominations for his work. His musical “Crazy For You” ran for five years on Broadway and four years in the West End winning Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk and Helen Hayes Awards as Best Musical of the Year. “Lend Me A Tenor” (produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber) has proven to be one of the most popular comedies of the past 25 years, winning two Tony Awards. His work has been translated into 16 languages and performed in more than 30 countries.

“LEADING LADIES” will be directed by Michael Williams, one of the Philippines’ most noted theater actors whose extensive credits include the male lead roles Les Misérables, Camelot, A Chorus Line, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Man of La Mancha, Visiting Mr. Green, Passion and so much more.

The leading men taking the stage, and most of the laughs are James Stacey as Leo and Topper Fabregas as Jack.

James was recently seen as one of the Pirates in Peter Pan, as the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, the King in Sleeping Beauty, the Giant in Jack & the Beanstalk as well as in Sweeney Todd, A Christmas Carol, Mulan, Cinderella, Fiddler on the Roof and Aladdin among others.

Topper was last seen in Sweet Charity for 9Works Theatrical. His many Rep credits include roles in Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado about Nothing, Aladdin, Gay Birds, and God’s Favorite among others.

The supporting cast includes Cris Villonco as Meg, Giannina Ocampo as Audrey, Jamie Wilson as Duncan, Juno Henares as Florence, Hans Eckstein as Butch and Oliver Usison as Doc.

Cris Villonco recently appeared as Maria in Resorts World Manila’s The Sound of Music. Before that she appeared in Rep’s Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Joy Luck Club, Fiddler on the Roof, Romeo & Bernadette, Mulan, Cinderella and Hamlet. Among her other theater credits include Orosman at Zafira, Legally Blonde The Musical, Noli The Musical, A Little Night Music, Alikabok and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.

Giannina Ocampo is a fresh addition to Rep’s roster of talents after having joined the Rep Summer Workshop. She made her professional theater debut playing the title role in Sleeping Beauty. After that she played Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical and later joined the cast of Peter Pan.

Jamie Wilson, a certified theater veteran, has appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Broadway Bound, Biloxi Blues, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Camelot, South, Pacific, The Blue Room, Rent, Stop Kiss, Angels in America (Millenium Approaching and Perestroika), Stones in his Pocket, Our Country’s Good, Les Parent Terribles, Speed the Plow, Frozen and Sacrilege among others.

Juno Henares, considered as one of Manila’s most respected theater actors, among Juno’s numerous theater credentials include roles in A Chorus Line (as Maggie), Annie (as Grace Farrell), Private Lives (as Sybil), Present Laughter (as M0nica Reed), Two and Two Make Sex (as Ruth), Moose Murders (as Nurse Dagmar), Romeo and Bernadette (as Camille Penza), West Side Story (as Anita) and Amadeus (as Constanze Mozart).

Hans Eckstein, coming fresh from the success of playing Oberon, King of the Fairies, in last season’s Shakespeare in Hollywood, has also played a gamut of roles on the Rep stage with roles in Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Taming of the Shrew, Cinderella, Seussical, Fiddler on the Roof, Gay Birds, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, Sweeney Todd, Equus, Sleeping Beauty and very recently, Peter Pan.

Oliver Usison, who plays the role of Doc, was last seen as Horton in Seussical. His previous Rep theater credits include roles in Our Town, The Cherry Orchard, Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Baker’s Wife, Proposals, Ten little Indians, The Secret Garden, Much Ado About Nothing, Pinocchio, Aladdin, Gay Birds, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, Sweeney Todd, The Joy Luck Club and Shakespeare in Hollywood among others.

“LEADING LADIES” will make sophisticated and reasonable men and women of the 21st century cackle till their faces hurt."

Co-presented by the City of Makati, Enderun Colleges and Bellaroca Island Resort and Spa “ LEADING LADIES ” shall run from February 10 – March 4, 2012 with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. All performances are at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City.

The artistic and creative team of “ LEADING LADIES ” is led by Baby Barredo (Artistic Director), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Associate Artistic Director), John Batalla (Lighting Designer) and Denis Lagdameo (Set Designer).

The production staff is composed of Gidget Tolentino (Production Manager), Ayam Barredo (Company Manager), Dingdong Rosales (Stage Manager), Pol Roxas (Sound Technician), Pablito Salvador (Lighting

Technician) and Adul Lasin (Set Execution and Scenic Artist).

The marketing, sales and publicity of “ LEADING LADIES ” is led by Toots Tolentino (PR & Publicity) with Rem Zamora and Oliver Usison (PR & Publicity, Marketing), Marie Talay and Rose Silva (Marketing & Sales) and Dave Fabros (Photography).

For tickets, inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines at 571-6926 or 571-4941 or email info@repertory.ph. Tickets are also available thru Ticketworld at 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, and add “Rep Phils” in Facebook.

“LEADING LADIES” is brought to you by the following sponsors: Ayala Malls, Business World, Ticketworld, Manila Bulletin, Her Word.com, Click the City.com, Lane Moving and Storage, Dot.ph, 105.1 Crossover, Jam 88.3 and Yehey.com.

“ LEADING LADIES ” is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Agency.