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12 Days of Christmas with Lea Salonga: MISS SAIGON Celebrates the Season!

On the ninth day of Christmas, Lea gave to us... Miss Saigon.

By: Dec. 22, 2020
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Christmastime is here at last and BroadwayWorld is continuing our favorite annual tradition of celebrating the holiday season with a 12 Days of Christmas countdown. This year we've invited superstar of stage and screen Lea Salonga to share some of her most cherished holiday songs and performances.

Check back daily to get in the holiday spirit in time for December 25 and to find out what else made her list!


"Miss Saigon's run in Manila hit the Christmas season, so it felt fitting that we would burst into song as a company. Even our massive crew made an appearance at the end, to show the audience that it takes a CITY, not only a VILLAGE, to put this monster of a show on stage night after night. Our musical director Guy Simpson suggested it after having done this same song for the Australia company, so in our way, we continued a tradition!"

Need a little more Christmas? Check out holiday countdowns from previous seasons, which included picks from Norm Lewis, George Salazar, Charles Busch, Jim Caruso, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and Richard Jay-Alexander!


12 Days of Christmas with Lea Salonga: MISS SAIGON Celebrates the Season!  Image
Photo Credit: Raymund Isaac

Multiple award winning actress and singer Lea Salonga is renown across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch. She is best known for her Tony Award winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to the Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards, in the field of musical theatre. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival.

Many fans of all ages recognize Lea as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II. For her portrayal of the beloved princesses, the Walt Disney Company bestowed her with the honor of "Disney Legend".

Most recently, Lea received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with stints in Manila and Singapore. Her 2019 The Human Heart Tour saw record-breaking audiences around the world including North American, Australia and the UK.

On Broadway, Lea most recently starred in the 2018 Broadway revival of Once on This Island as the Goddess of Love, Erzulie. The show's return to the Broadway stage earned a Tony Award for "Best Revival of a Musical" and also garnered Lea and the cast a Grammy nomination for "Best Musical Theater Album."

Lea also starred in the critically acclaimed Sony musical-drama YELLOW ROSE which hit theaters in October. Additionally, in August, Lea released her single "Dream Again" with all profits donated to charities aiding in COVID-19 relief around the world, including The Actor's Fund.

12 Days of Christmas with Lea Salonga: MISS SAIGON Celebrates the Season!  ImageMost recently, Lea joined PBS' GREAT PERFORMANCES lineup for their fourth annual "Broadway's Best" series. The concert premiered on November 27th and included signature songs from Salonga's illustrious repertoire, including Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Aladdin, and Mulan. Currently, Lea serves as a judge on the Philippines hit version of "The Voice" including the ratings juggernaut "The Voice Kids". Mitoy Yonting, a member of Team Lea, was named the first season winner. An avid techie and gamer, Lea divides her time between Manila, Philippines with her family and the United States.

Lea's most recent album, Live in Concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, is now available to purchase!




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