Featuring music from Disney’s animated feature, Tangled, the musical will be staged on Friday, December 16, and Saturday, December 17, at 7:00 p. m. each night at Fiesta Resort and Spa in Garapan, Saipan.
Directed by Theatre Club veteran Victoria Camacho, the production stars other club veterans, Anastasia Schweiger as Rapunzel, Victor “Champ” Cabrera as Rapunzel’s love interest, Leo, John Edward Elenzano as Leo’s sidekick, Maximus, and Anne Gelika Elenzano as the evil Mother Gothel.
Although Camacho has been an assistant director before, this production is her first to direct all by herself. “This was one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences in my time in Theatre Club.” As the lead character, Schweiger echoed Camacho’s sentiments. “It’s difficult, but I enjoy doing it because it makes people happy.”
For its part, the Manta Band will be conducted by William DeWitt with some assistance from Joeray Delacruz of the Guam Territorial Band. This performance with Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club will mark the third collaboration with Mount Carmel. The band and the Theatre Club lub also collaborated on It’s A Wonderful Life in December 2008 and Winter’s Tale in December 2009.
Theatre Club advisor and Rapunzeled producer, Galvin Deleon Guerrero, is very happy about the continued collaboration between the two. “It is such an honor to be able to work with such an accomplished band such as the Manta Band. From Carnegie Hall, the Tumon Bay International Music Festival, to local productions like this, the Manta Band always brings pure magic.” Deleon Guerrero added, “We hope to continue collaborating on similar projects in the future.”
The script for the musical was developed by the Theatre Club in a collaborative writing process that involved the director, lead cast members, and some crew members. The story follows Rapunzel as she escapes Mother Gothel in an effort to find her real family, while aided by Leo, who, in contrast, is trying to escape his family. Along the way, Rapunzel and Leo stumble through one obstacle after another until finding themselves and each other.
A portion of proceeds from the production will go towards the Manta Band for its second performance at the Olympics, this time London in Summer 2012. The band last performed for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
The show is made possible, in part, by generous support from the Tan Siu Lin Foundation and Northern Marianas College.
Tickets for the show are available at Mount Carmel School or from cast and crew members. Due to limited seating, advance purchase of tickets is recommended. For more information, call 234-6184 or email [email protected].
