Who Attended Spelling Bee Manila Opening Night
The opening night of Spelling Bee Manila gathered Tony and Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga (accompanied by husband Rob), Avenue Q alumni Rachel Alejandro and Teenee Chan, and Repertory Philippines director and actor Ana Abad Santos at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium RCBC Plaza Makati on 20 March 2009.
After the show, the cast, with the creative and technical staff, proceeded to the Old Swiss Inn to celebrate. The fabulous pictures in the video below were taken by the tireless and uber-supportive Girlie Rodis. (Watch out for the pictures near the end when the cast members exchange roles and pose! And read Johann’s shirt that’s so apropos to his character!)
There are six main spellers for the Spelling Bee Manila contest.
There’s last year’s champion Chip Tolentino (Felix Rivera) who has to handle the pressure of defending his title while dealing with the effects of puberty onstage. And then there’s Marcy Park (Thea Tadiar), the over competitive speller who is all business. William Barfee (Rycharde Everley) and Leaf Coneybear (Johann Dela Fuente) are two of the more quirky contestants in the bee, while Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Pheona Baranda) is the Bee’s youngest and most politically-aware contestant (thanks to her two overbearing gay fathers). Finally, there’s Olive Ostrovsky (Carla Guevara-Laforteza), the timid and troubled newcomer who made friends with the dictionary.
Related Posts
How It Feels to Be A Spelling Bee Manila Guest Speller
Tessa Prieto-Valdes Attends Spelling Bee Manila Preview
How to Become a Spelling Bee Manila Guest Speller
Avenue Q London Set to Reopen on June 2009