THE SUPER AMERICAN CIRCUS PERFORMS IN MANILA THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON

Family bonding made awesome at the Newport Performing Arts Theater

This Christmas, Filipino families can finally go out of their homes after two years of pandemic lockdown to enjoy and be amazed at the world-famous Super American Circus, coming to the Philippines on December 21, 2022 until January 8, 2023, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Newport World Resorts in Pasay City.
Families will be in for a marvelous two-hour treat with what is dubbed as the biggest ensemble of live one-ring circus today. The Super American Circus puts together an incredible array of performers whose acts earned standing ovations all over the world. Some of them were winners of the prestigious world-class talent search America’s Got Talent.

The Super American Circus is a modern one-ring circus that will showcase acts that will excite and delight Filipino family members and barkadas of all ages. Witness thrilling acts like the motorcycle team in the Globe of Danger, the amazing Sky Wheel, the High Flying Motorcycle, life challenging aerialists, beautiful aerial ballerinas, and amazing jugglers that will happily keep you hanging on the edge of your seats.

The Super American Circus is produced by Global Entertainment Productions. Its President and CEO Mr. Cornell "Tuffy" Nicholas is also the show’s ringmaster. "Tuffy" comes from a family with extensive circus history. His father "Count Nicholas" was the lead Ringmaster extraordinaire of the traveling Ringling Brothers circus. Tuffy was actually born on the Sarasota stop of the Ringling Brothers Traveling Circus. The Nicholas’s raised their three children on-the-road and Tuffy grew up amongst some of the world’s most famous performers and celebrities. Under the careful eye of the Count, he became a great performer mastering a variety of different acts and skills. He made his first appearance as an honorary ringmaster on a main-street float alongside his proud father at the ripe old age of 3.

For more than 35 years now, Mr. Nicholas has been a successful producer and promoter of circuses, concerts, festivals and sporting events around the world. As president and CEO since 2000, he has produced over 5,000 performances around the World – Moscow State Circus, Modern American Circus, International All-Star Circus are just a few of Mr. Nicholas's productions. In 2005 he produced Cirque Hawaii, a multi-million-dollar, state of the art, permanent theatrical spectacular, that showcased the award-winning talent of over 35 performers from around the world and thrilled Hawaiian audiences.

An incredible show like Super American Circus deserves an equally incredible venue. The Newport Performing Arts Theater is located at the center of Newport World Resorts, Newport Boulevard, Newport City, Pasay (across NAIA Terminal 3). A regular venue for patrons of the Philippine theater arts, the Newport Performing Arts Theater has been the venue of choice for a host of major concerts, plays, musicals, exclusive productions, and more. TV audiences may also recognize the Newport Performing Arts Theater as the venue of the highly popular reality television singing competition, The Voice of the Philippines. The Newport Performing Arts Theater was designed by prominent Hong Kong-based interior design expert Joseph Sy, which won him the coveted 2011 Perspective Awards-Certificate of Excellence and the 2011 Asia Pacific Interior Design Silver Award. The Newport Performing Arts Theater also earned the distinction of being BroadwayWorld Philippines’ Best Theatrical Venue for 2011, and was one of the top six contenders in the Leisure and Entertainment class of the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards.

The Super American Circus production in the Philippines is made possible in partnership with Newport World Resorts and SGE Productions. The good news of Super American Circus’ coming to the Philippines’ was launched to the Philippine press community on October 18, 2022 at the Golden Bay Restaurant, Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City. It was hosted by Cerah's Hernandez Co, a former DJ at Monster RX FM and is not a content creator and event host.

The Super American Circus will have performances at 3pm and 8pm beginning December 21, 2022. Tickets are available at SM Tickets in these prices: Php5,000, Php4,000, Php2,000 and Php1,000.

Rafael’s Tapas Bar and Restaurant at Resorts World Manila - The Place You Want to Come Home to for Original Recipes!

Entrepreneur Henjie Carmona launches Rafael’s Tapas Bar and Restaurant at Resorts World Manila to share his father Rafael’s passion for home-cooked dishes, his mother Petronila’s elegant homemaking, and his penchant for art collecting to the upscale hotel-casino complex’s food, wine, and fun loving clientele of high rollers, junkets, and the fancy set.

“I want to offer them a place to come home to not only for familiar but original home recipes that have been leveled up for their discriminating tastes,” he said, “but also to cozy up, chill, and unwind after spending hours playing and gaming.”

Although he’s a communication research graduate by degree and initially a banker by profession, Carmona has been in the hotel and restaurant industry for more than two decades now. His group having pioneered the condotel (condominium + hotel) format and the executive breakfast lounge, he wanted to challenge himself further by offering ala carte.

Lessons from Father

“Opening Rafael’s isn’t a childhood dream, but everything that went into it has been inspired by my dad who taught me all I need about food and cooking,” Carmona confessed. “First, good food is all about freshness—meaning, nothing stays long in the freezer, nothing canned is used, and everything is made in-house, even the pasta and especially the sauces.”

He reminisces how his father never allowed helpers to cook, reserving that privilege and honor for the head of the family, and made sure to prepare their meals himself every weekend despite being swamped by his business all week.

“I’d remember craving for his signature dinuguan (pork blood stew) and lechon (roasted suckling pig) pairing while Matt Monroe wafts in the air,” he recalls, adding that this time it’s not just about taste, but also being Instagrammable. Thus, all Rafael’s dishes are plated with delicate artistry worthy of being photographed and shared (pun intended).

“Second, you never ask your guests if they have eaten already or if they want to eat or not,” Carmona explained. Not only would it put off guests as an excuse for lack of preparation or not having enough food, it would also give an impression that hospitality is not one’s forte,

He assured that there’s no compromising quality in the dining experience at Rafael’s, where groups of 10 to 15 can avail of the posh Petronila VIP mezzanine room for a consumable reserve price of P200K which comes with the mandatory Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV that can be hooked up to Resort World shows. “For that, it’s the sky’s the limit from cocktail drinks at P400 per pop to exquisite bottles of Remy Martin Louis XIII and Dalmore 25!”

“Third, food is everybody’s game,” Carmona concluded, “just like my father said everything’s done with food: deals closed, relationships opened, victories celebrated, wrongs amended, and sins forgiven.” Nobody loses with food and the best businesses invest in it.

Thus, Rafael’s is that rare mall space where you not only find the most original tasting dishes but also the most fastidiously interior decorated restaurant where diners eat and drink surrounded by towering Toto Aguilon wire spires, commissioned paintings from artists Tanya Gaisano Lee and Angelo Tabije, John Lloyd Cruz photographs, red and black draped tables, golden trumpet chandeliers, and a golden washroom!

Rafael’s Specialties

“All our dishes are all-time familiar favorites that offer a unique twist in taste and presentation,” Carmona beamed as he introduced Rafael’s house specialties, which have interesting, oftentimes intriguing, names.

For their signature tapas or appetizers, they have their ritzy rendition of chicken skin—Chicken that Crossed the Road (P380) served with chili malt vinegar, pickled carrot, and radish puree, which are extra crunchy along with their classy version of gambas—Miss Gump in Hot Flashes (P720) with black garlic and Chardonnay roasted chilis and lemon.

For dinner, they have First Love (P1150)—spicy soft shelled crab risotto with homemade chorizo and chicken thigh charged with lemon—which is as crispy as they are tasty and Blackened Angus Ribeye (P2900)—prime steak with corn and zucchini succotash and chimichurri sauce—which is the most expensive standalone item on the menu.

Capping every meal or visit, guests ought to make sure they try The Big Bang Theory (P390)—a delicately sweet triple nut, three-layered cake of butter and dark chocolate cake revelation, their version of “Choc Nut”, revealed Chef Jinggoy Fernando—for dessert to complete the Rafael’s experience.

“The concept behind all these is simple,” Henjie Carmona said summing up: “I want Rafael’s to be that kind of place where you always want to come back to every day because it’s home and the food reminds you of family,”

For the full menu, reservations, and more information, please visit @rafaelsrwph
on Instagram and Rafael’s Tapas Bar and Restaurant on Facebook.