Interview: Theatre Life with Lea Salonga

The term Broadway royalty can only be given to a handful of performers. Today’s subject Leas Salonga is one of those people. You probably know her best as the singing voices of Princess Jasmine and Mulan in Disney’s Aladdin and Mulan, but she is also an accomplished Broadway and concert performer who wows audiences all over the world with her dynamic voice and excellent acting.

This Friday, June 16th, she will be one of the headliners for the third annual Signature Theatre/Wolf Trap collaboration of Broadway in The Park. Also headlining that evening will be Broadway and TV star Megan Hilty. The concert will also feature some of our favorite local performers including Bobby Smith, “Dame” Felicia Curry, Kevin McAllister, and Tracy Lynn Olivera.

Lea Salonga burst onto the stage as Kim in the original production of Miss Saigon. She first played the role in London and then on Broadway. For her performance in that show Ms. Salonga was awarded with the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Other Broadway credits include the revivals of Les Misérables, Once on This Island and playing opposite George Takei in Allegiance. Read on to see what her initial thoughts were upon first reading the script. For a limited time, you will be able to see her in the upcoming Broadway production of Here Lies Love before leaving for London to team up with Bernadette Peters in a tribute to Stephen Sondheim entitled Old Friends.

You might have also seen her in the film Yellow Rose with Eva Noblezada who incidentally played Kim in the last Broadway revival of Miss Saigon.

Her concert appearances have taken her all over the world to such places as Sydney Australia. That concert was recorded and is available on your favorite streaming platform. Other concert appearances include stints at 54 Below and locally at The Music Center at Strathmore. The 54 Below concerts were recorded and are also available to stream anytime you need a Lea Salonga music fix.

If you have not done so already, please grab some tickets to this year’s edition of Broadway in The Park. The concert is always a good time and Lea Salonga will hold you in the palm of her hand from the moment she enters the stage at Wolf Trap. As I  said at the top, she is Broadway royalty and who would not want to live their theatre lives being in her presence for an evening.

Was there a particular Broadway cast recording you heard as a child that made you think “Hey I can do that!”?

I don't know that there ever was one. I think we had the soundtrack of The Sound of Music playing quite a lot at home, and I think it was mostly because there were kids on it. I know it was the soundtrack because I remember listening to Julie Andrews a lot.

Were you a theatre kid in school?

I was a theater kid in life because I started doing musicals when I was about seven years old. There were some all-school types of programs, but we didn’t have a formal theatre program. My high school was small so the programs we had everybody would be cast. There were a couple of times when I would be cast as a princess to represent my class and we would also invite guest performers to perform along with us.

What was your first professional theatrical performing job and what do you remember most about that opening night?

It was a production of The King and I at age seven. The company was called Repertory Philippines. As far as opening night, I don’t remember anything about it. It was like, hey, we are going to do this and then I went home and went to bed.

Can you please give us a small idea of what we might hear you sing for the upcoming Broadway in The Park concert at Wolf Trap?

Nope…LOL. It's obviously going to be from the world of musical theatre but that doesn't always mean musicals from the stage. There might also be something from a film musical. We are not limited to just one form of musical here and it might not be the ones you always tend to hear.

You’ve performed onstage on Broadway, internationally and also on the concert stage. What would you say is the best part of working on a musical that can’t be gotten from doing a solo concert?

Each department creating something different then coming together to tell one story. That is something you can’t get on a concert stage. It’s unique to the theatre.

You performed in the Broadway musical Allegiance which was inspired by George Takei’s own experiences in a Japanese American Internment camp. What were your immediate thoughts of the show after your first reading of the script?

I can't believe that this actually happened to an entire group of people. And then I stopped and thought, oh wait, yeah, I can believe it actually happened because of how people choose to think and racist rhetoric and so much stuff that was and is still going on. It was completely unbelievable that a hundred thousand Japanese Americans were basically placed in concentration camps in the United States at the same time. It does seem distant, but it really wasn't. It wasn't that long ago. People who were in those camps are still alive.

One of your musical directors is the extremely talented Broadway conductor, arranger, pianist, Lawrence Yurman. How did the two of you, how'd the two of you meet?

I was in the, in the first revival of Les Misérables on Broadway, I was playing Fantine, and the time was coming for me to start doing concert work again. When I started looking for recommendations for musical directors Megan McGinnis recommended Larry Yurman.

I love his demeanor. He's so calm and so soothing and someone and just an exquisite human being who is just monstrously talented and kind and lovely and just emanates peace. When your musical director has everything under control it feeds into your own confidence. We met in 2007 so we’ve been working together a long time.

There is a production of Miss Saigon happening in the UK this summer that features a female as the Engineer. If the opportunity were presented to play that role in a future production, would you be interested in doing it?

I don't know. I think I’d first have to see what happens with this one. If it makes absolute sense, and if it's something that might be a lot of fun to play, then sure. I’m glad the role went to someone that I consider to be incredibly talented and someone who's a wonderful performer. I'm so happy for her and so proud.

What advice can you give to a young performer just starting their theatrical career journey?

Be ready for a lot of hard work and please remain curious. Teamwork is everything. There is no person who is higher or lower than you. Treat everyone the same. Warming up before performances is incredibly important. Lastly and most importantly is to always be kind.

Special thanks to Signature Theatre's Marketing Manager and Publicist Zachary Flick for his assistance in coordinating this interview.

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