STAGE MAGIC: The Captivating Lea Salonga on 'SAIGON', 'LES MIZ' and...WICKED

Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga has been captivating audiences around the world. She recently embarked upon her 2009 "Inspired" North American tour for a limited number of dates. Hot off the heels of headlining the critically acclaimed Southeast Asian road show of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic, Cinderella, Lea Salonga leaves her "glass slippers" behind to mesmerize audiences stateside. She spoke to BWW TV about winning the leading role in Miss Saigon, performing on Broadway in "Les Miz" and her dream of "defying gravity" in WICKED.

Having created the role of the orphaned "Kim" in Miss Saigon and brought to life the singing of Disney's Mulan ("Reflection") and Princess Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin - it's truly "A Whole New World," for Salonga and her angelic voice. Salonga has become the national treasure of her Philippine homeland as she captivates audiences the world over - playing to SOLD OUT houses at Carnegie Hall, Hong Kong's Cultural Centre and the historical Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Salonga has been singing since the age of ten when she made her theatrical debut in the King and I and has gone on to release three studio albums. She began an illustrious career in Broadway musicals when she was cast to play Kim in Miss Saigon after a world-wide talent search. Additional credits include Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, Grease, The Sound of Music, Annie and Cinderella among many others.

In the field of musical theatre, she is recognized for having won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Theatre World Awards, and the first to win various international awards for a single role. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway.

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