AlDub, the Philippines's most-popular on-screen tandem, are in Italy this week to shoot a feature film. AlDub is a portmanteau of the names of actor Alden Richards and the character Yaya Dub, played by Maine Mendoza in the variety-television programme, Eat Bulaga! (Lunchtime Surprise).
The stars secretly flew to Italy on Sunday and were spotted by the paparazzi filming at Piazza Cavour in Rome on Monday. They are expected to film across the country until the end of the month.
Details about their forthcoming film, directed by Mike Tuviera, are still under wraps. But sources say the movie’s producers opted to shoot in an international location due to the couple’s massive popularity in the Philippines: they felt filming in Manila would be tricky since Richards and Mendoza are flocked by crowds wherever they go.
Since debuting on Eat Bulaga! in July last year, AlDub have become the most-popular spectacle the Philippines has seen in years. In the show, they play a fictional romantic couple who communicate through a split-screen frame, interacting through the dubbing of audio samples of pop songs. The duo even set the world record for the most-discussed single topic on Twitter in 2015. They starred in their first feature film, My Bebe Love, last December.
The romantic comedy currently holds the record for highest opening-day box-office gross for all Filipino films. For her performance, Mendoza won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Metro Manila Film Festival.
Rak of Aegis returns to Philippine stage
The hit Filipino musical Rak of Aegis will return to Manila this summer for 82 more shows.
Rak of Aegis has staged about 200 shows since its debut in January 2014, making it the longest-running original Filipino musical in contemporary history. It is produced by the Philippine Educational Theatre Association – one of the country's major theatre organisations.
The musical is based entirely on the discography of the Filipino pop-rock band Aegis, which became popular in the late 1990s for their soaring ballads. The show's title is a reference to the American jukebox musical Rock of Ages, which was built around metal and rock songs from the 1980s.
Heavy on comedy and melodrama, Rak of Aegis tells the story of Aileen – an aspiring singer who uploads her performances on YouTube – hoping to be discovered by American talk-show presenter Ellen DeGeneres. It is a story inspired by the rags-to-riches tales of Arnel Pineda, who became the lead singer of Journey after the band discovered his videos on YouTube, and Charice Pempengco, who catapulted to fame after DeGeneres saw the teenager's performances on YouTube. Aileen's story is set in an impoverished neighbourhood devastated by a typhoon – a timely reference to Typhoon Haiyan – which ravaged the Philippine coastline in November 2013, two months before the musical's premiere.
Singer and television personality Aicelle Santos will return to play the lead role of Aileen. Poppert Bernadas, who appeared on The Voice of the Philippines, will play Aileen's suitor, Kenny. Directed by Maribel Legarda, the musical also features veteran musicians and theatre actors Renz Verano, Sweet Plantado, Lani Ligot, Pepe Herrera, Jerald Napoles and Myke Salomon.
Rak of Aegis's success marks a major turn in the Philippine theatre industry, which has been dominated by adaptations of westerns musicals and plays in the last three decades.
Rachelle Ann to go back on London’s West End
After playing the role of Fantine in the recently-concluded Manila run of the musical Les Misérables, actress and singer Rachelle Ann Go heads back to London today, where she will reprise the same role in the musical's West End production.
"I'm so happy I was able to share with the Filipino audience what I do in London," Go told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "At the same time, I am sad that I will be leaving my family again – I will miss them. I will also miss the packed meals my mother always prepared for me. I am spoiled here."
The 29-year-old moved to London in 2014 to star in the West End revival of Miss Saigon, where she played the role of Gigi Van Tranh. After her contract with Miss Saigon ended last year, she was cast in Les Misérables.
After Les Misérables finishes its West End run in December, Go says she intends to keep working on stage. "I'm turning 30 this year. I can see myself continuing my theatre work," she said. "I'd love to perform on Broadway, too. I like claiming things – so, one day, it will happen."
Go rose to fame after winning the reality-television singing contest Search for a Star in 2004. She has since released five chart-topping albums.
artslife@thenational.ae