Lea Salonga was born Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga to Feliciano Salonga and Ligaya Imutan, who were never legally married because her father already had a wife and children, with whom he still lives today. I know I certainly wasn’t. “Why God Why?” happens to be one of my favorite songs from Miss Saigon. Yesterday at 8:29 PM. And as a (white) woman I overheard say to her (also white) friend after the show, “All Filipinos are good singers.” I don’t think that’s actually true, by the way, but for now I’ll embrace the stereotype. ABS-CBN Entertainment . I know that she would never publicly (or probably privately) say anything negative about Miss Saigon, as she owes her international career to the musical. My own take on the musical is colored by a kind of exhaustion. ( Log Out /  My mother’s favorite moment from the concert in Naples was Salonga’s extended version of the song “Reflection,” from Disney’s Mulan (a movie that also brings up complex feelings that are perhaps better reserved for a future blog post). She’s now 81 years young, still fiercely taking care of those she loves. Rear Admiral Feliciano G. Salonga, the father of Broadway star Lea Salonga, passed away last Friday. During the car ride over, my mom filled me in on some of the young singers who have been a part of “Team Lea.”. Salonga said it was her New York-based manager Josh Pultz who requested her to ask her daughter if she would be interested in doing the track's cover art. Playing next. But somehow it seemed different when there was another face—an Asian American face—that I could focus my identification through at the end of the story. No, it’s not her birthday (that’s not until August), but it’s never a bad idea to pay tribute to someone like her. Salonga sang the number as part of a one-night concert event at Artis-Naples, in Naples, Florida. Bernie was, perhaps predictably, Filipino. She did this with a throwback photo of her always supportive mother Ligaya who is now 81 years old. Orange Magazine TV. As a teacher, I’ve used this moment in time as an effective way of bringing up issues of race and representation, gender and sexuality, and protest versus censorship. According to Lea Salonga, you don’t always have to wait for their birthdays in order to honor your loved ones. Lea Salonga was born Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, on February 22, 1971, in Ermita, Manila. She spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles City before moving to Manila. I had interviewed two of the performers from the Broadway cast for the magazine InTheater. I think I stood because I felt overcome by a feeling of identification and community—even though I don’t know Bernie, and have only spoken to Lea Salonga once (when I interviewed her via phone for an article). He was 86. Bernie’s performance wasn’t perfect, as he lost his place in the lyrics at least once. ( Log Out /  She also hosted her own musical TV show, "Love, Lea". ), A post shared by Lea Salonga (@msleasalonga) on Feb 5, 2019 at 6:41am PST, She wrote: And if I’m honest, I regret doing so, as I enjoyed listening to the songs—even though I continue to hate some of the explicitly racist lyrics. Lea credited her mother for being the driving force of her storied and successful 40-year career in the entertainment business. Dan Bacalzo's Asian American Performance Site, The Aggregation of Asian American Performance Reviews, Lea Salonga, Miss Saigon, My Mother, and Me, David Henry Hwang Elected Chair of American Theatre Wing, Hamilton, The King and I Among Reasons for Improved Ethnic Diversity on NYC Stages, New Kansas drama, ‘f*sh,’ in world premiere With Kansas writer, director and team, Follow Dan Bacalzo's Asian American Performance Site on WordPress.com. She starred in "Miss Saigon" and was then offered the role of the singing voice of Jasmine in the Disney film Aladdin (1992). MANILA -- Rear Admiral Feliciano G. Salonga, the father of Broadway star Lea Salonga, passed away last Friday. This video is unavailable. Lea Salonga was beyond thrilled for her daughter Nicole, who personally met one of the cast members of the hit movie “Black Panther” on Sunday. Report. She has continued to record albums. Her brother, Gerard Salonga, is a conductor. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The first time I saw the musical was with my mother and father in London in the early 1990s. But I was there at Artis-Naples with my mom, in an auditorium with more Filipinos than I have ever seen in any other theatre in Southwest Florida, listening to a Filipino performer sing some of my favorite songs. A video compilation of Ms. Lea Salonga performing 'A Whole New World' from Disney's Aladdin. She was born to Filipino parents Feliciano Genuino Salonga (father) and Maria Ligaya Alcantara Imutan (mother). Lea Salonga’s daughter Nicole had the opportunity to meet Angela Bassett, who portrayed the role of Ramonda, Queen Mother of Wakanda in the film Black Panther.. [February 2004] Lea gave birth to her daughter, Nicole Beverly, a little past noon on May 16, 2006 in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. This is on ... e of the lessons Dr. … I quite enjoyed Salonga’s rendition of “Burn,” from the most popular musical currently on Broadway, Hamilton. His academic publications include articles and/or reviews in Theatre Journal, TDR, and The Journal of American Drama and Theatre. As seen in Salonga's Instagram post, Angela Bassett, who played the queen of Wakanda in the Marvel Studios movie, went backstage to meet the cast of “Once on This Island” after she watched the show in New York. And since I’m not a working actor, I’m hesitant to weigh in on whether or not actors should refuse jobs due to racist representations. of Drama at New York University and the Asian American Studies Program at Hunter College. Filipina soprano singer Lea Salonga, 1989. MANILA – Nicole Chien is following in the footsteps of her mother, Lea Salonga. She has a sibling brother named Gerard Salonga, an orchestral conductor.She went to O.B Montessori Centre in Green Hills, San Juan, Metro Manila where she completed her high school in 1988 an… I wondered if Ellen would leave Chris. All Rights Reserved. 6 teaches true compassion and empathy. Magandang Buhay: Lea Salonga as a mother. I recently read Diep Tran’s powerful article in American Theatre that articulates the show’s erasure of Vietnamese stories in favor of another “white savior” narrative, and I’m in 100% agreement with it. On her social media accounts, Salonga, who is currently in New York for the Broadway run of the musical "Allegiance," posted a screenshot of the obituary of her late father that appeared in the Philippine Star. It wasn’t until years later, when I read Martin F. Manalansan IV’s article “Searching for Community,” which references gay Filipino identification with the show (printed in Asian American Studies Now: A Critical Reader), that I realized that my ethnic identity was coloring my critical faculties in regards to this musical. Seeing the woman who once played Kim crossing race and gender lines to embody the white American G.I. Salonga met Robert Charles Chien while performing in the musical Flower Drum Song. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. But I still have a nagging desire to re-experience the musical for myself. He was the managing director of an entertainment software company in Los Angeles. Let’s continue to press for giving stars like Lea some other vehicles to shine in! I enjoy singing it at late-night karaoke parties, particularly if I’m hanging out with Asian American friends. (This photo was taken c. Let’s just say that Chris didn’t come across all that favorably to me in this production. While in graduate school at New York University, I read up on the casting controversy surrounding the Broadway premiere of Miss Saigon, centering on the yellow face performance of Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer. As you might have guessed, I have a complicated relationship to Miss Saigon. My love for the Miss Saigon original cast recording has a lot to do with Lea Salonga. Those who walk a Life Path with Number 6 gift the world with unconditional love, healing and nurturing. Lea Salonga is best known for her legendary vocals, but there’s still so much that you might not know about her. The proud daughter proudly shared her mom’s best attributes and it’s easy to where Lea inherited her strength and wisdom from. Lea’s father, Feliciano Genuino Salonga was the owner of a shipping company and her mother was Maria Ligaya Alcantara. Mitoy Yonting, a member of Team Lea, was named the first season winner. But (with some assistance from Salonga) he was always able to get back on track. ABS-CBN Entertainment. Lea Salonga delivered a passionate and soulful rendition of “Why God Why?” from the blockbuster musical. Actress Lea Salonga attends the 'Allegiance' Broadway opening night after … Enjoying the newly wedded life with husband Rob in Los Angeles. And even though I’ve never seen her in the musical, she’s who I picture whenever I think about the show. Change ). The moment when Ellen and Kim meet for the first time was utterly heartbreaking, as it seemed (to me at least) that both of those characters come to the same realization in that moment, literally seeing themselves in one another. Those themes were, of course, already in the show, with Kim’s violent act of self-sacrifice at the end as the most obvious example. He wrote and performed in the solo shows I’m Sorry, But I Don’t Speak the Language and Sort of Where I’m Coming From, and is also the author of the one-act play Say Something. And it wasn’t like a peer pressure standing ovation, as I was one of only a handful of people so moved to stand and applaud at that juncture. I do know that I used to play it all the time; it was one of my guilty pleasures even after I became conscious of the musical’s problematic racial overtones. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Follow. I took my mother to see the show. If I were her, I certainly would. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Browse more videos. I can’t remember now if I bought the recording before or after I saw the musical with my parents in London. Love you, Mom!!! Dulce's youngest daughter shares how she express love for her mother | Magandang Buhay. He received his Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University and has previously taught in the Dept. Watch Queue Queue. ( Log Out /  Lea Salonga’s life path number is 6 Life Path Number 6 represent 'The Nurturer'. Dan Bacalzo joined the faculty of Florida Gulf Coast University as Assistant Professor of Theatre in Fall 2015. Lea Salonga during Opening Night of "Miss Saigon" - After Party - September 20, 1989 in London, Great Britain. It’s Mommy Ligaya. And I was curious how I’d react to the musical now that I was more familiar with both its history and the critical race theory I’d been studying at NYU. Tags. Also my aunt, who is visiting from the Philippines. Rear Admiral Feliciano Salonga dies at the age of 86. Lea Salonga reveals that she is hands-on when it comes to her daughter, Nicole Chien. (This photo was taken c. She grew up with one brother named Gerard Salonga. Watch Queue Queue The proud daughter proudly shared her mom’s best attributes and it’s easy to where Lea inherited her strength and wisdom from. # YellowRose See More. #UNIQLOMothersDay, A post shared by Lea Salonga (@msleasalonga) on May 5, 2016 at 1:23am PDT, A post shared by Lea Salonga (@msleasalonga) on Sep 29, 2016 at 3:19am PDT. We wouldn't be where we are without you. And because she still performs in the Philippines, she also gets to take on roles in some of the best new musicals coming out when they make their Asia debuts. We were far from the only Filipinos in the audience, and I found it a bit amusing that several of the (white) patrons around me were actively commenting on that fact. My Neighbor Totoro (Japanese: となりのトトロ, Hepburn: Tonari no Totoro) is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten.The film—which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi—tells the story of a professor's two young daughters (Satsuki and Mei) and … Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Nevertheless, I found the number slyly subversive. Here’s to the indefatigable and indomitable woman I am proud to call my mother. She has more energy than most folks half her age and she is not slowing down. Magandang Buhay: Lea … She’s also currently one of the coaches on the version of The Voice that is produced in the Philippines, and which my mom watches on TFC (The Filipino Channel). She’s now 81 years young, still fiercely taking care of those she loves. Lea Salonga, Actress: Mulan. If you’ve ever seen Princess Jasmine or Mulan sing, you’ve heard the voice of Lea Salonga. “I’ve got to thank my mom. © 2021 ABS-CBN Corporation. Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne (French: [le.a sɛ.du] (); born 1 July 1985) is a French actress.She began her acting career in French cinema, appearing in films such as The Last Mistress (2007) and On War (2008). Lea Salonga began her singing career at the age of ten, when she recorded her first album, Small Voice. The values are responsibility, family, long-term goals. Les Misérables 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert HallLea Salonga (Éponine)Conductor: David Charles AbellOrchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1980. Such as “Fun Home,” which she starred in last year. And her opportunities would have been much more limited if she had never played the role of Kim in “Miss Saigon.”. I also read about the lesser known protest movement that critiqued the show’s use of racist stereotypes. Who is accountable for the problems of Miss Saigon? It’s been interesting to follow Lea Salonga’s career, as it differs from a lot of other Asian American performers in that she has been given opportunities to play high-profile roles outside of her race, most significantly both Eponine and Fantine in “Les Miserables” (obviously, not at the same time). Artis-Naples, Filipino, Lea Salonga, Miss Saigon, musical, Philippines, The Voice, theatre. Alistair Brammer and Eva Noblezada in the current Broadway production of Miss SaigonPhoto credit: Matthew Murphy. I was happy that my parents were sharing in my love of musical theatre, and they couldn’t stop talking about the fact that it was a Filipina who was playing the lead. According to Lea Salonga, you don’t always have to wait for their birthdays in order to honor your loved ones. The father of multi-awarded theater actress Lea Salonga and former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chief Feliciano Salonga has passed away on Friday, January 29. The first few notes of a song from Miss Saigon began to play, and audience members erupted in applause. However, it was not … On her Facebook, Lea said: "To be completely honest, I didn't know even half of what he's done in … I found myself leaping to my feet after the end of the song—something I rarely do. Lea explained that this experience is not just unique to Pinoys. She spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles City, Pampanga, before moving to Manila. Lea is a judge on the Philippines hit version of The Voice. Lea Salonga. Ugh. However, it was not one of the songs most of the assembled crowd were probably expecting. And even now, I’m amazed by how so many of the songs remain stuck in my head even though it’s been years since I’ve seen the show or listened to the original cast recording. READ: Lea Salonga on TV5 for showing ASAP: ‘Incredibly generous and so wonderful’ Also starring in the film are Pinay actresses Princess Punzalan and Eva Noblezada who play mother and daughter that experience hardships as undocumented residents.
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