“Young Sheldon” star Iain Armitage with theater legend Lea Salonga | Image: @iain IG
“Young Sheldon” star Iain Armitage had a fanboy moment upon meeting theater legend Lea Salonga as he watched the Filipina singer’s comeback performance in the West End.
Aside from Salonga, the young actor also had the chance to meet Bernadette Peters backstage as the two women headlined the London staging of the musical “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends.”
“I’m so glad my 2023 included getting to see these two incredible women on stage—two of my very favorites and always have been!!! Thank you for an incredible evening!!!” wrote Armitage.
“Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends” marks the Disney legend’s comeback to the West End after her run on “Les Misérables.” 27 years ago.
Before this, Salonga previously graced the theater stage as Aurora Aquino on the Broadway production of “Here Lies Love,” the musical about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos.
Aside from meeting the “Young Sheldon” star, the Filipina singer-actress also got reunited with former co-star Jonathan Pryce. They starred as Kim and the Engineer, respectively, in the original West End and original Broadway runs of “Miss Saigon” in 1989 and 1991.
“Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends” is a tribute show to the late American composer and lyricist who was behind the musicals “West Side Story,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and “Into the Woods,” among others.
The London production also features Bonnie Langford, Marley Fenton, Julia McKenzie, Matthew Bourne, Joanna Riding, Jeremy Secomb, Bella Brown and Harry Apps.
The show is also graced by the presence of Filipin–British actress Christine Allado, Beatrice Penny-Touré, Jason Pennycooke, Gavin Lee, Bradley Jaden and Janie Dee.
After the 16-week run of “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” Salonga will embark on a new tour in the UK with “Stage, Screen, and Everything in Between” in summer 2024.
Meanwhile, Armitage’s show, “Young Sheldon,” is a spin-off of the American sitcom “Big Bang Theory.” Its seventh and final season is set to premiere on Feb. 15.