Latest news with #Cinderella'sPrince
GMA Network
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Josh Dela Cruz, Arielle Jacobs hope audiences reflect on choice, consequence, and community in 'Into the Woods'
'Into the Woods' is more than just a fairy tale. The musical sees several fairy tales like "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Cinderella," and "Little Red Riding Hood" intertwine, but also tells a story about humanity, consequences, and contentment. In an exclusive interview with GMA News Online, stars Josh Dela Cruz (Cinderella's Prince/The Wolf) and Arielle Jacobs (Cinderella) expressed hope that audiences will be able to reflect on these themes when watching 'Into the Woods.' Arielle said that at its core, the musical is all about being careful with what you wish for, as these may have consequences. 'You have to be very thoughtful about what you're going after and what you're hoping for because you don't know what the end result will be, and you have to be okay with that,' Arielle said. Josh added that a learning would be, 'You can't just act, you have to think.' He also cited a line towards the end of the show that goes, 'Sometimes the spell may last past what you can see.' He agreed that being thoughtful is one of the most important lessons from the show. 'Like, how do you treat the people in your life in pursuing your wish? And why are you pursuing your wish? Are you pursuing it because of an idea or because of a selfless need?' Josh said. 'But it's all about self-discovery and, you know, we just have to make our choices and we'll deal with the consequences later,' he added. Arielle added that the show, towards the end, also teaches a lesson on community and knowing that you are not alone. 'The only way that we can survive is with community. If [there are] ever forces that we're dealing with, we have to come together as a community to figure things out and to get the best result we can,' she said. 'And also realize that when we come together as a community, we're not alone because we have each other.' 'We're small in comparison to how big things are outside of our own lives,' Arielle added. Josh added that in the first two acts, everybody is so focused on their own wishes, which leads to them having a 'literal giant problem to deal with later.' 'If you have a community, it's easier to get through because you can't do it alone,' he said. 'Into the Woods' is made up of a star-studded cast, with Lea Salonga as the Witch, her child Nic Chien as Jack, Mark Bautista as Rapunzel's Prince, Nyoy Volante as The Baker, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante as The Baker's Wife, Eugene Domingo as Jack's Mother, Carla Guevara-Laforteza as Granny or the Giant, and many more. Tony Award winner Clint Ramos will serve as the overall artistic and creative director, alongside co-producers John and Joanna Echauz, and Samsung Performing Arts Theater Executive Director Chris Mohnani. 'Into the Woods' opens at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati on August 7. More shows were added due to high demand. —Nika Roque/CDC, GMA Integrated News
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Life's a stage for Queenstown teacher
Ben Wombwell, who plays 'Cinderella's Prince' in Showbiz Queenstown's season of Into The Woods. PHOTO: TRACEY ROXBURGH Till last week, Ben Wombwell may have flown under Queenstown's radar, but the Queenstown Primary teacher's been making headlines for years. On debut for Showbiz Queenstown as 'Cinderella's Prince' — "raised to be charming, not sincere" — in Into The Woods, the 36-year-old performer's got about 20 years' experience under his belt, though it could be argued his most famous appearance was almost accidental. In 2014 Ben was living in London when one of his mates got tickets to The Graham Norton Show, and had one spare. "I said, 'if you take me, I will do a red chair story', and he went, 'fine, great, you can come along'." He sent his yarn — about being accidentally groped during a "midnight spooky walk" through a museum with his year 4 class — to the show's producers, but had no idea whether it had cut the mustard till he was pulled from the crowd by the producer. Norton's guests that night included Taylor Swift, who appeared overcome by the Kiwi, asking "Where is he? Where can we find him?" After being told to "settle down" by Norton, Swift replied: "It's OK, it's fine. I've got it in check." Successfully walking away from the red chair after telling his story, Ben wasn't prepared for what came next. As soon as word hit our shores, the headlines followed. "It was, at the time, the number one news story," he laughs. "In New Zealand, my phone was blowing up ... And then in the UK I was heading in to teach 5-year-olds that day, and we were doing painting with our fingers. "So, you know, it was some beautiful grounding." Originally from Dunedin, Ben got his first taste of musical theatre at Bayfield High School, where they were "really big on school productions". In need of guys for one particular show, Ben was hand-picked by the director and he's never looked back, initially performing with Taieri Musical Society and Musical Theatre Dunedin before, while studying to become a teacher, he linked up with DKCM Ltd founder and director Doug Kamo, who became a "mentor and a friend". It was through that friendship Ben had his first taste of Showbiz Queenstown 16 years ago, when Kamo directed Les Miserables in Queenstown and Ben came to see it. "I was blown away then with what Queenstown could produce." After a teaching stint in Dunedin, he headed to Wellington for a time, then on to London where he continued teaching and spent four months studying part-time at The Associated Studios, one of Britain's top drama schools, working with a variety of West End actors, choreographers and musical directors. Due to a subsequent visa change, though, he couldn't keep working in entertainment there, so jumped at a later chance to audition for the National Theatre, looking for volunteers for a top-secret project. He became one of 1600 actors enlisted to be part of Jeremy Deller's art event "WeAreHere", performed across the UK on July 1, 2016, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme — each actor represented a World War 1 soldier, dressed in replica costumes, who died on the first day of the battle. Ben, who describes it as "an incredible experience", was there for Rifleman Reginald Stephen Hazzard, 1st/9th Batallion, London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles), age unknown. The men took to the streets from dawn till dusk, with strict instructions not to speak. If they were approached, they simply handed over a card which bore the details of the person they represented. "People's responses were just incredible, in terms of bursting into tears and just the silence and respect," he says. After his OE, Ben returned to NZ where he worked with the Life Education Trust in South Auckland, and subsequently met his now-wife, Nikki, who's also a teacher, about six years ago. He got back on stage, where he "finally got to do the dream musical", Les Miserables, at Pacific Theatre, and then Chess The Musical at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre with the Auckland Philharmonia. Ready for a change, and always intending to return to the South, Ben and Nikki moved to Queenstown just over two years ago — he's teaching year 6 at Queenstown Primary, and is also one of the Kahui Ako within school leads and a mentor teacher, while she's teaching at Te Kura Whakatipu o Kawarau. Ben says he was "waiting for the right moment" to audition for a show here, and he's grateful to Showbiz's musical director Natasha Wilson, also a teacher at QPS, who suggested that time might be now. "The main reason that I always do shows is for the people and to get to know the community and the amazing people who do these shows, who have been a privilege to work with," he says. "I think the calibre of what Showbiz Queenstown brings is incredible, and it punches well above its population weight ... the talent and the crew and the creative team [behind] what is produced in Queenstown is right up there with Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland." Given "Queenstown is now definitely home", it's a fair bet while this is his first time on a Queenstown stage, it won't be his last.
