Lea Salonga in Concert Streams Free Through Great Performances This Month
Filmed live at the Sydney Opera House, internationally acclaimed Broadway actor and singer Lea Salonga performs selections from her Broadway career in "Lea Salonga in Concert", streaming now through Great Performances. Known globally for her powerhouse voice and perfect pitch, Salonga entered the Broadway musical scene with her 1991 Tony-winning performance as Kim in Miss Saigon and most recently starred in the Allegiance on Broadway. Lea Salonga is set to return to Broadway in the new Broadway production of Here Lies Love by David Byrne. She will join the musical as a special guest for five weeks from Tuesday, July 11 through Sunday, August 13. The musical follows the life of former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos - her astonishing rise to power and subsequent fall at the hands of the Philippine People Power Revolution. Salonga was the first Asian cast member to play Eponine in Les Misérables on Broadway and later returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. Lea Salonga in Concert streams free in the US and Canada through Great Performances now through April 30, 2023. The performance can now be streamed through the official PBS site. In her review for Broadway World, Jade Kops said: "Salonga shares a delightful candid enjoyment and awe of performing at the Sydney Opera House. Whilst some performers inject a patter into their performances, Salonga's is genuine, unforced and completely impromptu which is refreshing as she connects with the audience, sharing personal stories, embarrassing her younger brother and enlightening the audience with the backstories of songs. She has a lovely interaction with the audience with tinge of the delightful sassiness of a New Yorker which she would have no doubt picked up during her time on Broadway." Gerard Salonga, resident conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and former assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra conducts the evening. David Horn, Executive Producer of Great Performances, produces the concert. Great Performances: Lea Salonga in Concert is directed for television by Todd Decker and produced by Donald Young. Executive producers are Paul Clarke, Stephen Gong, Josh Pultz and Lea Salonga.