Marco Polo The Musical
Marco Polo: The Journey Continues by Stella Antonio
The Journey of Marco Polo is historically popular, and this musical production is the dramatization of what could be one of the many untold stories in his life. It is an allegory of the love between a Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo and the royal Mongol Princess Kogajin.
The book, music and lyrics are written by the author and composer; Filipino-Belgian Rogelio Saldo Chua. It started out as a passion project but had continuously worked on its every facet to become a lyric musicale.After being staged successfully in Manila, Paris, London. Berlin and Brussels, it has become a very well realized and complex production, where all the essential elements of a lyric musicale are in play. But with each iteration, the story continues to evolve, to adapt to the modern concept of being human, with darkness, flaws, sacrifices but passionate in love and in the pursuit of the loved one. As a musical, it has achieved its overarching theme: human beings, regardless of origin, race or creed, share the same dreams and hopes, life adventures and love stories, the fascination of the mysterious and the discovery of the unknown. As author and composer Rogelio Saldo Chua says, “East and West share a common humanity in love.”
The first world preview at the Meralco Theater was followed by performances in Manila at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Since the time Marco Polo, the New Musicale made its debut in 2013, well-received runs were held in Paris, London, Berlin, and Brussels up to 2018. It enjoyed a successful run in Paris where French and Filipino theatergoers were intrigued by the emergence of a new musical from Asia. In attendance then were HRH Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the baron and baroness de Pamplone of France, Count and Countess d’Harcourt of Belgium, Count d’Ursel and Countess d’Autremont of Belgium, had given the performance a standing ovation.Marco Polo was staged in theaters in other major cities of Europe in the years that followed. From Le’ Vingtieme Theatre in Paris to the Shaw Theatre in London, Admiralspalast in Berlin, and Theatre du Vaudeville in
Brussels. With 26 songs in the repertoire of the lyric musicale, a chamber orchestra, exciting choreography, innovative musical direction, modern lighting, stage, and sound design had blended beautifully to create an audio-visually outstanding show.
The Marco Polo lyric musicale had an international cast and production team. A mix of foreign and Filipino actors, conductors, stage directors and production team gave the production a global cultural blend. Jonathan Wagner, Bastien Jacquemart, David Bianco, Lawrence Olsworth-Peter, Alex James Southern, Marc Irwin all played the lead role of Marco Polo in various performances. Stephanie Reese and Gian Gloria played the role of the Mongol Princess Kogajin.Playing supporting roles were Pinky Marquez-Cancio, Gina Respall and Marie Gloriuex as Empress Wu; Chinggoy Alonso as Rustigielo; Miguel Faustman and Brent Metken as Niccolo Polo; Nicholas Lupu and Benoit Dambreville as Khogatal; Atalia Spater and Melisa Camba as Toragana.
Preece Kilick, Kelsey Belli were stage directors in London and Berlin respectively. Musical Directors/Conductors included Joseph Tolentino, Daniel Bartolome, Paul Ooi and Milo Lombardi and the Lighting directors were Dong Caligacion, Lito Borromeo and Renz Sevilla. Tony Gale and Jack Grewe were sound designers. Dusty Suarez and Ronnie Rivera were Production Managers with Jessica Tandy, Miko Gregorio, Emma Lorena Doverte and Jasvir Kaur as Stage Managers. It has been truly a collaboration from the heart of creative talents worldwide.
In its Philippine run, Rosalinda L. Orosa, a prominent multi awarded journalist and advocate of culture and arts, wrote that Marco Polo as a full-blown musical, was totally unexpected, stupendous surprise, with not only the book and the lyrics by Rogelio Chua, but also the music. The singing, acting, staging, lighting, dancing, and direction — all these expressing Chua’s book, lyrics, and music – rendered it comparable to the best musicals seen here and abroad.
Julian Eaves, an English-German book and theatre writer, Off-West-End show critic, awarded it 3 stars. He noted how Marco Polo possessed lots of magnificent moments, when the emotional power of the show really hits home to a splendid effect, forming a powerful emotional connection that opened the heart and mind on how a tale with only a well-chosen handful of characters can make the audience identify strongly and simply.
Patsy Trench of London Theatre 1, author, actress and scriptwriter gave it 3 stars. She admired the scope and ambitiousness of such an epic project with an international cast, the songs arranged chorally were melodic, and most impressively sung across the board, an astonishing achievementthat one must admire the grand vision of its writer and cast.
Catherine Sedgwick of the Upcoming.co.Uk reviewed Marco Polo as “a remarkable, highly romantic musical about love. The show, currently at the Shaw Theatre, is truly impeccable in every aspect, ranking highly on the list of best musicals.” She gave the musical 5 star rating.
The show reel of the past decade of Marco Polo can be seen in YouTube. Listen to it intimately and embibe the hidden meaning of what the songs and the music say. Enjoy the strength of emotions in the orchestration, and relish in the promise of true love in its story. This new lyric musicale continues to evolve towards its best form to surprise us once again on stage and, in the future, on film.
The Encounter: Marco Polo, the lyric musicale reveals how globally shared our common humanity in love. Love for its own sake is a more powerful motivation to action than reason.
Watch for the next stage!
The Journey of Marco Polo is historically popular, and this musical production is the dramatization of what could be one of the many untold stories in his life. It is an allegory of the love between a Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo and the royal Mongol Princess Kogajin.
The book, music and lyrics are written by the author and composer; Filipino-Belgian Rogelio Saldo Chua. It started out as a passion project but had continuously worked on its every facet to become a lyric musicale.
The first world preview at the Meralco Theater was followed by performances in Manila at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Since the time Marco Polo, the New Musicale made its debut in 2013, well-received runs were held in Paris, London, Berlin, and Brussels up to 2018. It enjoyed a successful run in Paris where French and Filipino theatergoers were intrigued by the emergence of a new musical from Asia. In attendance then were HRH Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the baron and baroness de Pamplone of France, Count and Countess d’Harcourt of Belgium, Count d’Ursel and Countess d’Autremont of Belgium, had given the performance a standing ovation.
The Marco Polo lyric musicale had an international cast and production team. A mix of foreign and Filipino actors, conductors, stage directors and production team gave the production a global cultural blend. Jonathan Wagner, Bastien Jacquemart, David Bianco, Lawrence Olsworth-Peter, Alex James Southern, Marc Irwin all played the lead role of Marco Polo in various performances. Stephanie Reese and Gian Gloria played the role of the Mongol Princess Kogajin.
Marco Polo: The Journey Continues by Stella Antonio
The Journey of Marco Polo is historically popular, and this musical production is the dramatization of what could be one of the many untold stories in his life. It is an allegory of the love between a Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo and the royal Mongol Princess Kogajin.
The book, music and lyrics are written by the author and composer; Filipino-Belgian Rogelio Saldo Chua. It started out as a passion project but had continuously worked on its every facet to become a lyric musicale.After being staged successfully in Manila, Paris, London. Berlin and Brussels, it has become a very well realized and complex production, where all the essential elements of a lyric musicale are in play. But with each iteration, the story continues to evolve, to adapt to the modern concept of being human, with darkness, flaws, sacrifices but passionate in love and in the pursuit of the loved one. As a musical, it has achieved its overarching theme: human beings, regardless of origin, race or creed, share the same dreams and hopes, life adventures and love stories, the fascination of the mysterious and the discovery of the unknown. As author and composer Rogelio Saldo Chua says, “East and West share a common humanity in love.”
- The first world preview at the Meralco Theater was followed by performances in Manila at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Since the time Marco Polo, the New Musicale made its debut in 2013, well-received runs were held in Paris, London, Berlin, and Brussels up to 2018. It enjoyed a successful run in Paris where French and Filipino theatergoers were intrigued by the emergence of a new musical from Asia. In attendance then were HRH Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the baron and baroness de Pamplone of France, Count and Countess d’Harcourt of Belgium, Count d’Ursel and Countess d’Autremont of Belgium, had given the performance a standing ovation.
Marco Polo was staged in theaters in other major cities of Europe in the years that followed. From Le’ Vingtieme Theatre in Paris to the Shaw Theatre in London, Admiralspalast in Berlin, and Theatre du Vaudeville inBrussels. With 26 songs in the repertoire of the lyric musicale, a chamber orchestra, exciting choreography, innovative musical direction, modern lighting, stage, and sound design had blended beautifully to create an audio-visually outstanding show.
- The Marco Polo lyric musicale had an international cast and production team. A mix of foreign and Filipino actors, conductors, stage directors and production team gave the production a global cultural blend. Jonathan Wagner, Bastien Jacquemart, David Bianco, Lawrence Olsworth-Peter, Alex James Southern, Marc Irwin all played the lead role of Marco Polo in various performances. Stephanie Reese and Gian Gloria played the role of the Mongol Princess Kogajin.
Playing supporting roles were Pinky Marquez-Cancio, Gina Respall and Marie Gloriuex as Empress Wu; Chinggoy Alonso as Rustigielo; Miguel Faustman and Brent Metken as Niccolo Polo; Nicholas Lupu and Benoit Dambreville as Khogatal; Atalia Spater and Melisa Camba as Toragana.
Preece Kilick, Kelsey Belli were stage directors in London and Berlin respectively. Musical Directors/Conductors included Joseph Tolentino, Daniel Bartolome, Paul Ooi and Milo Lombardi and the Lighting directors were Dong Caligacion, Lito Borromeo and Renz Sevilla. Tony Gale and Jack Grewe were sound designers. Dusty Suarez and Ronnie Rivera were Production Managers with Jessica Tandy, Miko Gregorio, Emma Lorena Doverte and Jasvir Kaur as Stage Managers. It has been truly a collaboration from the heart of creative talents worldwide.
In its Philippine run, Rosalinda L. Orosa, a prominent multi awarded journalist and advocate of culture and arts, wrote that Marco Polo as a full-blown musical, was totally unexpected, stupendous surprise, with not only the book and the lyrics by Rogelio Chua, but also the music. The singing, acting, staging, lighting, dancing, and direction — all these expressing Chua’s book, lyrics, and music – rendered it comparable to the best musicals seen here and abroad.
Julian Eaves, an English-German book and theatre writer, Off-West-End show critic, awarded it 3 stars. He noted how Marco Polo possessed lots of magnificent moments, when the emotional power of the show really hits home to a splendid effect, forming a powerful emotional connection that opened the heart and mind on how a tale with only a well-chosen handful of characters can make the audience identify strongly and simply.
Patsy Trench of London Theatre 1, author, actress and scriptwriter gave it 3 stars. She admired the scope and ambitiousness of such an epic project with an international cast, the songs arranged chorally were melodic, and most impressively sung across the board, an astonishing achievementthat one must admire the grand vision of its writer and cast.
Catherine Sedgwick of the Upcoming.co.Uk reviewed Marco Polo as “a remarkable, highly romantic musical about love. The show, currently at the Shaw Theatre, is truly impeccable in every aspect, ranking highly on the list of best musicals.” She gave the musical 5 star rating.
The show reel of the past decade of Marco Polo can be seen in YouTube. Listen to it intimately and embibe the hidden meaning of what the songs and the music say. Enjoy the strength of emotions in the orchestration, and relish in the promise of true love in its story. This new lyric musicale continues to evolve towards its best form to surprise us once again on stage and, in the future, on film.
The Encounter: Marco Polo, the lyric musicale reveals how globally shared our common humanity in love. Love for its own sake is a more powerful motivation to action than reason.
Watch for the next stage of the journey!
Marco Polo Synopsis
In 1271, Marco Polo, a young man from Venice embarked on a journey to fulfill his dream of knowing and exploring what’s there in the lands of the East beyond Constantinople.
He not only discovered new people and places, but more-so he found love. As one Chinese proverb says, “Regardless of time, place and circumstance, an invisible thread, tangled yet unbreakable, connects those that are destined to meet and love each other.”
However, lured by power and ambition, Marco Polo drew fierce opposition from the ruling Mongol class. He not only risked losing his own life but also the Princess Kogajin, the daughter of Kublai Kan and his one true love.
Marco Polo Synopsis
In 1271, Marco Polo, a young man from Venice embarked on a journey to fulfill his dream of knowing and exploring what’s there in the lands of the East beyond Constantinople.
He not only discovered new people and places, but more-so he found love. As one Chinese proverb says, “Regardless of time, place and circumstance, an invisible thread, tangled yet unbreakable, connects those that are destined to meet and love each other.”
However, lured by power and ambition, Marco Polo drew fierce opposition from the ruling Mongol class. He not only risked losing his own life but also the Princess Kogajin, the daughter of Kublai Kan and his one true love.
Video Gallery
Video Gallery
Rogelio Saldo Chua A Note From the Author and Composer
What is fascinating about the story of Marco Polo is the encounter of East and West in the 13th century.
The epic journey from Venice to Shangdu highlighted the importance of the Silk Road which would later play a crucial role not only in the increase of commerce but in promoting the exchange of ideas and cultural understanding between East and West.
Marco Polo, the Musical, is a tribute in honor of the achievements of the young man whose writings inspired future explorers. The tribute is in the form of a love story that could have been true between a young explorer from the West and a beautiful yet courageous princess from the East.
The musical reinforces the theme that despite our grand adventures in life, personal relationships are what is truly central in the human experience.
Rogelio Saldo Chua A Note From the Author and Composer
What is fascinating about the story of Marco Polo is the encounter of East and West in the 13th century.
The epic journey from Venice to Shangdu highlighted the importance of the Silk Road which would later play a crucial role not only in the increase of commerce but in promoting the exchange of ideas and cultural understanding between East and West.
Marco Polo, the Musical, is a tribute in honor of the achievements of the young man whose writings inspired future explorers. The tribute is in the form of a love story that could have been true between a young explorer from the West and a beautiful yet courageous princess from the East.
The musical reinforces the theme that despite our grand adventures in life, personal relationships are what is truly central in the human experience.