Lea Salonga Joins ANNIE at the Hollywood Bowl

Known across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch, Lea Salonga has been announced for the role of Grace Farrell in Hollywood Bowl's upcoming production of Annie, one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, which will be this summer's annual staged musical at the Bowl.

Charles Strouse, the Tony Award-winning composer of Annie (as well as Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, and some of the most popular music from the last 60 years of Broadway, film and television) turns 90 this June. To mark the occasion, a year-long celebration of events, including tributes, concerts, revivals and international productions, will take place across the United States and around the world. Strouse's iconic songs - from "Tomorrow" and "Put on a Happy Face" to "Those Were the Days" (theme from All in the Family) - will be heard worldwide, from Abu Dhabi to Congo to Belgium, on television in The Simpsons and at the Hollywood Bowl with Annie.

Annie will be helmed by Tony Award-nominated director Michael Arden, conducted byTodd Ellison and choreographed by Eamon Foley. Annie's book is by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin.

Annie, the classic story of a young girl overcoming adversity, features a beloved score of hits (including "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life") and is a delightful experience for the entire family. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Annie will have three performances at the Hollywood Bowl this summer - Friday, July 27, at 8PM; Saturday, July 28, at 8PM; and Sunday, July 29, at 7:30PM, with single tickets on sale Sunday, April 29.

Lea Salonga is a singer and actress who 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, in addition to starring in the 10th and 25th Anniversary Concerts filmed and recorded for PBS. Lea's other Broadway appearances include Flower Drum Song and Allegiance. Lea most recently starred in the acclaimed Broadway revival of Once on This Island.

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" in August of 2011.

As a concert artist Lea has toured the world, performing sold-out concerts in some of the world's most iconic venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Singapore's Esplanade, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Carnegie Hall, and London's O2 Arena.

Director Michael Arden, who is currently represented on Broadway with his revival of Once on This Island, is a Tony-nominated director for his revival of Spring Awakening. The acclaimed production transferred from Deaf West Theater in Los Angeles to Broadway in fall 2015. He also won the Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding Director of a Musical and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the production.

Michael made his Broadway debut in Deaf West Theater and the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Big River. Other directing credits include My Fair Lady at Bay Street Theater; Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Los Angeles, where he is currently the Artist in Residence; LA Ronde for his company, the Forest of Arden; and For the Record: John Hughes in LA and NYC. His production of The Prideopened at the Wallis Annenberg Center in June 2018.

Other theater credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Times They Are a Changin', Ragtime (Avery Fisher), It's Only Life, Swimming in the Shallows, Ace, Juno, As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, The Secret Garden, Pippin (Mark Taper Forum), and Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. Michael's film work includes Source Code, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Bride Wars and So B It. He has also worked extensively in TV, most notably on FX and Fox's Anger Management. Other TV credits include GCB, Nurse Jackie, Royal Pains, Unforgettable, Off the Map, Kings, The Closer, The Forgotten, Bones, The Return of Jezebel James, Cashmere Mafia, Grey's Anatomy, and NUMB3RS. Concert work includes singing with Barbra Streisand, Chris Botti, and performances at Feinstein's/54 Below, at the Regency and Joe's Pub. Michael is an alum of The Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School.

Conductor Todd Ellison has been hailed by The New York Times as one of "Broadway's Electric Conductors." Currently the Music Supervisor/Conductor/arranger of the new Broadway bound musical Roman Holiday, he is also the composer of the award winning new musical The Black and White Ball with Stephen Cole, as well as The Canterville Hotel with Brendan Cull. He also composed the songs "The Long Way" for Emily Skinner and "Gettin' Nowhere Fast" for Guy Haines. He is currently the Music Supervisor of An American in Paris at the Dominion Theater in London's West End, as well as 42nd Street at the Drury Lane Theater. His Broadway credits include Michel Legrand's Amour, Monty Python's Spamalot (Best Musical Tony Award), La Cage aux Folles (Best Musical Revival Tony Award), 42nd Street (Best Revival Tony Award), Elton John's Lestat, Annie, The Wild Party, On the Town, Once Upon a Mattress (starring Sarah Jessica Parker), How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (starring Matthew Broderick), She Loves Me, Taller than a Dwarf, and A Class Act.

Ellison was the music director of the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" at the famed Radio City Music Hall for several seasons. As Marvin Hamlisch's music director, Ellison worked with him on his productions of Ballroom and The Nutty Professor, directed by Jerry Lewis. He has conducted more than 20 albums, including the Grammy® Award-winning cast albums of his shows. He has accompanied such stars as Beyoncé, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Nicole Kidman, Barry Manilow, Jane Lynch, Bea Arthur, Bernadette Peters, Tracey Ullman and Kelsey Grammar.

Choreographer Eamon Foley is the Founder and Artistic Director of Grind Arts Company, which creates art at the intersection of live performance and digital media. Broadway performing credits include Gypsy, Assassins, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 13: The Musical, and Everyday Rapture. He recently choreographed Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Los Angeles, an aerial dance "Game of Thrones" piece for Broadway Bares, and is currently creating a contemporary ballet in the medium of virtual reality with ModernEpic and Grind Arts. His directing credits include Cyrano, The Last Five Years, Sweeney Todd, Nine, and Hero.

The original Broadway production of Annie opened in 1977, won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and went on to run for nearly six years, as well as yielding countless productions around the world. Since 1990, Annie has been performed in 57 countries/territories and translated into 28 languages. It was made into two top-grossing movies and Rapper Jay-Z's quadruple platinum album "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" won the 1999 Grammy for Best Rap Album.

Subscriptions and single tickets for performances during the Hollywood Bowl 2018 summer season are available at hollywoodbowl.com, or via credit card phone order at 323 850 2000, and in person from Sunday, April 29 at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office.

For further details or questions, call 323.850.2000 from 10AM - 6PM daily, or visit laphil.com.

The recent history of Broadway musicals at the Hollywood Bowl is nothing short of spectacular, including Mamma Mia! starring Jennifer Nettles, Jamie Camil, Dove Cameron, Corbin Bleu, Lea DeLaria, and Tisha Campbell-Martin, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall; A Chorus Line starring Mario Lopez, Krysta Rodriguez, and Ross Lynch, directed and choreographed by Baayork Lee; Spamalotstarring Craig Robinson, Christian Slater, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Warwick Davis, and Eric Idle; Hair starring Kristen Bell, Hunter Parrish, Beverly D'Angelo, Benjamin Walker, and Amber Riley, directed by Adam Shankman; Chicago starring Ashlee Simpson, Drew Carey, Lucy Lawless, and Stephen Moyer, directed by Brooke Shields; The Producersstarring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Rebecca Romijn, and Dane Cook, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman; Hairspray starring Harvey Fierstein, Drew Carey, John Stamos, and Nick Jonas, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell; and Rent starring Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Scherzinger, and Wayne Brady, directed by Neil Patrick Harris.

About the Hollywood Bowl

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922 and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music, offering something for everyone. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz performances. In February 2018, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the 14th year in a row at the 29th Annual Pollstar Awards and was awarded the Top Amphitheater prize at the 2017 BillboardTouring Awards. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski