The gala performance of “The Club Mwah Show” at the Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater last Oct. 29 elicited many good reviews and comments.

The moment we saw the opening number, a take on Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show with the Pop Queen on a golden chariot pulled by an army of Greek warriors (with her hit recording “Vogue” as the basis for choreography), we knew right away we were in for more exciting surprises. And we were right, new and original production numbers created by Cris Nicolas, chief choreographer, overall artistic director and performer, materialized on the wide stage, five times bigger than the one at Club Mwah on Boni Ave. in Mandaluyong City!

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” staged last year on the same venue, was spoofed, particularly the wedding scene of Captain Von Trapp and the governess-novitiate Maria and it was quite a riot.

An impersonation of Grammy Award winner Patti LaBelle's “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (from the all-time fave musical “The Wizard of Oz”) was well-applauded.

Argentinian Diego Maradona’s Louis Vuitton TV ad wherein a giant high-heeled shoe served as a venue for dwarf dancers was cleverly spoofed and proved to be a visual delight.

Another spectacular number was the one using real and make-believe motorcycles in what looked like a war between two motorbike-riding and chain-wielding gangs with a funny twist at the end.

There was also a tongue-in-cheek spoof of Cameron Mackintosh’s “Phantom of the Opera” whose “serious version” was a hit with the Filipino audience when it was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines months back.

“The Club Mwah Show” has a very Broadway feel in the finale – a medley of numbers from three hit stage musicals: “One” (from “A Chorus Line”), “Jazz Hot” and “I Am What I Am” (from “La Cage Au Follies”). Fabulous, fantastic, truly world-class and almost incredibly beautiful. You really have to watch it to believe it.

“The Club Mwah Show” at Resorts World Manila will have a special, one-night only repeat on Jan. 31, 2013.

Tickets are available at TicketWorld and at the Resorts World Manila Box Office.

Meanwhile, top-rate entertainment continues at Club Mwah, 652 Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Broadway-inspired and Las Vegas and Moulin Rouge style of shows never fail to wow international and local audiences.

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Regine’s Free Concert Set Tonight

As promised, Regine Velasquez will stage a free concert tonight, Jan. 5, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Her fans and supporters who went to her 25th anniversary show “Silver” (at the same venue) may have felt “shortchanged” because she wasn’t well that night and she wasn’t able to deliver the kind of show expected of her and in her silver anniversary yet.

Actually, Regine could just have postponed it but she went on with the show nonetheless and did her best so her fans won’t be disappointed. She was thankful for her guest performers then (among them Lani Misalucha, Janno Gibbs, and her husband Ogie Alcasid of course) who more than made up for Regine’s shortcoming – through funny spiels and their song numbers.

There were many songs in her repertoire that she wasn’t able to sing, production numbers that weren’t done and costume changes that did not materialize anymore. But tonight, Regine promises to make up for everything that she wasn’t able to do the first time.

In the re-staging of “Silver” tonight, which is sponsored by PLDT MyDSL, Belo Medical Group, Bench, Smart, Victoria Court, and Cravings, Regine’s guests are Janno Gibbs, Jaya, Gloc-9, Rachelle Ann Go, La Diva, and Ogie Alcasid.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Jan. 5, go to Sen. Joker Arroyo, Atty. Estelito Mendoza, Bella Dimayuga, Dante Cruz, Nonoy Manalo, Mila S. Bravo, Farish Benito, Elvie S. Matias, Louie Baluran, Bryan Valdecañas, Luis Angelo Chavez, Eduardo E. Cuello of Tagum City, and singer Kyla (Melanie Calumpad Alvarez in real life)... Happy wedding anniversary to Jun and Yolly Mendoza and Salvador and Cielo Rivera...