Review: LEA SALONGA: STAGE, SCREEN, & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN at The Music Center At Strathmore

Before Lea Salonga stepped out on the stage of the Strathmore this past Saturday evening, I could feel the anticipation building. Soon, a very savvy orchestra assembled and lightly “tuned up” as the audience awaited the entrance of Lea Salonga, --stage, screen, recording and concert performer par excellence. Ms. Salonga finally appeared to loud applause in a beautifully tuxedoed -tailored, colorful pantsuit.

Ms. Salonga opened the act with the soaring and dream-laden song “Pure Imagination” (from the hit film Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) and this song set the tone as an inspiring evening displayed the diverse and intense talents of Ms. Salonga. The concert’s title Stage, Screen & Everything in Between is certainly very apt as Ms. Salonga has won an Olivier Award, a Tony award, performed in sold- out concerts around the world, and has become an animated heroine of wonder and strength in such hits as Mulan and Aladdin.

The glorious music of Rodgers and Hammerstein was celebrated in a medley that included a smashing upbeat (and splendidly non-saccharine rendition of “A Cockeyed Optimist” (from South Pacific), the mesmerizing “I Have Dreamed” (from The King and I) and the unabashedly romantic “If I Loved You” (from Carousel). Ms. Salonga’s fluid vocal versatility caressed each note in the beautiful notes from the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon.

The sorrow and pain of Sara Bareilles’ “She Used to be Mine” (from the musical Waitress)was sung with penetrating depth and inherent understanding by Ms. Salonga –resulting with a very moving and poignant rendition.

Ms. Salonga was very generous towards her orchestra and vocalists during her program and, indeed, their instrumental and vocal participation pushed the concert to the top-tier level. Musical director and pianist Larry Yurman beautifully played the piano and directed the orchestra ---with Ray Brinker and Warren Odze on drums, Kevin Axt  on bass, Paul Viapiano on guitar, and Quinn Johnson and David Witham on keys. Vocalists Sarah Galbraith and Andrew Kotzen were particularly welcome with  adding dimension and extra vocal and emotional energy at several critical junctures.

The now iconic disc classic “Stayin’ Alive” was a veritable knockout of hothouse blazing and pulsating energy. Ms. Salonga was bathed in jolting disco lighting as she sang her heart out with the rhythmic timing and “ in the moment” euphoric, blissful edge required for this Bee Gees song from the classic film Saturday Night Fever. Ms. Salonga delivered a gender-bending performance replete with the requisite swagger and posturing of a New York City man of the streets.

Ms. Salonga sang two superbly delineated duets from her hit Tony-award-winning role in Miss Saigon (composer Claude -Michel Schӫnberg’s and Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr.’s lyrics). Ms. Sarah Galbraith joined Ms. Salonga as they sang of how their characters’ lives have changed as a result of the war and Mr. Andrew Kotzen joined Ms. Salonga for the moving love song of heartbreak and melancholy “The Last Night of the World.”

As the first-act finale, Stephen Sondheim’s much-covered “Being Alive” (from Company) took on new life as Ms. Salonga’s vibrant and melodious voice built effortlessly towards the culminating ironies of this now-revered song. In Salonga’s hands, I truly felt that “Being Alive” meant being aggravated, hurt, and vulnerable alongside the need for “Somebody crowd me with love. Somebody force me to care, Somebody let come through…. .” A killer interpretation!

A stunning  plum-colored gown with a jewel-encrusted cinch at the waist/side ----was worn by Ms. Salonga as act two began and there seemed to be an even more relaxed Ms. Salonga onstage. Ms. Salonga had just the right dash of personal and theatrical/song information to share with the audience ---and she did so with occasional interjections of lively patter --underscored with  a dry, yet earthy and  knowing sense of humor.

Ms. Salonga’s captivation with all things Stephen Sondheim (she has recently completed a successful run of the Sondheim revue Old Friends in the West End and on Broadway) continued as she delivered an exciting rendition of Sondheim and Bernstein’s “Something’s Coming.”

Sondheim’s “By the Sea” (from Sweeney Todd) seemed tailor-made for Ms. Salonga as she added precise comic timing and a light cockney accent to her evocative portrayal of the amoral Mrs. Lovett.

The evergreen and eternally popular song of nationalistic pride –(Austria’s symbol of pride) “Edelweiss” (from the Sound of Music) was sung with pristine clarity and piercing beauty by Ms., Salonga.

After this number, Ms. Salonga lent her pleasant persona and her breathtaking voice to the romantic song of the Philippines entitled “Kailangan Kita” to immense applause from the audience.

A celebratory salute to Ms. Salonga’s two popularly acclaimed Disney heroines took place as she sang of her musings in “Reflection” from Disney’s animated classic Mulan. Ms. Salonga also sang the hit song “A Whole New World” (from Disney’s animated film Aladdin) with a sense of wonder and inspiring awe.

“On My Own” from the hit musical Les Misérables was a standout for Ms. Salonga has played the part of Eponine in the West End and on Broadway. Ms. Salonga’s vocal delivery was full of taut control and build up until the ending of the song –as she expressively repeated “I love him, I love him, I love him, But only on my own …. .”

The brilliant show-stopping number (from the Styne-Sondheim musical Gypsy) “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” was delivered with show-biz brio and sassy verve by Ms. Salonga.

As a beautiful conclusion to the concert, Ms. Salonga sang a heart-piercing rendition of the immortal classic song “Over the Rainbow” (Arlen and Harburg) combined with a subtly interwoven rendition of the slightly melancholy Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (as subtly lit Christmas trees appeared)----tears were very hard to keep at bay: this medley was sung with ethereal delicacy.

The acoustics of the Strathmore concert venue are particularly well suited to hearing every subtle gradation and shading of Ms. Salonga’s voice. Lea Salonga is quickly becoming a well -deserved icon of pure talent amongst our best; new generations should be thrilled that they had a chance to savor her versatile and breathtaking vocals, acting and theatrical showmanship.

This uniquely moving concert will be etched into my memory forever.

Running Time:  Two Hours with one twenty-minute intermission

Lea Salonga: Stage, Screen & Everything in Between was presented on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at The Music Center at Strathmore which is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Maryland, 20852.