Lea Salonga was born in Manila on Feb. 22,
1971. She has been in showbiz since the age of seven when she appeared in
Repertory Philippines' production of The King and I. She went on to appear
in Manila productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, The Sound of Music and
many others.
At age 10 Lea recorded her first album, Small
Voice, which eventually earned her a Gold Record award. She won the Aliw
Award for Best Child Entertainer three years in a row.
 But her early career
accomplishments at home were only the beginning for Lea. She would soon carve
out a successful career for herself in mainstream American entertainment,
to a degree unmatched by any other Filipino performer. While still a teenager,
Lea won the lead role of Kim in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon, after
playing the role in London. She moved to New York City, taking an apartment
in a Manhattan high-rise with mom Ligaya. Lea's performance earned her the
1991 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, plus many other awards. She
reprised the role of Kim for several performances as the show ended its ten-year
Broadway run in
January 2001. Lea's other Broadway credits
include appearing as Eponine in Les Miserables in 1993, and a starring role
in the revival of Flower Drum Song in 2002-2003. The cast album received
a Grammy nomination. She provided the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in
the animated Disney film Aladdin. On TV, Lea starred in the 1995 ABC Hallmark
Hall of Fame movie Redwood Curtain. She also played Lien Hughes on the CBS
soap opera As the World Turns for six months in 2001, and returned for several
episodes in 2003.
 Although based in the US for many years now,
Lea returns to the Philippines every so often and has remained active in
the local entertainment scene, appearing in occasional concerts and plays,
and doing interviews and product endorsements. This coming August she will
star in the musical Baby at the Meralco Theater.
Despite her many acting achievements, Lea considers
herself first and
 foremost a singer. "I'm a singer first... it's where
I'm more confident and relaxed. Acting doesn't always come easy. It's something
I enjoy though," she said in a post to her Internet newsgroup. Besides her
Broadway cast albums, she has recorded several solo albums both in the
Philippines and the US and continues to be a much-sought-after concert performer.
Her most recent major concert in the Philippines was the critically acclaimed
"Songs From Home" held at the PICC Plenary Hall on two nights last September.
Accompanying Lea was the 50-piece Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted
by Lea's brother Gerard Salonga.
 Hopefully at some future
date Lea will have a "Songs From Home" US tour, although there are no plans
in the works as of yet. The combination of Lea's distinctive sweet, clear
voice and a program of favorite Filipino songs would be a real treat for
Pinoy audiences in the US, not to mention a sure sellout for the producers!
Although she has no major concert tour scheduled, Lea continues to perform
in the US occasionally, to the delight of her fans. Last October she performed
at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, with the tickets for all four shows selling
out a month in advance! She has a show coming up in New Jersey on July 16th
and 17th, 2004 at the Lenape
Regional Performing Arts Center.
While Lea was appearing in the L.A. production
of Flower Drum Song in 2002, cast member Christine Yasunoga introduced her
cousin, Rob Chien, to Lea. Rob turned out to be Lea's "Mr. Right" and they
were married in Los Angeles on January 10, 2004. Lea's fans in the Philippines
and the US were able to witness this happy occasion, as their wedding was
filmed by ABS-CBN and shown as a TV special later that month. Lea and Rob
are currently living in L.A.
For much more about Lea, check out
the unofficial but very complete
Ms. Lea Salonga
Web Site.
Previous Caroustars
MAY 2004:
JOEY
ALBERT • APRIL 2004:
VINA
MORALES • MARCH 2004:
RICA
PERALEJO
FEBRUARY 2004:
RACHEL
ALEJANDRO • JANUARY 2004:
GENEVA
CRUZ
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