Red Turnip Theater was formed by five actors who are friends namely Topper Fabregas, Jenny Jamora, Ana Abad Santos, Cris Villonco and Rem Zamora. Their first two productions will be Patrick Marber's Closer which is opening this October and Mike Bartlett's Olivier-winning Cock which is set for first quarter of 2014. Pretty exciting, huh? :)
 |
| (L-R) Jenny Jamora, Rem Zamora, Cris Villonco, Topper Fabregas and Ana Abad Santos. |
Closer will be directed by Ana Abad Santos with the casts Angel Aquino, Marc Abaya, Bart Guingona, and Cris Villonco. All shows will be held at Whitespace which is located at 2314 Chino Roces Ave. Extension (formerly Pasong Tamo Extension), Makati starting October 4 to 27, 2013 with Friday shows at 9pm, Saturday shows at 3pm & 8 pm (no show on Oct 12) and Sunday shows at 3pm. The last 2 Sunday shows will be at 8pm.
Patrick Marber debuted Closer in London in 1997, and the play won him a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play the following year, as well as the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Foreign Play when it was staged in New York the year after that (it was also nominated for a Tony). While it’s enjoyed numerous productions all around the world, genereal audiences may be most familiar with the work due to its 2004 film adaptation by Mike Nichols that starred Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen.
“We’re very happy with this cast,” says director Ana Abad Santos. “They each bring their own touches to the roles and have different experiences with the material. It’s very interesting watching them play off of each other.”
“Closer is one of those works that excites us as actors and lovers of theater,” says Villonco. “It’s an example of the kind of shows we want to do, which is why we formed Red Turnip.”
 |
| (L-R) Ana Abad Santos, Cris Villonco, Rem Zamora, Jenny Jamora and Topper Fabregas. |
 |
| Cris Villonco |
The production of Closer will mark acclaimed film actress Angel Aquino’s debut in a stage play. Aquino was most recently seen in Erik Matti’s On The Job, which debuted at the Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. She says, "It's wonderful material to be part of, especially since this is my first time. It's beautifully written. I think it's something that every actor would aspire to be part of so I feel it's a privilege.”
 |
| Angel Aquino |
Bart Guingona is no stranger to the material, having directed it himself in a production several years ago.
 |
| Bart Guingona |
TV and film actor Marc Abaya, son of pioneering director Marilou Diaz-Abaya and frontman of rock band Kjwan, also makes his stage debut with Closer.
 |
| Marc Abaya |
The other members of the crew are John Batalla for Technical Direction & Lighting Design, Gino Gonzales for Set Design, Jethro Joaquin for Sound Design and my favorite costume designer Raven Ong for costumes (of course!).
Tickets are available at TicketWorld (891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph) and also at 215-0788 / 0917-537-8313. Check out Red Turnip Theater on Facebook!
