M. Butterfly national tour 2019 all set for 6-city run from February to June

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MANILA, Philippines – The M. Butterfly National Tour 2019 is all set to spread its wings even wider to reach the major cities of Iloilo, Dumaguete, Cebu, Davao, Manila and Baguio.

Presented by Tony and Grammy award winning producer Jhett Tolentino and FRONTROW

Entertainment (producer of highly-acclaimed independent films Bhoy Intsik and Bwaya), the M. Butterfly National Tour 2019 was decided upon by the producers to bring this world-class masterpiece to those who did not have the opportunity to catch its 2018 Manila run.

After all, location should not limit one’s exposure to the arts and culture.

Most theater companies in our country whose successful productions in Manila are often hindered from bringing their projects to other key cities because of the many challenges and technical details involved.

And this is why Jhett Tolentino and FRONTROW Entertainment are taking this bolder step to carry on their mission and advocacy in the performing arts and to further enhance audience development throughout the Philippine archipelago.

This revival production of David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly is the winner of the 2018 Aliw Awards for Best Play, Best Actor and Best Director.

Photo from Frontrow Entertainment

It was also nominated for two  Best Featured Actresses in a Play and Best Ensemble.

M. Butterfly, which tells the story originally premiered on Broadway in 1998 and won 3 Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Feature Actor and Best Director.

Synopsis: René Gallimard is a member of the French embassy in China. René is mild mannered and considers himself to be poor with women. He meets and falls in love with Chinese opera star Song Liling, a woman whom he considers to be the embodiment of the perfect woman, Madame Butterfly. But when West meets East, everything is not what it seems….

Targeting audiences between ages 18 and above, the producers are hoping that this classic drama, inspired by Giaccomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly’, will likewise resonate to theater audiences from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that “ love, power and deception holds no boundaries – whether this be in a rural or urban setting.”

RS Francisco, the 2018 Aliw Awards Best Actor for M. Butterfly shall reprise his iconic portrayal of Song Liling, the Chinese opera singer who is Gallimard’s object of affection and seduces him through his biases of the East then exploits their intimacy to collect classified information for agents of the Chinese Communist Party.

RS first essayed this role in May 1990 for Dulaang UP, opposite veteran actor, writer and critic Behn Cervantes.

In its debut, M. Butterfly immediately rose to critical acclaim with packed houses and box office success in over 100 performances throughout the Philippines.

Photo from Frontrow Entertainment

In the many years that followed, RS Francisco’s theater credits in numerous productions and variety of roles continued to hone his craft as a complete artist.

In films, his most recent awards include the Sinag Maynila Best Actor, the Star Awards Movie Actor of the Year and the Subic Bay International Film Festival  Best Actor.

When M. Butterfly was revived recently on Broadway, RS had thought of bringing it to life once again to the new theater audiences of today.

After all, this is the only ‘one’ role that continues to remain as closest to his heart.

To add a diverse twist to the M. Butterfly National Tour 2019, young actor Aira Igarta will step into the role of Song Liling as alternate in certain performances.

As an original member of the Kurogo ensemble of the play’s 2018 Manila run, Aira is a stage and film actor from the Theatre Arts Program of UP Diliman where he took part in several Dulaang UP and Dulaang Labortoryo productions.

Trained by the likes of Tony Fabella and Luther Perez, Aira was originally a dance and voice scholar at Quezon City Performing Arts Foundation (QCPADFI).

French actor Olivier Borten  shall essay the role of Rene Gallimard, a former French diplomat, who relates the story of his passionate, disastrous affair with Song Liling from his cell in a Paris prison, where he is serving a long sentence for treason.

Philippine theater royalty Jenine Desiderio, who among many other theater, film, television and recording credits, assumed the lead role as Kim in the West End’s original Miss Saigon, will portray Gallimard’s wife – Helga.

The pair married as a matter of convenience; Helga’s father had diplomatic connections that helped Gallimard ascend in his career.

After 25 years of stage acting experience in the United Kingdom, Scottish Norm McLeod has stepped in the Philippine stage as Manuel Toulon, the French Ambassador to China who also happens to be the dominant and strong-willed superior of Gallimard at the embassy in Beijing. Toulon promotes Gallimard to vice-consul and charges him with collecting information to aid the American war in Vietnam.

Trilingual American actor Lee O’Brian will once more personify Marc, the sexually unapologetic best friend of Gallimard.

He encourages Gallimard to take sexual advantage of the women around him without regard for their feelings or even their consent. Although M. Butterfly was Lee’s first theatrical endeavor, his acting skills have already been tried and tested in international films Edsa Woolworth and Forgive Me Father. O’Brian also portrays Sharpless in M. Butterfly for a brief while.

Portraying the different roles of Suzuki, Comrade Chin and Shu Fang is powerful and well-rounded artist Mayen Estanero.

Her impressive performance in the 2018 run of M. Butterfly landed her an Aliw Awards nomination for Best Featured Actress.

Mayen’s previous theater credits include Dalanghita Production’s Corazon Negro, An Operetta as Maestra, Virgin Labfest’s Mula sa Kulimliman as Leila and Sugid Production’s Buwan at Baril as Asawa. Comrade Chin is a member of the Red Guards, a paramilitary arm of the Communist Party in China. Song communicates with Comrade Chin often, to pass on the classified information he gathers from Gallimard.

Twice a finalist as Best Actress for the Aliw Awards, Maya Encilla receives her third nomination as Best Featured Actress for her unique characterization of Renee and Pin-Up Girl in M. Butterfly.

The stunning Arizona native plays a young, sexually liberated Danish woman with whom Gallimard has an affair. Renee’s boldness presents a stark contrast to Song’s modesty, which Gallimard finds both exciting and obnoxious.

A true expert in performing arts, Maya has taken the stage countless times as Mary Lennox for The Secret Garden, as Belle for Repertory Philippines’ Beauty and the Beast musical and as Lara for Philippine Stagers’ KATIPS, to name a few.

Rising soprano star Jasmin Salvo will be the new Opera Singer for the national tour.

The members of the ensemble playing the role of Kurogo are as follows: Pheith Iena Ballug, Ullyses Basa, Sasa Cabalquinto, Franco Ferrer and John Paul Ortenero.

Photo from Frontrow Entertainment

The artistic team of M. Butterfly is composed of: Jhett Tolentino and RS Francisco (Producers), Ohm David (Set), Eric Pineda (Costume), John Batalla (Lighting), Jethro Joaquin (Sound), Joed Balsamo (Music) and Carissa Adea (Choreography).

The M. Butterfly national tour 2019  will benefit 10 charitable institutions namely: Iloilo Prima Galaw, Philippine National Red Cross Iloilo Chapter, The Children of Cebu Foundation, Silliman University Culture and Arts Council, the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Love the Children Foundation, House of Hope Foundation, Halfway Home for the Boys and St. Louis University Culture and Arts Center.

PLAYDATES:

ILOILO CITY

VENUE: SM City Iloilo Cinema 6

Feb. 14 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm

Feb. 15 – Friday – 2pm / 7pm

Feb. 16 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm

Feb. 17 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

DUMAGUETE CITY

VENUE: Luce Auditorium, Silliman University

Feb. 28 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm

Mar. 01 – Friday – 7pm

Mar. 02 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm

Mar. 03 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

CEBU CITY

VENUE : SM Seaside City Centerstage

Mar. 14 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm

Mar. 15 – Friday – 7pm

Mar. 16 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm

Mar. 17 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

DAVAO CITY

VENUE: SM Lanang Premier Cinema 6

Mar. 28 – Thursday – Opening Night – 7pm

Mar. 29 – Friday – 2pm / 7pm

Mar. 30 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm

Mar. 31 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

MANILA

VENUE: Maybank Performing Arts Theater

May 8 – Wednesday – Opening Night – 8pm

May 9  – Thursday – 8pm

May 10 – Friday – 8pm

May 11 – Saturday – 2pm / 8pm

May 12 – Sunday – 2pm / 8pm

May 15 – Wednesday – 8pm

May 16 – Thursday – 8pm

May 17 – Friday – 8pm

May 18 – Saturday – 2pm / 8pm

May 19 – Sunday – 2pm / 8pm

BAGUIO CITY

VENUE: St. Louis University

May 30 – Thursday – Opening Night 7pm

May 31 – Friday – 7pm

Jun. 1 – Saturday – 2pm / 7pm

Jun. 2 – Sunday – 2pm / 7pm

Ticket merchants per area:

ILOILO, DAVAO, CEBU, BAGUIO – SM Tickets at any SM Mall or online at SMTickets.com

DUMAGUETE – Culture and Arts Council Office, Silliman University through contact nos. (035) 422-4365, (0917) 300-0346, (0999) 797-7825

MANILA – TicketWorld through contact no. (02) 891-9999 or ticketworld.com

The ticket prices vary per city, and range from P500 to P2,000 plus taxes and fees.

Check out M. Butterfly at the following social media:

Facebook: /MButterflyPH

Twitter: @MButterflyPH

Instagram:@MButterflyPH

YouTube: MButterflyPH

For further inquiries, please contact JHETT TOLENTINO at (0906) 576-6914.