Filipino stars to stage music and comedy show

Music buffs will surely get one of this year's greatest treats when they watch a group of Filipino entertainers stage a two-day music-and-comedy fest in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Stars like Lani Misalucha, dubbed as Asia's nightingale, the sultry Diana Zubiri and singing sensation Anna Fegi will share the stage with the four-member Ang4gettables group and the slapstick comedian Norman Mitchell.

The Summer 2003 Musical Extravaganza is produced by Jovel Philippines International Corporation, under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Information and Culture.

Joselo 'Lou' Veloso, Chairman and CEO of Jovel, said the star-studded show will be a sure hit among Filipinos as well as other members of the expatriate community here. "It was not an easy show to put together. But this is the kind of treat that people here are waiting for, so we did what we can to make it happen."

The Dubai show, at Al Nasr Leisureland, starts at 7pm on August 14 while the Abu Dhabi leg will be staged on August 15, starting 6pm, at The National Theatre.

It will be the first time that the young screen sensation Diana Zubiri will appear in a show overseas. Feji is also glad to be back in Dubai after a successful performance with Ariel Rivera during the last Dubai Shopping Festival.

It's also the first show for Ang4gettables as a group though its members have been here before in individual performances.

Veloso said followers of Lani are in for a musical indulgence as the song diva teams up with Anna Feji and the Ang4gettables, a musical entertainment group composed of seasoned performers like Isay Alvarez, Pinky Marquez, Bimbo Cerudo and Dyords Javier.

Lani, a regular sight at MTV, will sing tracks from her newly-released 'Loving You' record including the carrier single 'Tila' (Seems Like) and her own interpretations of top hits.

The audience will surely love her own rendition of Loving You, the Minnie Ripperton composition, which made Lani famous by performing this tricky song while lying down onstage whenever she performs live.

The group started out as friends hanging out and blending tunes for fun nine years ago. Since then, it has turned into a non-stop, remarkable performance. Tickets for the show are priced at Dh50 and Dh75.