The international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC, produced by Broadway International Group will arrive in Manila from March 7th to March 26th 2023. The brand new international production is set to be staged at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. Tickets are now on sale and available online at ticketworld.com.ph and TicketWorld outlets.

This highly acclaimed original production tells the uplifting true story of Maria, the fun-loving governess who changed the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by reintroducing them to music, and culminating the family’s flight across the Austrian mountains as tensions rise prior to the outbreak of World War II.

The tour is led by Jill-Christine Wiley as Maria Rainer, Trevor Martin as Captain von Trapp, and Lauren Kidwell as Mother Abbess. The musical will also feature THE SOUND OF MUSIC kids from North America who will be joining the full company for the first time during the Manila leg of the tour.

One of the most popular Broadway musicals in the international marketplace, THE SOUND OF MUSIC is celebrating its 65th birthday in 2024, having won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the GRAMMY Award for Best Show Album, for its original run. It has since entertained generations of audiences in live productions across the world, as has the classic film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which won five Oscar Awards, including Best Picture.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. The tour highlights the original creative work of three-time Tony Award® winning director Jack O’Brien, Broadway choreographer Danny Mefford, and Musical Supervision by Andy Einhorn as well as an established award-winning Broadway creative, design, and production team. Matt Lenz, Original Tour Restaging; James Gray, Original Choreography Restaging, Douglas Schmidt, set design; Jane Greenwood, costume design; Natasha Katz, lighting design; and Shannon Slaton, sound design. Eric Cornell serves as General Manager for Broadway Asia International. Simone Genatt, Marc Routh and Broadway International Group are Producing, along with Co-Producers Roy Furman, Broadway Asia Group, Cornice Productions and Gabrielle Palitz, in association with GMG Productions. THE SOUND OF MUSIC is presented in special arrangement with Concord Theatricals, NETWorks Presentations and Broadway Asia Company. For more information, please visit www.broadwayasia.com

CAST BIOGRAPHY

JILL-CHRISTINE WILEY (Maria Rainer)

Jill-Christine returns to the hills of Austria as Maria after portraying the role for two years on the National Tour. She recently played her 500th performance and is thrilled to continue sharing this timeless story with audiences across the globe! Other National Tours: Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (u/s Belle, Ensemble) Other favorite credits include: R&H’s Carousel (Carrie Pipperidge), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Ariel) Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (Belle), The Fantasticks (Luisa), Little Women, The Musical (Beth). When not on the stage, she can be found doting on her dog, Lillie, and taking on as many DIY home renovation projects as possible!

TREVOR MARTIN (Captain von Trapp)

Trevor Martin is a versatile actor, singer, and musician currently based in NYC. Described as a “classically-trained baritone, perfect for the Golden Age of musical theater,” Trevor has made a comfortable home both in the operatic and musical theater genres. He was winner of the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition sponsored by the Kurt Weill Foundation in 2019, and was selected as a quarterfinalist for the American Traditions Competition for 2021.

Trevor is currently performing in the Global Tour of The Sound of Music (Captain Von Trapp). He has performed at many regional theaters in a variety of musical theater and operetta roles. Some of these highlights include: Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd), Beauty and the Beast (Beast), Guys & Dolls (Sky Masterson), White Christmas (Bob

Wallace), West Side Story (Riff), See What I Wanna See (Man #1), HMS Pinafore (Ralph Rackstraw/Captain Corcoran), Camelot (Arthur), and End of the Rainbow (Anthony); at theaters such as: ZACH Theatre, Jennie T. Anderson Theatre, Sharon Playhouse, Revival Theatre Company, WaterTower Theatre, City Springs Theatre Company, Wolfbane Productions, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and Seagle Music Colony.

He is a staunch advocate for new works, having been a part of many world and regional premiere operas such as: When Adonis Calls (Muse), TESLA (Mark Twain), Crude Capital (Coal and Cattle Club Member), Service Provider (John), Buried Alive (Victor cover), JFK (JFK cover), Amelia (Paul), and Voir Dire (Baritone Roles). The original cast recording for Voir Dire was released in the Summer of 2020. Other opera companies he has sung with are: Beth Morrison Projects, Fort Worth Opera, Opera San Jose, Virginia Opera, Madison Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Janiec Opera Company, SoBe Arts, Center for Contemporary Opera, Modern Opera Company, and Des Moines Metro Opera.

He also enjoys being a part of the creative process, by participating in workshops and readings of new works, both in opera and musical theater. Namely creating the role of John in a new opera entitled House of Legendary, which has been workshopped with the American Opera Project, and is slated for a premiere in 2022. Other notable workshops include: Goin’ Hollywood (A.J.), The Sorrows of Frederick (Frederick/Hans Katte), The Night Falls (Python Hunter/Male Ensemble), Gilgamesh (Enkidu), and Pure Country (Earl).

Trevor has made a name for himself as a concert and cabaret soloist. He has performed masterworks, chamber music and pops concerts around the U.S. with ensembles such as: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Échappé, Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, Barry University Chorale, Southern Crescent Chorale, and Opera North.

Trevor also has made a career in commercial/print modeling and and is a budding VoiceOver artist. He is an avid pianist and guitarist, and is proud to support many social justice reform organizations. He currently serves on the board of multiple Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees for different theaters, and is committed to these ideals in all aspects of the theater and academic worlds.

LAUREN KIDWELL (Mother Abbess)

Lauren Kidwell is an actor, singer/songwriter, and director. She is thrilled to be making her international debut as Mother Abbess in the International tour of The Sound of Music. Her most recent credits include Mother Abbess in the North American tour of The Sound of Music, Woman 2 in Songs for a New World (Gulf Coast Symphony), Mother in Ragtime (Brooklyn Players), Aunt March in Little Women (Gallery Players), Mutti in My Heart in a Suitcase (Artspower), Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar

(BoCo), and Frau Schmidt in The Sound of Music (Fireside Theatre). Lauren has also performed as a guest artist with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus and in FrancD’Ambrosio’s “Broadway, Songs of the Great White Way” concert. She graduated from The Boston Conservatory with a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and also received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an Emphasis in Directing from the California State University of Fullerton. Lauren’s directorial credits include The Light in the Piazza (Boston Conservatory), Fat Pig (Earthstone Theatre Company), Macbeth (EarthStone Theatre Company), Damn Yankees, (Saddleback Civic Light Opera), Violet (CSUF) and Little Women (CSUF). Lauren has also directed, written, and starred in a one-woman cabaret called Cinema in the Sahara. While in New York City, Lauren can be found performing alongside her younger sister in a professional jazz duo, aptly named The Kidwell Sisters.

About Broadway International Group and Broadway Asia (Producer)

Broadway International Group and Broadway Asia Company are among the largest production, management, and distribution companies of live entertainment throughout the global markets with focus in New York, London, Europe and Asia. Its founders, Simone Genatt and Marc Routh, are two of the most active commercial Broadway and West End producers. Over the last 25 years, theatrical productions by the Broadway International Group partners have performed in over 60 countries and garnered over 56 Tony, Olivier, Grammy Awards and many other global theatrical accolades through its many collaborations. Select live entertainment productions and attractions include: An American in Paris, The Sound of Music, Back to the Future, The Producers, Hairspray, Anastasia, Amelie, Legally Blonde, The Great Comet, Stomp, COOKIN/NANTA, Shear Madness, The Addams Family, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The King and I, Cinderella, West Side Story, 42nd Street, Rock of Ages, Immersive Great Gatsby, Immersive Doctor Who, Neverland, the Peter Pan Immersive, Murder Ballad, Tape Face, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Little Shop of Horrors, Jay Chou’s THE SECRET, Manual Cinema, ICE AGE LIVE: A Mammoth Adventure, SpongeBob SquarePants Live, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Madagascar Live, Fuerzabruta and many more. Select forthcoming productions and attractions include: Immersive Great Gatsby in New York at the Gatsby Mansion and multiple Asian territories, Anastasia and Beetlejuice in Japan, Marilyn Monroe Hollywood Experience: The Global Tour, and Journey, an immersive technology dining attraction in New York. Broadway Asia, co-founded by Simone and Marc, is a pioneer and a leader in the field of international licensing and touring with shows and attractions in over 400 cities across 5 continents.

About Jack O’Brien (Original Director)

Jack O’Brien has won three Tony Awards for his direction of Hairspray, Henry IV, and The Coast of Utopia. His other recent Broadway credits include Arthur

Miller’s All My Sons, Carousel, The Front Page, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, It’s Only a Play, Macbeth, The Nance, Dead Accounts, Catch Me If You Can, Impressionism, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony nom.), Imaginary Friends, The Invention of Love (Tony nomination and Drama Desk winner),The Full Monty (Tony nom.), More to Love, Getting Away with Murder, The Little Foxes, Damn Yankees, Two Shakespearean Actors (Tony nom.) and Porgy and Bess (Tony nom.).Off- Broadway credits include Tom Stoppard’s The Hard Problem, Pride’s Crossing, and Hapgood (Lucille Lortel Award). Other productions include Il Trittico at the Metropolitan Opera, Guys and Dolls at Carnegie Hall, Much Ado About Nothing for The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park, Love Never Dies and Hairspray (Olivier nom.) in London, which saw a revival at the Coliseum in London last summer. Mr. O’Brien was the Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre from 1981 till 2007. He has directed six programs for PBS’s American Playhouse. His book, Jack Be Nimble, is published by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux and his next volume, Jack in the Box: or, How to Goddamn Direct, will also be published by FSG. www.broadwayasia.com

About Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II

After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (Composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Librettist/Lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American Musical Theatre. Prior to joining forces, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on musical comedies that epitomized wit and sophistication (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Babes In Arms, and more), while Hammerstein brought new life to operetta and created the classic Show Boat with Jerome Kern. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, introduced an integrated form that became known as “the musical play.” Their shows that followed included Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals have earned Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer, and Olivier Awards. The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is a Concord Company, www.concord.com.

About GMG Productions

GMG Productions have its headquarters in Manila servicing the Asia Pacific region, as well as regional bases in New Zealand, Singapore and the UK. Having strong existing relationships with some of the world’s most acclaimed Producers, GMGP is dedicated to bringing prestigious productions to the region. The GMGP founders and management team comprise some of the entertainment industry’s elite who are also supported by a strong in-house team with a wealth of experience in production, marketing and design to enable GMGP to service every aspect needed to present shows in the Asia Pacific. Over the past decade, the GMGP team has been involved in producing numerous shows from Queen’s We Will Rock You, CATS, RSC’s Matilda in

Manila, Disney’s The Lion King, Les Misérables, MAMMA MIA! And WICKED, The Sound of Music, West Side Story and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. www.gmg-productions.com