Lea Salonga News

'To be an effective villain, you have to get the audience to love you.' - Joel Trinidad

Continuing its 10th Anniversary Season, Bay Area Cabaret presents America's Romantic Piano Sensation, Jim Brickman in concert. Making his first San Francisco appearance in nearly ten years, Mr. Brickman will perform solo at 8pm, and with special guest Broadway tenor David Burnham at 5pm, Sunday, November 10, at the historic Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street. Tickets ($43-$48) are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office(415) 392-4400.

Starry-Eyed: 16 Stories that Steal the Spotlight a performing arts anthology edited by author Ted Michael and talent agent Josh Pultz, was released today, October 8th, from Running Press Kids. No light is as unforgiving as the spotlight, but to be in it while being a teenager is just plain brutal. This collection of fictional short stories by some of today's hottest young adult authors highlight the struggles, hopes, failures, and triumphs of young aspiring singers, dancers, actors, actresses, and performers. Woven throughout the anthology are personal anecdotes from several of today's most celebrated stars of stage, screen, and television.

A spokesperson for Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Boublil and Schonberg's legendary musical 'Miss Saigon,' said today, 'The casting is not yet completed for 'Miss Saigon' and will not be until later in the year as the Director, Laurence Connor, is currently directing 'Les Miserables' in Toronto. No decision has yet been taken about who will play Gigi.'

Symphony Space opens its 2013-14 Music season with 'Kurt Weill on Broadway,' tonight, October 7 (8 pm) at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Broadway opening of Weill's One Touch of Venus. Ted Chapin hosts a stellar cast featuring Melissa Errico, Brent Barrett, Judy Blazer, and Ron Raines, plus winners of the international Lotte Lenya Competition.

The upcoming production of MISS SAIGON at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts has stirred some controversy as it has in previous years. But this interview with lead actor Manna Nichols reveals the opportunity for conversation falls amid a powerful story of love and loss.

Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) has announced its annual fundraising gala with a live performance by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga at San Francisco's Nourse Auditorium at City Arts tonight, October 5th at 8p.m.

Children's theater advocate Kids Acts Philippines presents its musical adaptation of "Mulan," based on the Chinese poem "The Ballad of Mulan," featuring music by Eugene Belbis, and book and lyrics by Luigi Nacario, at Star Theater, Star City Compound, Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Pasay City from Thursday, October 3 to Saturday, October 5.

Miss Saigon is playing at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit from September 24 through October 06, 2013

The follow-up to LES MISERABLES by composers Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil was eagerly awaited throughout the late 80s, and, on September 20, 1989 the mega-musical finally premiered at the West End's Theatre Royal Drury Lane - and MISS SAIGON, too, was a sensation. Plus, a revival awaits!

The advocates behind the legal adoption advocacy and awareness campaign "I Love You, Anak" (I Love You, Child) the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB) and marketing communications company McCann Worldgroup have recently tapped Tony winner Lea Salonga to sing the English version of the campaign song "I Love You, Anak," which was originally written with Tagalog lyrics and sung by Original Pilipino Music (OPM) President Ogie Alcasid during the campaign's launch November last year.

The return of the Orlando Fringe Festival hit musical DISENCHANTED! will be playing at The Abbey in downtown Orlando, today, September 19 through October 27.

In the videos below, Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott, Zak Resnick, Joey Contreras, Ali Stroker, Jonathan Reid Gealt and Krysta Rodriguez give advice to anyone looking to make it in the theatre industry.

The Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) has just released the TV promo for its annual fundraising gala featuring Tony winner Lea Salonga. The event is scheduled on Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m. at Nourse Auditorium at City Arts (1955 Sutter St.).

Australian producer Enda Markey presents a stellar international cast in the Asia-Pacific premiere of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?

Tony Award winner Bobby Lopez ("Book of Mormon," "Avenue Q") and Broadway actor Jose Llana ("…Spelling Bee," "Here Lies Love"), alongside fellow theater actors with Filipino ethnicity Ching Valdes-Aran ("Smash," "Flipzoids") and Brian Jose ("Miss Saigon," "Imelda"), are nominated for this year's The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) Awards, whose awarding ceremony will be held at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, October 26.

On Tuesday, September 3rd, a very selected audience of lucky Austinites were invited to a special invitation-only screening of a developmental production of the Broadway-bound musical, Allegiance, hoping to raise funds and support to further bring the show to the Broadway stage. I was lucky enough to attend, and while it may be unconventional for a theater critic to review or even comment on a piece they technically did not see live (what was shown in Austin was a professionally filmed version of the world premiere production of Allegiance at the Old Globe in San Diego, CA) the show is too good to ignore.

BroadwayWorld.com is very excited to announce that we will be returning to Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in 2014, kicking off a year-long celebration of the community and our 10th anniversary with regularly scheduled concerts, live streams and special events in a BIG way. The concert series will launch on January 20, 2014 with BROADWAYWORLD VISITS OZ, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Tickets will go on sale on October 15, 2013 at 1pm. Below, watch a VERY special 10th Anniversary look back at the site's original concert series.