Achievement unlocked: Lea Salonga debuts as Broadway producer for ‘Here Lies Love’
Lea Salonga. Image: Instagram/@msleasalonga
Filipino pride Lea Salonga just unlocked another achievement in her decades-long career as she announced her debut as a Broadway producer with the staging of the musical “Here Lies Love.”
Salonga made the announcement on Instagram after the first preview of the show’s revival in New York on June 17. The singer-actress, however, said that she was in Dallas, Texas for another show.
A screenshot of what appeared to be a Broadway playbill gave a brief introduction to Salonga being a “co-producer” of the show.
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“Speaking of debuts, I’m making my own tonight as a BROADWAY PRODUCER! I blame this squarely on the mighty shoulders of @clintramos and @joseiswriting. What have you gotten me into?!?” Salonga said in the caption, tagging Filipino-American set designer Clint Ramos and theater producer Jose Antonio Vargas.
Salonga earlier revealed that her upcoming participation in the musical is “special” to her as a Filipina artist, since audiences will witness its importance on the stage where she made her Broadway debut as Kim in “Miss Saigon” in 1991.
“And it’s very special to me for a few reasons. Number one: As a Filipina artist, I’m incredibly excited that audiences will finally see on Broadway this beautiful, impactful, and important musical. Two: I get to go back to Broadway theater, which is where I made my Broadway debut over 30 years ago, which is wild for me to think about,” she said.
“Here Lies Love” tells the rise and fall of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, who was once dubbed the “Iron Butterfly”. Incidentally, she is the wife of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and the mother of the current Philippine president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The Broadway production has an all-Filipino cast, featuring Arielle Jacobs as Imelda Marcos, Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino.
Salonga will appear in the musical on a limited run, playing the role of Aurora Aquino for five weeks. Meanwhile, Grammy-winning musician H.E.R. is part of the producing team, alongside Ramos and Vargas.
Prior to this post, the Tony awardee also announced on Instagram that the Broadway Theatre sold out on its first night.
