MCS’ Theater Club, Manta Ray Band present Rapunzeled

Just in time for the holidays, the Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club and Saipan Southern High School’s Manta Band will join forces in bringing the classic fairy tale Rapunzel to life in a musical show next Friday.

Rapunzeled is a two-night special presentation that will feature music from Disney’s animated feature, Tangled, and will be staged on Dec. 16 and 17, 7pm at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan. Ticket price is $5 each person and part of the proceeds will be donated to Manta Ray Band’s 2012 London Olympics trip. The band last performed for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Directed by Theatre Club veteran Victoria Camacho, the production stars Anastasia Schweiger as Rapunzel, Victor “Champ” Cabrera as Rapunzel’s love interest, Leo, John Edward Elenzano as Leo’s sidekick, Maximus, and Anne Gelika Elenzano as the evil Mother Gothel.

Although Camacho has been an assistant director before, this production is her first to direct all by herself. “This was one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences in my time in Theatre Club,” she said. As the lead character, Schweiger echoed Camacho’s sentiments. “It’s difficult, but I enjoy doing it because it makes people happy,” the main star said.

The script for the musical was developed by the theatre club in a collaborative writing process that involved the director, lead cast members, and some crew members. The story follows Rapunzel as she escapes Mother Gothel in an effort to find her real family, while aided by Leo, who, in contrast, is trying to escape his family. Along the way, Rapunzel and Leo stumble through one obstacle after another until finding themselves and each other.

For its part, the Manta Ray Band will be conducted by its musical director and conductor William DeWitt with some assistance from Joeray Dela Cruz of the Guam Territorial Band. This performance with MCS’ Theatre Club will mark the third collaboration with the school. The two groups collaborated in the past in musical shows It’s A Wonderful Life in December 2008 and Winter’s Tale in December 2009.

Theatre Club advisor and Rapunzeled producer, Galvin Deleon Guerrero, is very happy about the continued collaboration between the two.

“It is such an honor to be able to work with such an accomplished band such as the Manta Ray Band. From Carnegie Hall, the Tumon Bay International Music Festival, to local productions like this, the Manta Ray Band always brings pure magic. We hope to continue collaborating on similar projects in the future,” said Deleon Guerrero.

He said the show is made possible, in part, by generous support from the Tan Siu Lin Foundation and Northern Marianas College. Tickets for the show are available at Mount Carmel School or from cast and crew members. Due to limited seating, advance purchase of tickets is recommended. For more information, call 234-6184 or email galvin@itecnmi.com.