Since “Bituing Walang Ningning (The Musical)” started its run at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre, Resorts World Manila on June 17, tycoon Andrew Tan has been calling up his friends, business partners and executives of his various companies to support the original production.
He has been watching almost every weekend himself, and may continue to do so until the show, which runs every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, concludes on July 18.
The chair and chief executive officer of Alliance Global Group Inc., the holding company with a big presence in the tourism sector through Resorts World Manila, has set aside a good portion of his valuable time for the musical as he believes in the value of local talent.
Tan, who has built a sprawling business empire with interests in the food and beverage industry, real estate development and quick service restaurants, has always had a passion for the performing arts.
He does not act in plays himself but he is very much involved in promoting Filipino performing arts.
This is one of the main reasons why Tan, through AGI subsidiary Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., owner and operator of Resorts World Manila, pushed for the establishment of a performing arts venue.
That vision turned into reality in the form of the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Megaworld’s Newport City, said to be one of the most modern venues for performing arts in the Philippines.
The theater boasts of the biggest LED screen in Asia, providing dynamic video backdrops for events and shows.
The stage, said to be the widest in the Philippines, is equipped with two Euro-LED screens equipped with 3D effects, a complex fly system and a revolving stage, and is supported by intelligent lights and a state-of-the-art digital audio system.
The Newport Performing Arts Theater was designed by Hong Kong-based interior design expert, Joseph Sy, who won the coveted 2011 Perspective Awards-Certificate of Excellence and the 2011 Asia Pacific Interior Design Silver Award for the project.
The theater also earned the distinction of being Broadway World Philippines’ Best Theatrical Venue in 2011, and was one of the top six contenders in the Leisure and Entertainment class of the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards.
Through the years, the Newport Performing Arts Theater has contributed to getting more Filipinos to appreciate local as well as foreign stage plays and musicals.
It has also helped pave the way for Filipino talent to be recognized all over the world through concerts, stage plays, musicals and shows.
“Bituing Walang Ningning (The Musical), the latest show to be staged there, has already attracted thousands of performing arts enthusiasts, including Tan.
When Travellers International president Kingson Sian opened up the idea of having the 1980s classic film translated into a musical play, Tan fortunately agreed without batting an eyelash.
“There is so much promise in the Filipino performing arts, and I’m sure that we can be at par with Broadway and West End,” Tan says.
And as part of his continuing commitment to support the arts, Tan is building another world-class performing arts venue, this time at the Resorts World Bayshore project near Manila Bay.
It is envisioned to be the country’s first grand opera house, making the Philippines ready to host more world-class Filipino productions that the country’s performing arts sector can be truly proud of.